We all have to make decisions all the time, and we have an abundance of choices, ranging from tiny issues to vital ones. Unfortunately, people often find it hard to make decisions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you would like to improve your skill of decision making, here are four suggestions for you.

    Don't expect to have it all.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can't order every delicious dish on the menu. And there will be paths not taken, careers not chosen, to name a few. You can imagine some "what if" situations if you must, but do not let them take up too much space in your brain.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}    

    It's often good to think through your decisions. But don't overdo it. Research can reach a point where returns begin to reduce, which makes it confusing more than clarifying. Many good decisions can be made based as much on intuition (直觉) as on careful assessment of endless data.

    Don't delay making decisions.

    Yes, there is a time to put off making a decision. Perhaps you need more information. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    Or it's likely that you wait for a less stressful time. Just don't wait so long that the decision is made by your own indecisiveness.

    Don't be hard on yourself.

    You decide to go on a voyage. You choose an expensive liner. Everything should work out just right. Only you didn't expect a bug that ran around on the ship, making you and your family sick for five days. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But please remember it is unavoidable sometimes.

A. Don't spend too much time thinking.

B. It is an important source of information.

C. You may regret making such a stupid decision.

D. Don't count on emotion to make decisions.

E. Maybe you wish to consult with your advisor.

F. Decisions force us to close the door on other possibilities.

G. That means the skill of good decision-making counts a lot.

Why people collect art

    Many people through history have gone to great lengths to collect art. But what motivates these collectors?

    One popular explanation for collecting is that they can have financial gain. Some resell works, earning enormous profit. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Immorally, some 'collectors' buy art as a form of money laundering(洗钱), since it is far easier to move art than cash between counties without examination.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} For them, art is important for other reasons. The best way to understand the underlying drive of art collecting is as a means to create and strengthen social bonds, and as a way for collectors to communicate within these new networks.

Collectors are not only interested in creating social links; they are also motivated by the messages they can send once these social networks are created. We all know art is a powerful way for the artist to express thoughts and feelings. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Displaying art can send a message about who the collector really is — at least who she sees herself as.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Through the collections, collectors convey messages not just about themselves, but about the world as a whole. For example, the kid with the shoebox of bird feathers might show others her collection not just to make friends, but also to convince them about the importance of protecting endangered species.

    People collect art for various reasons. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Some gain art works in an illegal way.

B. But most collectors think little of profit.

C. Artworks preserve the qualities of their makers.

D. No doubt art collection is a hard addiction to overcome.

E. Some get large tax reductions for donating art to museums.

F. It also serves as an effective way to express collectors.

G. Other art collectors see their collections as having a broader power.

    Who would win in a competition to memorize numbers, a chimp or a teenager? The teenager? Think again. Scientists have proved that chimps perform better than human beings when it comes to this kind of problem.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Memory is our ability to learn something, save it and recall it when needed. Our memories are important to our sense of self, our personalities, and our ability to understand the world.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} There is short-term memory and long-term memory. Your short-term memory saves information for a few seconds or a few minutes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Long-term memory involves the information you try hard to keep, because it's meaningful to you-an example is data about family and friends. And then there is visual memory and sound memory. But these are not hard and fast. In fact, Scientists argue a lot about the nature of memory.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Some memorize better with the help of pictures. Others are helped more by sounds. One thing's for sure though: If you can put the different kinds of memory together, there can be great results. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} At the same time, you could listen to recordings of the same group of words. These things may help when it comes to memorizing the words.

    Imagination and association can be useful too. By imagination, scientists mean picturing a word in your mind, while association means relating the word to something you already know.

A. So why not try pictures with English words?

B. Then how do chimps have better memories than us?

C. Scientists say that there are different types of memory.

D. We may have to rethink what we believe about human memory.

E. Scientists have also found that people memorize things in different ways.

F. For example, the time it takes to compare the prices of a few items in a store.

G. Short-term and long-term memory differ in the amount of information they can store.

    Stress is so common that many people choose to ignore it. But without proper management, stress can become much more serious. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒈Breathe

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Slow, deep breathing stops the mind focusing on whatever else might be going on, and actively lowers stress levels.

    ⒉Write

    Instead of allowing a jumble (混乱) of thoughts and ideas to jump around inside your head, let them fall out onto your computer keyboard instead. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They don't even have to make sense. Minutes later, you might be surprised at how light and airy you feel.

    ⒊Walk

    If you're feeling stressed, drop everything and go for a walk. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Walking provides your body with an ideal outlet(完美的出口) for the energy that stress can create.

    ⒋Laugh

    If you're stressed, the last thing you probably feel like doing is laughing. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you are able to smile during your day, you'll soon begin to see the effects of stress slowly disappear.

A. Stress is not good for people's health.

B. Here are four ways to deal with stress.

C. Deep breathing lowers the blood pressure.

D. Laughing can calm the nerves and reduce stress.

E. Or write down your feelings onto a piece of paper.

F. Keep yourself at an easy speed and breathe properly.

G. Taking a deep breath in stressful situation is helpful.

    Many students have to live with roommates while going to school or university. Having a roommate can be one of the best experiences, or easily one of the worst.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Follow these five tips to avoid the common mistakes that make good roommate relationships worse.

    Talk things out.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}If something happens, sit down with your roommates and have a face-to-face conversation. Complaining about your roommates behind their backs creates nothing but awkward situations and general unhappiness.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Some roommates become the best of friends, and some don't. Don't put pressure on yourself or your roommate to reach this level, especially when you first meet. Remember, you are trying to make a new friend, not scare your roommate away. And if your roommate doesn't end up being your best friend, there is no need to worry about it.

    Clean up after yourself. Or at least, keep your mess on your side.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}But being considerate with where you put your own stuff will help you avoid the arguments.

    Ask before you take. This applies to food, clothes, supplies and anything else that you don't own.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Even if you both agree to share everything you should still ask.

A. Don't expect to be best friends.

B. Communication is of vital importance.

C. You don't need to keep the room clean and organized all the time.

D. Rooms can be really easy for a mess to pile up.

E. If you want to have a good relationship with your roommate, it all starts with you.

F. Not all roommates can become your best friends.

G. Show your roommate that you have respect for his or her belongings.

    There are always a lot of pressures in life: appointments you are late for, health and financial worries and so on. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Under such pressure, your child came in: He'd lost his sneakers, and suddenly remembered that he needed a new notebook for school, or he was teasing his little sister.

    In your peaceful moments, you could probably have handled any parenting challenge much better from a state of calm. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. How could this kid be so irresponsible, inconsiderate, ungrateful or even mean? So you scolded your child angrily. The whole process only took a few seconds.

    If your young child does not seem afraid of your anger, it shows that your child has seen too much of it and has developed defenses against it. The more often you get angry, the more prepared for it your child will be. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. In the end, your child is more likely to be open to the influences of his peer group. That means you have some repair work to do.

    Sometimes your child gets angry too, so it's a double gift for you to find constructive ways to deal with your anger: Not only do you not hurt your child, but you also offer your child a role model. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. So the best way is not to yell out. Stop and calm yourself down. Take a deep breath. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you really need to scream, go into your car with the windows rolled up and scream where no one can hear, but don't use words.

A. The list is endless

B. Anger is scary enough

C. That deep breath is your pause button

D. How you handle your anger teaches your child a lot

E. There are some parents who never get angry at their children

F. And the less likely your child will want to behave to please you

G. But in the storm of your anger  you might feel it was your right as parents to be angry