Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is very popular among business people who want to improve their careers.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}For example,Covey's principles can be used to improve relationships between parents and children or to improve the way you manage your time.

    Covey begins by discussing habits and effectiveness,and why they are both important to success.According to Covey,for an action,such as listening to others,to become a habit,you must know what to do and why you should do it.However,you also must want to do.On the other hand,effectiveness means having a balance between success and a good relationship with the people around you.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}However,if the company does not respect its workers,the profits will eventually decline.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The first three habits focus on personal growth.The next three habits are about how to get along with others.The seventh habit shows how to achieve physical,emotional and mental health.

    Covey includes exercises to help you analyse your life.He challenges you to identify what you want to contribute to society in your lifetime.He does this by asking you to think about what people to say about you after you die{#blank#}4{#/blank#}For example,if you want your children to say that you were always willing to spend time with them, then you will spend more time with them and less time at work{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A.It has the potential to really improve your life.

B.In this way,you can challenge yourself to make your dreams and ambitions come true.

C.However,its principles can be applied to any area of life.

D.In order to be successful,you must have habits that make you able to deal effectively with others and your own personal life.

E.For example,a company might focus completely on making a profit.

F.Your answer to this question will help you make better decisions about how to spend your time.

G.Covey also introduces the seven habits of highly effective people.

    Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

    Recite and repeat in conversation. When you hear a person's name, repeat it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

    Ask the other person to recite and repeat. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. After you've been introduced to someone, ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you're making to learn their names.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Admitting that you can't remember someone's name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say, "I'm working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?"

    Use associations (联想). {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. For example, you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng—tall, black hair." To reinforce (强迫) your associations , ,write them on a small card as soon as possible.

    Limit the number of new names you learn at one time. When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

A. Admit you don't know.

B. Recite and repeat names.

C. Free yourself from remembering everyone.

D. You can let other people help you remember their names.

E. If you can't remember someone's name, you may tell him the truth.

F. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips.

G. Link each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual.

    Are you often upset about your failure in daily life? In fact everyone has gone through failure. In most cases you fail because of a lack of persistence(坚持不懈). Being persistent is a skill that can help you reach a dream more easily, get what you desire and even be a way in which you defend your idea or right before difficult people. Being persistent is a kind of quality most people who are successful have.

    Failure is often used as an excuse or reason not to go after a goal. Yet, getting over failure is a good way of being persistent. So to be persistent, you should accept that we all experience failure in life. The most successful people in life have ever failed. The difference between them and people who fail is that successful people face the failure, learn from it and use it fully and wisely to inspire their next attempt.

    You should keep on trying at the first sight of difficulty. Anything that is worth doing or achieving is sure to be difficult. Treat that as the challenge and as something that will test your courage, shape you for the better, and make you stronger and wiser. If at first you do not succeed, try it again and again.

    More importantly, you need to learn to give up where necessary. If the constant facts tell you that you should let go of an realistic goal despite your efforts, be wise about devoting your energies. Don't waste time and energy, for you have just learned what does not work and is not worth persisting with.

    In addition, it is also important to be persistent when refusing or demanding something. So you have to be persistent in what you say so that other people truly understand your meaning and know that you mean it. Whether it that will be remembered by others. Thus, when making your request or refusal, make eye contact with the person you are talking with, and this shows you are serious. Avoid saying sorry unless it is necessary because an apology usually is a sign of guilt, uncertainty or fear. Always state what you want to do or what you refuse to do clearly and exactly.

    The quality of patience goes a long way toward your goal of creating a more peaceful and loving self. The more patient you are, the more accepting you will be of what life is, rather than insisting that life be exactly as you would like it to be. Without patience, life is extremely frustrating. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Patience adds some ease and acceptance to your life. It's important for inner peace.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you are stuck in a traffic jam, late for an appointment, being patient would mean keeping yourself from building a mental snowball before your thinking gets out of hand and gently reminding yourself to relax. It might also be a good time to breathe as well as an opportunity to remind yourself that, in the bigger scheme of things, being late is "small stuff".

    Patience is a quality of heart that can be greatly enhanced with deliberate practice. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They are the periods of time that I set up in my mind to practice the art of patience. Life itself becomes a classroom, and the curriculum is patience. You can start with as little as five minutes and build up your capacity for patience over time. What you'll discover is truly amazing. Your intention to be patient, especially if you know it's only for a short while, immediately strengthens your capacity for patience. Patience is one of those qualities where success feeds on itself. Once you reach little milestone-five minutes of successful patience-you'll begin to see that you do indeed have the capacity to be patient, even for longer periods of time. Over time, you may even become a patient person.

    Being patient will help you to keep your perspective. You will see even a difficult situation, say your present challenge, isn't "life or death" but simply a minor obstacle that must be dealt with. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

A. An effective way that I have found to deepen my own patience is to create actual practice periods.

B. You are more easily annoyed and bothered.

C. It is generally believed that the quality of being patient is very difficult to develop.

D. Becoming more patient involves opening your heart to the present moment, even if you don't like it.

E. Without patience, you will see the same scene as an emergency complete with yelling, frustration, hurt feelings.

F. If you lack patience, you are destined to fail in what you are pursuing.

    Every person has a history of pain and tragedy that includes regret from the situation. At times, it's often hard to explain that pain to someone else. The challenge with a tragedy is the lack of support from someone.

    This has often been my challenge when I try to explain what occurred to me. When I was younger, I was a victim of a tragic accident that changed my life both academically and emotionally. At sixteen months old, due to the neglect of my babysitter I fell off the bed. The injury was so severe that I was rushed to the emergency room and the doctors explained to my mom that I suffered from a blood clot (血块) located on the left side of the brain.

    I was later diagnosed with what is known as a traumatic brain injury (外伤性脑损伤)．This accident affects my long term memory and testing ability. I often struggle with understanding information related to school and feel frustrated that I will not pass my tests. The pressure of school is so much, since I must always work harder than most students.

    I become easily disappointed that I study a lot but often flunk or re-take tests. It is hard to imagine, because in my mind I feel prepared for the work; however, the test results do not connect with the information in my brain. Although I always don't pass my tests, I feel like this injury encourages me to work and shows me that I can be confident when it comes to the future. For example, I have been able to maintain my grades, been employed for over a year at a local restaurant, and obtained my driver's license. I look forward to attending college, getting married, raising a family, and being a success. I will continue to live my life to the fullest and prove that an injury does not limit my life journey.

    After we all came to the conclusion that our family could responsibly care for dog; my husband and I started our search at a local animal shelter.

    We discovered a medium-sized male dog named Duke. This dog was a approximately only two years old and seemed to have the sweetest character. He looked at us through intelligent eyes and already knew how to fetch a ball. My husband and I immediately adopted him Duke quickly fit into our family's lifestyle. And he quickly learned the tricks like "sit", and "come".

But there was one skill that Duke could not seem to grasp—that of a watchdog. My husband was trying to teach him to remind us by giving a single warning bark when someone came into the yard. Duke would listen carefully to my husband's commands, but would cock （竖起）his head to one side in confusion and disappointment as if to tell his master that he just didn't understand what my husband was asking him to do. My husband would give his "watch" command. Duke would stand up—muscles tightened in readiness, but would not have a clue as to what he was in readiness for.

    One morning we heard the garbage collectors come up the driveway to get our garbage.

    My husband went to the open bedroom window so Duke could hear and see the men through the screen.

    "Watch" my husband commanded. Duke rose in readiness, looked at my husband as sudden comprehension dawned on him, gave a quick tail wave, and leaped through the window screen jumping happily out to greet the garbage men.

    Seeing that, I couldn't help laughing. My laughter did nothing for my husbands mood when he found what was happening and he just went away to repair the screen with no expression on his face.

    Duke brought our family so much fun. We never scolded or beat him. He was one of our family members.