Easy Ways to Improve Your Mood

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Taking an extra moment for yourself will make your day brighter and give you a healthier outlook on life. Here are some simple ways you can bring a little happiness into your life right now:

    Go for a walk.

    Grab your dog, best friend, or your significant other and head out on a brisk(轻快的) walk. Just a little bit of exercise can improve your mood and give you a fresh perspective on problems that have been bothering you. Think walks are boring? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Take a trip to the mall, or even walk to get some frozen yogurt. Make it a fun trip and you'll surely make it part of your routine.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    After all, laughter is the best medicine. Pick up something that makes you laugh like a funny picture, book, magazine, or a DVD of your favorite comedy. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Giving yourself time to laugh increases feel-good endorphins(胺多酚).

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Take a photo of yourself doing something you enjoy, like roller skating, skiing, swimming, playing an instrument, or being with friends and family. Place the picture on your desk to remind yourself that you lead an amazing life and have lots to be happy about.

A. Model behavior.

B. Buy something silly.

C. Ten minutes of relaxation can do wonders.

D. Try walking to a place that seems exciting to you.

E. You could even plan a date night out to a comedy club.

F. Tell someone that you're guaranteed to brighten their day.

G. Even the most optimistic people can use a mood boost every once in a while.

    As we know, everyone can make mistakes, but don't worry about it. The following is what we should do when we make mistakes.

    Just admit (承认)it. Don't think that our mistakes are caused by others.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Don't blame other people, and don't cheat ourselves, either.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. In order to stop the problem from getting worse, we should act quickly to solve it. If we don't act and deal with the problem quickly, it'll only make us feel more stressed. Also it is necessary to make a plan of action and correct the mistake according to it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . Those who have made the most mistakes can get an A, for they are the ones who have learned the most. The more we learn from our mistakes, the cleverer we are.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. What caused us to make the mistake? How can we avoid making the same mistake in the future? When we act with a method to get a good result, do it that way next time. If we don't, we should stop, think about it, change it and try again.

A. Think about what we can learn from our mistakes.

B. Be brave and face the fact that we have made the mistakes.

C. So decide quickly and act.

D. Realize that making mistakes is the best way to learn.

E. Solve it at once.

F. Don't be afraid of failure.

G. So be away from stress.

    Artificial intelligence（AI，人工智能）can help us make phone calls, guide us to where we want to go, or play games. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Researchers from Microsoft recently created the first machine translation system that can translate news articles from Chinese to English, Business Standard reported.

    According to Microsoft's official website, researchers tested the system by asking it to translate hundreds of sentences taken from news stories.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They concluded that the system's translations were as good as the human translations. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This is partly because different words can be used to express the same meaning. It can be hard to say which word is more “correct”.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}“Much of our research is really inspired by how we humans do things,” lead researcher Liu Tieyan said.

    One method is called dual learning（对偶学习）. In this method, the system translates every sentence from Chinese to English, as well as translating the sentences back from English into Chinese.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}This is similar to what humans do to make sure their translations are accurate.

        Another method makes use of deliberation networks. This is when the system is made to translate the same sentence over and over. Gradually, the system improves the quality of its translation, like humans who would improve their own writing by going over it again and again.

A. Machine translation is always challenging.

B. However, experts used several methods to improve the system's translation abilities.

C. Then, language experts compared the results to two translations that were done by humans.

D. Researchers collected a lot of data to help the system learn and improve.

E. And now, AI can do even more things.

F. Researchers have worked on machine translation for decades.

G. This way, the system can improve itself and learn from its own mistakes.

    Finland is a small country of just 5.3 million people, but over three million saunas(桑拿浴). {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Finns have a sauna at least once a week. Saunas can be found all over Finland: in offices, factories, sports centres and hotel, and 2/3 of the people have one in their house.

    Some of the basic rules for using the sauna include not eating or drinking. Also, you can't wear any clothes or swimsuits in the sauna. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Men and women visit the sauna separately, unless they're members of the same family.

    Saunas have existed for hundreds of years in Finland. In the past, Finns dug holes in the ground and put heated stones in them. When water was thrown on the hot stones, they gave off a vapour.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Traditional type is the smoke sauna. We find smoke saunas mostly in rural areas. They're heated with burning wood. Once the room is hot enough, the fire is allowed to die and the room is ventilated (使通风) by letting the smoke out through a hole in the ceiling. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} With these, you simply turn on an electric stove an hour before you want to go in. This is seen as the safest and easiest way to heat the room.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Many think that they're important for your wellbeing (幸福). Finns believe that the sauna can treat a number of diseases. Having a sauna is also seen as a good way to relieve stress and tension.

A. Now there are several types of sauna.

B. That is to say, you have to go naked.

C. Why are saunas so popular in Finland?

D. Saunas play an important role in Finnish life.

E. Since then, saunas have been introduced to Asia.

F. However, the most common type is the electric sauna.

G. If you ever visit Finland, don't forget to have a nice, relaxing sauna.

    A conversation with a good listener is like a good meal—we walk away feeling satisfied and happy. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are 4 ways to make your conversation partner feel like you're fully tuned in to their personal radio station.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Making your conversation partner feel safe starts with two things: an open mind and keeping judgment to yourself. Just as immersing(沉浸)yourself in a novel requires suspension of disbelief, immersing yourself in listening requires suspension of opinions or advice. While judgments may appear into your head, set them to the side.

    Ask questions to follow your natural curiosity.

    When you're interested, ask questions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Ask for examples. Ask for details. Following your natural curiosity by asking questions not only shows you are listening and interested, but almost always produces an interesting story.

    Listen with your whole body.

    In many a kindergarten classroom, teachers emphasize something called "whole body listening". It goes like this: use your eyes to watch nonverbal(非语言), your brain to think about what is being said, your heart to feel emotions» and keep the rest of your body quiet to show respect. But many of us lose it over time, especially as life gets busy. The result? We often try to multitask while listening. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Validate(使生效)with simple phrases.

    Keep in your back pocket some validating words and phrases to show you've heard someone.

    "Of course." "That makes sense." "Naturally." "Clearly." "For sure." {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In conversation, combining those little phrases: "Of course you feel that way." or "That makes total sense." doesn't necessarily convey agreement, but it does convey something even bigger: acceptance.

A. Create safety.

B. Devote yourself to listening.

C. It's appealing to talk about your own experience.

D. We half-listen while getting things done or staring at a screen.

E. Think like a journalist and ask what, when, where, why or how.

F. But being a good listener goes way beyond just not interrupting or nodding your head.

G. All of these statements confirm a person's experience or feelings as worthy and accepted.

Kids are begging parents for cell phones at younger and younger ages, leaving families with tough choices to make. It might take some time to teach kids how to use phones as tools, not toys. Here are a few ways to get the message across.

Tell them not to use phones at school. Phones can be a distraction (干扰) from learning when used in the classroom. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In fact, 43% of teens admit that they often or sometimes use their phones as a way to avoid face-to-face communication with others.

Encourage them to contact long-distance relatives. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They're also for keeping in touch with people who you may not get to talk to as often. If you have families who live in another city or state, ask your kids to strike up (发起谈话) a conversation.

Lead by example. Setting an example is not only about how you use your phone, but also about how much you use it. When you feel bored and expect to glance over social media, fight it by taking a short walk. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Advise them not to use phones at the dinner table. For many families, the only time they truly get together is breaking bread at the end of a long day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Asking your children to leave their phones far from the dinner table is a great way to solve the problem.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Sometimes, kids need a little push in order to make better choices about their phones. If they're struggling with healthy habits, put some real-world events on the calendar. Good options include going to an amusement park, working together on a craft project or signing your kids up for sports.

A. Plan other forms of entertainment.

B. Prepare a dinner together with your children.

C. Screen time before bed reduces sleep quality.

D. They can also prevent students from connecting with one another.

E. So it is wise of parents to stress the importance of parent-child time.

F. Also, instead of reading a headline, why not pull out a book to read?

G. Phones aren't just for texting the best friend who lives two blocks away.