How to Be Confident

    We are all human and have weaknesses. Even if your physical appearance or social skills aren't what you wish they were, that doesn't have to stop you from being confident. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    *Make a list of special talents you have, or things you do that are good—morally（道德上） or otherwise. It doesn't have to be a specific skill；it can be an approach or an attitude that you hold through life. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Are you very patient with people? Do you always see the humorous side of things? Are you always there for your friends?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} When you feel strongly about something, speak loudly and clearly and make eye contact with people. People will judge you all the time, and usually they'll misjudge you anyway, so why bother trying to live up to their opinions at all?

    *Take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet and get enough exercise. Don't abuse your body, don't overload it, and don't deny it any of the things it needs. At the same time, don't obsess(沉迷). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Those things are only band-aids(权宜之计） and make-up. Confidence comes from within. In order to be confident, you must value yourself and understand that your well-being is important.

    *Improve your posture. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't drop your shoulders. Make sure that your back is straight, your shoulders are square, and your chest sticks out slightly (but stay loose, otherwise you'll appear stubborn （固执的）and nervous). Good posture also helps with deep breathing, which helps with feeling calm and relaxed.

    Recently some American scientists have a useful piece of advice to people in industrialized nations. They say people should eat more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than 10, 000 years ago.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The scientists say that the human life has changed greatly. Our bodies have not been able to deal with these changes in lifestyle and this has led to new kinds of sicknesses. These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times.So they are called “diseases of civilization”. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Scientists noted that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and that of today.

    Stone Age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic ones. They ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits. They did not have milk or any other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}We eat six times more salt than our ancestors. We eat more sugar. We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}But scientists say that we would be much healthier if we eat much the same way the ancient people did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food.

    Understanding body language can lead to closer relationships. Noticing the signals that people send out with their body language and being able to effectively read them is a very useful skill.

    Watch for crying. Usually crying is considered a sign of sadness, but crying can also be an expression of happiness. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Thus, when judging crying, you'll need to look for other signals to determine the real meaning of the crying.

    Look for signs of anger. Signs of anger include v-shaped eyebrows (眉毛), and wide eyes.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Arms tightly crossed over the other is a common sign that the person is angry and is closing himself off to you.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Studies have found that when people are engaged in an interesting conversation, their eyes remain focused on their partner's face about 80% of the time.

    Look for expressions of embarrassment. Embarrassment can be signaled by turning the eyes or head away, and forcing smiles. If someone looks down at the floor a lot, they are probably shy, or embarrassed.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} People are often thinking and feeling unpleasant emotions when they are in the process of staring at the ground.

    Notice any sense of pride. People express pride by showing a small smile, moving their head backward, and putting their hands behind their backs.

    As a general rule, people are best at reading facial expressions, and then body movements, and, finally, personal space and touch.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} People are generally better at reading body movements that are pleasant rather than unpleasant. One study finds that individuals are better at accurately interpreting (领会) happiness, and excitement, compared to anger, sadness, and fear.

A. Read interest from eyes.

B. Look for signals of anxiety.

C. However, different body movements have different meanings.

D. Down-turned mouth is also a sign of being angry.

E. People also tend to look down when they are upset.

F. Crying can also come about through laughter and humor.

G. However, not all body movements are equally easy to understand.

    Have you ever wondered how the trainers at Sea World get the 19,000-pound whale to jump 22 feet out of water and perform tricks? They get that whale to go over a rope farther out of the water than most of us can imagine. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

So how do the trainers at Sea World do it? The first thing they do is reinforce(强化) the behavior that they want repeated — in this case, to get the whale to go over the rope.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, in a position where the whale can't help but do what's expected of it. Every time the whale goes over the rope, it's given positive reinforcement and gets fed with fish. But what happened when the whale goes under the rope? Nothing — no criticism, no warning and no feedback. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Positive reinforcement is the key of that simple principle that produces such splendid results. And as the whale begins to go over the rope more often than under, the trainers begin to raise the rope. It must be raised slowly enough so that the whale doesn't starve.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Make a big deal out of the good and little stuff that we want consistently. Secondly, under-criticize. People know they need help when they mess up. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, people will not forget the event and usually will not repeat it.

    So we need to set up the circumstances so that people can't fail. Over-celebrate, under-criticize…and know how far to raise the rope.

A. This is a great challenge

B. And the whale stays right where it is

C. If we figure out a way to motivate the whale

D. They start with the rope below the surface of the water

E. If we under-criticize, punish and discipline less than expected

F. Whales are taught that their negative behavior won't be acknowledged

G. The simple lesson to be learned from the whale trainers is to over-celebrate

The Ways of Getting Happiness

    Spend more time in your values. Living your values is one of the simplest ways to a more happiness to every day. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, the best way to make the most of it is to connect your work to your values. When you spend more time in your values, you enjoy the journey more.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. One of the best things you can do is find simple ways to gradually improve your overall happiness level. One of the worst things you can do is compare your happiness level to others, or beat yourself up for not being a shiny, happy person.

    Drive from happiness* Decide to drive from happiness. Happiness is a decision. This is where you have to look inside, and answer the tough questions. What do you like to do? What makes you happy? It's very easy to keep doing the things that we think others expect from us, or want for us. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Don't fall for the “If-Then” trap. Don't fall for the “if-then” or when-then traps.I'11 be happy if I get that job; {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, I'll be happy; I'll be happy if I get that relationship; etc. It's easy to put your happiness “out there” instead of “right here.

    Point your camera on purpose. Point your camera at the things that you want more of.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. You can point your camera at more pain, or more pleasure. That's a powerful choice. It's easy to test. Simply start pointing your camera at better scenes each day, and watch what unfolds in yourself, and the world around you.

A. If it doesn't happen

B. If I get that house

C. You get what you focus on

D. Set your own happiness level

E. If you spend a lot of time at work

F. Don't get mad by the traffic, and leave earlier

G. Instead, look inside and find the things that really do make you happy

With gas prices rising and airport security lines snaking longer than ever, why not book your next domestic vacation on a train? Compared to other alternatives, it's comfortable and relaxing. Here is some advice on how to make a trip by rail as pleasant as possible. 

Plan ahead. Most long-distance trains, especially the sleeping car accommodations, sell out very quickly.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But no matter when you travel, it's a good idea to make your reservations at least 90 days in advance. 

Use a travel agent. Consider turning your travel plan over to a travel agent and letting him double-check all the details, make suggestions, and then handle the actual reservations. A good one can sometimes find you discounted tickets.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Then you won't have to walk through several cars on a moving train three times a day for your meals. 

Bring a blanket.When you're riding on trains, you won't be provided with a blanket for free, even if your trip is an overnight one.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}In the summer in particular, the air conditioning can make them quite cold. 

Arrive early. Most trains operate just once a day and some run only three times a week, so missing yours can be a disaster.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Note: The times listed on the schedules are departure times, not arrival times. 

Have fun.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Read a book, knit, do a crossword puzzle, or simply watch the world unfold outside the window. To calculate your speed as you do, divide 3,600(the number of seconds in an hour)by the number of seconds it takes you to travel one mile(the distance between two mileposts). If it takes the train 53 seconds to travel one mile, you're going 67.92 mph.

A.Train trips aren't for impatient types.

B.You'll have views from both sides of the train.

C.The temperature on rail cars is often hard to control.

D.That's particularly true during busy summer months.

E.You might have to wait longer than 24 hours to catch the next one.

F.Chances are the cost will be a lot less than the cost of one bedroom.

G.He may also book you in a sleeping car that's right next to the diner.