How strong are you?

    That is a hard question to answer, whether you are a man or a woman. But, really , I want to ask how do you define(给...下定义)your strength? How do you know your limits?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} When push comes, we often discover that we are much stronger than we think.

    What is Strength?

    Strength is not always about pure physical strength.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is about the ability to get things done. I know some people who are intellectually strong, but they get very little done in their jobs. And I know others who find work challenging, but they make it by strong drive and hard work. They possess inner strength.

    Self-Imposed Limits

    What I have observed is that most people set their own limits. They limit their output based on self-framed limits (自我设定的限制) of their abilities and strengths. Sometimes these boundaries are based on past experiences. Sometimes they are based on self-imagined abilities.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}So, how do we break through these limits? How do we get stronger?

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    If you want to be stronger, you have to push your boundaries. Pushing it is what it takes to increase your limits. In the gym, bodybuilders discovered this long ago. The same principle is true when it comes to inner strength.

    Want to test your limits? Push yourself. Test your self-framed limits to see how accurate they are. Make sure your goals are slightly beyond what you think can be achieved.

    You Are Stronger Than You Think

    Most people underestimate(低估) their strength.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Test your limits. Push yourself to find your true boundaries and define your strength.

    When you discover how much you've really got, you may surprise even yourself.

A. Certainly, it is about willpower.

B. Sometimes these limits are based on nothing.

C. How do you know just how much you've got?

D. Pushing It

E. As you go through your day, challenge your ability.

F. How can we train our mind and make it stronger?

G. Strength is a combination of physical and mental ability.

Are you afraid of making mistakes?

    Learn to accept mistakes as opportunities, then you'll feel less stressed and fearful and you'll be more confident. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So what should you do?

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    Accept that you're human and that each of us will make mistakes.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you are open to learning from your mistake, you will be able to move on rather than wallowing in (沉湎于) regret.

Be aware

    In other words, look for areas of improvement. Be aware of what you are doing, why you are doing it, how you feel, and how you make others feel. Sometimes, your words just don't land right or you say something but it is not what you mean to say. People have difficulty expressing what they really mean.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

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    Whenever you make a mistake or you are involved in a misunderstanding, take responsibility. There is always something to be learned or improved even if the other person is wrong, too.

A. By being fully aware of how you impact others, you keep an open state of learning which allows you to practice being a better person.

B. Be open to making mistakes and consider them as opportunities to learn valuable life lessons.

C. Here are some ideas that can prevent you from making mistakes.

D. Be open to making mistakes.

E. In short, you will benefit from the mistakes.

F. Say your words again so that others can understand you.

G. Accept full responsibility.

    Reading is an interesting and useful thing. You can read a novel or a poem. But do you know how to read? Here's some advice for you.

    Define your purpose for reading. Before you start reading, ask yourself why are you reading this book.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Being specific and clear about your reading purpose not only helps you to eliminate books that you don't need to read. It also reminds you why reading the book is important to you as you are reading it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Whether you are reading fiction or nonfiction, it's important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may recommend books that they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.

    Give up books that you don't enjoy. You may have selected books that are aligned with (与……一致) your purpose.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} But as you are reading them, there may still be some books that you won't enjoy reading. Whenever you realize that you aren't enjoying the book you are reading, give it up. Remember reading shouldn't be a chore (杂事).

    Give yourself a deadline to complete each book. Before you read each book, ask yourself when you need to complete this book. When you don't set a deadline to complete your book, there isn't a sense of urgency.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}you tend to procrastinate (拖延).

A. When something is urgent

B. When something isn't urgent

C. Because reading is very important

D. Read only what you are attracted to

E. You may have selected books that you are attracted to

F. Most people read for two main reasons—pleasure or knowledge

G. This motivates you to keep reading and complete the book faster

    When it comes to the benefit of volunteering, a lot of people think it's all about the warm feeling after helping someone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}As is known, charity work requires a wide variety of people to do a wide variety of things for everything to work. It means that there are some surprising benefits for volunteers. For example, volunteering:

    Teaches you new skills.

    From helping making websites to teaching immigrant kids your native language, or to arranging events for charity, volunteering can really be almost anything. It means that when you get involved charity work, a lot of the time you will face challenges. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Can teach you what truly matters.

    It's a great way to find new perspectives（角度）on life. When you've been at it for a while, you just might find yourself re-evaluating your advantages.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} One of my friends went from wanting U be a lawyer to discovering a true passion for teaching

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    Maybe it is not surprising, but what might surprise you is how genuine these friends are. Some oi my long-term friends are people I've met through volunteering. I'm not that kind of guy that makes friends purely for connections, but sometimes it's very convenient to have a broad network.

    Summed up in one line: volunteering helps you grow. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You meet a wide variety of people who don't have a lot in common with. You learn to get along with people involved in many different walks in life. You learn to know what you are to do. So if you've ever considered volunteering, what are you waiting for?

A. You might even decide on a completely new path to take in life.

B. Helps you make new friends

C. As it turns out, that's far from the only benefit.

D. Volunteering helps you look outside yourself and your problems.

E. Through overcoming the challenges, you learn completely new skills.

F. Not only as a person, but it helps you develop your skill as well.

G. Can help improve social skills

    In an adult's opinion, sleep is a precious commodity. Usually we don't feel as if we get enough sleep, which is something we are always longing for.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} For some reason, kids never acknowledge the feeling of "tiredness" as meaning "I need sleep". What's more, for many children, sleep represents an unwanted separation from the important people in their lives.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    How do parents make the problem worse? I hear so many parents complain that they can't get their children to go to sleep. Let's take a close look at this concept. We cannot make a child go to sleep, but we can make them go to bed.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you even try to control a child's ability to go to sleep, you are losing the battle before you begin. Even our children themselves cannot really control when they go to sleep. The most we as parents can do is to make the environment helpful to sleep.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    It's time that you decided what your own feelings are about bedtime and analyzed your feelings and needs, and your child's feelings and needs. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The most important guideline is that you decide what you are going to do, and then stick with it. Parents usually create their own problems by dancing around and between all the different bedtime methods until they get themselves angry and their kids confused. So, the first step is to decide exactly how you will handle bedtime. The second step is to communicate your rules to your child. The third step is to carry out the plan.

A. Being in bed is too lonely, too boring, and no fun at all!

B. I'm going to give you three ideas for solutions.

C. In kids' opinion, sleep plays an important role in childhood.

D. There's a big difference between the two.

E. Sleep will then come on its own.

F. Can you give me some examples to deal with kids' problem?

G. But to kids, sleep is purely and simply an unwanted interruption in a life full of fun.

    Many people believe that there is some truth in the saying Laughter is the best medicine.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Laughter helps relieve pain, strengthen the immune system and reduce stress. Laughter stimulates(激发) hormones which make us feel happy. Laughter also increases the flow of blood throughout the body and has benefits which are similar to the ones you get by doing exercise.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Children exposed to funny films and cartoons before major medical procedures are able to cope better with pain and anxiety.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} These are professional clowns who are sent to hospitals and wards to entertain and distract sick children.

    Laughter therapy has become very popular in recent years and as a result, more and more laughter clubs are starting to open up in cities and towns all over the world. At a laughter session, a trained therapist instructs the group to perform a series of exercises which are designed to produce laughter. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}And it takes them some time to get rid of their inhibitions(心理抑制).They might even start off with fake laughter, but this doesn't matter because our bodies can't tell the difference, and the results are the same. Moreover, laughter is contagious(传染的).{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    So next time you feel ill, stressed out or depressed, try watching a funny film or try remembering an amusing incident in your life. You will soon feel better.

A. If one person starts giggling, it is unavoidable that everyone else will be drawn in.

B. Laughter helps you focus.

C. This finding has led to so-called clown doctors.

D. In fact, research done by scientists has shown that laughter has a lot of health benefits.

E. Laughter makes the world a better and more colorful place.

F. Some people may find the idea embarrassing at first.

G. Using laughter therapy in children's hospitals has proven to be invaluable.