At many Thanksgiving dinners, everyone around the table shares something they are thankful for. As we know, most can do this easily. It's more important to know how to be thankful people all the time.

    Be positive(乐观). No matter what happens, it's best to remember the good things. Find the bright side in bad situations, and push back against negative(负面的) opinions. Also, do your best not to compare yourself to others. But when you're around others, give expression to what you like about them. By keeping good in mind, you'll gibe thanks for it even more than before.

    Accept the negative. At the same time, we can't pay no attention to bad things that have happened. We should learn from mistakes. It makes us become strong. Before we know it, we're thankful for negative things, too. Our mistakes can also make us humble(谦逊的), which is not all bad. Humble people have better relationships and see life's blessings(祝福) much more clearly!

    Acts of kindness. Thankful people know that it's muh better to gibe than to receive. When you're thankful, you feel it's your duty to show love to others. Some people volunteer to help people in need. Studies show that volunteers might feel happier and healthier.

    Use of time. By spending time with others, you show them how much they mean to you. But being thankful is also better realized by spending time alone. When you're alone, you can think about the best parts of you day. You can list them out and think th em over. You can find your way to make thanksgiing a part of you life. How wonderful it is! Just enjoy it every day!

    Steve visits the nursing home near his house two afternoons each week. On one of those days, he reads to his friend Martin. On the other afternoon, he plays cards and talks with Mrs. Johnson. Steve enjoys spending his extra time this way. He is a volunteer. A volunteer is a person who helps another person or has a job for which he or she does not get paid. A volunteer donates his or her time for free.

    Everyone else in Steve's family is also a volunteer. Steve's mother Mary volunteers one afternoon each week at the local hospital. She talks to patients, delivers flowers, and helps the nurses with odd jobs. Steve's sister Gina volunteers two afternoons at the museum. She welcomes visitors and answers their questions. Steve's father David also is a volunteer. He is a volunteer fire fighter for the town in which they live.

    Steve's family thinks volunteering is very important. Steve's parents think being a volunteer helps to teach values. Steve and his sister learn how to be kind and respect other people.

    Steve's family does volunteer work to give something back to the community. They want to help people who are not as fortunate as they are.

    A family of volunteers

    Tom has two good friends. They are Jack and Mark. They have different hobbies. Tom likes football. He often plays football on weekends. He thinks playing football can make him strong and healthy. He is in the school football team.

    Jack doesn't like sports. He likes listening to music. He likes Jay Chow best. He buys many of his CDs. He often listens to music on the way home after school. He thinks music can make him happy.

    Mark likes taking photos. He has a good camera(照相机). When he is free, he often takes it out and takes some pictures. Some of his pictures are in newspapers(报纸) now. He thinks we live in a beautiful world. He wants people to see the beautiful world in his pictures.

    195 countries reached an agreement(协议) on Dec. 12, 2015 after two weeks' talks in Paris. They talked about climate(气候) change. It is the first time in history that most of the world's countries, rich or poor, promised to take action to deal with climate problems.

    Below is a chart showing where the greenhouse gas(温室气体) comes from.

Where is greenhouse gas from?

    The Paris Agreement(巴黎协定) sets up a goal of cutting down the earth temperature to less than 2℃. If the warming gets above 2℃， there will be serious problems on the earth like natural disasters.

The agreement also asks countries to volunteer to do things. For developed countries, they will do even more. They have a plan to offer over 100 billion dollars to help poorer countries to develop clean energy like water and wind power.

    However, the Paris Agreement won't solve earth warming by itself. The future also depends on how well each country will carry out their promises.

The Secrets of Happiness

    Most people want to be happy, but few know how to find happiness. Money and success alone do not bring lasting(长久的) happiness. 快乐取决于我们自己。 In other words, we make our own happiness. Here are a few suggestions to help you be happier.

    The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. You can read a good book or listen to your favorite music. People who have several close friends live happier and healthier lives.

    Another secret to be happy is to be active, 你应该学会忘记你的烦恼。 Many people do these activities, such as dancing, playing a sport, or skating or soccer.

    Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. If you want to feel happier, do something nice for someone. You can help a friend with his or her lessons, go shopping to buy food for your family members, or simple help to wash the dishes.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴Tommy: I like to have this class best because I like playing basketball and soccer very much.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵Cindy: In the class, I can learn to play many  kinds of instruments(乐器). I can also learn to sing many new songs.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶Wendy: I love this class best because the language is becoming more and more important (越来越重要) in the world.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷Ted: Many girls think it is hard to learn it well，but I like it best. It's is difficult sometimes, but it is interesting.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸Lin Xi: I like it best because it is my mother tongue(母语).It is one of the oldest(最古老的) languages in the world.