We all wish we had just a bit more time. Just think what you could do with an extra hour or two each day: you could finally stick to an exercise routine, or spring-clean the house, or write your novel, or learn the guitar and so on. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But I can help you find more hours in your day for the things that really matter.

1）. Get Out of Bed Earlier

If you normally get up at 7: 30 a. m. , try getting up at 7: 00 a. m. That half-hour might not sound like much, but it could be time that you use to exercise, to read that book you've been meaning to finish. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

2）. Do the Important Tasks First

    Once you get to work, get the important ones done first (not the easy ones, or even the urgent ones). You can afford to spend at least an hour working on big, important tasks rather than on all those little urgent ones. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The urgent tasks will still get done, and you won't miss the important ones.

3）. Reduce Interruptions

    If colleagues have a habit of hanging around your desk to chat, or if the phone is constantly ringing, you might find that it takes you half the day to finish a simple task like writing a letter. Constant interruptions don't just eat up time, they also break your concentration.

    When you've got a big task to focus on, let your calls go to voicemail. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Wearing headphones makes it less likely that people will try to strike up a conversation.

4）. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A few minutes chatting, browsing the web, and so on, can easily turn into hours of wasted time over the course of a day. When you're working, work. If your concentration is slipping, take a proper break: go and get a glass of water, or stretch your legs a bit. And if you're facing a difficult task, try breaking it into small steps or stages so that it's easier to deal with.

A. Or simply to get your day off to a calm and organized start.

B. I can't magically make all your days 25 hours long.

C. Would you want me to make your day longer?

D. Take Breaks When Necessary

E. If you have an office door, close it.

F. If you work like this, you'll usually save time.

G. Stay Focused on Your Work

    Are you satisfied with your life? How often do you think of reasons why everyone around you is successful though they are not usually better than you? What do you do wrong? Here are some things you should stop doing to be successful.

1） {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Different people may interpret “success” in different ways: some of them measure it in money, other ones — in positive changes to people around them and the world.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} And do not worry about what other people think, and come after what makes you happy.

2）Do not believe anything without questioning it.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They are critical thinkers, and they understand that we are all ruled by our prejudices; so, they will always question new information.

3）Do not worry about all unpredictable things that may happen to you.

    If you want to be successful, stop thinking about everything that MAY happen to you.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Be ready to change your deeds and decisions when things suddenly don't go according to your plan.

4）Do not care about what other people think of you.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your attempts to become “good” for everyone will turn into nothing but new worries, stresses, and problems. Successful people do not concentrate on quantity of people to please, but worry about their quality and focus on developing friendships with people they really care about.

Success is good, but you should understand that life will get depressing without friendship and love.

A. Try to feel comfortable with the reality and accept the fact your future can't be predicted.

B. Do not let others decide what “success” is for you.

C. As far as we all know, it's impossible to please all the people who surround us.

D. Do not wait for the “right time” to do anything.

E. Successful people never ignore or avoid problems, no matter how big and awful they seem.

F. Successful people do not just accept any new information to be true.

G. If you want to be successful, do not let others force their interpretation of success on you.

    If you have ever been in a school play or ever made believe you were a doctor, detective, or a space traveler, you know the enjoyment that acting brings. Almost all of us have the wish to play the part of someone or something else. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    In the ancient world, acting was often associated with religious ceremonies and other special occasions. As far back as 2,200 B. C. trained Chinese actors performed ceremonial dances in costume and makeup at harvest festivals. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} To the dance was gradually added pantomime (哑语)—the imitation of movements and gestures—as well as the wearing of masks, the singing of chants, and finally the use of dialogue.

    While acting was coming into its own in the ancient Chinese classical theatre, it was doing the same in the western world, in Greece. From about 500 B. C. on, acting became a highly specialized art in Greece. Greek actors, however, still wore masks, and their motions were largely fixed by custom. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Modern acting, by contrast, gives the individual actor great opportunity to develop his or her personal talents for serious, comic, or musical drama. The names, faces styles of famous movie actors are known worldwide. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A special form of acting takes place in radio drama, which was highly popular before television. In radio drama the actors face an unique challenge. They are unseen by their audience. So they must rely on voice alone to make their characters real to the listeners.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Only forty percent of Broadway actors are employed, most of them for only part of the year. Those who become stars need not only talent, but determination. They must not be easily discouraged. Otherwise, they might give up before the opportunity for stardom presents itself.

Diet Myths — Get the facts, or your diet may fail!

    Dieting is hard work, and there are plenty of "helpful" diet tricks that can make weight loss even harder. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Carbs(含碳水化合物的食物) are bad for you. Carbohydrates are actually an important source of energy. There are good carbs and bad carbs. Some foods, like white bread or white rice, are example of bad carbs. Good carbs include whole wheat bread and brown rice. They're rich in fiber and really good for you!

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} On the contrary, studies show that people who eat breakfast will eat fewer calories throughout the day. And if you know you're going to be eating a big meal later, don't starve yourself in order to save you calories. You'll just eat more during the meal because you're so hungry! Instead, eat smaller meals a couple days before and after, and exercise more.

    You can control where your body loses weight. Bad news – if you want a flatter stomach, just exercising your stomach won't work. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Cardio(有氧运动) exercises will help burn fat, while weight training helps build muscles. Your "trouble areas" might not be the first to slim down, but keep exercising!

    Your weight depends on your genes. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} While a "fat gene" does exist, its influence on your size is small. Smart eating and exercise have a much greater effect than your genes. Only 25 percent of your weight is controlled by genes – the rest is up to you.

    Say "no" to junk food. Many people think that the key to losing weight is cutting out all bad foods. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To lose weight and keep it off, eat great 80 percent of the time, but allow yourself in a treat or two the other 20 percent.

A. You can't target where you lose weight.

B. But the more strict your diet is, the more likely you are to break it – and in a big way.

C. Here are some common myths about losing weight and the truth behind them.

D. Skipping meals helps you lose more weight.

E. If you and your family have problems with obesity, you're not sure to be fat.

F. Don't miss meals but exercise.

G. Instead of choosing a difficult diet, find one you can manage and stick to it every day.

    Why Do We Forget Things?

    When it comes to having perfect memories, it is apparent that we humans must have had some faults in our blueprints(蓝图)! Why don't we remember everything that we want to remember? It makes us feel upset and get discouraged. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, it's true that we are all forgetful.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} These are stored in what we call our "long-term memory". What about before age three? Sigmund Freud, a doctor of Vienna, discovered the fact that we forget most of our early childhood. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They have different opinions. A very good theory, born from the results of experimentation with babies, is that absence of language ability at the time of an event stopped us from describing it to others.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Experts say that you can keep about seven things in your memory at once for up to three days. During that time, you may forget something in order to put something else in its place, or you put it into long-term memory. What goes into short-term memory are things you've learned about recently, in the past day or two. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, you may have met your favorite star last week, and this week you can tell all the details to a friend. A simple example to explain your short-term memory is to look at a list of twenty words for a minute or two. You will discover that you cannot remember more than about seven of them and that they are the ones in the beginning and at the end of the list because your mind has judged them to be more important than those in the middle.

A. Scientists now know that it may take longer to remember things for the old.

B. However, it is widely recognized that short-term memory can be improved.

C. Sometimes, it even causes us to lose self-respect or others to think less of us.

D. Psychologists have been studying what causes this forgetfulness since Freud's time.

E. Most of us have vivid memories of our lives from about age three to our present ages.

F. Only if something really unusual happens does it stay in your short-term memory for longer.

G. The other type of memory, the "short-term memory", is what we are usually referring to when we say, "I forgot."

Teen Read Week is a week-long celebration for teens and reading. Teen Read Week is held during the third week of October each year. It aims at encouraging teens to read for pleasure. Reading for fun has many benefits. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} More reading will improve test scores and broaden teens' horizons. And it also helps with their future success.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} They, will plan various activities in hopes of encouraging young adults to pick up a book. Activities can range from simple programs to events featuring special guests and some delicious food.

Some libraries host an open house for teens during Teen Read Week. During an open house, the young adult librarian may talk about his or her library's services for teens, upcoming teen programs, and collections of books suitable for teens. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

If the budget (预算) permits, some libraries may invite popular authors to their places. Authors who write books for teens can make, a public appearance there. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If necessary, they can also answer questions from teens. In the end, the library can offer the authors' books as a prize to some of the teens in the audience.

If you're reluctant (勉强的) teenage readers, there are tips for you on how to follow Teen Read Week's spirit — reading for fun. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} An audiobook (有声读物) can be a good choice to start your interest in reading. You can listen on the way to school. If you like some movies about history, you can try reading related history books. You'll probably enjoy the more detailed stories presented by the novels.

A. Teen gaming nights are another option for libraries.

B. Thus, the teens can better learn about the library.

C. You might think they are characters out of reach.

D. They can tell about their works and writing methods.

E. You can search for some interesting reading materials.

F. For example, teens can become more interested in reading.

G. Public libraries will organize events in honor of Teen Read Week.