Why is setting goals important? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen. Successful people imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals.

    By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It's like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which can be found on a map. She can drive straight there surely without any wasted time of wrong turns. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drives aimlessly around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?

    Winners in life set goals and follow them through. They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Goals aren't difficult to set and they aren't difficult to reach.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in what direction to aim your life.

    Research tells us that when we write a goal down we are more likely to achieve it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Like a contract(合同) with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular way, you are able to make yourself continuously aware of situations that will bring you nearer to your goal.

    Learning English is challenging because of the various rules and exceptions to the rules. The best way to learn English is to hear it spoken and repeat the words as you hear them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You will learn how to make English a daily part of your life in order to learn to speak it quickly.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ask a friend to help you write letters of English alphabet on index cards. You should write a letter on each card. Practise the letters by mixing up the cards and saying the letters. You can ask your friend to help you pronounce the letters and quiz you on your knowledge.

    Make your own videos in English. If you have a video camera, you can tape yourself speaking English and practice along with your own video. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Watch your videos daily, and repeat what is being said.

    Get a private tutor. A professional English instructor can give you one-on-one instruction that will help you understand the rules of English. Your instructor can teach you how to write and speak English.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also inquire at your local community college.

    Watch movies with English subtitles. When watching a movie in your native language, use the English subtitles so you will understand the connection between your language and English.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will make mistakes, and that is OK. You need to practice English as much as possible in order to quickly learn to speak the language fluently.

                                                                                                      Ways to save time

    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 spring­clean 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.

    Get Out of Bed Earlier

    If you normally get up at 7：30 am, try getting up at 7：00 am. That half­hour 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#}

    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.

    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.

    {#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

    Sorry seems to be the hardest word. So sang Elton John on one of his biggest 1970s hits——but not every public figure seems to find it so tough to let out that powerful five-letter word.

    In recent months varieties of public figures, from politicians, to Hollywood actors and You Tube stars have all publicly expressed regrets.

    But with floods of regrets on the airwaves, just how can we tell a forced apology from a heartfelt expression?

    In its purest form, saying sorry should be an “act of regrets, a realization that something you have said or done has hurt someone and you want to repair it”, says psychologist Geraldine Joaquim.

    Made early, a sincere apology can be hugely beneficial and can “relieve the tension and takes the wind out of an accusers sails”, she says.

    A need to say sorry can arise in someone's public life and equally at home with their family and friends but, whatever the environment, how well it is received depends on how personalized it feels.

    From businesses, governments and organizations, a scripted response will fail to resonate (引起共鸣) as it will not convey empathy (同理心) and sympathy.

Whether online or in person, the timing and choice of language in an apology are decisive factors.

    “It is important to show that you understand and sympathize,” says Martin Stone, of PR agency Tank, “It is vital that any business or individual making an apology understands the focus- is it sorry for the way it's acted or is it sorry that the complainant feels the way they do?” Performed apologies always have a sense of being “acted out, and are often accompanied by too many theatrical gestures. If sincere, the person making the apology will be looking for listening clues to see if they are being understood, such as eye contact and facial expressions. They will provide “humbling (谦卑的) signals”, such as a lowered head, to indicate regrets.

    It is also important to avoid irresponsible statements or promises that can't be kept. “Don't say that you'll ensure that this will not happen again if you're not confident it won't. It could come back to bite you,” Stone explains.

    Equally, the use of “but” can hugely change the tone of an apology.

    As Stone points out. 'I'm sorry but... It sounds like you are making excuses and aren't actually taking any form of responsibility. It may be three letters but it can instantly make an apology seem hollow,”

    Self-Care Strategies for College Students

    Most college students don't put self-care at the top of their to do lists. When you're caught up in the whirlwind (旋风) of classes, extra-curricular, work, friendship, and final exams, it's easy to ignore a task that doesn't come with a deadline (even if that task is simply “taking care of yourself”). Embrace the excitement and intensity of college life, but remember that maintaining your physical, mental, and emotional health is essential to your success and well-being. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Instead, take time out to take care of yourself with some of these self-care strategies.

    Get Away for Some Alone Time. If you live with roommates, privacy can be hard to come by, so make it your mission to find a peaceful place on campus to call your own. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Take a Mindful Walk Around Campus. When you're strolling to class, try this mindfulness exercise to center yourself and destress. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Feel free to people-watch, but pay attention to sensory details too, like the smell of a nearby barbecue or the sensation of pavement under your shoes. Take note of at least five beautiful or intriguing things you notice along your route. You might find yourself feeling a little calmer by the time you reach your destination.

    Stage a Sleep Intervention. How much sleep do you really get each night? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} By doing that, you'll begin the process of repaying your sleep debt and establishing healthy new sleep habits. Don't buy into the myth that the less you're sleeping, the harder you're working. Your mind and body need consistent sleep to operate at optimum levels – you simply can't do your best work without it.

    Download a New Podcast. Take a break from the books, grab your headphones, and listen to some immersive mysteries, compelling interviews, or laugh-out-loud comedy. There are thousands of podcasts covering almost every subject imaginable, so you're sure to find something that interests you.

A. As you walk, pay close attention to your surroundings.

B. Make a plan to get off campus and explore your surroundings.

C. If you're averaging seven hours or less, commit to sleeping at least eight hours tonight.

D. If you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, don't punish yourself by pushing your mind and body to their limits.

E. A comfortable corner in the library and even an empty classroom are perfect places to relax and recharge.

F. Actually, it is possible to shorten sleep time by up to 1 hour without the risk of sleep deprivation (剥夺) if you know how to have high quality sleep.

    The environmental group Heal the Bay organized a beach clean-up. And I was one of the volunteers. We went to Venice Beach to clean up the trash.

    At first glance, the beach didn't look dirty at all. But then I saw a Styrofoam(泡沫)cup half buried in the sand on the beach. I pulled hard and finally got it out. As we moved farther, we found pieces of Styrofoam spread all over the sand. The Heal the Bay representative had told us that these little pieces of Styrofoam and other small pieces of plastic are what actually harm sea life most. Sea animals eat the plastic. After eating it, they think they are full. As a result, they can die of starvation as they are cheated by their feeling and don't think they need to eat any food.

    We kept on picking up the trash. Then I saw someone with a full Heal the Bay trash bag and I went to see what was inside. When I opened the trash bag, I found everything from a pair of old jeans and a brown belt to headphones and some plastic bags. It made me very angry with the people who left their things behind without thinking what effects they might have on the ocean.

    It is really important to protect the ocean. The ocean covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface. A clean ocean not only helps animals in the ocean survive but also helps us survive.

    By noon, the sun was shining and the temperature was rising. The volunteers that had spread out across Venice Beach were coming back to throw the trash they had collected into the truck. I could not believe how much trash there was. All together we collected more than 135 bags of trash. I do hope that next time people go to the beach, they will stop littering.