You know that you have everything to be thankful for：a loving family，a pretty good job，and a healthy working body．Still，you keep feeling that what you have just isn't enough．Sure，you can be happier by making some life changes．{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It will make you more likely to start enjoying that sunshine instead of complaining（抱怨）about sunburn．

    Live in the present．

    The people who are the happiest with their lives are able to enjoy and hug the present moment．{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Focus on what the day will bring you instead of what happened yesterday or what you'll be able to change about tomorrow. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Though your life may not be perfect in the moment，there are surely some things that you can be very grateful for，whether it's your loving family，your amazing friends，your health，your cool new job，or your amazing home．You probably don't have all of these things but surely there are a few things you can remind yourself to be grateful for every single day．

    Stop comparing yourself to others．

    Stop thinking about how big your neighbor's house is，how great your friend Jack's job is，or how perfect your best friend's relationship is．You'll never get anywhere if you compare yourself to others．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Hang out with people who are satisfied with their lives．

    Surround yourself with people who are good influences．They will show you that there are all kinds of ways to be happy，and will maybe even give you some tips for how to walk to difficult situations．{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They are more likely to come up with some reasons to be unhappy．

A．Be grateful for what you have．

B．What if there is a major obstacle (障碍）standing in your way?

C．Take some time to enjoy exactly what you're doing right now．

D．The easiest way to be satisfied with your life is to adjust yourself positively．

E．Avoid people looking for reasons to be upset with their life．

F．But if you drop comparing completely，you'll only be doing yourself a favor．

G．Get regular exercise with friends every day．

How to make friends at a new school

    Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything seems to be different, and you don't even know where to go for your own classes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.

    Be yourself.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If some people don't accept you, they're not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sport may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!

    Believe in yourself.

    A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don't keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact (目光接触) with other people.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you're from.

Remember people's names.

    You like it when people use your name, and so do other people.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname (昵称). You'd be surprised how often this might come in handy.

A. Be friendly to others.

B. Making new friends can be hard, too.

C. Join after-school activities you like.

D. Never change who you are to try and fit in.

E. If you see someone you know, smile or say.

F. People may become angry if you just begin by saying “Hey” each time.

G. Don't sit at the back of the classroom where other people don't notice you!

    Food is necessary for offering energy to our bodies, but sometimes we buy too much of it at the store. When your food starts to go bad, there are many other ways you can still make use of it instead of throwing it away.

    Before throwing away old bananas, you can use the peels (皮) to shine up metals and leathers. Press the peel against the surface, move it backwards and forwards and then polish clean it with an old cloth. Banana meat is also good for reducing wrinkles. Put a bit on those trouble spots, let it sit for a while, and then wash it off, and your wrinkles will go away. Lemons are great for lightening skin and hair. If you have trouble with some skin diseases, like red spots on your face, put a bit of fresh lemon juice on them and leave it overnight. You'll notice a difference in the morning. Apples will help ripen (使成熟) tomatoes quickly when they are placed together in a paper bag, and orange peels are great fire starters for your next backyard campfire party.

    If your dog or cat brings home fleas, using salt is a great way to get rid of them around the house. Just pour salt into the vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器). Let it sit, then vacuum up the fleas. The salt can kill the fleas. Be sure to throw away the vacuum bag or empty the vacuum bin immediately, or some of the fleas can climb out.

    Beer is a great hair lightener. If you are out of lemons, try dipping your hair in beer before going outside. Just don't forget to wash it out afterwards. Milk is great for removing dirty marks, especially if it is some type of ink.

    As you can see, there are many other uses for everyday foods around the house. So next time, before throwing food away thinking it is of no use, stop for a moment and think about all their uses talked about here.

    Politeness is the practical application of good manners, the goal of which is to make all of the parties relaxed and comfortable. It's a flexible management of words and actions, by which we make other people have a better opinion of us and themselves. It seeks to build a positive relationship. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    However, in the rush of daily life being polite is social behavior that we find rare nowadays. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. They don't even take the time to look around. This has led to the loss of simple social rules some might take for granted and that are particularly powerful.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, people become less and less attentive to others' feelings, for human interaction (互动) is almost lost. Take for instance the rudeness we tolerate when a person is looking at his phone when talking to us.

    Being polite is not just a simple social elegance. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. These days "Please" and "Thank You" are forgotten. And not many people are aware that these two simple words can easily open or close any door to us. Unfortunately, they often forget to say these words.

    Hope is not lost. There are many ways we can improve our behavior to achieve skills in politeness. There are simple things we can do to be considered as a polite and well - mannered person.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, they will respect you back. Just make a change in our behavior to start. Use simple words like "Excuse me", "Please", and "Thank you" every day. Be kind to receive kindness. Care and politeness will get you far in all aspects of life.

A. As technology progresses

B. People have become more self - absorbed

C. As long as you show your politeness for people

D. Since for many people being polite remains a challenge

E. Many languages have specific means to show politeness

F. It aims to respect a person's need to be liked and understood

G. It's also about being kind, caring and respectful to another person

"What should I learn to stay excellent?" {#blank#}1{#/blank#} , but it is still worth thinking—both for the professional benefits and the complete joy of learning something new. Here is a look at sone skills that will surely benefit you. 

Self-management

Self-management is your ability to manage behaviors, thoughts and emotions. It is a way that better serves you and your work. Rules of self-management usually include: How to create and keep a calendar; {#blank#}2{#/blank#} ; How to do a weekly review; How to focus deeply. 

Logic and reasoning

Logical（逻辑） thinking can be extremely powerful for making better decisions and solving problems. However, most of us receive little training in this area in school. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} .

How to do exercise

You can just pick an activity you enjoy and do it regularly. Try different things and see what you enjoy. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . The best program is the one you'll actually hold on to.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} .

Knowing how to fix things around your house or apartment is wonderful. Instead of having to wait hours or days for others to fix it. you can do so immediately. And doing your own repairs can save you lots of money. You can buy a basic tool kit. And when you meet some kind of problem with your place, see if you can figure out how to fix it on the Internet.

A. It's a difficult question to answer

B. How to make and use a to-do list

C. How to perform basic home repairs

D. There's a bit more to it than that

E. So it's worth spending some time learning how to think logically

F. And remember that there's no such a thing as the "best" exercise program

G. But having logical thinking in your mental "toolbox" can be very useful

On one side of the room sits the cutest life-size stuffed animal(填充玩具) you've ever seen. On the other side rests a real dog—the same size, shape and even the same name as the stuffed version. You get to sit next to both of these furry friends and pet their fur. Guess which one will make your brain light up?

If you guessed the real dog, you're right. Stuffed animals, as cute and lovely as they may be, just don't effectively activate our frontal cortex(额叶皮层), the part of the brain overseeing how we think and feel, according to a new study published in the journal PLOSONE. The study found an even stronger rise in brain activity when the person petted the fur of a real dog versus a stuffed animal.

"We chose to research the frontal cortex because this brain area is involved in several executive(执行) functions, such as attention, working memory, and problem-solving. But it is also involved in social and emotional processes,"said study lead author Rahel Marti, a doctoral student in the division of clinical psychology at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

Why is this finding important? It provides additional evidence that live human-animal interaction therapy(疗法) may promote cognitive and emotional activity in the brain. Marti said,"If patients with deficits in motivation, attention, and socioemotional functioning show higher emotional involvement in activities connected to a real dog, then such activities could increase the chance of learning and of achieving treatment aims."

"This is an interesting, seriously conducted study that provides new insight into associations between human-animal interaction and regional prefrontal brain activity in healthy adults. We found that brain activity increased when the contact with a real dog or a stuffed animal became closer. This confirms previous studies relating closer contact with animals to increased brain activity,"Marti said.