One of the most popular vacation destinations for young families is the home of relatives. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  Here are some tips for making sure you are invited back again.

    Be considerate

    Every family has their own way of doing things. Keep these things in mind when you're visiting.

    If your host family are early to bed and early to rise, don't keep them up talking until one o'clock in the morning.

    If your host family gets angry about kids running wild, either plan to keep a close eye on your kids or plan to stay somewhere else. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    Offer to help out

    Playing host to a family with children can be quite a challenge. Make sure you help lighten the load.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Offer to help with cooking and cleanup. Make your beds and run to the store for milk. Better yet, don't ask. Just start working.

    Help pay for food

    This may not apply, if you're visiting parents and they insist on paying for everything and they can afford it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Use your judgment when it comes to parents. However, if you're visiting cousins, it will be a great help to them if you buy your  share of the food.

    Show your appreciation

    No matter whom you are visiting, make sure you let them know you appreciate their hospitality(盛情招待). {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Or leave some fresh flowers when you leave. If you don't have enough money, write them a letter, letting them know how much fun you had and how much you appreciate them.

A．Don't expect your hosts to supply your every need.

B．Offer to take them out to dinner on your last night in town.

C．Make sure you don't leave your things behind while visiting a family.

D．In that case you may hurt your parents if you insist on paying for food.

E．Try not to disturb someone who is in the middle of exams.

F．Staying with relatives is a great way to save money while getting away from home for a while.

G．Having a talk with your children about expected behavior while visiting is always a good idea.

    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.

Writing A Letter To Your Future Self

    Just imagine writing a letter to your future self 5 years from now, then opening it at that exact moment to see how much of it has come true.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    As you read the letter in the future, you can assess how many things agree with your expectations in the past.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Often times, the goals we set and our goal achievement process are affected by a lot of changes along the way. The letter lets you recognize how your current idea differs from the past.

    In addition to that, at the very moment you are writing the letter, your thoughts are stored right there in those words. When you open the letter in the future, you as your future self gets to compare how you used to be in the past with how you are now.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It's very interesting to do so.

    Take out a pen and paper right now and start writing your letter to your future self. Set a time period to write to. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Then start writing. Think about the type of person you will be, your place in life, what you will have realized then, and so on.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Put it in a safe space where no one can find it. When you open this sometime in the near future, you might gain additional insights(了解) about yourself and your journey in the past few years.

A. And you can think about why that's the case.

B. It is a useful tool to be used in goal achievement.

C. Imagine how you will be like during that time period.

D. If you haven't, join me in writing a letter to yourself.

E. This lets you see how much things have changed since then.

F. At the end of the letter, write the date to open it on the cover.

G. It wasn't until we moved into our new house that I found it again.

    We are told that 'a family that eats together stays together'. We even follow it by making the whole family sit in front of the television while eating, right? Wrong. Television does nothing to help make the family relationships better. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's thus better to give the TV a break and to sit at the dinner table. Family dinners need another important part－conversations that bring in a pleasant atmosphere.

    It often serves well to start the conversation right before dinner so that setting the table and doing other things may become less boring. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} as a result, there are no embarrassing moments when people are actually eating. Also, you can change the topic if you feel that it might start arguments.

    Children aren't usually very good at sharing information and don't know how to reply when you ask them questions like 'How was your school today?' {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For this, you can ask them about the after-class activities that they might be taking part in.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Therefore, all controversial (有争议的) topics should not be talked about. Actually, if you have had a funny incident in your day at the work, share it with others. What's more, it serves well if you share your childhood memories with your family. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In a word, it is always important to choose the right topics for the family dinner conversations.

A. Try to know more about them than just their school life.

B. It's often difficult to start a conversation at a family dinner.

C. But try to keep in mind some family dinner conversation ideas.

D. Doing things together can make family members feel interested.

E. In fact, it only increases the distance between members of the family.

F. They, especially your kids, will feel excited to hear about what you did as a child.

G. Conversations during dinnertime should encourage family members to eat well.

    Researchers define self-control or self-discipline as "ability to control or change one's inner responses". {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, some people think that as an immediate consequence of leading lives of constant self-control, they aren't likely to gain a lot of pleasure from life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} To start, 414 adults completed on online survey. In the survey, they rated their self-control by indicating how much they agreed with 14 statements, such as "I indeed do certain things that are bad for me, if they are fun."

    In their study, 205 adults were given smart phones and required to report their emotions at random moments throughout the week. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If so, they had to report how hard they tried to resist them, and whether they eventually ended up acting on them.

    The researchers found that the more self-control people had，the more satisfied they were with their lives in the long run. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In fact, such people's increased happiness to a large extent accounted for the increased life satisfaction.

    These researchers also figured out that people high in self-control are simply less likely to find themselves in situations where that's even an issue. They don't waste time fighting inner battles over whether or not to eat a second piece of cake. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And that, it would seem, makes them happier……even if occasionally a little bit sad.

A. In a word, they are not bothered about such little desires.

B. Researchers checked these general ideas through a survey and study.

C. It is generally believed that in the long run self-control can make people happier.

D. Meanwhile, they were also asked to report whether they were experiencing any desires.

E. However, people with more self-control were also more likely to be happy in the short run.

F. But they are still uncertain why some people are more able to control their inner responses.

G. Most adults reported they failed to control their desire to play video games before an exam.

    If you're having trouble getting good sleep through the night (turning, waking up more than once, for example), this text will tell you what you can do to ensure a peaceful night's sleep.

    ⒈Get on schedule. Changing your sleeping time by more than an hour can severely disturb your sleep quality. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}For example, if you normally wake up at 6 am on weekdays to get to work, you might go to bed around 10 pm, because that's when you start to feel sleepy, and it's also a good time to ensure 8 hours of sleep. If, on the weekend, you sleep until 9 am, you probably won't be able to fall asleep that night until 1am.

    ⒉Be mindful of what you eat or drink before bed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Digestion slows down while asleep, and a full stomach may interrupt sleep. Similarly, you should avoid going to bed on an empty stomach, as a completely empty stomach may equally disturb your sleeping patterns.

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Exposure to light during the time when you're supposed to be sleeping can destroy your body's internal clock. Turn your light off, or use a very dim(暗淡的)night light. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They include windows, LED clocks and computer lights.

    ⒋Change your sleeping position. You may think that it's impossible to control what position you sleep in since you aren't fully aware of what you are doing, but it is possible and it can make a considerable difference. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}