You fall down on the road and a kid you barely know rushes over to help. You come home after a long day to find your dad has prepared your favorite meal. Just before lunch in social studies class, you learn about places where people don't have clean water or enough food.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}They're likely to make you feel grateful.

    Gratitude (感恩) is one of many positive emotions. It's about focusing on what's good in our lives and being thankful for the things we have.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's taking a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are when something good happens — whether it's a small thing or a big thing.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Making a habit of gratitude can also be good for us. Like other positive emotions, feeling grateful on a regular basis can have a big effect on our lives. Brain research shows that positive emotions are good for our bodies, minds, and brains.

    Positive emotions open us up to see more possibilities and take in more information. They improve our ability to develop skills, learn, and make good decisions.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} When we feel grateful for someone's kindness toward us, we may be more likely to do a kindness in return. Thanking people can make it more likely they'll do a kindness again.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When we feel and express heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to people in our lives, it creates loving bonds, builds trust, and helps you feel closer.

A. Gratitude doesn't just feel good.

B. What do these have in common?

C. Gratitude can lead to positive actions.

D. Gratitude helps us build better relationships.

E. Such kind of people are more likely to succeed.

F. We can use lots of words to describe feelings of gratitude.

G. Gratitude is stopping to notice and appreciate the things that we often take for granted.

Live longer

    Everyone wants to live longer. We try to exercise, eat right and get enough sleep.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are a few tips for you to live a longer,happier and healthier life.

    Use your mind

    Actively use your mind, and you'll cut your risk (风险) of developing dementia(痴呆) in half{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Memorize phone numbers in your cellphone.As you put groceries into your basket,add them up in your mind.

    Chew (咀嚼) your food

    When you eat, chew your food slowly and fully. That makes it easier for your body to use the food nutrients. Also, it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain it's full.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make time for yourself

    We all have plenty of stress (压力) in our daily lives. Be sure to find some ways to make that stress less. Taking some kind of activities will do you good.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Have dinner out with friends.Start a new hobby. Do something you enjoy, just for you.

    It's not about me

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Studies show that volunteering increases your lifespan(寿命). It also builds your social network.And having lots of friends around,especially in old age, helps you live longer.

A. Take an exercise class.

B. But other things can also help.

C. Do things slowly,one at a time.

D. Living longer is not an easy thing.

E. If you want to live longer,help others.

F. Think of fun games to play by yourself.

G. If you eat more slowly, you'll likely eat less.

    When you're feeling anxious or stressed, the strategies (策略) listed below can help you deal with it.

    Eating and sleeping well.

    Living a healthy lifestyle is important. From sleep to nutrition, the healthier your body is, the better it works, and the better it works, the less you'll experience anxiety. These aren't anxiety cures. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Simply sleeping more isn't going to magically take it away. However, they'll greatly reduce the symptoms, which should help you deal with anxiety much more easily.

    Yoga.

    Yoga is a type of exercise that has great benefits to reducing anxiety.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Those with anxiety need an opportunity to slow their lives down so that it feels more manageable.

    Relaxation Strategies.

    Many relaxation strategies exist that help you deal with anxiety. Flying your imagination is a great one.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Creating memories is another great one. You can go to the museum or try a new cuisine. These strategies give your mind an opportunity to be calmer so that you can cope with stress naturally.

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    Your thoughts tend to be your enemy when you suffer from anxiety. So stop focusing on those thoughts and give yourself a break to simply calm down. Talking on the phone with someone you like about positive things can be more powerful than you realize.

    Journaling.

    Writing thoughts down in a journal may seem like something you only did as a child.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It not only gives you a chance to let out your thoughts, but tells your brain that it doesn't have to focus on remembering them as much as it did previously.

A. Distracting yourself.

B. Actively face your fears.

C. The key is to reduce their severity.

D. However* it's a powerful healing tool.

E. It is a slower form of exercise that is not challenging.

F. Simply imagine yourself and your five senses in a more relaxing place.

G. Anxiety is more of a mental health disorder developed through years of experiences.

Social Phobia

    It is natural to feel nervous, or shy in front of others at times. Most people manage to get through these moments when they need to. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's probably more than shyness. It may build up into a powerful fear. As a result, people feel uncomfortable participating in everyday social activities. This is called social phobia (also called social anxiety).

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It prevents them from chatting with friends in the lunch time, joining an after-school club, or going to a party. Sometimes, they even feel too nervous to ask a question in class or go to a teacher for help. Social phobia not only prevents people from trying new things. It also prevents them from making the normal, everyday mistakes that may help people improve their skills even further

    It is really sad, isn't it? But the good news is that people with social phobia can learn to manage fear, develop confidence and communicating skills and stop avoiding things that make them nervous. Of course it's not always easy. Dealing with social phobia takes the willingness patience and courage to face fears. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Therapists (治疗师) can help people create a plan for facing social fears and build the skills and confidence to overcome it. And family or friends are especially important for them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They can encourage them to pick a small goal to aim for, remind them to go for it, and be there when they might feel discouraged.

    Little by little, someone who decides to deal with extreme shyness can learn to be more comfortable. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} As shyness and fears begin to melt, confidence and positive feelings build. Pretty soon, the person is thinking less about what might feel uncomfortable and more about what might be fun.

A. Friends can overcome their fears easily.

B. But for someone, the anxiety can be extreme.

C. They are not able to make eye contact with classmates.

D. Social phobia makes people lonely or disappointed over missed opportunities.

E. Each small step forward helps build enough confidence to take the next small step.

F. It also takes an action to go forward rather than back away when feeling shy.

G. The support from those key people helps them gather the courage to try something new.

Films and computer games

    In just a few decades the gaming industry has become much bigger than the film business. What is called "interactive entertainment" makes more money than Hollywood cinema. Is there any way of making films more appealing to people who like to play computer games?

    Making a film out of a best-selling computer game can guarantee a large audience. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Nowadays films are made with similar ones. They have attractive action scenes relying on fantasy effects as well. Gaming markets consist of science-fiction games, and film-makers have also set films in science-fiction worlds. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Any attempt to borrow more than the setting from a game is certain to fail.

Why do gamers feel disappointed by films based on their favorite games? One of the reasons is technical. Now everything can be computer-produced. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, filming a scene from 20 different cameras would cost a fortune, so it simply isn't done in the film version—leaving the gamers feeling that the film didn't look as real as the computer game.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In a film the director doesn't show you some things to keep you have the feeling of excitement or anxiety. For example, you wouldn't be interested in watching the film if you knew the identity of the murderer. But this is not true for computer games. When you play a game, you have to do certain tasks to continue to the new level. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You are always in control as a player, while in the cinema you never control the action. You just sit and watch.

    There can be some interaction between films and computer games on different levels. For all the similarities between technologies and special effects, we shouldn't forget that a story and a game are fundamentally different.

A. Cameras matter in another sense, too.

B. The success of a game usually lies in the use of special effects.

C. You can't influence what happens at all in the computer games.

D. Computer games may show the action from a number of views easily.

E. The game has a good chance of being as successful as the film on which it is based.

F. You must be able to have access to all the information in order to decide what to do next.

G. However, the difficulty for film producers appears to be knowing where and when to stop.

What is niksen? In Dutch, "niksen" literally means "to do nothing". Niksen used to have negative associations of laziness.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The world today is more connected and faster. Niksen is allowing ourselves to take time out and consciously switch off, without feeling guilty.

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It enables you to prioritise (优先) yourself and what you need. Often we think we're busy, but who can't take a half-hour break? Niksen brings the same benefits as mindfulness in terms of mental health, sleep, creativity and enhanced focus. It helps the body and brain recover.

Describe some easy ways people can embrace doing nothing?

It might feel awkward at first. Do a relaxation exercise and let your mind wander. There's a Dutch verb, uitwaaien, to "go out in the wind".{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Go out and watch clouds — lie on your back and make up stories. People-watch. Indoors, choose a nice space and make it your own — make it comfortable, add some flowers, sit by the window and watch the day go by.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

How can people ensure that niksen becomes a regular and fulfilling part of their life?

It should be a mindset. Schedule time and give yourself permission to do nothing. Start small — five minutes, ten, half an hour a day, up to a few hours at the weekend. Repeat to yourself, "It's a good thing to do nothing," and practise saying, "no, another time," when you're busy and somebody asks for your help.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It refreshes the mind.

B. How can niksen help people?

C. How did you become an expert in it?

D. Do one thing a day for the purpose of it.

E. I write about mindfulness and psychology.

F. But it's been reinterpreted as a positive practice.

G. Single-focus crafts such as knitting or sewing can be a helpful first step.