How to Enjoy Life As a Teen

    The "best years of your life"? Maybe not, but you can learn to make the most of your high school days.

    Learn to appreciate small things. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on, family that loves you, having a decent education or simply being born in this world, value it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Be happy, and life will reward you. Remember that these are the last few years you will be able to enjoy yourself without having to worry about the responsibility of an adult, but make sure you prepare yourself for when you do become one. When you actually become an adult, you'll learn to love that responsibility and you probably never want to go back.

    Choose your friends wisely. Unlike what many articles state, you don't have to be popular and have a gazillion friends to be happy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try to have friends that like you who you are, not just because you are wearing a certain brand of shoes or something like that. These are people who shop at the same store as you; not someone who will sympathize with you when your dog dies.

    Keep your grades up. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This also sets you up to get into a college you want to go to, which in turn prepares you for a career you will enjoy, improving your quality of life in the future. You'll get cheap car insurance as well if you have at least a B or A average.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Participating in clubs, activities, and sports increases your chances of meeting new friends. While you only need 4 or 5 close friends, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to meet new people. Participating gives you something to do instead of sitting bored at home and wallowing in self-pity.

    Work at a job you can enjoy. Working is a great way co gain experience and to meet other people. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This will look great on your resume. If you can't find work, especially in this hard economic time, volunteer or make your own job.

A. Be sociable.

B. Remember the point of life is for you to enjoy it.

C. Find a hobby that is meaningful or practical.

D. In fact, many of the "friends" you have when you are popular are not true friends.

E. When you do get out of college, interviewing companies will look at your previous work experience.

F. Even though you want to enjoy your teen life as best as possible, don't idle away your time in school.

G. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off in the form of A's and B's (but mainly A's).

Be an inventor

    The biggest secret about inventing is that anybody can do it! Perhaps this sounds crazy, but it's true. Maybe you have the wrong idea about inventing, so read on to discover the truth.

Wrong idea number 1:{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Well, inventing means creating something “new”, but the idea could come from something that already exists.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

Wrong idea number 2: Inventors are born, not made.

    There are a lot of factors that make invention possible. Take Mozart, for example. He was born with a special talent for music.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}His father was a music teacher, and Mozart practiced for hours every day, from the time he was in kindergarten.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Very successful creators don't give up when they get something wrong. As one inventor said, “A failure is the right answer to the wrong question!”

    Wrong idea number 3: Inventors are always old people.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Here is an example of a young inventor: Louis Braille went blind when he was a child. When he was 15, he invented a system of reading and writing for blind people that is still used in most countries today.

A. Everyday things can give people lots of ideas.

B. An invention has to be something completely new.

C. But other factors were also important for his creativity.

D. As a young man, George Nissen invented the trampoline (蹦床).

E. Don't believe that you can't invent something when you are young.

F. Thomas Edison said that being an inventor was “99% hard work and 1% inspiration”!

G. The Wright brothers, for example, got the idea for building a “flying machine” from watching birds.

    The world is becoming more and more connected, but many people feel lonely in the midst of it. You might not feel lonely right now, but there might be times when you do. Here are some tips on dealing with loneliness:

    Be positive about yourself.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you constantly think of yourself as ugly, mean, or unattractive, then it will be difficult for you to connect with others. You must accept yourself before you can accept others. It's common that you might have some negative qualities. So does everyone else. So in order to get rid of loneliness, you should focus on your positive side and think of yourself in a positive way.

    Have an attitude of gratitude (感恩){#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's easy to focus on the negatives in life, but don't forget that there are also many positives. Remember them and be thankful. What does this have to do with loneliness? Well, if you are grateful, then you will become cheerful{#blank#}3{#/blank#} See the positive side of others. Just as you should see the positive side of yourself, you should also see the positive side of others. Everyone has shortcomings, but everyone also has a positive side.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}That will make you like them and make it easier for you to connect with them.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The more you think about yourself, the more likely it is for you to have a pity party and feel lonely. For example, you might think that nobody likes you or cares about you. So it's important that you shift your attention away from yourself. It can be as simple as smiling at your neighbors or holding a door for a stranger.

A. Join a community group.

B. Do something for others.

C. Negative thoughts can kill you.

D. Instead, try to make more friends.

E. And that will attract people to you.

F. Count your blessings and be grateful for them.

G. So choose to value the positive aspects of them.

    Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} .Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} .Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} .

    The following methods may work best for you.

    Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

    Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

    Write your notes in your own words.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} .

    Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

    As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand(速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} .
A. Use words, not complete sentences.
B. There are three practical note-taking methods.
C. You must write your notes on separate paper.
D. Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.
E. You will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.
F. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.
G. First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.

Happier Babies Have an Edge

    Parents and teachers want children to grow up to be happy and successful.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} A wide range of research, however, indicates happiness brings success in adults, and achievements do not always make adults happier.

    Recently in new study, John K. Coffey II, assistant professor of psychology at Sewanee, the University of the South, found that happiness during infancy (婴儿期) predicted childhood IQ and adult educational success.

    In his 29-year study, Coffey used the Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS). In 1978 the FLS research team recruited 130 parents with babies for a study that now has run for more than 30 years. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When each baby was 18 months old, one parent reported how often his or her baby expressed positive and negative emotions and researchers measured the infant's IQ. When babies were children (ages 6 to 8), they completed IQ tests. When babies had grown into 29-year-old adults, they reported how many years of education they had completed and their life satisfaction.

    As expected, Coffey found that regardless of intelligence during infancy or parents' wealth, happier babies were more likely to graduate from high school and college. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It suggests that happier babies learn more between infancy and childhood.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Parents wishing to help their children enjoy greater happiness can focus on small changes they can make in their day-to-day lives to create more positive moments. Parents do not need to aim for intense experiences or "best day ever" for their children. Although peak experiences can be fun, they also tend to be tiring for both children and their parents, which can lead to anxiety and conflict.

    Currently, Coffey and other researchers are exploring when and why some children are happier than others or whether we can increase it. Happiness during infancy and childhood is predicted by relationships with caregivers and teachers or by learning new skills. Inexpensive and easy-to-do activities like practising acts of kindness or appreciation can boost happiness. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. We often think that achieving success will ultimately make us happy.

B. We can use these activities to help children grow into happy and successful adults.

C. To test his theory, Coffey looked at how intensely children's emotions are experienced.

D. These happy babies aren't just growing up to be successful, but they are also happy adults.

E. Further, happier babies had more growth in their IQ scores between infancy and childhood.

F. Another important clarification is that happiness is about how often emotions are experienced.

G. Early on, parents reported on their background, for instance, education level and employment.