Make the most of life experiences

    If you ask anyone what the purpose of life is, you'll likely receive wildly different responses. The answer to this question is deeply personal because different things are important to us throughout the course of our lives.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Finding ways to make the most of our experiences is a challenge we face every day, here are some ways to make your experiences meaningful.

    Follow your dreams

    The number one way to live a life free of regret is to follow your dreams. Passion will die without actions supporting them.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.Every day make an effort, no matter how small, to achieve your goals. Each day is a step forward and none of it is wasted.

    Make mistakes

    Making mistakes is the surest(无疑的)path to grow as a person.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}and those lessons have stayed with me. failure is beneficial to us. And time allows me to see the value of even the most painful situation.

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    Difficult and painful experiences shape our character but can also weigh us down. These prevent us from moving forward. So much of our progress in life relies on willpower and a healthy emotional state. If you're under stress, your body and mind both require time to recover.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    For me, life is about experiences. We all have to dream, work hard, and fail before we can achieve success. Maybe we'll discover along the way that the journey is more important than the destination.

A. Take care of yourself.

B. Improve your personality.

C. Many of my strongest memories come from the times I've failed

D. It's best to rest and slowly build back up your strength

E. Yet one thing stays with us no matter where we go: our experiences

F. Though we try our best to make fewer mistakes, it is impossible to avoid them.

G. Though we can't choose the outcome of our actions, we can choose to keep pursuing.

    While it is impossible to live completely free of stress, it is possible to prevent stress as well as reduce its effect when it can't be avoided. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    Try physical activity

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Running, walking, playing tennis, and working in your garden are just some of the activities you might try.

    Make time for yourself

    Schedule time for both work and entertainment. Don't forget, play can be just as important to your overall well-being as work. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Go window-shopping or work on a hobby. Allow yourself at least a half hour each day to do something you enjoy.

    Take care of yourself

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you get angry easily and can't sleep well enough, or if you're not eating properly, it will be more likely that you will fall into stressful situations. If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping, you should consult a doctor.

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    Stress can result from disorganization and a feeling that “there's so much to do, and not enough time”. Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and, as a result, you may not achieve anything. Instead, make a list of everything you have to do, then do one thing at a time, checking off each task as it is completed. Set out to do the most important task first.

A. You should make every effort to eat well and get enough rest.

B. Make a list of things to do.

C. The following are suggestions for ways to deal with stress.

D. You could smile to yourself in front of a mirror every day.

E. When you are nervous, angry or upset, try releasing the pressure through exercise or physical activity.

F. You need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun.

G. Do whatever you like and want to do.

    Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning, and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resting your body clock. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here's how to make one.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In order to make a change, you need to decide why it's important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise, or just be better prepared for your day? Once you are clear about your reasons, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.

    Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}That's a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.

    Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you're tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you've tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If not, take another look at other methods you could try.

A. Get a sleep specialist.

B. Find the right motivation.

C. A better plan for sleep can help.

D. And consider setting a second alarm.

E. If the steps you take are working, keep it up.

F. Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day.

G. Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the cafe to get coffee.

    Most people actually do not know how to do basic first aid on mild burns. It is normally taken for granted since most people think that soaking (浸泡) the burn with water is the way to go.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Once the burn appears, you will surely feel much pain on the actual burned skin. Technically, this is the time to stay calm.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Finding a source of running water is recommended. However, if there is none, any source will do. If there is running water, simply place the burned area under it and allow it to soak the water for about 5 to 10 minutes.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you have access to ice or a cold compress（冷敷布）, you can use that as well. You can place the ice or cold compress on the affected area and leave it there about 15 to 30 minutes. The ice will numb the pain and will also stop more injury on the skin.

    After soaking in water or cooling the area with ice, remove from the water source and allow the moisture to dry naturally. You may also consider patting it down dry with a towel or napkin, however, this could damage the burnt skin even more.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    As soon as the area dries up completely, get a bandage or a strip of cloth.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}This will protect that area from infection caused by outside dirt and dust getting into the open burn.

A. Call a doctor may as well help in most burn cases.

B. The thing is that treating a mild burn goes more than just soaking the affected part in water.

C. It is best to dry it naturally instead.

D. Wrap it around the burn to cover the open area of skin.

E. The truth is that soaking is the last thing to do to deal with mild burn.

F. The first thing you will need to do will be to find a clean water source.

G. This will relieve some of the pain, cool down the skin, and stop additional burning.

Rich and Famous

    Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today's situation is quite different. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Instead they most commonly say they want to be a sports star, a pop star, or an actor­in other words, they hope to become a celebrity .

    According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Let's take athletes and singers as an example. Their careers are short­lived. Many athletes' best time only lasts a few years and singers can have a very limited career. The field that was once the focus of their lives becomes something they have little or no involvement in. As a result, they'll have a feeling of worthlessness and a lack of control. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The truth is quite simple: they have been so far removed from it for so long.

    In spite of these disadvantages, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living­they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They unrealistically believe that this lifestyle is easily obtained and leads to great satisfaction.

    While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}That means they ignore the simple fact that great effort is needed before success. As a result, many people won't realize their childhood dreams, which could have a negative effect on their happiness.

A. The younger generation don't favor these professions any more.

B. In many ways this has been brought about by the celebrity culture.

C. Unfortunately, they do not always have a positive effect on people's life.

D. Besides, it can be difficult for them to adapt back to a normal everyday life.

E. People no longer have a sense of satisfaction once their goals have been achieved.

F. This quick way of gaining wealth and fame creates a celebrity culture among people.

G. The reason is that they don't realize it takes talent and hard work to be rich and famous.

    What is a big dream? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Or, is a big dream something that provides only entertainment? Children dream big dreams, but there are three barriers to realizing dreams. They often kill dreams before children ever have a chance to grow.

    The self

    Immediately following the birth of a big dream, a negative self-talk takes over and gives all the reasons why it can't happen. This inside voice is the ego (自我). It is there for protecting and should be listened to. Sometimes it is right, but more often it is wrong. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} That's why only a handful of people make their dreams come true.

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    Family and friends are a lot like the ego. They want to protect those they love, so they will often list all the reasons why the big dreams won't come true. Sometimes, family and friends destroy dreams of those they love most, out of their own fear of being left behind.

    The world

    If one gets past the first two barriers, one has to face the world. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In the past, big dreamers were locked up and sometimes even killed when they were shown to the world. Fortunately, in most of the world today, big dreamers just get laughed at.

    The way to realize a big dream is with confidence and action. When children have confidence and then take action, they will be ready to accept any failure. The truth is that every great dreamer whose dreams have never seen the light of success knows failure well. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

A. How big dreams die

B. Family and friends

C. They simply fail until they succeed.

D. Does a big dream show one's future?

E. Most people are influenced by the inside voice.

F. It is the last and the most terrible barrier.

G. And their big dream is to be a rock star or a famous artist.