Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule

    From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often: ability, money and time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Money is a topic I'll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:

    1）. Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there's nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials already? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    2）. Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

    3）.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

    Hopefully that gives a good start. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

    Like it or not, there will be difficult times in our lives. You might lose your job, fail in your exams or have an illness.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some ways not to lose hope during difficult times.

    ⒈Have faith.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}No matter how bad the situation is, things will turn out to be good in the end. Several years ago I failed to get my master's degree. It was a really bad experience.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It was of much better quality than my previous university. Experiences like this strengthen my belief that having faith is important during difficult times.

    ⒉Be around supportive people.

    Going through difficult times is hard, and going through them alone is even harder. You need a group of positive people who can support you.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you don't, my suggestion is to start looking for one. Don't wait until you need it, because it will be too late by then. You need the community before difficult times come.

    ⒊Help others.

    An additional benefit of being in a good community is that it encourages you to think about other people. It pushes you to help others and, therefore, think about other people {#blank#}5{#/blank#}As a result, your situation won't look as bad as it would be otherwise. Often the situation looks worse than it really is because we give too much attention. Shifting (移开) some of your attention away will put the situation in a better view.

A. Your community helps a lot.

B. Whatever it is, it's important not to lose hope.

C. I changed my attitude towards failure.

D. In this way you take your focus away from yourself.

E. But I got a scholarship at an overseas university later.

F. You must believe that things will work out well eventually.

G. You should become part of a community that cares for one another.

    To meet the global climate crisis that is approaching, big lifestyle changes are required of those of us. The good news is that our way of life can remain meaningful and worthy as our consumption becomes sustainable(可持续发展的).

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Eat less meat and move toward a plant-based diet. This is one of the most effective things we can do because the food we now produce and consume is destroying the very ecosystems that we depend upon for survival. Here are some of the grim facts.

    The U. S. uses about one-half of its land for agriculture.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}For example, the U. S. uses over 90 million acres of good agricultural land to produce corn, which is mostly fed to livestock(家畜).

    With 7.6 billion people on earth, the demand for food is enormous and constantly on the rise. It's easy to feel we can't make a difference{#blank#}3{#/blank#}We should not ignore the power of the choices we make.

    Even one person can make a big difference by eating less meat and moving toward a plant-based diet and make contributions to the health of the planet as well as your own. Recognize how the food we eat is connected to other living beings. It often helps us make much wiser buying choices.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}This way, we will help people around the world enjoy more eco-friendly and nutritious foods.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}When you change your diet to be more sustainable, you become visible proof that changing our food habits is doable, healthy, and enjoyable.

A. Little things matter in your relationship with the earth.

B. By buying mindfully, we support local, affordable agriculture.

C. But we can change our diet to heal the earth as we heal ourselves.

D. Unfortunately, the majority is used to raise livestock or for crops consumed by them.

E. Your choices create positive impacts on the food system and inspire the people around you.

F. There's one step you can take right away to reduce harm to Mother Earth.

G. We can try to reduce waste by using leftovers and eating the fresh produce we buy.

    If you need to interview someone for an article but you have never interviewed before, it can be frightening. Here are some tips for preparing for and conducting a successful interview.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If the person is a known author or speaker, take the time to read or listened to his/her work, or at least get familiar with his/her most recent or most important work. If the interview will cover events, review whatever is known publicly about those events.

    Being a recording device(录音设备). You can use your phone or an audio recorder. In this way you needn't struggle to write things down. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And this will make it easier to include direct quotes when you start writing.

    Remember to make it a conversation rather than a list of questions. Prepared questions are just a guideline. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. You can also try to ask your interviewee about his/her personal thoughts and reactions to events and people they deal with.

Appropriate feedback(反馈) is also important. Feel free to say words that show you are listening, like “yeah” and “Mmmm”. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also give more facial feedback like smiling.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If the interviewee changes suddenly from one line of thought to another, lead them back to the area you are focusing on. Guide the interview but don't keep interrupting with many questions.

A. Politely ask if you can interview them.

B. Do your homework before you pick up the phone.

C. Then you can focus all your attention on the interview.

D. Consider how all the questions can be asked in a short time.

E. Nodding your head can be an encouragement to the interviewee.

F. In order to get the information you need, you should guide the interview.

G. You can try to ask questions based on what they have said to you in previous responses.

    Having a healthy family life can lower risk of heart attack and boost your chance of living longer.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Care for elders in a loving way

    Caring for an elderly loved one is a wonderful way to show compassion and service, and it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice everything.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Kids and marriages can be powerfully impacted by how these decisions are handled，both negatively and positively. They thoroughly think through the potential impact of moving an aging parent into the home or providing extended care. A good boundary with an aging parent is to do occasional outgoings.

    Cultivate an attitude of gratitude

    Healthy families set a culture of being grateful for the things you appreciate in life, big and small. Set up a respectful space where at the end of each day, each family member share what they are grateful for.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Keep treats out of sight (and out of mind)

    What you see is what you want to eat.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Put the sugary treats out of sight and leave colorful fruits and vegetables out on the counter or on the most visible shelves in the fridge so that you're more likely to reach for a nutritious snack.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Healthy families will create a safe environment for healthy communication, where each individual feels like their feelings are acknowledged. When conflict arises, they don't have to agree with each other but they still need to acknowledge each other's feelings. They still feel their opinions are valued. They also learn tools for how conflicts can be resolved. No one shuts down, or runs away when there is disagreement. They work it out.

A．Fight fair

B．Live healthily

C．Keep healthy snacks highly visible in your kitchen

D．If you keep fighting，you will hurt your family

E. Here's how to maximize this amazing health asset(资产)

F. This sets up an atmosphere of appreciation that all can benefit from

G. Healthy families have boundaries with aging parents and grandparents

Master Your Deadlines

The struggle begins in high school, sometimes earlier. Deadlines, and lots of them, start to pile up. At college, the pressure sometimes leads to last-minute rush and unsatisfactory work. At work, failing to meet deadlines can easily get you fired. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are a few best practices.

▪Assign deadlines to what matters.

If the task isn't of high importance, don't set a specific deadline. In this way, you are able to keep it on your radar for a while without feeling pressured. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This will provide just enough pressure to ensure you get it done.

▪ {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Set a personal deadline for yourself a day or two before the actual deadline. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you're working with a group of people, add in even more time to account for potential follow-ups and the need for approvals.

▪ Keep communicating.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This means letting others know when something is taking longer than expected, when a delivery didn't come in, when a client is not providing the necessary information, etc. Although it may feel embarrassing to admit that something is not on schedule, being honest is much better for relieving your stress.

A. Plan for flexible hours.

B. Finish your project as early as possible.

C. But if an activity is urgent, set a deadline immediately.

D. In this way, you'll never have to stay up late and feel stressed.

E. But handled properly, deadlines can actually improve productivity.

F. Whenever you feel challenged to finish work on time, communicate.

G. So if anything takes longer than expected, you can still wrap it up and submit it on time.