Tips for Staying Sharp

    It's not abnormal to feel out of it from time to time or perhaps you're feeling a bit sluggish(迟钝的)when it comes to remembering things. If you're worried about your forgetfulness, try out these five tips to stay sharp.

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    You've probably heard the term “you are what you eat.” If you decide to eat sugary foods that are heavy with fats then expect to feel lazy and have no energy. But if you decide to eat fruits, vegetables and make other healthy eating decisions you'll find that you're full of energy.

    Never stop learning

    Challenge yourself constantly---whether it is puzzles, reading, cooking or other tasks that will keep your mind working. If your mind is always learning new things and active, you'll realize that it's much easier for you to learn new things and to function. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Stay fit

    Being in good health and staying in shape is a big part of staying sharp. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you choose to be lazy then your body is not going to give you the energy that requires remembering things and completing tasks. However, if you put forth the effort into being health then your body will expel(释放)the energy you need to achieve your goals.

    Ensure enough sleep

    Be sure to get the necessary amount of sleep that your body needs to function on a daily basis. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It also helps your body build up an energy reserve so you can improve your ability to focus and avoid distractions.

    Socialize more

     {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Social interaction will help you develop multitasking, problem solving and other skills that are necessary in life to keep your mind sharp.

A. Feed your brain

B. Avoid eating too much

C. Your body will only give you what you put into it

D. Lack of sleep contributes to tiredness and slow reaction

E. Conversations require individuals to stay aware and active

F. According to studies, sleep helps strengthen and recover your memories

G. Remember you brain is a muscle and if you want to get the most out of it, you must use it

How to Be Healthy and Happy

    We all want to be healthy, happy, free of stress and more productive in life.

    ⒈Get enough sleep. It not only keeps you healthy but also you will be happier. It is said that “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒉Drink plenty of water. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The benefits of water are amazing. Water helps keep your skin clear, leaving you feeling happier and better about your body. Water is just simply an amazing source in itself for your overall health. Try to drink 8 glasses a day.

    ⒊Smile and laugh. Don't get sad over small problems or take any joke seriously which hurt you. Instead, if you feel so hurt, you prefer to stay away from that friend. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Respect your friend from a good perspective. Smile and laugh all the time and you will be happy.

    ⒋{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Help your mom do the dishes, help out your dad in the kitchen, clean your room, or do anything that could help your family. It will not only make them love you more, but you will feel happy knowing you have done good even if you moved out twenty years ago and are a father yourself.

    ⒌Have goals. Always believe you can achieve. If you can dream it, you can achieve it, no matter what. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Organization plays a very important role in achieving goals, so organize yourself.

    Are you truly happy? Do you ever know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life. Make a plan for achieving goals that you believe will make you happy. Your moods will very likely increase（增加） if you are going after something you value.

    Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively（消极的）. When you are surrounded by people who think that way. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When something goes wrong, try to figure out a solution instead of being absorbed in self pity.

    Truly happy people don't allow setbacks（挫折）to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the things back to their favor.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continuous happiness.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance, you will be putting yourself in a better mood.

    Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. Find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you happy.

    Keeping healthy is another way to achieve happiness. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. There are some tips in life that lead to happiness.

B. It's also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself

C. On the contrary, if you are around people who are happy, their emotional state will be easily passed to you.

D. Being overweight or not eating foods containing nutrition have a negative effect on your mood.

E. What makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy.

F. These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves.

G. Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy.

How to Stay Out of Trouble

    Sometimes it may seem like you're always getting into trouble with your teachers or your parents. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The best thing to do is to stop trouble before it starts. It's always possible to turn over a new leaf.

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Joining a sports team is a great way to stay out of trouble. Whether you're playing soccer or baseball, team sports are a great way to find something to do rather than get into trouble.

    ⒉Join a club. If sports aren't your thing, you can always join a club. You can join an art club, chess club, French club, cooking club and so on. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Therefore, you won't have time to annoy your teachers or parents.

    ⒊Go volunteering. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you're too young to do it on your own, go with a parent to a volunteering event. You can help people learn to read, clean up a local park, or work in a soup kitchen. Find something that is meaningful to you and commit to it at least once a week.

    ⒋Read as much as you can. Reading can help you improve your vocabulary and comprehension skills. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Getting truly interested in stories can help you forget the hours passing by. Reading for just 20 minutes before bedtime every night can help you develop an addicting lifelong habit.

A. Join a sports team.

B. Play soccer or baseball.

C. Then you can have a good time with your friends.

D. Volunteering is another great way to stay out of trouble.

E. These clubs can help you focus on something you care about.

F. What's more, if you're reading, then you're not getting into trouble.

G. And no matter what you do, you just can't seem to get things right.

    Trophies( 奖 杯 ) were once rare things.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Trophies and prizes are almost a given. One Maryland summer program gives awards every day and each player gets one. Trophy sales are now a $3 billion-a-year industry in the United States and Canada.

    Some research has been done on the effects of praise and awards on kids. Although kids can be highly driven by awards, nonstop recognition does not inspire children to succeed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University, found that kids respond positively to praise; they enjoy hearing that they're talented, smart and so on. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Disappointed by their failure, they say they'd rather cheat than risk failing again.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, even if they are good at something; they've got to get used to that to keep going. When children make mistakes, our job should not be to make up those losses into decorated victories. Instead, our job is to help kids overcome failures, to help them see that progress over time is more important than a particular win or loss.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. We also have to stop letting the Trophy Industry run our children's lives.

A. Let's fight for a kid's right to lose

B. Instead, it can cause them to underachieve

C. To do that, we need to refuse all the meaningless prizes

D. Kids are going to lose more often than they win in life

E. But today they began to be mass-produced, marketed and sold in stores

F. They will know improvement, character and hard work are to be valued

G. But after such praise, they break down at the first experience of difficulty

How to Make Friends

    Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

    ⒈Associate with others.

    The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

    ⒉Start a conversation.

    Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.

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    Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.

    ⒋Let it grow.

    It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

    ⒌Enjoy your friendship.

    The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

A. Be cheerful.

B. Do things together.

C. Do not wait to be spoken to.

D. Try not to find fault with your friends.

E. For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.

F. So you will need to give your friend time to react to you.

G. Making new friends comes easy for some people.