Clara Barton，founder of the American Red Cross，gained worldwide honor for her dedication to easing human suffering and earned the nickname  “Angel of the Battlefield.”

    Barton was born into a liberal (开明的) freethinking family in 1821. Her elder brothers and sisters happily tutored her in math and reading, so when she entered school at three years old, she could read and spell three-syllable words. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Concerned about Barton's difficulty in making friends, her parents sent her to a boarding school, hoping it would make her more comfortable with her peers. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Barton lost her appetite and cried constantly. After only one term, she had to be brought home. Then, Barton stayed out of school to nurse her older brother through a serious injury and also volunteered to care for poor families during a smallpox (天花）outbreak.

    In 1861，the Civil War broke out. The sight of wounded soldiers touched Barton deeply. She began to collect and distribute food, bandages, medicines, and other supplies for the Union army.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} There, with little concern for her own safety, she cooked meals, assisted surgeons, and comforted wounded soldiers.

    Eventually，because of working too hard，Barton collapsed，ill with typhoid fever (伤寒症). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It was there that she learned of an organization based in Switzerland — called the International Red Cross, whose work mirrored her own.

    Shortly after Barton arrived back home in 1873，her sister died. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When recuperating (休养）at a health facility in New York，she began planning for the establishment of an American wing of the International Red Cross. Although at first the government resisted，her efforts finally paid off. The American Red Cross was officially organized on May 21, 1881. Her influence lives on today in the work of the organization she founded.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We've all heard about the power of our attitude, and that it's our attitude that determines how much we succeed in life.

    ⒈Identify and understand what you want to change. The first step towards change is clearly understanding what needs to be changed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} When it comes to changing your attitude, you need to do an honest and in-depth self-evaluation so you could point out exactly which of your traits need to be improved or totally changed.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    We all need to know that what we're trying to accomplish can in fact be achieved; that we can be more optimistic, more social or more patient. Find someone who has the kind of attitude that you want to have, and let his or her life give you inspiration and encouragement to move beyond your temporary failures in your journey towards becoming a better person.

    ⒊Think about how your attitude change will affect your life. To be able to overcome all the difficulties that lie ahead of you in your journey towards self betterment, you need to figure out exactly what this supposed change could bring to your life. Will changing your attitude mean a happier family or social life? Will a change in your attitude mean a more successful career or business? Fix your mind on the things that would come as a result of your attitude change and you will have a greater chance of reaching your goal.

    ⒋Choose the right company. As they say, “Bad company corrupts good character.” You don't expect yourself to be able to change if you go on surrounding yourself with people who possess all the negative traits that you want to change. Consider befriending new people, especially those who are optimistic and have a healthy attitude towards life.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ⒌{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Often, the greatest obstacle between us and our goals is ourselves or our inability to trust in what we are able to do. If you don't believe in yourself or believe that you or your life can change, it just won't happen—you will either never start, or give up quickly so you won't have even given yourself the opportunity to succeed.

A. Believe that you are able to change.

B. Look for a role model.

C. You will see that your effort to change will be easier with these kinds of people as friends.

D. Setting clear goals is the key to success in any endeavor.

E. Our personalities and attitudes are developed through our relationships and experiences.

F. It is right to try hard to have a strong mind.

G. Our attitude towards life determines life's attitude towards us.

    Traveling alone gives you the freedom to create your own schedule and do as you please. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, a travel partner can provide practical support and celebrate in the rewards of first-hand experience with unfamiliar locations and cultures. Here are several steps to find a travel partner who will improve your journey. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Traveling should be fun. When you are on a trip, you will want to do lots of activities that you enjoy. Preferably, your companion will want to do the same things as you.

    Discuss financial plans. Before you travel, you should plan a budget. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You don't want to be planning an expensive getaway when your friend is looking for budget travel.

    Have an honest conversation. If you are thinking about traveling with a companion, take some time to have an open discussion. Schedule a time to sit down and talk. Try saying, "I know we've talked about the idea of traveling through Europe together. Let's have a coffee this week and actually talk that through." {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You should also talk about your travel style.

    Find someone who is flexible. Choose a travel partner who can adjust. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Maybe it will rain on the day you planned to visit the Grand Canyon. Or you might not be able to get reservations at that French restaurant you've been dying to try.

A. Look for someone with common interests.

B. You should discuss your goals for the trip.

C. Travel with a friend who is pretty easygoing.

D. But traveling with a partner has its benefits, too.

E. Make sure that you are on the same page concerning money.

F. Try to meet your new travel partner in person before your trip.

G. No matter how carefully you plan your trip, it is likely that something will go wrong.

    The memory of Dad flooded into my mind. In the morning when I was nine years old, he would come home from working 18 hours at his bakery and wake me up at 5 a.m. by scratching my back with his strong, powerful hand and whispering, “Time to get up, son.” By the time I was dressed and ready to roll, he had my newspaper folded and stuffed in my bicycle basket. Recalling his generosity of spirit brings tears to my eyes.

    When I was racing bicycles, he drove me 50 miles each way to Kenosha, Wisconsin, every Tuesday night so I could race and he could watch me. He was there to hold me if I lost and share the euphoria when I won.

    Later, he accompanied me to all my local talks in Chicago when I spoke to Century 21, Mary Kay and various churches. He always smiled, listened and ______ told whomever he was sitting with, “That's my boy!”

    In my dad's last telephone call to me, he said, “I am going home to Denmark, son, and I want to tell you I love you.” He repeated that line seven times in half an hour. I wasn't listening at the right level. I heard the words, but not the message, and certainly not their profound intention.

    Two days later, Dad passed away. My heart was in pain because Dad was there for me but I wasn't there for him. Please always, always share your love with your loved ones, and try to be invited to that important period when physical life transforms into spiritual life. Experiencing the process of death with one you love will give you a deeper understanding of life.

    On an average day most of us check our smartphones 47 times, and this habit clouds our judgment on what information to select and store, which might explain why it's time we should do things about the information we take in to form memories.

    As simple as it sounds, the repetition of tasks-reading, or saying words over and over — continues to be the best method for transforming short-term memories into long-term ones. To do that, we have to retrain our minds to focus on one task at a time. Sadly, most turn a blind eye to this formula because we believe we're productive. New connections are made in your brain when you learn, so to remember what you learn, do what you probably did in your youth: Repeat words, thoughts and ideas over and over until you get them right.

    Also, spaced repetition might be the best way. Quickly pushing facts into our brains leads us to forget them in the long term. When you review knowledge and practice it often, it sticks, a research has shown. So if you can include what you're trying to remember into daily life, ideally over time, your chances of keeping it significantly improve. But once you stop reviewing that knowledge, the retention (保留) drops greatly. To get past it, space out your repetition over a few days and test the effect yourself. But be careful: find a healthy interval that works. This is a good way to effectively start tackling a new language.

    Sometimes, memory and focus usually go hand-in-hand. Dr. Cowan suggests rearranging our office setup as one way to improve focus. "The rebirth of the open workplace cannot be helping stay on task, "Dr. Cowan said. Referring to work spaces without desks, physical barriers and privacy, but with a lot of playthings.

    Multiple studies have found that procrastination (拖延) leads to stress and completely kills focus. Stop engaging in useless tasks like surfing the web and just handle whatever it is you need to work on. Then watch your focus increase quickly and your memory improve.

    Memory is very cue (提示) dependent, "Mr. Schacter, a psychologist, said, referring to. Something he calls absent-minded memory failure. "Most say it could never happen to me, but it's a very long list of responsible people that it has happened to. When you don't have that cue, you can forget almost everything. "

    A simple way around that is to set reminders. Even better, combine a few of these techniques: Write your reminder on a post-it and put it on your desk so you're forced to repeatedly look at it over a long period, including the practice of spaced repetition.