Do you know what a big dream is? {#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 them before they 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 cannot happen. This inside voice is the ego（自我）. It's there for protecting and should be listened to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Most people are influenced by the inside voice. That's why only a handful of people make their dream come true.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

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

B. They simply fail until they succeed.

C. How Big Dreams Die

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

E. Family and Friends 

F. Sometimes it is right, but more often it is wrong

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

Kids and food: advice for parents

    It is important for parents to know how to help their kids eat healthy. Here are a few easy ways:

    Parents control the supply lines.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Though kids may keep asking for less nutritious foods, parents should decide which foods are regularly provided in the house. Kids won't go hungry. They'll eat what's available in the fridge at home.

    Say goodbye to “clean-plate club”.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Lots of parents grew up under the clean-plate rule, but that way doesn't help kids listen to their own bodies when they are full. When kids feel full, they're likely to overeat.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Food preferences are developed early in life, so try to offer different kinds of food. Likes and dislikes begin forming even when kids are babies. Parents may need to serve a new food on several different occasions(时机) for a child to accept it.

    Food is not love.

    Find better ways to say “I love you.” When foods are used to reward kids and show love, they may start to turn to food when feeling worried or unhappy. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Kids do as you do.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}When trying to teach good eating habits, try to set the best example. Choose nutritious food, eat at the table, and don't forget breakfast.

A. Start them young.

B. Rewrite the kids' menu.

C. Be a role model and eat healthy yourself.

D. Offer praise and attention instead of food treats.

E. Let kids stop eating when they feel they've had enough.

F. You decide which foods to buy and when to serve them.

G. Let kids choose what to eat and how much of it they want.

Why should you read every day?

    When was the last time you read a book? If you're one of countless people who don't make a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing out. Reading has many benefits, and just a few benefits of reading are listed below.

    Mental Stimulation

    Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of Alzheimer's and Dementia. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy.

    Wider Knowledge

    Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Stress Reduction

    No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other problems, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. And an interesting article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, allowing you to relax.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story— the rest of the world just falls away. Try reading for 15 to 20 minutes before work, and you'll be surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the office.

    Tranquility(安宁)

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about a sense of calm, while reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders or mental illnesses.

A. Stronger thinking skills.

B. Improved focus and concentration.

C. A well-written novel can transport you to other worlds.

D. Reading a good book can also bring about great inner peace.

E. That's because keeping your brain active prevents it from losing power.

F. Reading books is also important for learning new languages and cultures.

G. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to deal with your future challenges.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here's how:

    Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you realize what is happening to your time.

    Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

    Make good use of your time in class. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

    Study regularly.  When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you'll remember it longer.

    Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be over worried.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

A. There are other methods that might help you with your studying.

B. Don't forget to set aside enough time for entertainment.

C. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.

D. No one can become a top student unless he or she works hard.

E. Maybe you are an average student.

F. Make full use of class time to take notes of what the teacher says in class.

G. This will help you understand the next class.

    A lack of sleep causes many medical conditions that greatly affect the quality of life. While no one knows why we sleep, it is a universal biological need.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    How much sleep do I actually need?

    A study in Finland found that the amount of sleep that relates to the fewest sick days was 7.63 hours a night for women and 7.76 hours for men.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When we get sleep fewer than seven hours or our sleep often falls below six hours, we are at an increased risk of health problems.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Today, some people practice “polyphasic (一昼夜活动和休息多次的)sleep”,based on the idea that by dividing your sleep into parts, you can get away with less of it .Professor Dinges concludes it's possible to train oneself to need less sleep in short periods.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And he notes that even for those who can function well on less sleep, we still don't know how the practice might be affecting chemical processes, mood, and other factors.

    I can't sleep. Is my phone really keeping me up?

    When light enters your eye, it hits your retina to send signals to the hypothalamus (下丘脑),which controls sleep cycles. When your retina takes in less light, your hypothalamus assumes it's time to sleep and it'll signal the pineal gland (松果腺)to make you sleepy. And when the hypothalamus senses light, it tells the pineal gland to stop its work.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some research suggests that the light from phones and tablets are especially influential in human sleep cycles.

A. Adequate sleep can benefit us a lot.

B. Can I train myself to need less sleep?

C. How can I make myself sleep less?

D. No animal with a brain can survive without it.

E. This is why we're told to minimize screen time before bed.

F. And most adults function best after seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

G. But he adds it doesn't seem possible to train oneself to need less sleep per 24-hour cycle.

    Last summer over 12,000 fans were at Wembley Arena in London, shouting and cheering. Thousands more were watching online. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It was esports, or competitive computer gaming.

    Millions of people in the UK play computer games for fun. Some of them have become professional gamers, playing games as their full-time job. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They practice for ten or more hours a day, five or six days a week. They do exercises like typing something and trying to type it faster and faster. They also study videos of other players and plan ways to beat them.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Are players athletes? Some say no. Esports players don't need to run, jump, throw or do big physical actions. At the moment, the UK government classifies esports as kinds of games, not as sports.

    But others say yes: esports are sports. Players do need some physical skills, especially hand-eye coordination, reflexes, accuracy and timing. If darts, snooker and shooting are classified as sports, then perhaps esports should be too.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} And they will be an official medal sport in the Asian Games starting from 2022. Next step: the Olympics?

    For many esports fans and players, though, the most important thing is that esports are growing in popularity and importance. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}