Easy Ways to Improve Your Mood

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Taking an extra moment for yourself will make your day brighter and give you a healthier outlook on life. Here are some simple ways you can bring a little happiness into your life right now:

    Go for a walk.

    Grab your dog, best friend, or your significant other and head out on a brisk(轻快的) walk. Just a little bit of exercise can improve your mood and give you a fresh perspective on problems that have been bothering you. Think walks are boring? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Take a trip to the mall, or even walk to get some frozen yogurt. Make it a fun trip and you'll surely make it part of your routine.

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    After all, laughter is the best medicine. Pick up something that makes you laugh like a funny picture, book, magazine, or a DVD of your favorite comedy. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Giving yourself time to laugh increases feel-good endorphins(胺多酚).

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    Take a photo of yourself doing something you enjoy, like roller skating, skiing, swimming, playing an instrument, or being with friends and family. Place the picture on your desk to remind yourself that you lead an amazing life and have lots to be happy about.

A. Model behavior.

B. Buy something silly.

C. Ten minutes of relaxation can do wonders.

D. Try walking to a place that seems exciting to you.

E. You could even plan a date night out to a comedy club.

F. Tell someone that you're guaranteed to brighten their day.

G. Even the most optimistic people can use a mood boost every once in a while.

    There are three things that will get you ahead in life: good looks, smarts, and being considered as being smart.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} And unluckily most of us are not good-looking. Let's explore some different ways to become smarter.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}College doesn't necessarily mean you'll be smarter, just educated. It means you'll be exposed to many different ideas and hopefully you'll learn how to think. Being able to think outside the box and for yourself are features smart people possess.

    Read books and educational magazines.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Educational magazines are a wealth of knowledge you can share with others, thus making you sound very smart. If you do watch television, try watching something that you can learn.

    Expand your vocabulary. Try to learn one new word a week. It doesn't seem like much, but adding 52 new words to your vocabulary will really make you appear much smarter. Subscribing (订阅) to vocabulary.com is a good start.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This way you're actually getting 365 words a year, but that is usually more than most people can absorb.

    Don't repeat everything people tell you until you know that it's true.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}They hear a strange claim and they repeat it to the nearest ear. You can do much harm to your seek for being smart if you are known for giving bad information.

A. Go to college and get an education.

B. The first is God-given.

C. Get educated inside or outside college.

D. You will have a new word sent to your email address daily.

E. The programs actually provide you with information you can use.

F. Uneducated people and people not considered as being smart tend to do this.

G. Reading books works the brain out more than viewing television.

    Warren Harding was the 29^th President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} One was a successful international conference (会议).

    After World War One, Britain, Japan and the United States expanded their navies (海军). They built bigger and bigger ships. Many members of the United States Congress worried about the cost. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They asked President Harding to organize a conference to discuss these issues.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} President Harding invited representatives from the major naval powers of the time--Britain, Japan, France and Italy. He also invited representatives from countries with interests in Asia and Europe--China, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands. He did not invite the new Soviet leaders in Russia.

    Mr Harding's Secretary of State, Charles Evans Hughes, spoke. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} He proposed that the world's strongest nations should stop building warships for ten years. He also proposed that Britain, Japan, and the United States should destroy some ships to make their navies smaller immediately.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It involved the misuse of underground oil owned by the federal government. Warren Harding was an honest man. But he did not have a strong mind of his own. He was easily influenced. And he often accepted bad advice. He explained the problem with these words, “I listen to one side, and they seem right. Then I listen to the other side, and they seem just as right. I know that somewhere there is a man who knows the truth. But I do not know where to find him.”

A. He is remembered mostly for two events.

B. The conference was not a complete success.

C. They also worried about increased political tension (紧张) in Asia.

D. The conference was held in Washington in November, 1921.

E. President Harding appointed several men of great ability to his cabinet (内阁).

F. He offered the conference a detailed plan to reduce the size of the world's major navies.

G. The second thing for which President Harding is remembered is the Teapot Dome scandal (丑闻).

    Having a busy schedule can result in disorder as well as the lack of not completing various tasks at hand.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Below are some tips of how to improve it.

    Establish a planning system

    There are several planning systems you can use.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. With a planning system in place, when you have a task to do, you need to record the details of the task. Record what you need to do, the date it should be done and the time to complete the task.

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    Having a busy day can result in disorganization and many tasks will not be done. When you check your planner before starting your day, you will know what should be done, at what time and for how long.

    Complete tasks at the scheduled time

    In your planner, you have organized every task to be done at a specific (特定的) time and at a specific date.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If you don't complete a task at a specific time or take too much time completing a task, you will disorganize everything.

    Clean your work-space

    You need to be organized, therefore clean your work-space before and after you have completed the task. If the books were for a past homework, you need to clean up first before starting the new task.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Remember, an organized day in your life will save a lot and will help you enjoy your life.

A. Check your planner ahead of time

B. Finish your task as soon as possible

C. Don't deal with many tasks at a time

D. This will ensure every item is at its proper place

E. In order to have an enjoyable day, you need to start being organized

F. Make sure that every task is completed at the time and date scheduled

G. They include notebooks, a planning book and a smartphone with a to-do app

How to make Quick Decisions For Your Life

    We make decisions every day. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}When it comes to making decisions, choosing the right one can at times be stressful, especially if the decision must be made quickly. Indecision often weighs us down, but there are some useful tips for making quick decisions more easily.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Sometimes the key to making a quick decision comes down to planning ahead of time for just such an occasion. We all know we're going to come to an important decision-making point sooner or later, so having a plan already in hand can put our mind at ease when that time comes.

    Overcome fear. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}While it may seem difficult to overcome the fear of making the wrong choice, many experts agree that we shouldn't be afraid to make the wrong decision, even if it seems important. The vast majority of wrong decisions can be corrected, while delaying decisions can often lead to more problems.

    Write down all the advantages and disadvantages of your decision. Even if you don't have all the information, writing down all the pros and cons（优缺点） is a good starting point for figuring out what to do. In cases where there simply isn't enough time to write things down, make a mental list in your mind. Thinking of the pros and cons can help you organize your thoughts. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Determine criteria. Remember that every decision you make should come with a certain list of criteria. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}But once you know the requirements you're looking for, making a decision will become easier. Look for the choice that satisfies the list you've made, and once that choice is found, you should move ahead with it.

A. Have a plan.

B. The list may be short or quite long.

C. Communicate your decision with others.

D. And this can always lead to a clear answer.

E. So cut out any options that you know you will not choose.

F. Often, one thing that keeps us from making decisions is fear.

G. Some can be very important while others are not serious in the long run.

For centuries Antarctica has attracted people from around the world. Explorers sought to travel there. Scientists have studied weather, wildlife, and geology there for decades. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In the last few decades, though, scientists have reported that the ice is melting.

 {#blank#}2{#/blank#} That's a difficult question to answer. The loss of ice in Antarctica has not been linear (直线的). That means it isn't a steady decrease. In fact, the rate of melting can vary greatly from year to year. Still, scientists warn that the continent's ice sheet is shrinking.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Climate change is warming the world's oceans and affecting the currents (洋流) of the Earth's oceans. These currents are bringing more warm water to Antarctica than ever recorded.

Today, the planet is warming at a rate that alarms scientists. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The effects of such a rise could cause major problems. It will increase flooding, especially in areas near shores. A large rise in sea level could even make some regions uninhabitable. This could cause millions around the world to become climate refugees (难民).

Can humans stop Antarctica from melting? Probably not — but experts do believe people can slow the process. How can you help? Pay attention to your carbon footprint. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Only changes on a large, global scale (范围) can truly make a difference to Antarctica.

A. How quickly is Antarctica melting?

B. Is human activity contributing to the melting of Antarctica's ice?

C. The ice of Antarctica is the result of thousands of years of snow.

D. West Antarctica is the region most affected by these warm waters.

E. Talk with your family about ways to reduce your use of fossil fuels.

F. If this continues, melting ice could lead to a serious rise in sea level.

G. Experts say the melting of Antarctica's ice sheet is caused by rising temperatures.