A: I need to lose some weight. My clothes don't fit anymore.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

B: Well, instead of watching TV all day, you could do more exercise.

A:{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

B: Like cycling, or you could work out at the gym.

A: I don't have time.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

B: OK, then you could change your diet.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

A: You mean no more hamburgers! Oh no!

B: OK.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}_

    We all have to make decisions all the time, and we have an abundance of choices, ranging from tiny issues to vital ones. Unfortunately, people often find it hard to make decisions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you would like to improve your skill of decision making, here are four suggestions for you.

    Don't expect to have it all.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can't order every delicious dish on the menu. And there will be paths not taken, careers not chosen, to name a few. You can imagine some "what if" situations if you must, but do not let them take up too much space in your brain.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}    

    It's often good to think through your decisions. But don't overdo it. Research can reach a point where returns begin to reduce, which makes it confusing more than clarifying. Many good decisions can be made based as much on intuition (直觉) as on careful assessment of endless data.

    Don't delay making decisions.

    Yes, there is a time to put off making a decision. Perhaps you need more information. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    Or it's likely that you wait for a less stressful time. Just don't wait so long that the decision is made by your own indecisiveness.

    Don't be hard on yourself.

    You decide to go on a voyage. You choose an expensive liner. Everything should work out just right. Only you didn't expect a bug that ran around on the ship, making you and your family sick for five days. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But please remember it is unavoidable sometimes.

A. Don't spend too much time thinking.

B. It is an important source of information.

C. You may regret making such a stupid decision.

D. Don't count on emotion to make decisions.

E. Maybe you wish to consult with your advisor.

F. Decisions force us to close the door on other possibilities.

G. That means the skill of good decision-making counts a lot.

    If you stayed up or had a bad night of sleep last night, you know it's difficult to stay awake in class today. Your teacher's voice might begin to sound like a lullaby（催眠曲）.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}To keep yourself awake, some tips are worth trying in class.

    Sit in the front of the room. Why? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Besides, it'll be easier to pay attention and participate when you're in the front. You'll also be near the people who are more likely to participate, and the sound of their voices might keep you awake.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Ask and answer questions and pay attention to the lecture. This will help if you're tired or discouraged by the content of the lecture, because you can ask your teacher questions to get to the bottom of the problems. Talking will also keep you engaged and alert. It might be helpful to make a goal for yourself to answer or ask at least 3 questions per class. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, you might say “I didn't understand the last part of the proof. Could you explain it again in more detail?”

    Listen actively to the lesson. Active listening is a great way to force yourself to stay awake because it requires engagement of your mind as well as your body. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To effectively listen to your teacher, you should try to maintain eye contact, face the speaker, pay close attention to what the speaker is saying and ask questions during a pause in the lecture.

A. Participate in class activities.

B. Develop interest in the subject.

C. If so, classrooms can be boring because you're tired.

D. Keep silent all the time and try to catch as much information as possible.

E. To avoid annoying your teacher you should try to keep your questions on topic.

F. You'll be more motivated to stay awake if you know that the teacher can see you easily.

G. Practicing active listening can help you keep your eyes open for the length of the lesson.

    Researchers define self-control or self-discipline as "ability to control or change one's inner responses". {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, some people think that as an immediate consequence of leading lives of constant self-control, they aren't likely to gain a lot of pleasure from life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} To start, 414 adults completed on online survey. In the survey, they rated their self-control by indicating how much they agreed with 14 statements, such as "I indeed do certain things that are bad for me, if they are fun."

    In their study, 205 adults were given smart phones and required to report their emotions at random moments throughout the week. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If so, they had to report how hard they tried to resist them, and whether they eventually ended up acting on them.

    The researchers found that the more self-control people had，the more satisfied they were with their lives in the long run. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In fact, such people's increased happiness to a large extent accounted for the increased life satisfaction.

    These researchers also figured out that people high in self-control are simply less likely to find themselves in situations where that's even an issue. They don't waste time fighting inner battles over whether or not to eat a second piece of cake. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And that, it would seem, makes them happier……even if occasionally a little bit sad.

A. In a word, they are not bothered about such little desires.

B. Researchers checked these general ideas through a survey and study.

C. It is generally believed that in the long run self-control can make people happier.

D. Meanwhile, they were also asked to report whether they were experiencing any desires.

E. However, people with more self-control were also more likely to be happy in the short run.

F. But they are still uncertain why some people are more able to control their inner responses.

G. Most adults reported they failed to control their desire to play video games before an exam.

    Parents often say that they don't mind what their children do in life just as long as they are happy. Happiness and pleasure are almost universally seen as among the most precious human goods.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Philosopher Jeremy Bentham believed that all sources of pleasure are of equal quality, but John Stuart Mill disagreed. Mill argued for a difference between higher and lower pleasure.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Lower pleasure, in contrast, requires mere (仅仅的；纯粹的) senses.

    The entire debate assumes a clear divide between the physical and the mental.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}What will it mean for our ideas about pleasure?

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Food is usually considered to be the lower pleasure. All animals eat, using the senses of smell and taste. It doesn't require any complex cognition (认知) to conclude that something is delicious. However, these people failed to appreciate something that the French food writer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin captured. That is, "Animals feed; man eats; only the man of intellect(才智) knows how to eat."

    Eating shows that the difference between higher pleasure and lower pleasure is not what you enjoy but how you enjoy it.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Preparing it using the powers of reflection and attention turns it into a higher pleasure.

A. The dining table is a good place to start.

B. Wolfing down your food is a lower kind of pleasure.

C. What's the real difference between high and low pleasure?

D. What happens if the physical and the mental cannot be separated?

E. All philosophers believed that cookery could never be a form of art.

F. Higher pleasure depends on human abilities such as self-awareness or language use.

G. However, disagreements will be caused about whether some forms of pleasure are better than others.

Traditional Chinese Culture

    Chinese culture is over 5,000 years old.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The spirit of the tea ceremony

    Xihu Longjing(West Lake Dragon Well)and Yunnan Pu'er have long been world famous.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The spirit of the Chinese tea ceremony captures the Chinese attitude towards life and spirituality. These are the things that people all over the world can benefit from.

    A handful of good tea leaves with some boiling water and a set of lovely tea ware are the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon and gain some insights into the wisdom of that ancient civilization.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    During the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, many different flavors, styles, and cuisines(烹饪)have developed, based on traditional philosophy and culture. This ancient food culture has had a direct impact on the countries such as Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore. It has benefited billions of people around the world through innovations such as Chinese vegetarian culture, tea culture, vinegar, pasta, medicinal diets, ceramic tableware, and the use of soybeans in the diet.

    Confucianism

    Confucianism emphasizes peacefulness and harmony between heaven and humanity, through pursuing the "Tao", which is the harmonization between nature and mankind. It advocates harmony and moderation, including the harmony between individuals, as well as the harmony between a man and his inner self.

    Confucianism has flourished during the last 2,500 years of China's 5,000­year history.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This school of thought has had the most profound and long lasting influence in China's history. Seventy­four Nobel Prize winners and many other highly respected scholars have stated that for the benefit of mankind's livelihood and development into the next century, these teachings should be promoted and adopted worldwide.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Chinese cuisine

B. Traditional Chinese culture

C. It has been the mainstay of that ancient civilization.

D. They are pretty popular due to their superior color and flavor.

E. The following three items of traditional Chinese culture have had a worldwide impact.

F. This wonderfully rich food culture has also had an impact on Europe，America and Oceania.

G. This would provide long lasting benefits for man，helping to ensure a peaceful and happy life.