How to Read a Book

    Books can be your best friends.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} They can introduce you to things you may never see… But do you know how to read them in order to get the fullest enjoyment possible? The following tips should help.

    ① Find a book. Look in the library or in one of the large bookstores. You could also ask friends if you could have a look at their book shelves. Search the shelves until you find a book that looks good Read the first page to see how it reads, and the cover text on the back of the book, if it has any{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ② Buy or borrow it and take it home. Do not start to read it until you have the time.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}And set aside time to do nothing else but read, as it can be, at times' suspenseful (悬疑的), exciting and relaxing.

    ③ Get comfortable on the couch. Have a lamp (灯) behind you, lighting the area where you are reading. Make sure the television is off and that anything else that, could distract you has been attended to {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ④ Start the book by turning the pages and really enjoy it. Do not think about anything else but what you are reading. Put yourself into the action or location in the story. Once you concentrate completely, it will be difficult to put the book down. And remember that reading is not running your eyes over a book.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, if you need t0 read the book quickly, then you do not need to pay attention to every word.

A. If you are busy doing other things, you should wait until you have finished them.

B. Get warm if you are going to be sitting still for a few hours.

C. If you are already concentrating, then buy it or borrow it.

D. Try to imagine the story in your head.

E. They can take you to places that you may never go.

F. You should read it actively and enjoy it completely.

G. Otherwise, you will miss it.

    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.

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    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. Don't count on emotion to make decisions.

D. Maybe you wish to consult with your advisor.

E. You may regret making such a stupid decision.

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

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

A memorable science project

    If someone tells you to remember a phone number or address, it feels like an easy task at first. You repeat the numbers to yourself, either aloud or in your mind. But after just a few seconds you might find yourself starting to doubt your own memory.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Thus, it will try to throw away information that seems old or irrelevant. There are ways of helping our minds retain (记住) information, however, and in this activity you will explore ways that we lose and keep memories.

    Short-term, or working memory, is a way of describing most people's abilities to store a small amount of information for a brief period of time in a readily accessible form{#blank#}2{#/blank#} People don't have to stop and think to remember something in short term memory.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Such techniques include visualizing (观察) the information in a surprising way or linking pieces of information together so that one reminds you of the other. In the case of visualizing information, this could be as simple as remembering you parked your car on the fifth floor in the D section by picturing five dogs sitting in your car!{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you need to purchase cereal (谷物), milk, fruit, cheese and eggs, you could imagine the cereal in a bowl, with milk pouring over it and pieces of fruit on top. Then imagine cracking an egg over everything, and it's full of melted cheese! These may seem simple or even silly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} In this activity you'll test the recall of a few friends or family members, and learn a few tricks for improving memory!

A. There are many techniques for improving memory.

B. Our brain is always seeking new and useful information.

C. Short-term memory has a short duration but is quickly and easily accessed.

D. In addition, linking information could help you remember your grocery list.

E. Retaining that information over longer periods of time becomes difficult yet.

F. Your short-term memory has a limited amount of space to store information.

G. However, they are proved to be good ways for improving memory by scientist.

    Mondays are kind of annoying.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} A recent survey says that most people get the pre-work “Sunday blues”. Starting your Monday feeling sad, anxious and unorganized is hardly the way to kick off a healthy week.

    The solution? Set aside a little time on Sunday to purposefully prepare yourself for the five days ahead, suggests women's health expert Marsha Hudnall.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Do some meal preparations.

    Figuring out what to have for dinner on weeknights can be surprisingly stressful. Stretching out a menu plan on Sunday and swinging by the grocery store for ingredients will help you eat well. Go a step further by chopping and cooking vegetables and a protein (like a roast chicken or scrambled eggs).{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Or finally attempt a different diet you've been meaning to try. For easy dinner planning, just order, and you'll have a week's worth of raw materials for delicious and healthy meals.

    Start a Sunday stress-relief habit.

    “To be healthy, we have to take care of body and mind,” says Hudnall. Stress has a major impact on health and our ability to concentrate.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Four ideas to try: a guided meditation with the help of an app; forest bathing－a practice known as shinrin-yoku in Japan, which basically means taking a long walk or hike in a wooded area; gentle exercise like yoga; or time cuddling and playing with your pet.

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    Why not prepare your favorite clothes for Monday? Studies show that what you wear can have a significant effect on your mood. So make Monday the day you wear your favorite clothes or show the latest addition to your wardrobe (衣橱). It's also a good idea to get some nice coffee or music ready, which will give you something to look forward to on your Monday commute.

A. Give yourself something to look forward on Monday.

B. Even Sunday afternoons turn sour as we think of the workweek ahead.

C. Then all you have to do is heat and plate when you come home from work.

D. Therefore, starting a Sunday stress-relieving habit can begin a week feeling strong and focused.

E. Try creating a relaxing and winding down Sunday night so that you can recharge and get ready for Monday.

F. Taking on just a few of these simple lips every Sunday will help you launch a productive, less stressful week.

G. Wailing until the last moment to do weekend chores like paying bills or doing laundry can leave you anxious and stressed on Sunday.

How to Survive Being Stuck in a Lift

    Being stuck in a lift, also known as an elevator, can sometimes be scary, especially if you are a fan of those kinds of movies which have a lot of elevator tragedies. You may think being stuck in an elevator in real life is not like in the movies.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Remain calm and do not panic! You may have heard of this a lot of times and it is true that panicking will do you no good. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Press each of the floor buttons one by one. Then, try the “doors open” button. If none of the buttons works, the lift is broken, and you need to let someone know about it.

    See if your phone has any reception or Internet. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you have WiFi connection, contact a family member or friend. Don't forget to tell them what the address is of the building and possibly which elevator you are stuck in. If your phone is not available, the following tips can help you.

    Look through the gap between the doors of the lift. If you can see light between the doors, the lift has stopped near a floor, and you should be able to shout for help and be released. Do not try to force the doors open yourself. If you can't see light between the doors, the lift has stopped between floors, and no one will be able to let you out if you scream for help. Look for an emergency telephone. If there is no telephone, press the alarm button repeatedly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you have waited for more than half an hour and nobody has come to get you out, shout and bang the inside walls of the lift. If no one is responding to you, then you'll have to accept that you will be in the lift overnight. If this happens, make yourself as comfortable as possible to save your energy. By morning, the building should be full again. You can try to get some help then.

A. It will cause you not to be able to think clearly.

B. Check the time.

C. Eventually, someone should hear you and get help.

D. Here are some tips to help you survive.

E. However, it is still a vital thing to know how to survive if it ever happens to you.

F. Use your watch.

G. If you do have reception, call emergency services.

Finding time for yourself

    Few people, these days would disagree with the theory that it's vital to take time for yourself. Creating some space for enjoyment and restoration each day or at least every week, is a win-win proposition. It'll make you both happier and more effective in fulfilling your responsibilities at work and home. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Here are some useful suggestions.

    Don't wait until it feels right. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, so you want to tell yourself that you'll only relax once everything is under control. But since both work and family life generate an infinite number of to-dos, that strategy is doomed (注定要失败的). As time-management writer Laura Vanderkam points out, it's far more useful to learn to tolerate the discomfort of knowing your email inbox is filling up, or that the living room is still a pigsty.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It's all too easy to fill 'me time' with things you think you should enjoy, above all exercise. If you genuinely love such activities, they're perfect. But if the truth is that you don't, you'll only get angry. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, even when the person doing the telling is ourselves. Make sure at least a small part of your week is spent doing something you can honestly say you enjoy for itself.

    Pay attention to good feelings. Once you do get some restorative time, borrow a Buddhist technique for making it count: when you realize you're enjoying yourself, spend half a minute consciously paying attention to the feelings of pleasure. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Choose true enjoyment

B. We hate being told what to do

C. Make commitments in advance

D. It's unpleasant to have unfinished tasks bother you

E. So, you'll often find that those feelings increase as a result

F. Making a plan in advance can create the space you need for your own happiness

G. Making sure you actually get a moment to yourself requires a shift in perspective