If something that you're doing doesn't challenge you, then it doesn't change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all{#blank#}1{#/blank#} So challenge the following limits:

Figure out what you're scared of and do it continuously.

If you're a salesman，and you're scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, now, instead of being scared and thinking you'll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} But don't stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, “Go on, I'm not scared!”

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on. Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.

    Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight, but also make feel better about yourself.

    Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.

    Don't just limit yourself to your fellow travelers-try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they're going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You should do it continuously.

B. Someone may hang up on you.

C. You don't need to go to the gym.

D. Running in the gym may be a better choice.

E. Start to travel now and learn to challenge yourself.

F. Take a class for a hobby you've been wanting to develop.

G. You can never see any improvement if you stick to your comfort zone.

    Many of us deal with the rush every morning in preparation for work or school, but it doesn't have to be this way. With a little time management, these steps can help you cut down on your morning stress.

    Create an evening preparation routine.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} These simple tasks will take you less than 30 minutes to complete each evening and will save you a huge headache every morning.

    Get a good night's sleep.

    Make sure you start winding down for bed at a reasonable hour to allow enough time for a healthy night's sleep. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If needed, set a bedtime reminder alarm on your alarm clock. Always keep the temperature in your bedroom comfortably cool.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    An extra 30 minutes in the morning will make a difference. As long as you go to bed on time, waking up 30 minutes earlier should seem natural after just a few days. Use this time to think, shower and eat breakfast.

    Plan a realistic day.

    Writing things down means you don't have to worry about forgetting to do them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Write down anything that cannot be put off to the following day.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Getting up to face a new day is far more satisfying when you have something to look forward to. Make sure you manage your time better so that you have time to do something you love on a daily basis.

A. Morning stress is very common.

B. Schedule something you love daily.

C. Never fill your mind with unnecessary worries.

D. Make a summary of what you did in the daytime.

E. Wake up 30 minutes earlier.

F. Iron your clothes, locate your keys, plan a nutritious breakfast, etc.

G. Most people require seven to eight hours' sleep each night.

    For the rest of March, a disease will sweep across the US. It will keep kids home from school.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Employees will suddenly lose their ability to concentrate.

    The disease, known as "March Madness", refers to the yearly 65 – team US men's college basketball tournament (锦标赛). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Teams compete against each other in a single – elimination (单局淘汰) tournament that eventually crowns a national champion.

    Nearly 20 million Americans will find themselves prisoners of basketball festival madness. The fun comes partly from guessing the winners for every game. Friends compete against friends. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Colleagues against bosses.

    Big – name schools are usually favored to advance into the tournament. But each year there are dark horses from little – known universities.

    This adds to the madness. Watching a team from a school with 3,000 students beat a team from a school with 30,000, for many Americans, is an exciting experience. Two years ago, the little – known George Mason University was one of the final four teams. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    College basketball players are not paid, so the game is more about making a name for their university and themselves.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}About $ 4 billion will be spent gambling (赌) on the event. According to Media Life magazine, the event will bring in $ 500 million in advertising income this year, topping the post – season income of every US professional league, including that of the NBA.

A. Husbands against wives.

B. The players will go all out for the games.

C. But that doesn't mean money isn't involved.

D. College students will ignore piles of homework.

E. People are willing to spend more money on watching it.

F. It begins on March 15 and lasts through the beginning of April.

G. Many people had never even heard of the university before the tournament.

    More than 40 million Americans move each year, but not always by choice. Whether you're moving because of work or schooling or for better chances, adjusting to（适应）the life in a new place can be difficult. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some tips to help you adjust to your new home.

    Treat it as an adventure(冒险)

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So stay positive and get out there and explore! Taste the local food and visit famous places and museums. Try local activities that aren't popular in your former city, such as skating if you come from a beach town or surfing if you lived in the mountains. You may discover a talent(才华) or interest you never knew you had.

    Get involved with（介入）your neighbors

    Introduce yourself to neighbors and everyone else you meet. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This is the best way to get advice about living in your area, and to make new friends. Attend local events that interest you, visit the markets or yard sales, take classes and so on. All of these things will help you meet people and feel connected.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    It takes time to get to know a new place, so don't expect to feel comfortable right away. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To help make the process easier you can meet new people, find a support group near you. A fresh move is also a fresh start. Therefore it is a great time to start realizing a dream you've had, whether it is going back to school, starting a new career, or finishing a novel.

A. Find what you love.

B. Be patient and go after your dream.

C. Give yourself time to adjust.

D. Tell them you're new in the town.

E. It is especially true when you don't love your new city very much.

F. Show others the photos of your favorite places in your old town.

G. Living in a new place is a great opportunity to experience new things and grow up.

How can I fight laziness?

    Lazy people will never amount to anything in life. However, laziness can be defeated once a few changes have been made in your mind.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many people lack sleep constantly, since they stay up too late and get up too early to prepare for work. These people have little motivation once they arrive home. Laziness works hand in hand with a lack of motivation and a tendency to put off things. By adjusting your sleep schedule to provide a few more hours of meaningful rest, you can fight laziness throughout the day.

    Another way to fight laziness is to change your mind from passive to active. Some people treat their lives as if they were pushed from task to task. Others take a more proactive approach, viewing each task as a challenge they must overcome alone. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Some people fight laziness by removing the temptations(诱惑) that surround them. A television in the living room may provide entertainment, but watching too much TV often contributes to laziness. Create a reward system for yourself, just as parents do for a child to promote responsibility {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Spouses(配偶) and children may all have different energy levels, but laziness can be spread if not dealt with immediately. To fight household laziness, lead by example. Be the first to collect and wash dishes after a meal. Others in the home may eventually follow your example and perform their own task. It is difficult to practice laziness when you are surrounded by motivated people.

    Finally, taking exercise regularly can help you fight laziness. Enough exercise and a balanced diet can help you to develop a healthy lifestyle {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Knowing how to fight laziness is important.

B. One way to fight laziness is to get enough sleep.

C. Laziness can also be a lasting problem at home.

D. Complete a few tasks and reward yourself with what you enjoy, such as a good dinner.

E. It can enable you to have more energy and help lift your spirits.

F. With strong determination, you will be able to achieve your goal.

G. Laziness sets in when you no longer feel in charge of your own life.

    Perhaps you've heard the old saying “curiosity killed the cat.” It's a phrase that's often used to warn people—especially children—not to ask too many questions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}In fact, research has shown that curiosity is just as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school.

    Curiosity can also lead us to make unexpected discoveries, bring excitement into our lives, and open up new possibilities. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}For example, one day in 1831, Michael Faraday was playing around with a coil(线圈) and a magnet(磁铁) when he suddenly saw how he could produce an electrical current. At first, it wasn't clear what use this would have, but it actually made electricity available for use in technology, and so changed the world.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}On one level, this is because technology has become so advanced that many of us are unable to think too deeply about how exactly things work anymore. While it may be possible for a curious teenager to take a toaster apart and get some sense of how it works, how much do you understand about what happens when you type a website address into a browser? Where does your grasp of technology end and the magic begin for you?

    In addition to this, there's the fact that we all now connect so deeply with technology, particularly with our phones. The more we stare at our screens, the less we talk to other people directly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Then we feel we know enough about a person not to need to engage further with them.

    The final—and perhaps most worrying—way in which technology stops us from asking more has to do with algorithms, the processes followed by computers. As we increasingly get our news via social media, algorithms find out what we like and push more of the same back to us. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Perhaps the real key to developing curiosity in the 21st century, then, is to rely less on the tech tools of our age.

A. It is still not known why learning gives us such pleasure.

B. We are always encouraged to challenge our pre-existing beliefs.

C. Yet it's widely agreed that curiosity actually makes learning more effective.

D. All too often we accept the images of people that social media provides us with.

E. However, curiosity is currently under the biggest threat, coming from technology.

F. In science, basic curiosity-driven research can have unexpected important benefits.

G. That means we end up inside our own little bubbles, no longer coming across new ideas.