You know that you have everything to be thankful for：a loving family，a pretty good job，and a healthy working body．Still，you keep feeling that what you have just isn't enough．Sure，you can be happier by making some life changes．{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It will make you more likely to start enjoying that sunshine instead of complaining（抱怨）about sunburn．

    Live in the present．

    The people who are the happiest with their lives are able to enjoy and hug the present moment．{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Focus on what the day will bring you instead of what happened yesterday or what you'll be able to change about tomorrow. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Though your life may not be perfect in the moment，there are surely some things that you can be very grateful for，whether it's your loving family，your amazing friends，your health，your cool new job，or your amazing home．You probably don't have all of these things but surely there are a few things you can remind yourself to be grateful for every single day．

    Stop comparing yourself to others．

    Stop thinking about how big your neighbor's house is，how great your friend Jack's job is，or how perfect your best friend's relationship is．You'll never get anywhere if you compare yourself to others．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Hang out with people who are satisfied with their lives．

    Surround yourself with people who are good influences．They will show you that there are all kinds of ways to be happy，and will maybe even give you some tips for how to walk to difficult situations．{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They are more likely to come up with some reasons to be unhappy．

A．Be grateful for what you have．

B．What if there is a major obstacle (障碍）standing in your way?

C．Take some time to enjoy exactly what you're doing right now．

D．The easiest way to be satisfied with your life is to adjust yourself positively．

E．Avoid people looking for reasons to be upset with their life．

F．But if you drop comparing completely，you'll only be doing yourself a favor．

G．Get regular exercise with friends every day．

    Thomas Edison was one of the most successful inventors the world has ever seen.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Bui people found that although Edison was good at inventing new things, he was a poor fisherman. He used to spend an hour almost every day sitting at the side of a river and fish. He always fished all alone by himself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    People asked Edison, “Why are you so crazy about fishing when you are so bad at it?” His answer was, “I really never caught ant fish because I have never used any bait (诱饵).” Another question followed, “Why would you fish without bait?” Edison answered, “Because when you fish without bait, people don't disturb you and neither do the fish.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}”

    Sometimes the world's best inventor was the world's worst fisherman. In fact, because Edison was the world's worst fisherman, he could become the world's greatest inventor.

    Are you setting aside some time for yourself to think?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Here are some ideas for you:

    Slowing down and taking long showers is a good idea.

     {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Long walks are good too.

    Afternoon naps have been proved to improve creativity.

A. But he never caught any fish.

B. It provides me my best time to think.

C. So is listening to some soft classical music.

D. In all, Edison has thousands of inventions.

E. He was asked the reason behind him being a fisherman.

F. To make your brain work better, you need to take a rest.

G. Set aside 15-20 minutes per day so that you can do nothing.

    Why do we read poetry? First obvious one: because we enjoy it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But that's not why this is here.

    Many of us read poetry simply because we often feel depressed and hopelessly lost, and in poetry we see how beautiful and strange everything is. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    There are many different kinds of poems. They are not all calming. Some poems make me anxious, angry, scared, and sad, which is why I value them.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}I want the sweet and the bitter. Often, I read poetry when I'm already relaxed. In fact, I read more when I'm not stressed out.

    Here are the main reasons I respond to poetry, as far as I can tell. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Usually, this is done by setting up a rhythm and then violating it or almost violating it. And then returning to it again. This satisfies my desire for order and also my desire for testing boundaries.

    Poetry plays with language. It often slams words together in surprising ways, which is thrilling the way food can be when the chef has paired ingredients you never thought would taste good together but somehow do.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Words mean two or three things at once and lots of suggestions are packed between the lines. This is intellectually inspiring and it allows me to read the same poem over and over, always finding new things in it.

    And, of course, there's the subject matter. It interests me just as it would if the same subject was explored in a story or essay. Not all poems interest me in this way, but then not all stories and essays do, either.

A. Many poems are dense.

B. So in that way poetry calms our anxiety.

C. As a reader, I want a full meal, not just dessert.

D. Another reason is to appreciate the suggestions offered.

E. The only other reason seems to be for academic purposes.

F. The best part about poetry is that they are flexible in length.

G. Metrical(格律的) poems are about setting up rules and then bending them.

Prepare to Succeed

    People are always thinking about success. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This thought isn't one that brings them closer, however, because thinking, dreaming or wishing just doesn't get it done.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}You may ask, “Why is preparation necessary?”

    The easiest answer to this question is to say that if you are not ready to move forward, then you may just as well keep doing what you have always done.

    Success doesn't come easy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Success requires you to be prepared to sacrifice leisure time, or time spent watching television or going out with friends, at every opportunity. Success means you are prepared to do whatever it takes to constantly move the yardsticks （码尺）forward day after day.

    Here is just one quote, from Calvin Coolidge, the 30^th president of the United States, that expresses what preparation is about: “{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow.” This quote can be interpreted to mean that you may have strength or confidence to start on your way right now to move toward your final goal. However, it is also critical that committed action each day builds to help you keep going when obstacles arise or when you just don't feel like you have the interest or energy to stay focused.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}That shows you what steps or actions to take, when to take them or what to do if issues, obstacles or other life issues get in the way.

    The bottom line is actually quite clear: You are either willing, able and committed to achieve what you want, or you are simply dreaming or wishing that success finds you.

A. There are no shortcuts （捷径）.

B. Success is getting what you want.

C. Our real problem is not our strength today.

D. Preparation also means that you have a plan or a goal.

E. The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.

F. It is in their brains as they go about daily routines looking for something better.

G. One of the most important parts of personal or professional success is preparation.

The Four People You Don't Want to Sit Next to on a Plane

    Let me begin by promising you that I am not an angry person. I would actually vow that I am inherently happy and all-around quite friendly and nice. But one thing that really grinds my gears, is being seated next to a nightmare neighbor on an airplane.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Perhaps you normally like them, but when you are sitting next to them on a plane it's a different thing. They usually spend all the flight moving around and dropping their toys on the floor, and when they're drinking their orange juice it ends up on your trousers. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. So you can't have the little sleep that you were planning.

    Conversation makers

    You recognize this type as soon as you sit down. They immediately start talking about the plane, or the weather, or they ask you a personal question. It's very difficult not to talk to these people. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Nervous fliers

    These are the people with white faces who sit down and immediately ask for something to drink. Every five minutes they call a flight attendant to ask if there are any problems with the plane. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The best thing to do is to pretend to sleep.

    Space invaders

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. But they have a terrible habit of taking up all their room, and some of your room too. They usually sit so that you can't move, with their arms and legs in your space.

A. Naughty kids

B. Well-behaved parents

C. They also tell you about air crash

D. Some people want to talk all the time

E. The people are not necessarily very large

F. Then they decide they want to have fun with you

G. You'll probably have to keep talking until the plane lands

True happiness in life starts with being happy with ourselves and who we are. That starts from having high self-confidence. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You need to work at it by confirming yourself that you're a great person, capable of great things. If you think you could benefit from this, follow these suggestions in order to improve your self-confidence.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} While you don't need to shout it out loud, it is important to pat yourself on the back once in a while. Think of all you've achieved or learned and you'll realize that you've come a long way. Reminding yourself of all your abilities and accomplishments will definitely improve your self-confidence.

Find something you're good at. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And sometimes all this takes is a few minutes doing something that you are an expert in. The small rewards and praise you get from doing this task will do wonders to improve your self -confidence. It could be something as simple as organizing a messy closet, or challenging a friend to chess.

Accept yourself. Regardless of how successful you may be, there will always be someone more successful than you. See the difference between being the best and being great. Learn to appreciate who you are and what you have to offer and don't let anyone else's success play on your self-confidence. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Keep learning. If you feel like you aren't knowledgeable about something, it may bring down your self-confidence. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It's great for your brain, but also great for conversation. Your friends will be amazed with your knowledge and their praise will improve your self-confidence.

A. Praise yourself.

B. Keep putting pressure on yourself.

C. Good self-confidence doesn't happen by chance.

D. Those who aim for perfection are nearly always disappointed.

E. It's good to remind yourself of your skills, talents and abilities.

F. You can overcome this by continuously teaching yourself new things.

G. Focus on what you have earned and your self-confidence will increase.