Why is setting goals important? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen. Successful people imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals.

    By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It's like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which can be found on a map. She can drive straight there surely without any wasted time of wrong turns. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drives aimlessly around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?

    Winners in life set goals and follow them through. They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Goals aren't difficult to set and they aren't difficult to reach.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in what direction to aim your life.

    Research tells us that when we write a goal down we are more likely to achieve it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Like a contract(合同) with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular way, you are able to make yourself continuously aware of situations that will bring you nearer to your goal.

A. Because everybody should have a goal in his mind.

B. Unsuccessful people usually just let life happen by accident.

C. The other driver has no goal, or destination or map.

D. It's difficult for a driver to reach his destination without a map.

E. It's up to you to find out what your goals really are.

F. Because goals can help you do, be, and experience everything you want in life.

G. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power.

    When people succeed,it is because of hard work,but luck has a lot to do with it.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Napoleon once said all the hard work and talent in the world can't make up for bad luck.However,hard work can invite good luck.

    When it comes to success,luck can mean being in the right place to meet someone.Nothing can replace hard work,but working hard also means you're preparing yourself for opportunity.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    How many of the great inventions and discoveries came about through a lucky mistake or a lucky chance?One of the biggest lucky mistakes in history is Columbus' so-called discovery of America.He changed history,but he was really looking for India.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It was backed up by years of studying and calculating.

    Success comes from pure luck and no hard work can be a real problem.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Imagine she's been picked from nowhere because of her looks.She is going to feel insecure,because she knows she didn't do anything to earn her stardom（演员身份）.On the other hand,think about an actress who's spent years learning and working.When she finally has good luck and becomes a success,she will handle stardom better.She knows she earns it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}When it comes to success,I think that hard work and luck go hand in hand.

A.Opportunity often depends on luck.

B.Luck is also important in people's life.

C.Success without some luck is almost impossible.

D.Hard work plays a very important part in success.

E.However,Columbus' chance discovery wasn't pure luck.

F.For example,consider a teenage girl who becomes a movie star.

G.People who work hard help make their own luck by being ready when opportunity knocks.

    Generation Y is known as the generation that was born in the 1980s and 1990s, although experts do not agree on when this time started. The people who make up Generation Y are often the children of baby boomers（生育高峰中出生的人）.

    The millennium（千禧年）generation, as it is often called, has grown up with new technology and can use it in their jobs much better than the older generation can. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They like to communicate via text messaging, Facebook and other online technology. They have high expectations and seek new challenges. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Generation Y youths have a different attitude towards work, which is different from that of their parents or grandparents. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They do not live to work but they work to live.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They want jobs that are flexible, not always having work from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.. They prefer working from their homes and taking a day or two off to spend with their family when the weather is fine.

    While baby boomers worked hard, grew up with a company and stayed there for the rest of their lives, Generation Y workers do not want to do the same thing during their whole life. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} That means if you don't like what you do then do something else.

A. They want to spend most of their time at home.

B. They expect to change jobs at least a few times.

C. The new generation can be described as energetic.

D. Besides, they often dare to raise questions when confused.

E. The Internet, cell phones, iPads are normal for this generation.

F. Young people expect a different type of workplace than their parents had.

G. They don't want to work as hard as their parents but spend their life in a meaningful way.

    Changing your life can come in small, easy steps. You can transform yourself and live a better life by making positive changes along the way. Here are some choices that will lead to your transformation.

    Choose to change bad habits

    Some bad habits seem to stick around without us even realizing it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You can overcome them, find better alternatives, and get through your struggle to become a better you! Do it for yourself more than anything.

    Choose to grow

    It's easy to get stuck in a fixed way of life. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In choosing to grow, you build character, develop your strengths, become aware of what needs improvement, and turn into the well-rounded person you need to be to succeed.

    Choose to seek a balanced life

    Where do you need balance? Are you all work, no play? Or the opposite? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you're spending too much time working or locked away alone, find the time for social interaction and having fun. If you haven't committed to a schedule in a while, make the decision to start following one.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    This is vital to human existence. We need the loving bonds created by family members and friends. Personal relationships are key to emotional growth and social stability.

    Choose to live your passion

    Whatever your dream is, you can have it. The person you wish to be and the things you wish to achieve are within you. Make the choice to pursue those passions at whatever cost. It may mean clearing out your schedule or doing something you've never done. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Choose to spend time with those you love

B. Choose to organize your schedule flexibly

C. Make the choice today that you won't be ruled by them.

D. Neither extreme will lead you to a pleasant life for very long.

E. However, with re-evaluation and growth comes a beautiful freedom.

F. It's good to change, and you've only got so many years to refresh yourself.

G. However, the reward from success and personal accomplishment will be worth it.

    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.

Tips to fight summer weight gain

    When we think of summer, most of us think of outdoor fun. So it seems like we should naturally lose weight over the summer—not gain it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Lots of summer activities can work against our efforts to stay at a healthy weight. The good news is that it's easy to avoid problems if we know what to look out for.

    Get going with goals. When we don't have a plan, it's easy to spend summer moving from couch to computer, with regular stops at the fridge. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Just be sure to plan for some downtime so you can relax a little!

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} With school out, we lose our daily routines. If you don't have a specific job or activity to get up for, it's easy to sleep late, watch too much TV, and snack more than usual. Make sure your summer days have some structure — like getting up at the same time each day and eating meals at set times. Plan activities for specific times, like exercising before breakfast, for example. If you have time on your hands, offer to make dinner a couple of nights a week so your family can enjoy a sit-down meal together.

    Think about what and how you eat. Summer means picnics and barbecues — activities that revolve around an unlimited spread of food. Pace yourself. Don't overload your plate. Avoid going back for seconds and thirds. Choose seasonal  healthy foods like fresh fruit instead of high-sugar, high-fat desserts. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Stay busy. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In addition to helping you avoid the cookie jar, filling your days with stuff to do can give you a sense of accomplishment. That's especially true if a dream summer job or planned activity fell through. Limit your screen time — including TV, computer, and video games — to no more than 2 hours a day.

A. Stick to a schedule.

B. Plan more activities.

C. Appropriate summer eating sets you up on the right track!

D. Most of us, however, don't take summer weight gain seriously.

E. In reality, though, summer isn't all about beach volleyball and water sports.

F. When we're bored, it's easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing and then feeling low on energy.

G. Avoid this by setting a specific aim, like volunteering, mastering a new skill, or working at a job.