The Winner's Guide to Success

    Do you know what makes people successful? To find out the answers, an American scholar recently visited some of the most successful people around the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be responsible for yourself       

    Sometimes you may want to blame others for your failure to get ahead. In fact, when you say someone or something outside of yourself is stopping you from making success, you're giving away your own power. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Write a plan

    It is very difficult to try to get what you want without a good plan. It is just like trying to drive through strange roads to a city far away. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Without this “map”, you may waste your time, money and also your energy; while with the “map” you'll enjoy the “trip” and get what you want in the shortest possible time.

    Be willing to pay the price

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So you must be ready to work hard — even harder than you have ever done. If you are not willing to pay the price, you won't get anything valuable.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    It seems to us that everyone knows this. But it is easier said than done.When you are doing something, you must tell yourself again and again: Giving up is worse than failure because failure can be the mother of success, but giving up means the death of hope.

A. Never give up.

B. Nothing is easy to get.

C. A good plan is like a map to you.

D. Here are some keys to success that they give.

E. Some people achieve success much later in life.

F. You're saying, “You have more control over my life than I do.”

G. Someone else's opinion of you doesn't have to become your reality.

They Just Can't Help It

    My theory is that the female brain is mainly built for empathy — the ability to understand other people — and that the male brain is mainly built for building systems. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, women are more likely to read magazines on fashion and parenting, while men will choose magazines that feature computers and sport.

    You may think that these preferences are influenced by the way people are taught to behave when they are growing up. However, this is not the case. A new study carried out at Cambridge University shows that newborn girls look longer at a face, and newborn boys look longer at a mobile.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It has also been observed (that girls are better at noticing signs of changes in other people's feelings. Boys, however, seem to enjoy building toy towers and playing with toys which have clear functions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} People whose jobs are in the construction industries are almost male. Math and engineering, which require high levels of systems-thinking, are also male-chosen disciplines. Why do men and women have the difference? Actually women have four times as many brain neurons (神经) that connect the right and left part of their brains. Because of it, women have a better ability to multitask than men. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Men tend to focus on a limited number of problems at a time. They will separate themselves from problems and view tasks as independent from one another.

    Some people may worry that I am suggesting one gender (性别) is better than the other, but this is not the case. My theory says that males and females differ in the kinds of things that they find easy, but that both genders have their strengths and weaknesses. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It is not true. The study simply looks at males and females as two groups, and asks what differences exist, and why they are there.

A. Generally speaking, there are clear differences.

B. Their preference for building systems may change over time.

C. You can see the same kind of pattern in the adult workplace.

D. They will consider many sources of information at the same time.

E. It is important to stress that the female brain may be built more for empathy.

F. That suggests certain differences between male and female brains are biological.

G. Others may think the theory creates a belief of what a particular type of person is like.

How to Be Grateful

    Has your mother or best friend told you that you're an ungrateful person? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Do you keep thinking about the things you don't have, instead of being thankful for what you do have? If so, then you need to work on being a more grateful person.

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#}This isn't a religious(宗教的) thing. You don't have to hold off on noting everything you're thankful for until Thanksgiving. Every Sunday, get a notebook and sit outside for fifteen minutes while making a list of all of the things you're thankful for.

    ⒉Be grateful for your friendships. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You may come to think that your friends are kind and they're just there, like the couch in your living room. If you take your friends for granted for too long, then they will slowly make their way out of your life.

    ⒊Be grateful to your family. Your family is another thing you should be grateful to.  Your parents might have even been the people who tell you that you should be more grateful. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Don't let a day go by without telling your family how much you love them.

    ⒋{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Throughout history, imagine how many people have contributed to where you are now. Realizing that you couldn't be what you are now if it weren't for all of these people is an important step in being a grateful person.

A. Make a gratitude list every Sunday.

B. Friendships are very important in our life.

C. Be grateful for all of the good deeds done for your benefit.

D. Many people are guilty of taking their friends for granted.

E. Keep everything that you are grateful for in mind every day.

F. So, take the time to tell your family how much they mean to you.

G. Do you feel unable to appreciate the beauty, nature, and love that are all around you?

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    Your school days should be some of the best and happiest days of your life. How can you gain the most from them, and ensure that you do not waste this wonderful chance to learn?

    Be positive about school! Don't say things which are difficult or boring. Be interested in school life and your school subjects. Join in lots of activities. Be quick to put your hand up. Go round the school with a big smile.

    Expect to work. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. If you are not working, you are not learning, you are wasting your time at school. Teachers cannot make everything enjoyable.

    Keep fit. If you do not eat a good breakfast, you will be thinking about food in class. If you go to bed late and do not have enough sleep, you will be sleepy in class. Play some sports to keep your body strong.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Do not say you will do things tomorrow. If you get behind the class, it is very difficult to get back in front. You cannot finish a race if you rest all the time.

    Don't be too disappointed if things sometimes go bad. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Friends are not always perfect, and they sometimes say and do unpleasant things. Don't let small problems seem very big and important.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}!

A. Everyone fails some tests, loses some matches and has bad days

B. Ways to have a happy school life

C. Do today's work today

D. Follow my advice, and have a happy school life

E. Because it means that you are enjoying school and learning more

F. School is not a holiday camp

G. You are making your time of little use unless you are learning hard

    There are always a lot of pressures in life: appointments you are late for, health and financial worries and so on. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Under such pressure, your child came in: He'd lost his sneakers, and suddenly remembered that he needed a new notebook for school, or he was teasing his little sister.

    In your peaceful moments, you could probably have handled any parenting challenge much better from a state of calm. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. How could this kid be so irresponsible, inconsiderate, ungrateful or even mean? So you scolded your child angrily. The whole process only took a few seconds.

    If your young child does not seem afraid of your anger, it shows that your child has seen too much of it and has developed defenses against it. The more often you get angry, the more prepared for it your child will be. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. In the end, your child is more likely to be open to the influences of his peer group. That means you have some repair work to do.

    Sometimes your child gets angry too, so it's a double gift for you to find constructive ways to deal with your anger: Not only do you not hurt your child, but you also offer your child a role model. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. So the best way is not to yell out. Stop and calm yourself down. Take a deep breath. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you really need to scream, go into your car with the windows rolled up and scream where no one can hear, but don't use words.

A. The list is endless

B. Anger is scary enough

C. That deep breath is your pause button

D. How you handle your anger teaches your child a lot

E. There are some parents who never get angry at their children

F. And the less likely your child will want to behave to please you

G. But in the storm of your anger  you might feel it was your right as parents to be angry

    It is believed that raisins (葡萄干) were discovered in the Middle East, where they were treasured. Any food that wouldn't spoil in the hot sun was very valuable. Prehistoric drawings in France show that raisins have been enjoyed in southern Europe for thousands of years. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In 1000 B.C. the Jews paid their taxes with raisins. Two jars of raisins in ancient Rome could buy one slave boy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    In North America, the original mistake of leaving grapes to wither (枯萎) on the vine was not the only time raisins accidentally became popular. In the 1870s many people were growing grapes in California. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Most Americans had never heard of raisins at that time. In September, 1873 a severe heat wave struck the area. Before the growers could pick all their grapes, they withered on the vine. The grapes were lost. One grower took the dried grapes to a grocer in San Francisco. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The new accidental raisins grew into a major industry in California. Today almost all the raisins eaten in the United States are grown in California. California produces a third of the world's raisins.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Raisins also provide potassium, magnesium, calcium and certain B vitamins. Without added preservatives (防腐剂), raisins will stay fresh, delicious and nutritious if kept in a cool place. Raisins are tiny, portable and above all delicious.

A. They have been used for necklaces and as religious symbols.

B. Raisins are children's favorite snacks.

C. The grapes were either eaten as fresh fruit or were made into wine.

D. The grocer was unwilling to buy the dried grapes.

E. Raisins are high in iron, which is important to children's growing bodies.

F. Roman doctors believed raisins could cure anything from mushroom poisoning to old age.

G. The grocer's customers discovered that raisins made a delicious treat.