Here, sleep experts clear up some of the biggest misunderstandings about sleep they see with their patients, which could weaken your ability to have a night of good sleep.

Myth: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The latest research shows that the right amount of sleep may vary from person to person and should leave you feeling energized the next day. I'm a sleep doctor. Take myself for example. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

Myth: Don't fall asleep with the TV on.

    I've cured more people suffering from sleep problems than you can imagine by telling  people it's OK to fall asleep with the TV on. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Control the watching time so it doesn't affect your sleep later in the night.

Myth: You can catch up on lost sleep on the weekend.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A Harvard study found that even if you sleep for an extra 10 hours on the weekend to make up for only sleeping six hours a night for two weeks, those extra hours won't improve  your reaction times or ability to focus. Plus, sleeping late throws off your biological clock, which can lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Myth: Alcohol can help you rest easy.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Alcohol may relax you so you nod off quicker, but studies show you'll wake up more and get less of deep sleep you need to feel rested.

How to develop courage by overcoming daily fears

    At times, when it comes to courage, we tend to believe it only applies to rare and uncommon situations. Yet our ordinary lives can also be full of courage, even if we are not facing the end of a gun, a wild animal or a dangerous criminal. Courage doesn't just mean doing heroic acts.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} In fact, where there is fear on a daily basis, there are opportunities for you to show your courage. Here are some suggestions to develop courage by overcoming daily fears.

    Recognizing your fears.

    By realizing that you're fearful, you are more likely to get to the bottom of what your fear is.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You might come to understand that you're afraid of failing or taking chances. You may be fearful simply because you don't have confidence in yourself. The key is not to dwell on your fear, but rather to understand what it is that you're worried about.

    Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen.

    If you hesitate to take action, ask yourself this: what's the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then go on to improve on the worst. Is failure the worst thing that can happen? No, absolutely not.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Doing nothing is actually the worst thing that can happen. When you take no action, you are assured of getting nowhere.

    Take action.

   {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  You cannot think courage comes just in one day. You need to act to overcome your fear. Your action may put you into discomfort, but you have to just do it. And your action can prevent you from being stuck.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To build up your confidence, you need to do the same thing over and over again. Soon you will discover that less courage is needed because you have already gained mastery. You are able to move decisively forward.

A. Share your fears with others.

B. Practice, practice and practice.

C. So you are already in a comfort zone.

D. Courage comes from taking action

E. Each undesired result is just one more step towards your goal.

F. Finding out what is truly holding you back,

G. You needn't wait for an emergency to occur to develop courage.

    Nearly everyone has spent at least one night lying in bed wishing for sleep. But for many, it's a nightly struggle. The key, or secret, is to experiment. What works for some might not work as well for others.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Set a regular bedtime. Go to bed at the same time every night.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Try not to break this routine on weekends when it may be attractive to stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime, help your body adjust (调整).

   {#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you're getting enough sleep, you should wake up on time naturally without an alarm. As with your bedtime, try to keep your regular wake-up time even on weekends.

    Be smart about napping (打盹). Though taking a nap can be a great way to become energetic again, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia (失眠) worse.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes.

    Fight after-dinner drowsiness(睡意). What should you do when getting sleepy before your bedtime?    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, washing the dishes, or calling a friend. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have difficulty getting back to sleep.

A. Wake up at the same time every day.

B. Spend more time outside in the daytime.

C. When it's time to sleep, make sure the room is dark.

D. Get off the couch and do something to avoid falling asleep.

E. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider giving up napping.

F. It's important to find the sleep methods that work best for you.

G. Choose a time when you normally feel tired so that you can fall asleep easily.

M: Have you lived in America for many years?

W: Yes, I have lived there for10 years, why?

M: Tomorrow I will go to an American friend's home to celebrate Christmas. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

W: OK. No problem.

M: {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

W: Both are OK. Don't get there early.

M: {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

W: If you're going to be more than fifteen minutes late, I advise calling your hosts to tell them.

M: {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

W: Certainly Flowers are always nice.

M: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

W: Just watch the other guests and follow them.

M: Thank you.

A. Should I arrive on time or five to ten minutes late?

B. What should I do at the dinner table?

C. Have you got some flowers?

D. Could you give me some advice?

E. I worry I might meet terrible traffic.

F. Should I bring a gift?

G. Should I arrive early?

    What is your favourite colour? Do you like yellow, orange, red? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Do you prefer greys and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead． You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of colour preference, as well as the effect that colours have on human beings.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area——until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

A. On the other hand, black is depressing.

B. They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favourite colour as grow up——we are born with our preference.

C. The rooms are painted in different colours as you like.

D. If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.

E. Light and bright colours make people not only happier but more active.

F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colours.

G. Colours do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it.

Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule

    From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often：ability, money, and time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Money is a topic I'll discuss another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:

    ⒈Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there's nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook？Do you have the right materials already？{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ⒉Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread？{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking is to try new things. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

    Hopefully that gives you a good start. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Try new things.

B. Ability is easily improved.

C. Make three or four instead.

D. Understand your food better.

E. Cooking is a burden for many people.

F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.