Too many of us are waiting too long to live our best lives. We keep putting everything off until tomorrow. Then, before we know it, we find ourselves asking, "How did it get so late so soon?"

    So we'd better make today the beginning of our new life. Take time to realize what we want and need. Take time to love, laugh, cry, and learn. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are five things we should start doing today:

    Accept ourselves. The secret to happiness and success is the acceptance of ourselves. We will never become who we want to be if we rely on everyone else to qualify us.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So always go with ourselves, never against ourselves. Be who we were created to be and we will set the world on fire.

    Make ourselves a priority. To tell the truth, there are only a few people in this world who will stay 100% true to us, so we should stay true to ourselves. Put our own needs into the list of things to do.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Don't sit back and let things happen to us. Go out and make things happen. We are what we do, not what we say we'll do. Stop saying "I wish" and start saying "I will". Turn our dreams into plans.

    Do the work. We can't underestimate(低估) a person who always works hard. Be that person.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Always remember that the task ahead of us is never greater than the strength within us. Do what's right, not what's easy. Our dreams are worth it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We can't force things to happen; we can only drive ourselves trying crazily. There's a time and place for everything. So don't force what's not yet supposed to fit into our life. When it's meant to be, it will be. Work hard, and be patient.

A. Take positive action.

B. Enjoy every moment of life.

C. Life is shorter than it often seems.

D. Everyone has a different way of life.

E. Accept ourselves just the way we are.

F. Allow life to happen like it's supposed to.

G. In life, we don't get what we wish for; we get what we work for.

    Not all children want to listen to their parents. However, parents have been around for at least two decades or so longer than their kids. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are four ways in which they might be right.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} People should want to grow and change with time in a good way. People who hang around with those who are not as smart as they are will stagnate (停滞). So try to surround yourself with people who are worth learning from.

    The more you learn, the less you really know. People tend to believe that they are right about everything before they've really learned anything about the world.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} This is largely due to contrast: people will realize how ignorant (无知) they were in the past after they've learned certain things, making them realize how much they've left to learn.

    Growing up too fast is truly bad.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, these are the years when you are going to be more protected from the cruel realities of adulthood. You should try to appreciate this aspect of this life stage without being concerned with pushing your development too hard.

    It is better to try and fail than fail to try. Children have to learn that failure is part of life.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, the sting (刺痛) of failure disappears gradually, and the regret about missed opportunities is going to sting far more for many adults. So don't stop going for certain goals because of a fear of failure.

A. Parents are wiser than you think.

B. It's hard enough for adults to accept.

C. Being around people who don't challenge you is a bad idea.

D. Your childhood years may not be the best years of your life.

E. They have some life experience, and it makes sense to listen to them.

F. People who bring out the best in others will reach their personal best.

G.  By the time they have, they'll realize how complicated (复杂) the world can be.

    US City Bans Texting while Walking

    Parents usually teach their children how to cross the street safely, by looking both ways for cars. But do they also teach them to put away their cell phones?

    The city of Honolulu, Hawaii wants everyone to learn that lesson{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Beginning on October 24, you could be fined from $15 to $99 if you step into a Honolulu street while looking at your phone. Honolulu is the first major U. S. city to ban what is called "distracted (分散注意) walking. " It recently passed a law in a seven to two vote. The law says; “No pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device. "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The law's creators hope it will lower the number of people hit and killed by cars in the city. Mayor Kirk Caldwell told Reuters news agency, "We hold the unfortunate distinction (区别) of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our elders, than almost any other city in the country. "

    The law includes all electronic devices with screens: cell phones, tables, gaming devices, digital cameras and laptop computers{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Pedestrians may use such devices in the street to call emergency services and rescue workers, such as firefighters and police officers.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The Governors Highway Safety Association, or GHSA, says pedestrian deaths in the United States increase 25 percent between 2010 and 2015. That trend continued in 2016 with the number of pedestrian deaths rising to almost 6000, 11% higher than in 2015.

    If you still want to text while walking, you could avoid being fined in Honolulu (and be safer, in general) by using a voice-controlled digital(数字的) assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. The law does permit an exception.

B. Or you could just wait until you are again, safely, off the street.

C. You will be sentenced to prison while using cell phones in the street.

D. Pedestrian deaths have been increasing as the use of cell phones rises.

E. Texting while crossing the street will soon be banned in the city.

F. The law permits people to watch TV while crossing the street.

G. In other words, do not look at a screen when you cross the street or you could be fined.

    Challenges are regular visitors in our life, and nobody is immune(不受影响)to them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, we can use these challenges to make positive changes in our life. For instance：

    Develop your passion. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you are setting your goals, you always want to be passionate about those goals, because if you love what you do, you will be driven by the desire to achieve success.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}When you have doubts about yourself, you are doing damage to your progress. Therefore, you are supposed to see yourself as a winner, and trust yourself. Feeding your mind with positives will reinforce your beliefs and sweep any doubts out of your system.

    Track your progress. It is important that you take note of every improvement you make. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Every step forward will give you a boost, and accelerate your efforts to the achievement of your ultimate goal.

    Learn how to control your emotions. It is important that you use your emotional intelligence when you encounter problems in your life. You are a product of your thoughts and feelings. Any negative emotions that show up can negate(否定)the positive forward movement you enjoyed earlier. So approach any challenge with a positive attitude.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Instead, strongly believe that you have all the tools you need in order to make positive changes in your life. It is in your hands to make the changes necessary and to take your life to new heights.

A. Practice makes perfect.

B. Consider confidence as a must for Success.

C. This will motivate you to work even harder.

D. They can make us lose hope and even give up.

E. Don't feel negative when you meet with difficulties.

F. There is nothing to be gained from delaying decisions and thoughts.

G. Having an enthusiasm for something will inspire you to achieve your goals.

    Doctors say anger can be an extremely damaging emotion, unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that anger can lead to heart disease, stomach problems, headaches, emotional problems and possibly cancer.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger, and scream and yell. But other people keep their anger inside. They can not or will not express it. This is called repressing anger.

    For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person's health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry, the brain releases the same hormones (荷尔蒙). They speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, or sugar into the blood, etc. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease, and they believe that those who keep anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger, then decide if the cause is serious enough to get angry about. If it is, they say, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably."

    Doctors say that a good way to deal with anger is to find humor in the situation that has made you angry. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Americans use many expressions with the word "dog". People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog's life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.

    Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.

Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways.

B. Dogs are people's loyal friends all the time.

C. Still, people say every dog has its day.

D. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them nice meals.

E. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs.

F. Sometimes, morning rain can light up the day.

G. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.