There are so many things we do in our daily lives that have become a "habit"{#blank#}1{#/blank#}How you answer the phone is a habit. The way you sit in the car when you drive is a habit. Have you ever tried to change the way you do something, after you ve done it in a certain way for so long? It's not very easy to do. The minute your mind drifts to something else, you go right back to the old way of doing things{#blank#}2{#/blank#}it's a way of doing things that has become routine or commonplace. To change an existing habit or form a new one can be a boring task.

    Let's pick something fairly easy to start with, like spending 15 minutes in the morning reading a book. If you want to turn something into a habit that you do every day, you have to WANT to do it{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Make a firm decision to do this on a daily basis.

    Imprint it in your mind. Write several notes to yourself and put them in places where you will see them. By the alarm clock, on the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator door, in your briefcase, and under your car keys are good places to start.

    After the newness wears off, then you will have to remind yourself, "Hey, I forgot to..." Keep using the notes if you have to{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Some people say it will take over a month to solidify it and make it something you will do without having to think about it. I tend to agree with the last statement. Two to three weeks will help you to remember, but thirty days or more will make it a part of your everyday routine.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. What is a "habit" anyway?

B. Forming a bad habit is easy.

C. Brushing your teeth is a habit.

D. Is doing things in an old way good?

E. If you don't, you will find a way to do everything but that.

F. It takes 16 to 21 times of repeating a task to make it a habit.

G. that's something you won't necessarily have to think about before you do it—habit.

    I think the majority of people would agree that it's unhealthy to live in the past. After all, we're all familiar with the new age philosophy, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Living in the past holds us back from being able to enjoy the present moment. But are there any benefits of revisiting a previous time? Actually, yes. The past has several advantages:

     Learning from our mistakes: We all know that poor choices can be some of life's greatest teachers{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}By revisiting an unfavorable event from our past, we can often view it from a different perspective as time has passed. Being older and wiser, we are now able to reevaluate the experience and gain deeper insights and understandings of what happened and why, and how it has impacted us since. What once scarred us can now be healed through a newly-found awareness and no longer be a negative force in our lives.

    Motivated by earlier successes{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Other times life has been difficult. Remembering the past when we were at our best can help motivate us out of our current slump(低谷) and put us back on track for success. Use your past successes to propel(推动) you on to newer and greater things.

    While it's evident that revisiting the past has several advantages, there is a warning. Just like an amusement park, it's fine to visit but you cannot stay there forever. At some point, the park closes and all visitors are asked to leave. Enjoy the past when necessary but don't always stay there. Use it for living in the present and planning for the future{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Moving beyond

B. That's why it's called the present

C. In that way, it will serve you well

D. See the mistakes as a step on the road to a solution

E. There are times when we have all enjoyed success on a variety of levels

F. Recalling times when we made mistakes can help us make better future decisions

G. So, failure is the mother of success

    A white elephant gift exchange is a popular holiday party game in, the United States. Generally, the party needs at least six participants, and' the larger the group: is, the more entertaining the game will be{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But it can result in heated competitions between players trying to get the gifts.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Sometimes, the rule is that the item must be previously owned, which means that you can exchange an unwanted item or trinket(小装饰品) with your friends. But sometimes you can buy a new but inexpensive item just for the party.

    Every participant is expected to bring one wrapped(包装好的) gift. A white elephant gift is usually something useless or inconvenient{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Guests are asked to wrap them nicely and leave no identifying markings on the presents.

    To start the game, a participant must act as the first player to choose a gift; this can be decided randomly or by picking numbers out of a hat{#blank#}4{#/blank#}As for the next player? This person can either “steal” the first person's gift or choose an unwrapped item from the pile. Each gift can be stolen only three times before it is considered "dead".

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Any person that has to give up a gift can also pick a new gift or steal one from another person. Each turn is only allowed three swaps between the current player and the previous players. The game won't finish until all the presents are opened.

A. It all depends on how the game is organized.

B. This process is repeated until the game is over.

C. Don't forget that the game's purpose is to have fun.

D. The first player then opens the gift in front of everyone.

E. White elephant gift exchange can be run in different ways.

F. The goal of the party is usually entertainment rather than gain.

G. Trinkets, unidentifiable kitchen items and toys are typical “white elephants” .

    Moving into a new home in a new neighborhood is an exciting experience. Of course, you want to make sure that you become an accepted and valuable part of your new neighborhood. The easiest way to accomplish this is to make sure you conduct yourself as a good neighbor should.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Perhaps one of the most important things you can do as a good neighbor is to keep your property(房产) neat, clean, and in good repair. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}By choosing to keep the outside of the home in great shape, you will help to improve the look and feel of the area.

    Second, take the overall appearance of the neighborhood seriously. When going for a walk. Take along a small garbage bag. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This small act will let your neighbors know that you care about the area.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If a neighbor is going to be out of town, offer to collect mail and newspapers. If a neighbor suffers an illness, offer to do the grocery shopping. Let them know you are there to help in any way this acceptable, while still respecting the privacy of your neighbor.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}By following the basic rules of respecting others, taking care of what belongs to you, and taking pride in the appearance of the neighborhood in general, you will quickly become a good neighbor that everyone appreciates.

    Florence Nightingale was named after her birthplace, Florence, Italy. When she was almost a year old, she returned with her family to England.

    Florence often helped her mother deliver(运送) food to the poor and sick.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Her family was shocked because nursing was not a respected profession.

    But Florence was determined. She studied books on medicine. Later, she visited hospitals in France, Germany and Ireland and learned everything she could.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

In 1854, Britain was at war with Russia. Florence went to the British hospital in Scutari (now Üsküdar in Istanbul) and she was shocked. The hospital left men lying on the floor, and rats were running everywhere.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Many soldiers died before receiving help.

    The doctors wouldn't listen to Florence because they didn't like the idea of women in army hospitals—until one day 500 unexpected casualties(伤亡者) arrived. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Florence made changes, making sure the men were washed and their injuries were cared for. Every night she would check the patients with her lamp.

    When she returned home after the war, a fund had been set up in her honor. Many of the soldiers she had nursed had made contributions(捐款).Now she could set up the Nightingale Training School in London.

    After years of hard work, Florence Nightingale saw cleaner and more cheerful hospitals.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} All of this was because of the "lady with the lamp".

A.Nursing became an honored profession.

B.There was no running water and no heat.

C.She knew she had much to learn about nursing.

D.Florence saw the soldiers' health had improved.

E.As she grew older, she decided to become a nurse.

F.They soon realized that Florence knew what she was doing.

G.Upon returning home, she was an expert on hospital management.

    Rivers play an important role on the earth, and we can't imagine what the earth would be like without rivers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    With a length of 6, 650 kilometers, the Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile River has been the source of human civilization since ancient times. The Nile has two main branches—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts from the Great Lakes region of East and Central Africa through Lake Victoria.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The Blue Nile carries with it a lot of fertile soil which turns out to be very important to farming in Egypt.

    The Amazon River is the world's largest river with a width of about 40 kilometers during the rainy seasons but about 10 kilometers wide when it is not flooded. The Amazon River has such a big water volume that it accounts for(占.....比例) more than 20% of all the world's fresh water—far more than any other river. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The main Amazon River flows mostly through Brazil and Peru but its tributaries can also be found in many other countries.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It has a depth of about 250 meters. Its length is 4, 700 kilometers. The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains in the Eastern Africa Rift Valley. It's the second largest river in terms of water volume. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The Congo River basin(盆地) is the catchments(流域，集水区) area of the Congo River. It lies in both north and south of the Equator, making its flow very stable as there are always some tributaries experiencing a rainy season at any time.

A. Some of them are worth mentioning.

B. The Congo River is the world's deepest river.

C. Do you know which is the deepest river in the world?

D. The Blue Nile originates from(发源于)Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

E. Without rivers, there would be no living life in and along them.

F. And it flows through the second largest rain-forests in the world.

G. Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are its sources.