Five Ways to Control Your Anxiety

    How can you find some enjoyment and keep your anxiety in control? Try the following five steps for a less anxious you.

    Stop comparing yourself to others. When you compare your life to others', you are giving up your power. People have success or failures at different points in their lives. You might think others have better lives, but you don't have the full story. Next time you begin to compare yourself to someone else, tell yourself this, “I only compare me to me.” {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be grateful. Gratitude is the secret to a happier, less anxious you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you practice gratitude, you start training your brain to pay attention to all the wonderful things about your life and doing so improves your mood little by little.

    Forget perfect. Going after perfection sets you up to feel defeated. Accept that you will have days that are far from perfect and learn to laugh at the funny things that go wrong at the wrong time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    Move your body. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I'm sure you'll feel better--especially if you exercise regularly. Doing exercise will give you a sense of achievement that you can use to deal with other difficulties in your life.

    Connection with other people. If you struggle with anxiety, you may not feel like putting yourself into social situations, but isolating(使孤立)yourself socially is the worst thing you can do. Connecting with others can help you realize everyone has struggles and that people are there for you.

   {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Connection can help you improve your mood.

A. Life is so much more enjoyable when you expect less of it.

B. Make sure you aren't going around trying to please everyone.

C. It is scientifically proved that exercise can improve your mood.

D. See a friend, call a family member or just smile at strangers passing by.

E. Pen and paper can provide you with a special place to express your feelings.

F. When you take time to enjoy all the good things, you can't help but feel good.

G. Only by competing with yourself to be a better you can you get where you want to be.

    It is necessary to be reasonable and flexible enough to avoid conflicts as much as possible and live in peace with others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you have done all your best to avoid conflicts and you are still arguing, then read these effective tips on how to avoid conflicts.

● Don't get in the center of the conflict.

    Sometimes people can get in the center of conflicts due to their enthusiasm for offering help. Frankly speaking, it is very unwise, because it can make you the main figure of the conflict. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You should focus on your own life issues.

● Be kind.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Life is full of conflicts and disagreements, that's why you should find more conservative ways of dealing with them. For example, kindness can lessen the conflict.

● Try to be a peacekeeper.

    Peacekeepers tend to cooperate with people without bad emotions which usually lead to arguments and even conflicts. “{#blank#}4{#/blank#}” This saying is the life motto of a natural-born peacekeeper. Don't worry if you are not a natural-born peacekeeper; you can gain this skill during life.

● Walk off.

    When the conflict is gathering pace and you can't manage to control yourself, you should choose to handle the situation in another way. By all means, try to keep yourself away from stress. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You should get away from the situation for a while.

How to read more and learn more

    These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can broaden my mind and improve my language skills. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some tips for you.

    Clear your purpose for reading.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Most people read for two main reasons, pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is important to you, so you will keep reading and complete the book faster.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    No matter what you arc reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Your friends you the books they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.

    Give up books that you don't enjoy.

    You may have chosen books that you are interested in, and they are right purpose. But while you are reading them, there may still be some books that you don't enjoy reading. Whenever you realize that you aren't enjoying the book you are reading, give it up.

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    Set a reading goal.

    It is interesting that I read the books borrowed from libraries faster than than those I bought. The reason is the books I bought don't have a due date! I don't need to return those books. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Before you read each book, ask yourself what time you need to complete this book by.

A. Remember reading shouldn't be a chore.

B. Read the books borrowed from others.

C. Read only what you are interested in.

D. Of course, it also can help me to get good grades.

E. We need to get the latest news and communicate with friends.

F. Having a reading goal helps you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day.

G. Before you start reading, ask yourself why you are reading this book.

    Long ago, people believed that in the future we would work less, have more free time and get more relaxed. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Today we work harder, work longer hours and have more stresses than ten years ago. We walk faster, talk faster and sleep less than previous generations. And although we use machines that save us time, we have less free time than our parents and grandparents. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} An American journalist James Gleick in a new book, says that people are suffering from "hurry sickness" — we're trying to do more things in less time. As a result, our lives are stressful. He says that if we don't slow down, we won't live as long as our parents. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Newspaper articles today are shorter and the headlines are bigger. Most people don't have enough time to read the articles, so they only read the headlines. On TV and the radio, newspapers speak more quickly than ten years ago. In the USA, there is a book called One-Minute Bedtime Stories for children. These are shorter versions of traditional stories, specially written for "busy parents" who want to save time! Some answer phones now have "quick playback" buttons so that we can replay people's messages faster— we can't waste time listening to people speaking at the normal speed! {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ten years ago when people went to art galleries they spent seconds looking at each picture. Today they spend just three seconds! Nowadays, many people prefer faster and dynamic sports like basketball.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Our cars are faster but the traffic is worse, so we drive more slowly. We spend more time sitting in our cars, feeling stressed. Experts predict that in ten years the average speed on the road in cities will be only 17 km/h.

A.People didn't feel stressed ten years ago.

B.But unluckily, this has not happened yet.

C.Even when we relax we do everything more quickly.

D.But what is this doing to our health?

E.For most people, being faster doesn't mean being better.

F.The only thing that is slower than before is the way we drive.

G.Now everything is faster than before, which bring us more convenience.

Five Steps to Better Handwriting

    Some kids love handwriting, but others hate when it's time to put their pen to paper. Maybe they are worried about their handwriting. Are you one of them？{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are five steps that really work!

    Get a great grasp

    Try this—hold your pencil at the top and try to write your name. Pretty hard？ But when you hold your pencil the correct way, writing is much easier. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Hold it in place with your thumb, and your index(食指) and middle fingers.

    Let the lines be your guide

    Lined paper is your friend！ Those lines can help you create letters that are the right size and proportion(均衡)．{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Also be sure to fill up the lined space completely. Those capital letters should be from the bottom line to the top one.

    Slow down

    If your writing is hard to read, try slowing down a little. If you rush, it's hard to control where you stop and start your letters.

    Lower the pressure

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} That makes it harder to make the smooth lines. Try easing up and don't hold the pencil too tightly.

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    Lots of games require you to write or draw pictures. So even though it's not schoolwork, you're still using the skills you need to control your pen better.

A. Play games.

B. Ask for more advice.

C. You've been writing since you were a little kid.

D. So "a" should be half the height of a capital "A".

E. Some kids press down really hard when they write.

F. The good news is that just about everyone can improve their handwriting.

G. The best way to hold a pen or pencil is to let it rest next to the base of your thumb.

    Green lifestyle is becoming increasingly popular nowadays.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}You don't have to completely change the way you live, you just need to make a few small changes. From recycling to green shopping, each small change you make can really make a difference. Here are some benefits of living a green lifestyle.

    Help the environment. By being energy-efficient and using green products you can reduce your influence on the environment. You can help preserve our natural resources and reduce pollution.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It does feel very rewarding when you start making positive changes and feeling as though you're making a difference to such an important cause.

    Live a healthier life. If more people commit to being green then we'll be able to live in a healthier environment, with less pollution and better air quality. You're also more likely to make better choices when it comes to food and you could find yourself leading a more active lifestyle. Growing your own vegetables is a very healthy way to live as well as buying green, natural foods. Cycling and walking to places instead of using your car can have a big influence.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Save money on bills. You can greatly reduce your energy bills by using energy efficient equipment.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Recycling is also another great way of saving money and helping the environment.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Once you have picked up some good tips and green living techniques you can pass them on to other people. You can also talk to friends and family and inform them of the benefits of going green. Your children will grow up understanding the importance of living a green lifestyle and will learn how to reduce their influence on the environment.

A. Educate others.

B. Meet like-minded people.

C. It will also make you much fitter.

D. There are lots of ways of saving money.

E. You can also do your part for wildlife conservation.

F. Living a green lifestyle isn't as hard as it might seem.

G. If you grow your own produce, you needn't spend as much on food.