Ways to Improve Your Luck

    Some people have all the luck! Or does it just seem that way？Why did your co-worker get that big promotion while you were overlooked？Why do some of us seem to experience these lucky things more than others and how can you improve your luck？ {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

What You Tell Yourself Matters!

Do you know that people who are lucky tell themselves they're lucky？Has your own self-talk been filled with less-than-lucky talk？Do you say things like："I'm just not a lucky person." or "Good things never happen to me?" {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They say things like—"This setback is only temporary．I know things will turn around．"or" Things have a way of working out for me．"

Expect and Acknowledge Your Good Luck．

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Research suggests keeping a "good luck journal" helps people become even luckier．Did someone bring you coffee at work today？Did you find a random quarter on the street？Did your husband or wife do something nice for you today？Did your child get a good grade at school？Write them down!    All of these things count. Begin to notice all the good that comes to you．

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    Make contact with people．Take risks．People who try new things are much more open to luck and good fortune than those who don't．This doesn't mean you have to quit your job or take up skydiving! It could be as simple as starting a conversation with a stranger，taking a class in an unfamiliar subject, learning some words and phrases in a foreign language，or trying a new ethnic restaurant．{#blank#}5{#/blank#} And this greater openness can help promote chance opportunities in their lives．

A．You probably have many more lucky things happening in your life than you think．

B．Lucky people generally expect good fortune．

C．Do Something New and Different.

D．You will never forget your lucky friends．

E．Here are ideas that researchers tell us about luck．

F．A lucky person generally receive good fortune in the future．

G．Lucky people score much higher on openness than unlucky people．

How to Think Positively

    Quite often when we're going through a challenging time, we may get the advice to just “think positively！”  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Does it mean to deny our pain or discomfort? Should we pretend everything is alright? Here is some advice about how to think positively.

    Accept that you are here to grow. Life doesn't always go smoothly. Life's lessons can be difficult, but they are even more so if you approach them with avoidance(逃避). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Learn to turn lemons into lemonade(柠檬水). Look for the lessons to be learned in every situation. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself when things don't go your way, do what you can to make the best of the situation. Learn, instead, how to avoid falling into the same traps and making the same mistakes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Believe in yourself. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Your dreams and goals are an indication of where your talents lie and where your true potential is. Needless to say, you must develop your inherent (固有的) gifts.

    Look for inspiration and support. Read about and study the successful stories of others. Many successful people have gone through challenging circumstances to get where they are. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To help you stay positive and focused, get support from family and friends.

    Finally, thinking positively doesn't mean being unrealistic, It means dealing with life and life's challenges as they are. It means being willing to do the work necessary to get on with the business of living fully.

A. If you see them as opportunities to become stronger, you are thinking positively and productively.

B. So next time a well-meaning person tells you to think positively, just smile back confidently.

C. Learning about their experiences can motivate and inspire you to achieve what you want to achieve.

D. Sometimes it's difficult to figure out exactly what that means.

E. Know that you have what it takes to succeed.

F. It just means that you won't let them stop you!

G. By doing so, you will undoubtedly benefit from it.

    Ebola is a dangerous virus that can cause people to get very sick and even die. The virus is causing the biggest problems in western Africa, where it has spread quickly.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But it can get worse and cause life-threatening symptoms (症状), such as bleeding and trouble breathing.

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    Ebola does not spread like colds or the flu because it does not float through the air. Ebola also doesn't spread through food or water, like some other viruses. Instead, Ebola spreads when someone touches the body fluids(液体) of a sick person.

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    An outbreak is when many people are getting sick with the same illness around the same time. You may have heard of a flu outbreak, which is when lots of people get sick from the same types of flu virus. When an outbreak happens because of a virus, more people could get sick because there is a lot of that virus around.

    Where did Ebola come from?

Scientists aren't sure how the first person gets Ebola at the start. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Tropical animals in Africa believed to carry the virus include great apes, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, fruit bats, porcupines, and forest antelopes.

    What do kids need to do about Ebola?

    Ebola is making many people sick in Africa, but no matter where you live, it's always a good idea to wash your hands well and often. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. What is an outbreak?

B. How do people catch Ebola?

C. Why do I need to wash my hands?

D. It's very important that infected people get treatment right away.

E. Ebola symptoms can start with fever and headache, kind of like the flu.

F. But they think that people may pick up the virus by touching or eating infected animals.

G. Keeping hands clean can help protect you from common illnesses like colds and the flu.

    Right now you are reading English. That means that you are using your brain in a very active way. Reading is a very active process. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} When you read a text, you have to do some or all of these:

    Imagine a scene in your head

    Understand clearly what the writer is trying to say

    Agree or disagree with the writer

    There are also many advantages associated with reading, including:

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    You will usually meet with new words when you read. If there are too many new words for you, then the level is too high and you should read something simpler. But if there are, say, a maximum of five new words per page, you will learn this vocabulary easily. You may not even need to use a pocket dictionary because you can guess the meaning from the rest of the text. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    A model for writing

    When you read, it gives you a good example for writing. Texts that you read show you structures and expressions that you can use when you write.

    Seeing “correctly structured” English

    When people write, they usually use “correct” English with a proper grammatical structure. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So, by reading you see and learn grammatical English naturally.

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    You can read as fast or as slowly as you like. You can read ten pages in 30 minutes, or take one hour to explore just one page. It doesn't matter. The choice is yours. You can not easily do this when speaking or listening. This is one of the big advantages of reading because different people work at different speeds.

A. Working at your own speed

B. Learning vocabulary in context (语境)

C. This is not always true when people speak

D. Focusing on exactly what you want to learn

E. you should write down unknown vocabulary in whole sentences

F. Not only do you learn new words, but you see them being used naturally

G. It is true that the writer does a lot of work, but the reader also has to work hard

    Have you ever had the following experience? You have been given the task of organizing a conference, which includes a must-do list about a mile long. There is the conference site, the guest list, the materials, the technology and even the food and drink to think about and plan. If you are beginning to feel the stress, slow down and take a breath. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Write down your goals. You will need to clearly define what you hope to accomplish with this conference because this will shape the rest of your decisions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Develop your budget. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Then break that budget into different parts such as conference site, materials and speakers' fees. Stick to your budget, and make sure your assistants are keeping their monetary limits as well.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. When searching for locations, keep in mind the number of participants, the convenience of the location, parking and closeness to public transportation, airports and hotels. Your goal in finding a place to hold the conference should be making it as easy as possible for participants to attend.

    Seek help from the staff of the conference site. If you have chosen a site that is known for holding conferences, you can seek help from the staff there as organizing meetings is what they do every day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. They should be able to answer any questions or concern and provide advice when needed.

    Of course, full preparations also include a walk-through. Go to the site and meet with the staff the day before to be certain that everything is in place and to take care of any small details.

A. Decide on a schedule for the meeting

B. Choose your conference site

C. Read the following skills to figure out how to organize a conference

D. Knowing what you want to achieve can ease your stress

E. Make full use of this important resource

F. You can do nothing without knowing how much money you have to spend

G. Turn a blind eye to it

Some Texting Rules You Should Be Following by Now

    Don't text and drive {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Don't do it. Personal safety always comes first and staying off your hand-held while driving is extremely important. If you can't resist, then keep your phone where you can't reach it while you're driving.

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    If you're texting someone who says "driving", stop texting. Period. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Just stop texting. You can consider calling the person, but please bear in mind that some states have laws in place restricting talking on the phone while driving. But if you don't get a response…

    "Don't keep texting until they respond," an article in LifeHack suggests." {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. And if they're not, maybe they just don't feel like texting." While not getting a response likely makes you feel anxious, and while many consider it rude, it's also rude to continue bombarding someone with messages when that person is not replying to you.

    Avoid group texts "Most would say group texts are the worst," notes an article in Mashable." They take up more time than you ever expected. Reading through all of your messages is boring. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. It's that simple

B. Don't even say "OK"

C. They're probably busy

D. They seem to never end

E. Stop driving immediately

F. Just think of any other means of communication

G. Don't put others in the situation of texting and driving