Facing the Enemies Within

    We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally ruin our ambitions (雄心壮志). Fear can ruin fortunes. Fear can ruin relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can ruin our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies living inside us.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    The first enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Take a sword to this enemy.

    The second enemy inside is doubt.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} But you also can't let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I'm telling you, doubt will ruin your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.

A. Sure, there's room for healthy doubt. You can't believe everything.

B. Build your courage to fight what's holding you back, what's keeping you from your goals and dreams.

C. Let me tell you about two of the other enemies we face from within.

D. Below are the ways which might be useful for us to overcome our fears.

E. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.

F. It will steal your chances for a better future.

G. Some people doubt everything.

    Many people think only professionals—engineers, accountants, teachers, etc.—have careers.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Even if you've never had a paid job, you still have a career. Your career is the sum of your life and work. It includes all your activities and experiences. Your schooling, your volunteer work, and even your relationships with your family are all big parts of your career.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    During your career, you will have a variety of jobs, occupations and roles. People used to think of a job as full-time, permanent, paid work done for an employer at a work site. But in our changing world, a job is a set of duties or tasks. It can be paid or unpaid{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Even someone who is self-employed has a job.

    An occupation is a group of jobs with similar responsibilities that require a common set of skills.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Programmers may have permanent or temporary jobs working for specific employers, be self-employed, work full-time or part-time, be paid for their work or volunteer their services. They may change jobs or hold several jobs at one time but, until they change the type of duties or tasks they perform, they are still computer programmers.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We all play a number of roles in our lives and our roles often change over time. For example, Kris works four days a week as a receptionist in a clinic and takes evening courses in social work. She also sews gymnastic wear for her neighbor who sells it at summer markets. Now Kris has at least three roles.

A. A role is a part you play.

B. Actually everyone has a career.

C. In other words, your career is your life story.

D. For example, computer programmer is an occupation.

E. As a matter of fact, a job is different from a role in some way.

F. It can be completed at a work site, at home, or somewhere else.

G. The following is about your work, your family, and your life story.

    We often close ourselves off when painful events happen in our lives. Instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive us deeper into ourselves. We try to ignore the hurt and, pain, but we can't hide from ourselves. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The tips listed below can help you open your heart more fully and completely.

    Breathe into pain

    Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to face it instead of running away.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}  When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and accept it. By using our breath we soften our experiences and allow more newness.

     {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    We're often confused at the next step to take. Actually, we can try a new decision making process. To start this process, we may ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right?” See what comes up, then put it into practice and evaluate the outcome.

Spend time alone

    For most of our lives we're surrounded by people: our friends, family members, and strangers.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  When you spend time in solitude（孤独）, you're free from the influences of other people. It might be painful at first, but eventually you'll add a whole new layer of depth and understanding into your life.

    Get outside of yourself

     {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But in reality, they actually work hand-in-hand. After you've explored the depths of yourself, you come away with a new understanding.

    Now, it's time to share that -not through telling others, but through being with others.

A. Have a light heart.

B. Ask your heart what it wants.

C. Is there anything I'm hiding from myself?

D. How often do we really spend time alone?

E. This may seem a little contradictory to the last tip.

F. We should open our hearts and take action to heal the wounds.

G. When we run away from sadness, it gets stronger and more real.

Smarter Studying

    How did you learn how to ride your bike? Someone probably gave you a few lessons and then you practiced a lot. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} No one is born knowing how to study. You need to learn a few study skills and then practice them.

    Pay attention: Good studying starts in class

    When you pay attention in class, you are starting the process of learning and studying. Do you have trouble paying attention in class? Are you sitting next to a loud person? Is it hard to see the board? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Good notes = Easier studying

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Try your best to use good handwriting so you can read your notes later. It's also a good idea to keep your notes and papers organized by subject.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Waiting until Thursday night to study for Friday's test will make a night no fun! It also makes it hard to do your best. We're all guilty (内疚的) about putting things off sometimes. One of the best ways to make sure that doesn't happen is to make a schedule of what to do.

    Sleep tight (充分地)

    So the test is tomorrow and you've followed your study plan, but suddenly you can't remember anything! Don't panic (恐慌). {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Try to get a good night's sleep and you'll be surprised by what comes back to you in the morning

    Many people who struggle with their health or weight say they've tried every diet or food plan under the sun, without any long-term success. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Their old eating habits soon return, leaving them disheartened and frustrated. The key to success lies in developing healthy eating habits. Here are a few eating habits that you should follow.

    ①Eat Healthy Unprocessed Food. Many of the packaged foods we buy today are aimed at convenience but they're not that healthy. They often contain high amounts of preservatives, man-made colourings and other added chemicals. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    ②{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Whole grains offer far more nutrients and fibre than their refined "white" varieties. On the taste side, whole grains have more texture, flavour and nuttiness than refined ones. It is a fast and simple way to improve your eating habits.

    ③Change to Healthy Cooking Methods. The more you "do" to your food, the less it does for you. So avoid things like deep-frying, which drenches your food in unnecessary calories. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. This will sap them of nutrients.

    ④Plan Your Healthy Shopping. It's too easy to eat takeaway if there's nothing in the fridge or put together something naughty when it's filled with unhealthy foods. But if your fridge and pantry are stocked with healthy options you'll be able to make better choices when you're hungry. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

Art Builds Understanding

Despite the long history of scholarship on experiences of art, researchers have yet to capture and understand the most meaningful aspects of such experiences, including the thoughts and insights we gain when we visit a museum, the sense of encounter after seeing a meaningful work of art, or the changed thinking after experiences with art. These powerful encounters can be inspiring, uplifting, and contribute to well-being and flourishing.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It contributes to facilitating a better understanding of ourselves, the human condition, and moral and spiritual concepts. The question is how that happens — what are the attributes of meaningful experiences of art?

According to the mirror model of art developed by Pablo P. L. Tinio, aesthetic reception corresponds to artistic creation in a mirror-reversed fashion. Artists aim to express ideas and messages about the human condition or the world at large. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This results in the build-up of layers of materials — from initial studies and sketches to the final, refined piece. A viewer's initial interaction with an artwork starts where the artist has left off. Their interaction first involves the processing surface features, such as color, texture, and the finishing touches applied by the artist during the final stages of the creative process. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

In addition, art making and art viewing are connected by creative thinking. Research in a lab at Yale University shows that an educational program that uses art appreciation activities builds creative thinking skills. It showed that the more time visitors spent engaging with art and the more they reflected on it, the greater the correspondence with the artists' intentions and ideas. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

Correspondence in feeling and thinking suggests a transfer — between creator and viewer — of ideas, concepts, and emotions contained in the works of art. Art has the potential to communicate across space and time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} What it takes for this to happen is active engagement with art in contexts that facilitate this engagement, especially museums.

A.The viewers gain a new perspective on the story.

B.The theory of aesthetic cognitivism describes the value of art.

C.This helps to create connections and insights that otherwise would not happen.

D.To do so, they explore key ideas and continually expand them as they develop their work.

E.After spending more time with the work, the viewer begins to access the ideas of the artist.

F.For example, in one activity, people are asked to view a work of art from different perspectives.

G.Participants were more original in their thinking when compared to those who did not take part in the program.