Make the most of life experiences

    If you ask anyone what the purpose of life is, you'll likely receive wildly different responses. The answer to this question is deeply personal because different things are important to us throughout the course of our lives.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Finding ways to make the most of our experiences is a challenge we face every day, here are some ways to make your experiences meaningful.

    Follow your dreams

    The number one way to live a life free of regret is to follow your dreams. Passion will die without actions supporting them.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.Every day make an effort, no matter how small, to achieve your goals. Each day is a step forward and none of it is wasted.

    Make mistakes

    Making mistakes is the surest(无疑的)path to grow as a person.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}and those lessons have stayed with me. failure is beneficial to us. And time allows me to see the value of even the most painful situation.

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    Difficult and painful experiences shape our character but can also weigh us down. These prevent us from moving forward. So much of our progress in life relies on willpower and a healthy emotional state. If you're under stress, your body and mind both require time to recover.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    For me, life is about experiences. We all have to dream, work hard, and fail before we can achieve success. Maybe we'll discover along the way that the journey is more important than the destination.

A. Take care of yourself.

B. Improve your personality.

C. Many of my strongest memories come from the times I've failed

D. It's best to rest and slowly build back up your strength

E. Yet one thing stays with us no matter where we go: our experiences

F. Though we try our best to make fewer mistakes, it is impossible to avoid them.

G. Though we can't choose the outcome of our actions, we can choose to keep pursuing.

    Are you suffering from FOMO—that is, Fear of Missing Out? Research shows that a growing number of young people are with worrying reasons for their sleep and schoolwork.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You aren't able to do your best unless you sleep well. Most experts agree that the optimum（最适宜）number of hours is eight, and this has been accepted as common sense for as long as I can remember. However, I was young once and know most of you get much less sleep than that.

    I read an interesting article in a teachers' magazine recently.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Worryingly, the results showed that teenagers are facing a new problem. They may go to bed and get up at appropriate times, but a growing number are waking up in the middle of the night, not to use the bathroom or have a snack, but because of FOMO.

    According to the article, the number of students waking up during the night to check social media is growing. Afraid of missing a comment or opportunity to take part in a chat, teenagers are waking at all times of the night, going online and getting involved. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Experts are worried about this growing trend and the report reveals some worrying statistics: 23% of 12 to 15-year-olds wake up nearly every night to use social media. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} One in third of the students are constantly tired and unable to function to their full capacity.

    So I'd like to ask you to be responsible when it comes to social media. Switch off your devices at night. The world won't end and your social media will be waiting to greet you in the morning! {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. But things are getting out of hand.

B. I give you my word that you won't have missed anything important.

C. Another 15% wake up at night once a week for the same reason.

D. They did a study of 848 students in Wales.

E. FOMO is the fear that everyone else is having more fun and more excitement than you.

F. All happens when they should be sound asleep.

G. Everybody knows how important it is for students to get a good night's sleep every night.

    The Internet has opened up a whole new online world for us to meet, chat and go where we've never been before.

    But just as in face-to-face communication, there are some rules of behavior that should be followed when on line. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Imagine how you'd feel if you were in the other person's shoes. For anything you're about to send: ask yourself, "Would I say this to the person's face?" If the answer is no, rewrite and reread.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    If someone in the chat room is rude to you, your instinct (本能) is to fire back in the same manner. But try not to do so. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}If it was caused by a disagreement with another member, try to fix the situation by politely discussing it. Remember to respect the beliefs and opinions of others in the chat room.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Offer advice when asked by newcomers, as they may not be sure what to do or how to communicate. When someone makes a mistake, whether it's a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If it's a small mistake, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before saying anything. Having good manners yourself doesn't give you a license to correct everyone else. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}At the same time, if you find you are wrong, be sure to correct yourself and apologize to those that you have offended(冒犯).

    It is not polite to ask others personal questions such as their age, sex and marital status(婚姻地位). Unless you know the person very well, and you are both comfortable with sharing personal information, don't ask such questions.

A. It's natural that there are some people who speak rudely or make mistakes online.

B. Repeat the process(过程) till you feel sure that you'd feel comfortable saying the words to the person's face.

C. Everyone was new to the network once.

D. The basic rule is simple: treat others in the same way you would want to be treated.

E. When you send short messages to a person online, you must say something beautiful to hear.

F. You should either ignore the person, or use your chat software to block their messages.

G. If you do decide to tell someone about a mistake, point it out politely.

    Nowadays people tend to digitalise everything from watches to fridges. It seems you can choose any item labeled as “smart”.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, there are plenty that can be used to reduce emissions and save money.

    If you're a part of the digitalisation movement, you might be interested in the concept of smart homes. It means that every element of your house can be controlled from a panel on the wall or your phone.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Use your mobile to power them on or off, and you may feel truly modern or truly lazy. Asides from the benefits of living a more comfortable life, this presents an opportunity to cut down on your electrical bills.

    Electricity generation today represents 31% of total global fossil fuel use and around 40% of all energy-related CO₂ emissions.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is considered as the first step to prevent global climate change. Connect a smart thermometer to the heating and cooling system and set a specific temperature at which the heating begins to work. Doing so, the room will be at a desired temperature when necessary and switches on a power-saving mode when not occupied. Similarly, by installing a CO₂ sensor, you can have an automated ventilation (通风) system.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    In a 150,000m₂ office complex near Munich, called Campeon, energy costs of up to 117,067 Euro were saved after the use of environmental control devices this year. In this way, they are contributing to a large decrease in CO₂ emissions. Clearly, smart homes are about much more than just living a comfortable life.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It is actually about living a green life.

B. Smart devices have been installed worldwide nowadays.

C. It starts working only when CO₂ concentrations reach a certain limit.

D. There seem to be an ocean of such so-called “smart” inventions.

E. Bearing this in mind, measures should be taken to make buildings more energy-efficient.

F. Alternative energy must be discovered before the fossil fuel runs out in the future.

G. This includes basics such as heating and lighting and many other appliances.

    Life can be a lonely thing without friends. Acquaintances (熟人) are easy to come by but true friends are a whole other story. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Learn these four steps if you'd like to be a true friend that can be relied on.

    ●Be present for their highs and lows.

    If you're absent during my struggle, don't expect to be present during my success.

    （Will Smith）

    It's easy to be there for our friends when they ask us out for fun things. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You might not feel comfortable while spending time with an emotionally weak person on the verge of tears, but true friends are always there when they're needed the most.

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    When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.

    （Ernest Hemingway）

    Give your friends the gift of silence so they can drop their baggage and get on with living.

    ●Accept them as they are.

    Happiness can exist only in acceptance.

    （George Orwell）

    If you can't accept people as they are, you will never know the feeling of true friendship. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ●Forgive the past.

    Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

    （Buddha）

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If so, you should understand that even the best of us suffer from the occasional slip of the tongue. Holding onto anger over a small mistake will make you look petty (小气的), so let it go.

Public Speaking Training

    Get a coach

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, so get help. Since there are about a billion companies out there all ready to offer you public speaking training and courses, here are some things to look for when deciding the training that's right for you.

    Focus on positives

    Any training you do to become more effective at public speaking should always focus on the positive aspects of what you already do well. Nothing can hurt confidence more than being told that you aren't doing well. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, so good public speaking training should develop those instead of telling you what you shouldn't do.

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    If you find a public speaking course that looks as though it's going to give you lots of dos and don'ts, walk away! Your brain is so full of what you're going to be talking about. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. As far as we're concerned, there are basically no hard and fast rules about public speaking. Your audience can be your friends.

    You are a special person not a clone

    Most importantly, good public speaking training should treat you as a special one, with your own personal habits. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Your training course should help you bring out your personality, not try to turn you into someone you're not.