Have you ever felt a sudden feeling of joy because you heard a favorite song playing? Then you know that music can have a strong effect on your emotions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It can help get you out of a bad mood (心情) or stay in a good one, says Alicia Ann Clair, professor at the University of Kansas. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    To cheer up, listen to Latin music or anything with a strong beat or a fast speed{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. When you want to relax after a busy day, music with a slower speed can calm you down.     

    Listen to calming music before you start any stressful activities, advises Dr. Clair. "Once you' re in a good state of mind, it' s easier to keep it." You can lower stress at work with music, too, by playing relaxing tunes (曲调). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} "If you listen to them all day long, you'll stop noticing them," Dr. Clair explains. Then the music won't have any effect.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}."To feel energetic, start with something relaxing, and then gradually increase the speed and beat," says Dr. Clair. For example, first play some nice slow love songs, and then listen to something more energetic. When you want to calm down after a busy week at work, just do the opposite.

How can I fight laziness?

    Lazy people will never amount to anything in life. However, laziness can be defeated once a few changes have been made in your mind.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Many people lack sleep constantly, since they stay up too late and get up too early to prepare for work. These people have little motivation once they arrive home. Laziness works hand in hand with a lack of motivation and a tendency to put off things. By adjusting your sleep schedule to provide a few more hours of meaningful rest, you can fight laziness throughout the day.

    Another way to fight laziness is to change your mind from passive to active. Some people treat their lives as if they were pushed from task to task. Others take a more protective approach, viewing each task as a challenge they must overcome alone. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Some people fight laziness by removing the temptations(诱惑) that surround them. A television in the living room may provide entertainment, but watching too much TV often contributes to laziness. Create a reward system for yourself, just as parents do for a child to promote responsibility. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Spouses(配偶) and children may all have different energy levels, but laziness can be spread if not dealt with immediately. To fight household laziness, lead by example. Be the first to collect and wash dishes after a meal. Others in the home may eventually follow your example and perform their own task. It is difficult to practice laziness when you are surrounded by motivated people.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} enough exercise and a balanced diet can help you to develop a healthy lifestyle, thus enabling you to have more energy and help lift your spirits.

Shaking hands, American style

    People often shake hands in the United States. American men shake hands with other men. American women often shake hands with men, and sometimes they shake hands with other women. Adults shake hands with children. And some people even teach their dogs to shake hands! {#blank#}1{#/blank#} How do they shake hands just long enough? Just hard enough? Here are four little rules to remember.

1）Use your right hand.

2）Use good eye contact(眼神交流). Look at the person in the eye while you are shaking hands.

3）Don't shake too long.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Then let go and pull your hand back toward you.

4）{#blank#}3{#/blank#} When a handshake is weak, Americans think the person may not be a hard worker or a good leader. When a handshake is too strong, Americans think the person is too rough(粗鲁) or has bad manners.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They shake hands when they meet for the first time. They shake hands to say congratulations. They shake hands when they meet after not seeing each other for a while. And they often shake hands when they say good-bye. In business, shaking hands shows agreement and honesty.

    Handshakes are good everywhere.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} So make sure to shake plenty of hands.

A. Offer you hand first.

B. Shake for no more than three seconds.

C. How do people shake hands correctly?

D. Don't shake too strongly or too weakly.

E. It is not polite to refuse a person's hand.

F. When do people in the United States shake hands?

G. Make sure your hands aren't sweaty when you do this.

Every art lover has a dream—to buy an old painting at a low price and later discover that it's worth millions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But this dream can become a nightmare if it turns out that the painting is stolen.

    The following true story happened in London. An art collector was walking around an outdoor market in the East End when he saw two interesting paintings.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} He decided to buy them after they got the price down to 145 pounds. The art collector knew it was a good deal, but he wasn't sure how much his paintings were really worth.

    He decided to take the paintings to the Sorheby's, a famous auction house.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} They were painted by two of England greatest painters Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds. They had been stolen from Lincoln's Inn, a famous historical building in London and were worth about two million pounds.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Experts at Sotheby's were convinced that he was an art thief and called the police. Within minutes the police arrived. They arrested the frightened man and took him to the police station. After hours of questioning, the police realized that they had made a mistake and let the man go.

    The art collector returned them immediately because he was worried about his good name.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} So the stolen paintings are now back at Lincoln's Inn.

A. Nothing is more exciting.

B. At this point the art collector was in trouble.

C. An auction house is a place where things are sold to whoever offers the most.

D. Although he wasn't an art expert, he saw that they were old.

E. Obviously, he did not want to be associated with stolen works.

F. The art experts who saw the paintings recognized them immediately.

G. He recognized that they were stolen works worth great value.

    The best way to set yourself up for success is to make sure that your goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

    Make your goals specific.

    You need to give yourself a concrete goal so you know exactly what you're working toward. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Who will be involved in helping you reach your goal? What exact goal do you want to accomplish? Be very specific. When will you start and when will you reach your goal?

    Make your goals measurable.

    Now that you have some of the specifics of your goal nailed down, it's time to look at how you will measure your progress. After all, if you don't have any way to measure your goal, how will you know when you've reached it? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Some examples of measurable goals might be pounds lost, a positive change in blood work numbers, or fitness minutes accumulated.

    Make your goals attainable.

    It's good to think big. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A goal that's attainable for you is one that you believe you can reach and have all the support, equipment, knowledge and resources needed to put your goals into action.

    Make your goals relevant.

    You need to make sure that you're choosing a goal that fits you and your lifestyle. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Pick something that is meaningful and relevant to you and you'll set yourself up for success.

    Make your goals timely.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Otherwise, it will be difficult to know how to pace yourself to reach it. Every goal should have a date, which will help you stay on track. In addition, set up a few mini-deadlines to keep you on track to reaching your big-picture goal.

    Life is full of surprises and events that sometimes change one's daily routine. Some of them might be good and pleasant. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The unexpected events may cause you anxiety and stress. So you need to find some ways to be less affected by them.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Even if you live the same kind of life, doing the same things day after day, there could be unexpected events. So you need to realize that such events can't be avoided and you need to be prepared for them. In this way, you'll find it easier to deal with whatever happens in your life.

    Have a positive attitude. Not all unexpected events are bad. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, even getting fired for work could finally turn out well, as you might find a more satisfying job.

    Always focus on the present moment, learning from it and making use of new changes that come your way. In other words, make the most of the present moment, instead of thinking about what you lost, or how bad the situation is. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Introduce small changes into your life. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can try eating a different breakfast or drink tea in the morning instead of coffee, or do things that you usually do, but in a different way.