Forgiveness

    To forgive is a virtue (美德), but no one has ever said it is easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible, and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. People who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness, according to a recent research.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Try the following steps:

    Calm yourself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.

    Don't wait for an apology. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't see things the same way.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.

    Take the control away from your offender(冒犯者). Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who causes you pain. Instead of focusing on your mounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness, fear, and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender's point of view.

    Don't forget to forgive yourself.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But it can rob you of your self-confidence if you don't do it.

A. Why should you forgive?

B. How should you start to forgive?

C. Recognize the benefits of forgiveness.

D. Try to see things from your offender's angle.

E. For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge.

F. To make your anger die away, try a simple stress-management technique.

G. If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time.

    When home is far away, the sense of ease and belonging that so many people feel can transform into painful feelings of longing, commonly known as homesickness. Along with feelings of insecurity, loss of control and nervousness, physical effects, including sleep issues, tiredness and loss of appetite, are also caused by homesickness.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Check them out below:

    Realize that feeling homesick is 100 percent normal.

    Almost everyone experiences homesickness when moving to a new place—some people might just be better at hiding it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Homesickness is a normal and evolutionarily healthy reaction.

    Make connections with new people in comfortable settings.

    Feeling homesick when separated from loved ones motivates people to be with those supportive people.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} When making new connections, it's best to stick to the style that works for you in order to ease homesickness.

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    This point is vital and also one of the hardest to accomplish. Self-compassion is loving yourself just as you love the ones you care about. The most important step in practicing self-compassion is substituting negative, critical and, sometimes, automatic thoughts about yourself with thoughts that are more supportive and kind.

    Keep tabs on your negativity.

    It's also useful to ask yourself how much of your homesickness is due to an event, such as being separated from loved ones, and how much is from how you're understanding a situation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}A positive outlook on a situation can do wonders for your mood, but it often can be hard to practice. You can silence negative thoughts in many ways, including reciting positive mantras（祷文）, keeping a journal or even taking a walk in a park.

    If you're dealing with feelings of homesickness, remember you're not alone. Even though there's no place like home, give yourself some time and care, and you might find yourself falling in love with a new place.

A. Learn to help others.

B. Practice self-compassion.

C. Being homesick is abnormal.

D. Being homesick is not a sign of personal shortcoming.

E. We gathered a few psychologist-backed tips to help ease homesickness.

F. Taking a step back is recommended, instead of falling into the trap of a negative outlook.

G. But keep in mind that everyone is different when it comes to forming those new relationships.

    You only live once, and life is short. It's easy to look at people who are happy and assume that they don't understand your pain. The older you get, the more you realize that happiness takes work. People who smile in public have been through as much as people who cry, scream, etc. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}So how can you live life to the fullest? Here are some tips to help you out:

    Decide what's important to you. It doesn't matter what it is. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Your parents, friends and society in general all have their opinions, but you're the only person who will be around for every moment of your life. Do what makes you happy, and everything else will fall into place.

    Ready to take risks. Sometimes, there's danger involved in life, but every reward carries risk with it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}However, if you never take risks, you'll never get anywhere in life. When people look back on their lives, they regret the chances they didn't take more than the ones they did.

    Ignore the haters. No matter what you decide to do with your life, there will always be someone around to point out the many ways you will fail. Know that every winner loses, but not every loser wins. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Instead, they keep pushing through failure.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Your being right about something doesn't mean there aren't other ways to look at it. Listening to ideas you don't agree with or understand keeps your brain active and healthy.

A. Keep an open mind.

B. Speak through your actions.

C. Successful people don't start out successful.

D. Don't do what you think people want you to do.

E. It is true that some actions might have bad results.

F. They just have the courage and strength to smile through it.

G. Think about your past and future, but only focus on the present.

Do's and Don'ts of Donating

    Giving up your unused or unwanted stuff is a great way to make space in your home for the items that you do enjoy on a regular basis. Not sure where to start? Here are some do's and don'ts of donating your belongings.

    Do Prepare Your Clothes

    You've thoroughly cleaned out your closet and drawers, and have a mountain of clothing waiting to be donated.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Make sure all buttons are accounted for, and that you can't see any dirty marks, or damage.

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    The number one rule of donating your stuff is to make sure that it's in good, usable condition. Don't pass along old clothes or furniture, chipped dishes, books that are missing pages, or toys with lost pieces. Nobody wants to accept your damaged belongings. Find a local company that will recycle these items instead.

    Don't even think of donating these items

    With a little common sense it's easy to figure out items that are ideal for donations{#blank#}3{#/blank#} As a gentle reminder, it's never a good idea to donate car parts, dangerous waste, construction materials and weapons. Don't donate large appliances Major appliances such as stoves, fridges, freezers, washers and dryers typically reside on the 'do not donate' list due to health and safety reasons. All items accepted for donation must be thoroughly clean and in good working order. With secondhand appliances, it can be difficult to guarantee that they fit the bill. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Don't donate recalled items

    Every so often a product recall hits the news headlines. Highchairs, toys, holiday lights for Christmas trees the list of recalled items due to safety concerns is endless.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}A dangerous product should be thrown away, and not passed on to an unsuspecting person. Think of the well-being of others before dropping off something that's viewed as a hidden danger in your own home.

A. They're all acceptable items for donation, too.

B. Instead of donating an unwanted large appliance, call your local trash collection company and arrange for their safe disposal.

C. But unfortunately some people will throw away the contents of their home without a second though.

D. Before you bag up these pieces, inspect each one to ensure that they're in good condition and ready to be owned by someone else.

E. Don't donate damaged items.

F. Clothes aren't the only household items that can be donated.

G. Never donate recalled items!

Being a Volunteer

    What can you do to help people? The answer is ——to be a volunteer! Then what is the common opinion of volunteering? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Help yourself by helping others.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's amazing to know that volunteering can calm you down when you feel upset. Lots of people really enjoy volunteering, because doing volunteer work could make a big difference in their life. So where do you start? School is a good place to start if you are looking for volunteer ideas.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Volunteering is a great way to have fun with your family. Talk to your parents, brothers, or sisters and see what they might be interested in. Find something you all agree on. You can do the things as a family like cleaning up a park and planting trees or flowers in your local community(社区).

    Create your own opportunity for your future.

    Kids can come up with their own ways to raise money or provide needed services. You can make and sell products, and donate(捐赠) the money. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Volunteering can also help kids learn important things about their future —— like what kinds of things they will be best at. A volunteer job can even help some kids decide what they want to do when they grow up. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Make a plan to start volunteering today!

A. So what are you waiting for?

B. Things to do with family members.

C. Clean up a school or other public buildings.

D. Volunteering gives kids a sense of responsibility.

E. Why don't you choose to do a job you like best?

F. Volunteering means spending time in helping others.

G. When you volunteer to help others, you are helping yourself.

Whether you're traveling to the next town over or to the other side of the word, careful planning goes a long way toward ensuring your trip is a success. The right preparation helps you avoid potential disasters, such as having your credit card declined or running out of clean clothes to wear. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Make your reservations for fights and accommodations.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, where you want to stay and how you want to get around, make your reservations. For flights, book around two months out. And don't wait till the last minute for your hotels either. You don't want them to be booked or almost-booked because then prices skyrocket.

Set a travel budget.

Before you do anything, you need to know how much money you will have for this trip. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, so start your planning by breaking down how much you want to spend on transportation, food, accommodation, sightseeing and any other activities you hope to include in your trip.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

If you're going abroad, you may be required to get a visa. Besides, check the website of your intended country's consulate or embassy to see what is required for you to enter the country. Visas may take weeks or even months to finalize, so check early in the planning process.

Pack appropriate clothing for your destination and trip.

Check the weather at your destination 2-3 days before you depart. This will let you know what type of clothes you need to bring. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Will you be expected to wear a suit for a conference, or will you be able to bathe in a bathing suit on the beach?