A．Slow Down Your Life

B．Escape Now and Then

C．Separate Your Actions

D．Allow Yourself to Be Weak

E．Relieve Pressure by Firmly Saying “No”

F．Stop Expecting Everything to Be Perfect

How to Simplify Your Life

    Less is more. This is why we say: reduce things by half instead of doubling them, get rid of junk instead of piling it up, relax instead of stressing, slow down instead of speeding up. Apply these principles in your everyday life in a conscious way. You will then find yourself well along on your journey to simplification.

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    When you concentrate on one task, you find you have energy that you didn't even know you had. Just imagine: you are at a fair and you have to carry two heavy pigs over 100 yards. If you keep grabbing one and then the other, it will take forever, because one of them will keep slipping out from under your arm and running off. But if you tie one pig in a place, pick up the other, gather all your strength and make a dash for the finish line, pause for a moment, run back and get the other one, and with great determination, carry the second pig to the finish line, then you can be sure of success.

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    The pressure at work is on the increase in all occupations. In the modern nuclear family, the expectations that formerly would have been shared among all the relatives are now concentrated on the individual partner.

If you have the feeling that 24 hours per day are not enough for all the things you need to do, then it's not because the day has too few hours, but because you have too many activities. A simple fact that overloaded people often tend to forget. The solution is equally simple: refuse to accept so many work assignments in your private life or your working life.

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     “I can handle stress” is regarded as a positive statement in the world of work. People who can handle stress are given more and more to cope with—until one day they break.

    Pay careful attention to the signs that tell you that you are under more stress than you can cope with. These signals can come from various areas of life. You become ill, or your work efficiency decreases.

If you have any of these symptoms, change your life goals and decrease your tolerance of stress. Say quite openly, “I can't manage that.”

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     “If only I were slimmer, more beautiful, richer, more clever, then I would be happier.” This is a dream that makes a lot of people ill, depressed, and unhappy. Life has its flaws, defects, corners, and edges. Only those who accept this reality can lead a really full life.

Of course there are activities in which errors are dangerous：driving a car, crossing the road. But life doesn't consist entirely of these things. In among them there is a lot of room for small and large mistakes.

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    Successful people all have their own places where they can withdraw in order to work. Find out which places improve your creativity. For me it's the train. When I know that I'm going to be traveling for four hours without phone calls and people knocking on my door, I find my mind is free and I can read or write complex articles. There can be problems working on the train, of course: if the person sitting opposite you keeps talking away, or if train trips make you tired(some people fall asleep after a few miles)．

    When trying to make a successful career, which is better: being a generalist or a specialist? Inother words, should you generalize and know a little about a lot of things?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Natasha Olinger, a human resource expert, talks about the benefits of both. She said Generally speaking, the common wisdom is that it's always better to specialize and then you can demand a higher salary.

    To explain her idea, linger uses a fairly commons situation-choosing a restaurant {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    If you go to a restaurant that only serves sushi, you can expect high quality products, and you also should expect to pay more. If you go to a place that serves sushi, tacos and pizza, the quality of the sushi may not be so great, but the prices will probably be lower. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, she adds that all is not perfect in the world of the specialist. If there is a drop in economy, a generalist may get more job offers.

Olinger suggests thinking about the size and type of business you would like to work for.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Also, companies that are just getting started often need people who are able to perform many different tasks. For example, your job description may be that of a graphic designer, but you may also have to do some writing. Larger companies can be just the opposite. They often need specialists-experts in a given field. But perhaps the best solution is a mix of generalization and specialization. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The top of the T would be the generalized part. The upright stem of the T would be the deeper understanding of a person's general knowledge-their expertise

A. Or should we combine these two with each other?

B. Some career planners call this a "t-shaped" career.

C. Say you want to eat a favorite Japanese meal: sushi.

D Olinger says the world of work is not all that different.

E. Small businesses often need people who can do many things.

F. Olinger also warns that the world of work is more complex than this.

G Or should you specialize and have a deep understanding of only one area.

    Please wear loose clothing, mostly cotton. It is obvious that wearing clothing that is loose rather than tight is welcomed in summer. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. This carries away the warmth that your body produces and allows cooler air to flow back in.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. When it's really hot out, materials that “breathe” — allowing the flow of air through the fabric (衣料) itself — also work to keep you cool. Cotton and linen are among the most breathable fabrics，so look for clothes made of those substances.

    Your body controls its temperature via a small peanut-shaped section of the brain known as the hypothalamus (下丘脑). {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It turns the temperature up or down based on various factors — such as how cold or hot the skin is.

    Certain parts of the skin have a larger influence than others. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. They get their name because you can feel your pulse there, and the reason you can do that is because vessels are so close to the edge of your skin that one can easily hear or feel the flow of blood.

    When you want to lower your body temperature, cooling those pulse points with cold water or ice sends a signal to the brain that says, “Turn cold.” {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Focus on pulse points that are easy to reach: the insides of your wrists, the area around your temple, and your neck. Holding an ice pack or even a cold washcloth against the skin on these regions will make your entire body feel cooler.

A. It allows air to flow past the skin

B. Sweating helps to cool off the skin

C. These areas are called pulse points (脉冲点)

D. The type of fabric you wear has an influence, too

E. This fools your brain into turning down its thermostat (恒温器)

F. This region works almost like a thermostat in a home

G. Exercising in extreme heat is usually not recommended

    Do you ever feel like you've got a great idea, one that makes you feel unbelievably inspired and want to change the world? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We've all been there. And we'll all be there again and again throughout life. So take a deep breath, and try these techniques:

    Start small.

    So often, we feel the need to take great leaps and bounds. Every day needs to be filled with productivity. But we reach a point where we get overwhelmed(不知所措的) by all the things we have to do. Break it down. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Take a baby step. Once you get going, it will be harder to stop.

    Do the thing you're afraid of.

    Often when we get overwhelmed, it's because the task ahead is daunting（吓人的）. There's no easy way around it. The more we think about it, the more frightened we feel. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Most of the time, things are never as bad as we imagined them in our minds.

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    The biggest misunderstanding is that we have to do everything on our own. But that's simply not true. Success never comes without support. So reach out. Call a friend. Ask for advice. Your community will be more than happy to help, and you'll feel better.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The harder you work for something you believe in, the better you will feel about it. And once you learn how to handle hitting a brick wall, it will get easier to deal with the next time around.

A. Ask for help.

B. Don't give up.

C. No one wants to live with regrets.

D. No one can do everything all at once.

E. So stop thinking about it, and just do it.

F. But once you start working on your idea, you start doubting yourself.

G. Remember that if it's not easy, it probably means it's worth it.

    A good night's sleep is one of the best things for your health. The following steps might help you enjoy a good sleep.

    Create a nightly routine(惯例).

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It could be as simple as washing your face or brushing your teeth. As you begin to move into your "nightly routine", your mind will know that it's time to sleep.

    Learn your body clock.

    Some experts believe sleepiness comes in cycles(周期性地). If you know the cycles in your body clock, you can use them to your advantage. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}If not, it might be a long time before you're ready for sleep again.

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    Put your clock under your bed or on the bottom shelf of your bedside cabinet(床头柜), where its light won't disturb(干扰)you. That way, if you wake up in the middle of the night, or have problems in sleeping, you won't worry about how late it is and how much sleep you're missing.

    Paint your bedroom a relaxing color

First, take any unnecessary things away from your bedroom— they stand in the way of a good night's sleep.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It's a reminder of sleep.

    Choose the right pillow

    One study found that neck pillows can actually improve the quality of your sleep as well as reduce neck pain. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It should provide neck support and be washable.

A. Hide your clock.

B. Change your habit

C. You probably can't fall asleep very easily

D. When sleepiness comes, get to bed in time.

E. Then paint your room a relaxing color, like green.

F. The best neck pillow should be soft and not too high.

G. This is something you do every night before going to bed.

    The pine tree is a special kind of tree.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}This is because many people put pine trees in their homes at Christmas time. They decorate the tree with colored lights, and put Christmas presents under the tree. Pine trees are different from other trees because most other trees lose their leaves in winter.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}So pine trees are also called evergreens.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}They have hard, thin leaves called needles. Pine trees also have pine cones. Pine cones look like hard berries. If you walk in a forest, you will see many pine cones on the ground.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When the seeds fall to the ground, a new tree starts to grow. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The wood is used to make furniture and boats. Many kinds of birds build their nests in pine trees. The seeds of pine trees are food for small animals such as squirrels and mice and for bigger animals such as rabbits and black bears. The needles are good food for large animals such as deer and moose when they cannot find anything to eat in the winter. If you walk in a forest of pine trees, the air has a wonderful smell. In winter, the white snow on the dark green trees looks very beautiful.

A. Pine trees stay green all year long, even in winter.

B. Pine trees do not have soft leaves like the maple tree.

C. Some people call the pine tree a Christmas tree.

D. Pine trees are very beautiful all year round.

E. Pine trees are valuable for many reasons.

F. Inside the pine cones are seeds.

G. The seeds inside the pine cones are the favorite food for some animals.