Are These the Best Years of Your Life?

    The ups and downs of life may seem to have no predictable plan. But scientists now know there are very clear life patterns that almost all people share. Even if you have passed some of your best years, you still have other good years to come.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    When are you smartest? From 18 to 25, according to I. Q. scores; but you are wiser and more experienced with increasing age. You're sharpest in your 20's; around 30, mental abilities begin to decline, particularly your ability to do maths.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Your vocabulary at age 45, for example, is three times as great as when you graduated from college. At 60, your brain possesses almost four times as much information as it did at age 21.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You have the best physical sense of yourself from 15 to 24, when you feel energetic all the time. The best professional sense seems from 40 to 49. Before age 24, we believe that our happiest years are yet to come. Over 30, we believe that they're behind us. A National Health Survey agrees: After age 30, we “become more realistic and do not view happiness as a goal in itself. If we keep our health, achieve professional and emotional goals, then happiness, we feel, will follow.”

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Generally between 30 to 39, but the peak(顶峰）varies with different professions. Mozart wrote a symphony by age eight, and Mendelssohn composed his best-known work, A Midsummer Night's dream, at 17, but most of the great music was written by men between 33 and 39. Though the peak in most fields comes early—most Nobel Prize winners did their top research in their late 20's and 30's, creative people continue to produce quality work throughout their lives.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. When are you happiest?

B. When are you most creative?

C. But your ability to complete other tasks climbs.

D. The above gives you an accurate figure.

E. Certain good years seem to come later in life.

F. For people who are creative, there is no upper age limit.

G. The human life journey cannot be charted by a clear life pattern.

    When you ask people how to make friends as an adult, they usually give you suggestions like, “just get out there,” “join a dance class,” or , “try speed dating.”{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    After all, making friends does require us to get out into the world and take a few emotional risks. Most of the time, however, we are not lacking for ideas on where to meet people. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    For this reason, most people find that reconnecting with themselves is a first step towards reconnecting with others.

    If you feel tired, out of shape, or sad, most of the time, making friends is going to be extremely difficult. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Start small. Use the1-minute technique to gradually increase your commitment to exercise. Get out into nature. Set a timer to remind yourself to get up every hour to stretch. Try gentle yoga.

    While you build up your body, don't forget to nourish your mind. Write down one thing every day that you are grateful for. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Learn to become your own best friend.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Instead of relying on our social circumstances to bring people into our lives, we need to change ourselves first and then invite people into our lives.

A. On the surface, these are fine suggestions.

B. Spend a few minutes every day in reflection.

C. It will be even more difficult when you are an adult.

D. We only need to know how to start a conversation with strangers.

E. We are missing the motivation and self-confidence to get started.

F. Making friends as an adult is possible, but it requires a new approach.

G. Fortunately there are plenty of simple things that you can do to increase your physical and emotional resources.

Should schools allow Halloween celebrations?

    Halloween is one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many schools also celebrate the holiday by having kids dress up in costumes, take part in costume shows, and join in a variety of activities relating to Halloween. On October 31, the halls of schools across the country will be filled with princes, princesses, and superheroes. In addition to costumes, school Halloween celebrations often include classroom parties and trick-or-treating.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They also say that dressing up in costumes allows kids to express themselves and show off their creativity.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Officials at many of those schools say the celebrations are too time-consuming (费时的) and take away class time. They also point out that kids who can't afford costumes or who don't celebrate Halloween for cultural reasons feel left out. For example, Seth Boyden Elementary School in Maplewood, New Jersey, canceled（取消）its Halloween celebration last year. Officials at the school said that in the past, many students stayed home on that day.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Bree Picower, a Professor of Early and Elementary Education at Montclair State, said, “Maplewood is a wonderful example of a school being responsive to society. Many schools plan to learn from it. Schools are places where students should feel included.”

    Parents in Maplewood had different opinions of this policy. Some said that the new no-Halloween policy was a welcome change. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It brings a lot of safety problems.

B. Experts say Maplewood is not alone.

C. Many people dislike these costumes.

D. Each year there're millions of Americans celebrations the holiday.

E. But more and more schools have canceled（取消）Halloween celebrations in recent years.

F. Many teachers, parents, and students see these celebrations as a fun break from the school day.

G. And others said that it was unfair that their children are now not allowed to celebrate Halloween in school.

    Venice Carnival is one of Italy's most fascinating yearly events. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} A confusion of color, historical costumes, mysterious masks, and a week of live concerts, street parties and entertainment attract millions of tourists each year. Here's everything you need to know before you go.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Traditionally held around Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, at the start of Lent (40 days before Easter), Venice Carnival ( Carnevale del Veneto ) celebrations can last up to two weeks. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, the biggest events, including the official parades and masked balls, are held over the final weekend.

    What to Do?

    Join one of the parades or street parties, and taste traditional Carnival foods such as frittelle, a traditional dessert made only during the festivities. Carnival is the ideal time to experience Venetian culture and traditions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}You can also take part in a mask-making workshop, tour Venice's cicchetti bars for a bite to eat, sail up and down the Grand Canal on a romantic Venice boat ride, or attend an evening Carnival concert or dinner theater performance.

Things to Know

    St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) is the center of Carnival celebrations with daily parades, performances and other activities. Most Carnival events, except for the masked balls and gala dinners, are free to attend.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} So prepare for cold weather and possible rain, with an average high of 46℉(8℃) in February.

A. When to Go

B. Where to Stay

C. Carnival falls during winter in Venice.

D. Most visitors choose to arrive on the final weekend.

E. It is also one of the oldest festivals celebrated in the city.

F. There's a busy schedule of both free and ticketed events throughout the time.

G. Get into the carnival spirit by buying or renting a traditional costume or Venetian mask.

    If something that you're doing doesn't challenge you, then it doesn't change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So challenge the following limits:

    ⒈Figure out what you're scared of and do it continuously.

    If you're a salesman, and you're scared of talking to people personally or over the phone now, instead of being scared and thinking you'll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But don't stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eye and say, "Go on. I'm not scared!"

    ⒉Take a class for a hobby you've been wanting to develop

    Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.

    ⒊Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight  but also make you feel better about yourself.

    ⒋Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.

    Don't just limit yourself to your fellow travelers­try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they're going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You should do it continuously.

B. Someone may hang up on you.

C. You don't need to go to the gym.

D. Running in the gym may be a better choice.

E. Start to travel now and learn to challenge yourself.

F. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on.

G. You can never see any improvement if you stick to your comfort zone.

Try This at Home!

    Are you looking for a new pastime that will create a balance between physical activity and relaxation? Then yoga may be the perfect choice for you. Yoga can be practiced by people of all ages and levels of fitness.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's a great way to strengthen your muscles and become more flexible.

    In the 1930s, Indian Sri Tirumali and K. Pattabhi developed one of the most popular forms of yoga practised worldwide today. They worked together using an ancient Sansknt text called Yoga Korunta to create a set routine of yoga movements and breathing exercises. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Ashtanga is different from other forms of yoga. It is a very powerful form of aerobic (有氧的)exercise which creates deep heat in the body. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In other forms of yoga, however, the routine can change each time and the stretching exercises aren't aerobic.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}As well as making you stronger and more flexible, it can also help you to stay calm. By focusing on your breathing while doing physical exercise, you are able to get a balance between mind and body. In addition, yoga helps to make us healthier so we are less likely to get common illnesses like colds.

    Furthermore, yoga encourages you to think about what you're doing. Often you will close your eyes while doing certain movements. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}After a few lessons you'll stop looking at what the others around you are doing. You will stop comparing yourself and start focusing on yourself.

A. It can also be done anywhere at any time.

B. The result of their co-operation was ashtanga yoga.

C. Whatever kind of yoga you choose, there are many long-term benefits.

D. This allows you to concentrate better and it makes you less competitive.

E. Every time someone practices ashtanga, he or she does exactly the same movements.

F. If you're interested in yoga, but can find a class near you, then it might be an excuse to travel.

G. Recently, it has become extremely common for beginners as well as advanced yoga students to go on yoga holidays.