We all believe we listen well and yet many times we feel others are not listening to us. However, listening goes in both directions—you may believe you are listening well, but how often have you completely forgotten what was said to you? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Make eye contact.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} when People talk, they put out visual clues that add to the conversation and meaning of their words.

Stop talking.

    You can't listen, talk and at the same time completely receive the meaning of the other person's words. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

React without words.

    Let the other person know you are listening through physical reactions, such as head nods, smiles, frowns and eye movement.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Concentrate.

    Concentrate on what the other person is saying. Clear your mind of other thoughts and emotions and focus on the conversation at hand. Be in the moment of that conversation, and don't think about what you want to say back.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Behave as an effective listener. The more you continue to behave as a listener, the more you will be an effective listener.

Are you afraid of making mistakes?

    Learn to accept mistakes as opportunities, then you'll feel less stressed and fearful and you'll be more confident. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So what should you do?

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Accept that you're human and that each of us will make mistakes.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you are open to learning from your mistake, you will be able to move on rather than wallowing in (沉湎于) regret.

Be aware

    In other words, look for areas of improvement. Be aware of what you are doing, why you are doing it, how you feel, and how you make others feel. Sometimes, your words just don't land right or you say something but it is not what you mean to say. People have difficulty expressing what they really mean.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Whenever you make a mistake or you are involved in a misunderstanding, take responsibility. There is always something to be learned or improved even if the other person is wrong, too.

A. By being fully aware of how you impact others, you keep an open state of learning which allows you to practice being a better person.

B. Be open to making mistakes and consider them as opportunities to learn valuable life lessons.

C. Here are some ideas that can prevent you from making mistakes.

D. Be open to making mistakes.

E. In short, you will benefit from the mistakes.

F. Say your words again so that others can understand you.

G. Accept full responsibility.

    Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning, and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resetting your body clock. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here's how to make one.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In order to make a change, you need to decide why It's important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise，or just be better prepared for your day! Once you are clear about your reasons, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.

    Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} That's a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.

    Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you're tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you've tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} If not, take another look at other methods you could try.

A. Get a sleep specialist.

B. Find the right motivation.

C. A better plan for sleep can help.

D. And consider setting a second alarm.

E. If the steps you take are working, keep it up.

F. Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day.

G. Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the cafe to get coffee.

    Recently researchers went through some survey information about the health and habits of men and women in Scotland, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (hope) to determine how much exercise is needed to keep the Scots {#blank#}2{#/blank#} feeling depressed. The answer: a mere 20 minutes a week of any physical exercise, whether sports, walking, gardening {#blank#}3{#/blank#} even housecleaning. The researchers found that more exercise brought more mental-health benefits. But their overall conclusion was that being active for 20 minutes a week {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (be) enough, if your goal is mental health.

    How much exercise is enough? This is a question difficult to answer, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (part) because the amount of exercise needed depends on the benefits you hope to gain. Twenty minutes a week of housecleaning or other {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (activity) may, according to the Scottish study, increase your satisfaction, but it certainly won't do much for your physical fitness and is unlikely {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (reduce) your risks for diseases. It also won't help much with weight loss.

    Interestingly, they did not find that exercise beyond a certain point would bring additional health benefits. According to the report, “It {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (estimate) that people who are physically active for about seven hours a week have a 40 percent {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (low) risk of dying early than those {#blank#}10{#/blank#} are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”

    Changing your life can come in small, easy steps. You can transform yourself and live a better life by making positive changes along the way. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Choose to change bad habits.

    Some bad habits seem to stick around without us even realizing it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can overcome them, find better alternatives, and get through your struggle to become a better you! Do it for yourself more than anything.

    Choose to grow.

    It's easy to get stuck in a fixed way of life. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In choosing to grow, you build character, develop your strengths, become aware of what needs improvement, and turn into the well-rounded person you need to be to succeed.

    Choose to seek a balanced life.

    Where do you need balance? Are you all work, no play? Or the opposite? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you're spending too much time working or locked away alone, find the time for social interaction (社交) and having fun. If you haven't committed to a schedule in a while, make the decision to start following one.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    This is vital to human existence. We need the loving bonds created by family members and friends. Personal relationships are key to emotional growth and social stability.

A. Choose to spend time with those you love.

B. Choose to organize your schedule flexibly.

C. Make the choice today that you won't be ruled by them.

D. Here are some choices that will lead to your transformation.

E. Neither extreme will lead you to a pleasant life for very long.

F. However, with re-evaluation and growth comes a beautiful freedom.

G. It's good to change, and you've only got so many years to refresh yourself.

    Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight：

    Schedule yearly exams. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eyeglasses.

    Protect against UV rays (紫外线). Long term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it's extremely important to wear sunglasses. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Give your eyes a break. Two thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20second break and look at something 20 feet away.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.

    Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Otherwise, you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.

A．Eat your greens.

B．Eye care should begin early in life.

C．They can properly protect your eyes.

D．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins.

E．Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight.

F．Always follow the doctor's advice for appropriate wear.

G．This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness.