Researchers have shown that your talent for happiness is, to a large degree, determined by your genes（基因）. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We can do this by overcoming negative emotions and developing positive emotions.

    Strategy（策略）1: {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    The first step is to make a choice to be happy. In Seeking Happiness, Bertrand Russell said, “Happiness must be an achievement rather than a gift of the gods, and in this achievement, effort must play a great part.”

Once you've decided to be happier, you can choose strategies for achieving happiness.

    Strategy 2: Develop gratitude（感激）.

    In Authentic Happiness, psychologist Martin Seligman encourages readers to perform a daily “gratitude exercise”. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    Strategy 3: Remember, money can't buy happiness.

    Research shows: {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Yes, “we always think that some things are wrong because they cannot bring us happiness.” writes Daniel Gilbert in Stumbling on Happiness.

    Strategy 4: Take part in meaningful activities.

“People are seldom happier,” says Jackson, “than when they're doing meaningful activities.”

    Yet, he has found that the most common leisure（休闲）activity — watching TV — produces some of the lowest levels of happiness.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Active leisure that helps a person grow does not come easily, he writes in Finding Flow.

A. Choose to be happy.

B. Seek happiness.

C. However, psychologists believe we can pursue happiness.

D. This drives bitterness from our heart, and promotes happiness.

E. Happiness is decided by many things.

F. To get more out of life, we need to put more into it.

G. More money doesn't often bring more happiness.

    The Internet has opened up a whole new online world for us to meet, chat and go where we've never been before.

    But just as in face to face communication, there are some rules of behavior that should be followed when on line. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Imagine how you'd feel if you were in the other person's shoes.

    For anything you're about to send: ask yourself, “Would I say this to the person's face?” if the answer is no, rewrite and reread. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    If someone in the chat room is rude to you, your instinct (本能) is to fire back in the same manner. But try not to do so. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If it was caused by a disagreement with another member, try to fix the situation by politely discussing it. Remember to respect the beliefs and opinions of others in the chat room.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Offer advice when asked by newcomers, as they may not be sure what to do or how to communicate. When someone makes a mistake, whether it's a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If it's a small mistake, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before saying anything. Having good manners yourself doesn't give you license to correct everyone else. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} At the same time, if you find you are wrong, be sure to correct yourself and apologize to those that you have offended.

    It is not polite to ask others personal questions such as their age, sex and income. Unless you know the person very well, and you are both comfortable with sharing personal information, don't ask such questions.

A. It's natural that there are some people who speak rudely or make mistakes online.

B. Repeat the process till you feel sure that you'd feel comfortable saying the words to the person's face.

C. Everyone was new to the network once.

D. The basic rule is simple: treat others in the same way you would want to be treated.

E. When you send short messages to a person online, you must say something beautiful to hear.

F. You should either ignore the person, or use your chat software to block their messages.

G. If you do decide to tell someone about a mistake, point it out politely. 

    You know that you have everything to be thankful for：a loving family，a pretty good job，and a healthy working body．Still，you keep feeling that what you have just isn't enough．Sure，you can be happier by making some life changes．{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It will make you more likely to start enjoying that sunshine instead of complaining（抱怨）about sunburn．

    Live in the present．

    The people who are the happiest with their lives are able to enjoy and hug the present moment．{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Focus on what the day will bring you instead of what happened yesterday or what you'll be able to change about tomorrow. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Though your life may not be perfect in the moment，there are surely some things that you can be very grateful for，whether it's your loving family，your amazing friends，your health，your cool new job，or your amazing home．You probably don't have all of these things but surely there are a few things you can remind yourself to be grateful for every single day．

    Stop comparing yourself to others．

    Stop thinking about how big your neighbor's house is，how great your friend Jack's job is，or how perfect your best friend's relationship is．You'll never get anywhere if you compare yourself to others．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Hang out with people who are satisfied with their lives．

    Surround yourself with people who are good influences．They will show you that there are all kinds of ways to be happy，and will maybe even give you some tips for how to walk to difficult situations．{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They are more likely to come up with some reasons to be unhappy．

A．Be grateful for what you have．

B．What if there is a major obstacle (障碍）standing in your way?

C．Take some time to enjoy exactly what you're doing right now．

D．The easiest way to be satisfied with your life is to adjust yourself positively．

E．Avoid people looking for reasons to be upset with their life．

F．But if you drop comparing completely，you'll only be doing yourself a favor．

G．Get regular exercise with friends every day．

How to help children improve the ability to study

    Children often have trouble studying because they haven't developed good study habits. Teaching your child study skills early will give those skills to become habits.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Create a Positive Learning Space. To increase concentration, set up a workspace for your child.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.  His or her desk should have as few distractions as possible and be well equipped with school supplies, like pencils, erasers, rulers, calculators, loose leaf paper and even a computer if your child is at a grade level where a computer is helpful or necessary. The environment should also be cheery and fun so that he or she has a good mental association with it.

Maintain a Reliable Schedule. Make sure your child studies at the same time every evening. This habit keeps children from wasting time ,and helps them focus. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Most children have trouble focusing for more than an hour. Encourage your child to take a brief break can help him or concentrate more deeply when it's time to do so.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.Encourage your child to turn off his or her cell phone, video games and computer unless the computer is needed for the task at hand. These devices often distract children and can lead to wasting time. You should also be reasonably quiet and calm while your child is studying. Avoid noisy activities like talking loudly on the phone, vacuuming or watching television while your child is studying.

    Give Positive Reinforcement(强化).Positive reinforcement is not simply a matter of rewarding good study habits or high test scores, but also of acknowledging a child's progress no matter how small. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.It will help to improve his or her study skills in effective ways.

A. Studies show kids and teens are more willing to study when praised.

B. A loving, caring and optimistic reaction will often be just the thing that your child needs.

C. The following tips can help your child study better.

D. Keep your child away from electronic devices.

E. If possible, only use the space to complete homework.

F. Avoid Distractions.

G. Also, let your child take a brief break every hour or so.

    There are three things that will get you ahead in life: good looks, smarts, and being considered as being smart.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} And unluckily most of us are not good-looking. Let's explore some different ways to become smarter.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}College doesn't necessarily mean you'll be smarter, just educated. It means you'll be exposed to many different ideas and hopefully you'll learn how to think. Being able to think outside the box and for yourself are features smart people possess.

    Read books and educational magazines.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Educational magazines are a wealth of knowledge you can share with others, thus making you sound very smart. If you do watch television, try watching something that you can learn.

    Expand your vocabulary. Try to learn one new word a week. It doesn't seem like much, but adding 52 new words to your vocabulary will really make you appear much smarter. Subscribing (订阅) to vocabulary.com is a good start.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This way you're actually getting 365 words a year, but that is usually more than most people can absorb.

    Don't repeat everything people tell you until you know that it's true.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}They hear a strange claim and they repeat it to the nearest ear. You can do much harm to your seek for being smart if you are known for giving bad information.

A. Go to college and get an education.

B. The first is God-given.

C. Get educated inside or outside college.

D. You will have a new word sent to your email address daily.

E. The programs actually provide you with information you can use.

F. Uneducated people and people not considered as being smart tend to do this.

G. Reading books works the brain out more than viewing television.

    People often say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and that's actually quite true.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}After all, making a good first impression is all about making others feel good when spending time with them. The following tips will help you make a positive impression every time.

    Dress appropriately

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}That means dressing up or putting on nice, clean, situation-appropriate clothes for social situations. It isn't difficult and it doesn't have to cost you much, either.

    Be aware of your body language

    Words express very little of what you say. Body language can tell someone a lot about your mood and confidence level.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Eye contact is an easy way to make others feel comfortable, important and special. Nervous body language can make others uncomfortable and anxious. Try to be aware of your body language when communicating with others.

    Respect the opinions of others

    Not everyone will have the same opinion with you, and friendly disagreements can be a gateway to a great conversation. Respect other people's right to have their own opinion. Respect the opinions of others even if you disagree with them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    People love talking about themselves, but generally, you want to be careful of taking over the conversation. By listening carefully to what others are saying, you are not only making them feel important, but you can gather cues you need to keep the conversation going and bridge to new topics.

A. Be a careful listener.

B. Show an interest in every person you meet.

C. Smile especially when first meeting someone.

D. Make sure you look nice whenever you meet someone new.

E. Meeting new people and starting conversations is often challenging.

F. Others will want to be with you and help you make a good impression.

G. Don't force others to believe what you believe or to see things only as you see them.