Happiness begins from appreciation

    If you are feeling that life just cannot be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive. When stressed, depressed, upset or otherwise in a negative state of mind because you are aware that misfortune keeps occurring, it is important to shift those negative thoughts to something positive. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It is often very hard to think positive when so many things are negative, but be sure that someone, somewhere is worse off than you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you start with one small, positive thing and appreciate it during the course of your day, you will begin to move into a more positive situation and people will start showing up in your life. With appreciation, you will find that over time, you will change your outlook and choose to be happy, regardless of the events around you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Begin and end each day with a “Thank you for this wonderful, glorious day!”

    When you see the rise of gas prices, say “I am so glad to have a vehicle in which to get around.”

    When your boss is too hard on you, say “I am grateful for my job as I know that many don't have one.”

    If you are having health problems, be grateful for what does work: “I really do appreciate it that my eyes see, my ears hear, my mouth tastes, my legs walk, my arms lift and my mind thinks and everything else works.”

    Write down what you're grateful for each day. In moments when you're feeling really down, read loud what you wrote previously. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you practice this regularly, you will find your list getting longer and longer.

    The key is to move yourself into a positive thought and keep it there long enough to make it a moment of appreciation. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. This will certainly help uplift your spirits.

B. If not, you will only attract more misfortune.

C. It is of great importance to learn to be grateful.

D. The more you appreciate, the happier you'll be.

E. If you have made some achievements in your career.

F. Here are a few common examples for you to practice.

G. You can choose to think differently by beginning with the smallest of steps.

    Music education is the learning of all aspects of music as a separate field altogether. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The main components of music education is everything from the history of music, musicians who have reached a respectable level, basic notes of music, different types of music, and many other things about music.

    Music education is very important in schools. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} As the child starts learning music from an early age, he would turn out to be a skilled musician. And then he can use his talent for many purposes, such as being a music teacher and teaching other students, or using his musical talent to earn his living.

    According to a survey conducted by elementary schools and high schools, students who were taught music and had a good interest in it academically performed far better than those who were not into music learning. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} While learning music, students learned to count, to multiply and to divide. At the same time, science helped them discover what sounded good together and what didn't. It is also a proven fact that students who have the knowledge of and interest in music tend to plan and organize actions efficiently in their personal lives. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They do not get aggressive very soon. Furthermore, children learning music are found to be fun-loving and are great at communicating with others.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} A majority of students are satisfied and happy about learning music or playing a musical instrument. Students with good music education do have a sense of personal achievement. A notable benefit of music education is that it is used as a stress reliever, considering a student's study routine.

A. Music education makes one much more honorable.

B. It helps children develop the skill at a very early age.

C. They tend to do well in subjects like math and science.

D. Music education in schools also benefits the students emotionally.

E. It consists of theoretical knowledge as well as practical experiences.

F. And it is commonly believed that musicians are peace-loving people.

G. While learning music, much of the culture and tradition is absorbed.

    I have been lucky enough to be right next to dolphins playing in perfect surf, using the power of the waves to travel even faster than they normally swim. There is np doubt that they are enjoying themselves and, though I can't swim like a dolphin, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Bodysurfing involves riding on a wave with no help from any device (装置) such as a surfboard, which makes it the "purest" form of surfing. In fact, it is one of very few extreme sports—free climbing and cliff diving are others—{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    However, it is more enjoyable and safer if you use flippers (脚蹼). This is because they enable you to swim faster, and so catch waves and surf along them more easily. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Another aid is a handboard, a mini-surf board about the size of an iron, held in one hand to generate more speed along the wave.

    To catch a wave, swim to where the waves break and, as one approaches, start swimming towards the beach. You must try to travel at the same speed as the wave and, if you do it correctly, you will feel the wave lifting you and pushing you forwards. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Bodysurfing is not a professional sport, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}—the Pipeline Bodysurfing

    Classic—held each year at the legendary Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii. Local bodysurfers compete against athletes from places such as Australia, Brazil, Japan or France, in terrifying walls of water above the sharp coral reef.

    For me no other sport is as much fun as bodysurfing. There's a good reason why dolphins choose not to use surfboards!

    Parents usually teach their children how to cross the street safely, by looking both ways for cars. But do they also teach them to put away their cell phones?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Texting while crossing the street will soon be banned in the city. Beginning on October 24, you could be fined from $15 to $99 if you step into a Honolulu street while looking at your phone. Honolulu is the first major U.S. city to ban what is called "distracted walking". It recently passed a law in a seven to two vote. The law says: "No pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device." In other words, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The law's creators hope it will lower the number of people hit and killed by cars in the city. Mayor Kirk Caldwell told Reuters news agency, "We hold the unfortunate reputation of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our seniors, than almost any other city in the country."

    The law includes all electronic devices with screens: cell phones, tablets, gaming devices, digital cameras and laptop computers. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Pedestrians may use such devices in the street to call emergency services and rescue workers, such as firefighters and police officers.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The state of Washington was the first to outlaw distracted driving back in 2007. Now, 46 other states as well as D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, have laws against texting while driving reports the GHSA.

    If you still want to text while walking, you could avoid being fined in Honolulu (and be safer, in general) by using a voice-controlled digital assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    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.

    To someone stuck in a traffic jam, the ability to fly right over other cars seems like a dream. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} That may be changing. Nearly a dozen companies around the globe are competing to be the first to develop a flying car. One of the ideas being developed is a car with wings that unfold for flight. But, most aren't cars at all. They are more like helicopters and are operated by a battery-powered motor.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Companies have to convince the government that the flying cars are safe. They will also need longer-lasting batteries. And, cities will have to figure out how to handle thousands of flying cars in the sky.

    Still, some companies are moving forward. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Especially as cities grow more crowded and people spend more time stuck in traffic. These taxis would deliver passengers to the rooftops of office buildings during rush hours.

    "In as little as 10 years, products could be on the market that revolutionize urban travel for millions of people," said Zach Lovering. He is the leader of a project to develop a self-flying taxi for Airbus, a European company that makes airplanes. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Although Uber doesn't have any plans to develop a flying car itself, the company is advising several companies that are developing them.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Designers think that if enough people want to buy them, prices can be kept affordable.

A. Some flying cars are designed for human pilots.

B. It's still unclear how much flying cars will cost.

C. They see a need for "air taxis" and personally owned flying cars.

D. Companies will also have to get permission from the government.

E. The Uber ride-share company sees air taxis as the future of on-call transportation.

F. Inventors and business people tried to make flying cars, but have never been able to.

G. There are many challenges that could keep flying cars from becoming part of everyday life.