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)．

    Everyone wants to be self-confident, but maybe we just don't know how to be. Here are some tips on how you can feel more confident about yourself.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Everyone has shortcomings. When you have found your shortcomings, work to overcome them. If you are a shy person, take part in social activities, such as parties, and speak to at least one or two people there.

Second, try to spend more time with positive people. Successful and confident people have their own ways of settling problems. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Third, set goals for yourself. With each goal you achieve, you self-confidence will increase.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}We are afraid that we might lose. Stop thinking like that and give yourself a chance.

    Fourth, start each day with a sense of opportunity. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Think positively about yourself.

    Actually everyone has his or her own way of becoming confident. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Friends might have useful suggestions, too.

    In short, as long as you try new things, you are sure to become more confident.

A. You should talk with your friends.

B. Pay attention and learn from them.

C. First, don't think about your weak points.

D. It's not always right to ask friends for help.

E. sometimes we might be afraid of trying new things.

F. First, you should know what your weak points are.

G. Start your day by reading something encouraging.

    Everyone can benefit a lot from reading books. The following is about various benefits of reading books.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Whenever you read something, you learn information that you wouldn't have known. If you want to learn new words, reading books is a great way to enlarge your vocabulary.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Similar to solving puzzles, reading books allows your mind to practice its processing skills. Going without books for too long will turn your mind into mess.

    One of the primary benefits of reading books is its ability to develop your thinking skills.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Wherever you are faced with a similar problem in real life, your mind is able to put its mystery solving skills to a test.

    The information in books can be referred to over and over again. For example, reading a cookbook allows you the chance to review the cooking steps whenever you need to.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't even think about writing the information down because you may lose the paper sooner or later.

    These are just some of the wonderful benefits of reading books.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you can't even go outside, you can download free e­books online and read them on your computer. That way, you can see how useful reading can be for yourself.

A. You can improve your memory by reading.

B. Reading keeps your mind in good condition.

C. Reading books can make you become confident.

D. Reading books provides you with new knowledge.

E. Reading mystery novels, for example, trains your mind.

F. Following the steps from a cooking video will be difficult.

G. Why don't you drop into a bookstore and pick a book up?

The Value of Tears

    Tears can ruin make-up, bring conversation to a stop, and give you a runny nose. Tears leave you embarrassed and without energy. Still, crying is a fact of life, and your tears are very useful. Even when you're not crying, they make a film over the eye's surface.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    When tears fall, they reduce stress. But we tend to fight them for all sorts of reasons. “People worry about showing their emotions (情绪), afraid that once they lose control they'll never get it back.”{#blank#}2{#/blank#}After we cry, the feelings that caused the tears often disappear.

    Sometimes people become much stressed and can't cry. Whatever emotion they are feeling — shock, anger, fear, or sadness— is being held back.

    But everyone has the need to cry. Psychologist Vera Diamond explains that her treatment often consists of giving people permission to cry{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Patients practice crying just to become used to expressing emotions. She suggests safe, private places to cry, like under the bedcovers or in the car. Crying is a way of ease tension, but people don't like it when others cry because it makes them tense{#blank#}4{#/blank#} And they'll do just about anything to make you stop.

    In certain situations, such as at work, tears are not appropriate. It's good not to cry during a tense business discussion{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You should also act out the whole situation again and be as noisy and angry as you like. It will help you feel better. “And,” she adds, “Once your tears have taken away the stress, you can begin to think calmly of ways to deal with the problem.”

    Tears are a sign of our ability to feel. If you find yourself near someone crying, deal with it. And never be afraid to cry yourself.

A. They too may be holding back a need to cry.

B. They cry for different reasons.

C. She gives crying exercises.

D. It contains a chemical against infection (炎症).

E. The fact is no emotion lasts forever.

F. It forms in response to the stress on the surface of the eye.

G. But once you're safely behind closed doors, don't just cry.

    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.

    Green lifestyle is becoming increasingly popular nowadays.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}You don't have to completely change the way you live, you just need to make a few small changes. From recycling to green shopping, each small change you make can really make a difference. Here are some benefits of living a green lifestyle.

    Help the environment. By being energy-efficient and using green products you can reduce your influence on the environment. You can help preserve our natural resources and reduce pollution.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It does feel very rewarding when you start making positive changes and feeling as though you're making a difference to such an important cause.

    Live a healthier life. If more people commit to being green then we'll be able to live in a healthier environment, with less pollution and better air quality. You're also more likely to make better choices when it comes to food and you could find yourself leading a more active lifestyle. Growing your own vegetables is a very healthy way to live as well as buying green, natural foods. Cycling and walking to places instead of using your car can have a big influence.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Save money on bills. You can greatly reduce your energy bills by using energy efficient equipment.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Recycling is also another great way of saving money and helping the environment.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Once you have picked up some good tips and green living techniques you can pass them on to other people. You can also talk to friends and family and inform them of the benefits of going green. Your children will grow up understanding the importance of living a green lifestyle and will learn how to reduce their influence on the environment.

A. Educate others.

B. Meet like-minded people.

C. It will also make you much fitter.

D. There are lots of ways of saving money.

E. You can also do your part for wildlife conservation.

F. Living a green lifestyle isn't as hard as it might seem.

G. If you grow your own produce, you needn't spend as much on food.