How strong are you?

    That is a hard question to answer, whether you are a man or a woman. But, really , I want to ask how do you define(给...下定义)your strength? How do you know your limits?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} When push comes, we often discover that we are much stronger than we think.

    What is Strength?

    Strength is not always about pure physical strength.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is about the ability to get things done. I know some people who are intellectually strong, but they get very little done in their jobs. And I know others who find work challenging, but they make it by strong drive and hard work. They possess inner strength.

    Self-Imposed Limits

    What I have observed is that most people set their own limits. They limit their output based on self-framed limits (自我设定的限制) of their abilities and strengths. Sometimes these boundaries are based on past experiences. Sometimes they are based on self-imagined abilities.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}So, how do we break through these limits? How do we get stronger?

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    If you want to be stronger, you have to push your boundaries. Pushing it is what it takes to increase your limits. In the gym, bodybuilders discovered this long ago. The same principle is true when it comes to inner strength.

    Want to test your limits? Push yourself. Test your self-framed limits to see how accurate they are. Make sure your goals are slightly beyond what you think can be achieved.

    You Are Stronger Than You Think

    Most people underestimate(低估) their strength.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Test your limits. Push yourself to find your true boundaries and define your strength.

    When you discover how much you've really got, you may surprise even yourself.

A. Certainly, it is about willpower.

B. Sometimes these limits are based on nothing.

C. How do you know just how much you've got?

D. Pushing It

E. As you go through your day, challenge your ability.

F. How can we train our mind and make it stronger?

G. Strength is a combination of physical and mental ability.

    The holiday season isn't just about shopping and gifts. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, holiday travel can be more expensive than the gifts. Fortunately, the following tips will help keep your travel spending under control.

● Plan ahead. The earlier you book your travel, from airfare to hotels, the easier it is to find good deals. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Your best prices on airfare come when you book three weeks before the plane leaves for domestic flights. For international flights, consider booking 30 days in advance. Many experts point out that you should book travel between  one month and three months out for high-traffic holidays.

● Book your air travel on cheaper days. Traveling by air on Tuesdays and Wednesdays often costs less than traveling on Fridays and Sundays. During the holidays, it is not just about a specific day of the week. You also need to consider the days surrounding the holiday but days immediately before and after a holiday can be expensive. One of the best ways to save is to plan your air travel on the Day of the holiday. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

● Consider traveling overnight. Red-eye flights and overnight flights often cost less than those at more convenient times. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Traveling overnight can help you avoid a night in the hotel, as well as save your money on travel to your destination.

●{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can't bring liquids with you on the airline, but you can bring sandwiches and other snacks. When you are on the road, you can buy food at local groceries to make your own meals. If you are staying in a hotel long-term, consider cooking your own food, especially if you have access to a microwave.

    Do you know how to pick a good book you'll really like? Here are some tips.

    Start with Your Interest. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  You can pick something that you love to read, not for school. They can be ancient martial arts(武术), computers, or fashion design. You name it, there are books about it.

    What's Your Type? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction (or both)? Fiction books, like novels, can transport you to another world or help you imagine something beyond your own experience. Nonfiction books give you the who, what, when, and why of something. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}  Many of them read like novels from start to finish.

    Read the Description. The reviews and quotes(引语) on the back and inside covers of many books give you an idea of what the book is about. They can also help you pick future books, too. If you find a book you really like, take a minute to read the quotes and see which authors praised the book. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    Find a Family Favorite. Which book did your mother love best when she was at your age?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Find out and give them a read — then you can share your thoughts about the book.

    Finally, you'll probably enjoy what you're reading a lot more if you find a quiet place and make time for the book. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can put on some good music, get yourself some tea and let yourself be carried away by the book. You'll see that time does fly when you're reading something you love!

A. How about your brothers and sisters?

B. They tell stories using facts — but that doesn't mean they're boring.

C. Reading is a good way to improve your English.

D. Most reading is best enjoyed when you can concentrate on it.

E. Often, they'll have similar styles and you might find books you like by those authors, too.

F. So you should read as much as possible when you are free.

G. Reading on your own isn't like reading for school.

How to Overcome Challenges in Your Life

    We all face tough and difficult challenges in life. To overcome challenges you need to have that "never quit" attitude in life. If you develop it, you'll overcome quite a bit.

    Motivate yourself. Say "YES, I CAN." The challenge should bring out the best of you in this situation. Slow it down, and think that process through.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you develop that mindset(心态), you'll get it done.

    Stay calm and cool­headed. Remain calm when you're facing serious troubles and problems in life. You have to recollect yourself, and calm down. You can't solve problems when you're panicking. Take a deep breath, relax, and slow it down. Think things through calmly.

    Let failure and fear fuel you in a positive way. Everyone fails at times. If you fail the first, second, or third time, don't give up.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Learn what made you fail and overcome these challenges. Simplify the challenge you're facing. Make the challenge easier than it is. Start by breaking it down into steps. As you get through each step, you develop more confidence and you believe you can get it done, and then you will overcome them.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} To overcome a challenge, you have to believe you can really do it. You have to find out all the ways you can use to overcome it, and put them to full use with all your effort. It's our own mental stability that's the difficult part. When you do it mentally, you'll actually be able to do it.

A. Stay positive and confident.

B. Most people will avoid any challenge, because they're scared of failing.

C. Develop that confidence in saying there's no way you're going to fail at this.

D. Pick yourself up, and learn from why you've failed, and move on in a positive direction.

    An inferiority complex（自卑情结） as the name suggests is a complex in which an individual has strong feelings of inferiority. While we all have weak points, the person with an inferiority complex will focus on these weaknesses and use them to evaluate their overall worth. As a result, they see themselves generally less important or successful than others.

    In some cases inferiority complex can lead to overcompensation. Here the individual does everything in his power to overcome his inferiority and this can mean that they end up in highly successful jobs, gaining great wealth and succeeding in powerful relationships. However while such a person might be a high achiever, a sense of inferiority will mean that they will always be less happy than they could be and it may have other negative impacts on their life.

    Another possible outcome of an inferiority complex is that the individual ends up backing down from difficult situations and acting without any sense of worth or entitlement（权利）. Here the person's low self belief changes the way he behaves, and that in turn changes the way he is treated by others which in turn results in him actually becoming inferior in some ways.

    There are many factors that may lead to inferiority, but they tend to be the result of conditioned beliefs that come from continuous failure or criticism. Often parental attitudes can result in an inferiority complex if the child did not receive the right encouragement or unconditional love when growing up. In some cases an inferiority complex could also arise as a result of some kind of defect（缺陷） either physical or mental.

    If you are suffering from an inferiority complex, it's time that you did something about it.

    One of the very best ways to improve your self esteem is to find a loving partner. This is a great way to make you more confident as he or she will love you for who you are and always be there to support you and increase your confidence. Another is to take up a hobby. Find one thing that you are good at and then get your confidence from that. For instance, you might choose to take up a sport or woodwork, and then you can practice getting better at that and gain more confidence. Moreover, you can turn to self-help book. If you find the right books and follow the advice carefully, then it is possible to transform the way you view yourself and the way you present yourself.

    Life is not easy when you are looking for something worthwhile and ready to learn from the best experiences. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some life lessons which people will learn the hard way in majority of cases.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}However people usually get discouraged when it takes more time than they thought it would. At this time, people refer only to people who have already achieved what they want to do. Look at any successful person and you'll notice one thing common in all of them: they took time to learn and mastered their skill like no one else. There is no elevator to success and you have to take the stairs.

    Be brave to take the road less traveled. In our whole life, we always want to follow the same path that everyone suggests, do the same thing everyone does, take the same career path everyone takes, wear the same clothes everyone wears, and hang out with the same people we work with. Why? Because we are scared to fail. But when you get bored of life, you realize that you are not meant to do what everyone does and that your destiny is different from anyone else's out there in the world. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    You don't have to live your life in a way society wants you to. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Parents sometimes force their children to select a career they don't want because other children have selected that career. Worst of all, people follow them without even asking. There is no harm in believing in old beliefs but when you pursue them before your interest, sooner or later you'll realize that you should first do what you think is right.

A. It takes continuous time and effort to be successful in any area.

B. The general rule goes that the harder you try, the greater results you get.

C. Many old beliefs are being performed these days and are followed blindly.

D. It always takes tests and then fails us to learn anything worthwhile.

E. However, in most circumstances your effort and attempt go well alongside with your desired achievement.

F. But the price we pay to realize this is high because it takes a great amount of courage to follow your own path.