In my early thirties, my career in teaching was not what I dreamed it would be. I left the job and moved in with my parents for a year while I tested out a new career.
Living with my parents proved to be an even bigger challenge than my new job. To tell the truth, it was probably harder for them than it was for me because I was a big trouble. I yelled at my mom for buying junk food and ignored my dad when he offered advice. I complained my mom never did my laundry the way I wanted and my dad never let me choose what show to watch. Instead of being grateful for their hospitality(款待), I was mean to them and most likely made them regret their offer.
"This is only for a year, " I would repeat to myself on a daily basis, sometimes hourly. Instead of living in the present, I would wish for the future and to have it all figured out. My life wasn't what or where I wanted it to be. By this age, I expected to be firmly rooted on a career path with a huge circle of friends who liked to hang out. I did not expect to be living with my parents and starting over.
My attitude grew worse. One day when I was tearfully talking about something that was making my life miserable, my mother interrupted me. She nearly shouted, "Why don't you just try smiling more?" I am pretty sure I laughed at her, but she went on to explain that sometimes things don't work out the way we thought they would. "Don't wait for things to get better, " she said. "Make them better. " I decided I was going to show my mother just how wrong she was. I would follow her ad-vice and try smiling more.
Weeks passed, and somewhere along the way, I forgot about trying to smile more as it became a habit. I worked on approaching situations with a better perspective and slowly star-ted to feel the weight on my shoulders lighten.
注意：
1）续写词数应为150左右；
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The second half of that year was better than the first.
……
I wasn't aware that I was different, but my friend told me a simple change did appear.
Being forgiving to yourself and others can protect against stress and the harm it does to mental health, according to a new study in the Journal of Health Psychology.
Researchers looked at the effects of lifetime stress on a person's mental health, and how more forgiving people got along compared with people who weren't so forgiving. To do this, they asked 148 young adults to fill out questionnaires that assessed their levels of lifetime stress, their tendency to forgive and their mental and physical health.
No surprise, people with greater exposure to stress had worse mental and physical health. But the researchers also discovered that if people were highly forgiving of both themselves and others, that characteristic alone almost removed the connection between stress and mental illness.
"It's almost entirely erased—it's zero," says study author Toussaint. "If you don't have forgiving tendencies, you feel the immediate effects of stress in a severe way. You don't have anything to cushion you against that stress."
How a forgiving personality protects a person from the influence of severe stress is hard to determine. The researchers infer that people who are more forgiving may adopt better skills to deal with stress, or their reaction to major stressors(压力源)may be slow.
Though more research is needed to fully understand the benefits of being more forgiving, Toussaint believes"100％"that forgiveness can be learned. His own previous research has shown that saying a short prayer on forgiveness can help people take the edge off. "I think most people want to feel good and forgiveness offers you the opportunity to do that," he says.
Gift from a stranger
My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I found was convenient, but I'd noticed a woman in a blue car circling for a while. I was in a good mood, I let her have it. On the edge of the car park I backed into the next available spot—it was a tight fit.
Pretty soon I'd made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air. Feeling good, I (empty) my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a struggling woman reverse park（倒车）.
Just as I approached my car, 1 saw the woman I'd let have my car space earlier. She was giving me odd look—half puzzled, half intent (热切的). I smiled and wished her a pleasant day. As I squeezed back into my car, I spotted the same lady (look) in at me. "Hello," she said, hesitantly. "This sound crazy but I was on my way to drop some of my mother's things off at the charity bins.” You are just so much her.” You helped those people, I noticed, and you seemed so happy.” She looked at me meaningfully and passed a box in through the window. “I think she would like you to have it.” (shock), I took it from her automatically. She smiled and walked away.
After a pause, I opened the box. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace with a large grey pearl. It was (nice) gift I'd ever received, and it was from a complete stranger. The necklace was around my neck, a warm reminder of human kindness.
As we all know, there are many kinds of pollution all over the world, air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and so on. Although we can't save the world in a short time, we can take some measures to protect . For example, we can prevent people throwing litter; we can sort the rubbish in the community; we can drive less and produce less carbon dioxide.
(actual), there is a new recycling program at our school, which aims to help us create better environment. The recycling we've planned is simply a threepart program: sorting, collecting and delivering. The first part — sorting is also the (hard) one. Most people don't like taking the time to do the(separate) of the rubbish and this is usually why most recycling (program) fail. However, we have reasons (believe) that our words will work. From now on, instead of seeing the usual black rubbish cans all over the school, you (see) three different colors of rubbish cans. Pink cans are for paper, blue cans for bottles, and white ones for all other waste. After the rubbish (sort), it needs to be collected and then taken different recycling centers.
A university in southwest China's Chongqing City set up a reading room as part of a campaign (活动) that stops students from taking their mobile phones with them in case the device distracts (使分心) them from concentrating on their studies.
Reportedly a student named Hu Xiaopeng participating in the campaign studied 530 minutes without using his mobile phone. Unlike Hu, another one picked up his mobile phone in less than 20 minutes. "Having seen many students use their mobile phones in the library, a habit that shortens their study time and negatively impacts their learning, we decided to open this reading room," said Zhang Shuran, the person responsible for the project at the university.
Zhang added that students can keep their phones in appointed bags with numbers on them. The bags are placed on a desk near the door of the reading room. "Staff members at the reading room will check the phones when there's a call," said Zhang, adding that they will inform students when their parents or teachers call them, but will not tell students if an unknown person is calling or when there is a text message. Based on the time students hand in their phones when they come to the reading room and the time they get them back when they leave the room, Hu Xiaopeng from College of Animal Science and Technology of the university set a record of the longest time. Hu spent 530 minutes studying without using his phone. Though feeling somewhat surprised, Hu said, "It's bad to keep mobile phone with you when you are reading or studying."
The campaign has attracted nearly 200 students since it was launched a week ago. Some Internet users praised the campaign. One user named Liu Jingchang said, "It's good. I don't bring my phone when going to the library in case I get distracted."
Robert and Henry were two friends in the same class. They always played together and went home together. One day, Robert and Henry were going home from school. When they were turning a corner, Robert cried out "A fight! Let's go and see . . . "
"No, " said Henry. "Let us go quietly home and not meddle with (插手) this quarrel. We have nothing to do with it and may get into trouble. Also our parents are expecting to have dinner with us together at home and I don't want them to worry about me. "
"You are a coward (懦夫), and afraid to go, " said Robert, and off he ran. Henry went straight home, and in the afternoon went to school as usual.
But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a coward, and they laughed at him a great deal. From then on, they looked down upon Henry and didn't want to play with him together.
Henry was sad but he wasn't angry with Robert for his rude behaviour，because he knew that they misunderstood him, and that he ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong. Thus, he just ignored (忽略) the other boys' laughter and continued to go to school and study as well. However, Robert didn't invite Henry to go home with him anymore. Instead, he had some other boys who also thought Henry was a coward. Every day after school，they didn't go home directly but went to the river or somewhere to play games and had a lot of fun.
A few days later, Robert was bathing with his new friends in a river, and got out of his depth. He struggled and cried for help, but he failed. The boys who had called Henry a coward got out of the water as fast as they could, but they did nothing to help him.
注意: 1）续写词数应为150左右；
2）请按如下格式作答。
It seemed as if Robert would be dying.
Thus, Robert's life was saved.
Hundreds of children are being treated for sleep problems in Wales every year. In some cases, babies, infants (婴儿)and teenagers have been admitted to hospital in north Wales alone.
The Children's Sleep Charity said many children were suffering from lack of sleep mainly because of technology use. Public Health Wales said sleep was as important to a child's health as healthy eating andexercise, andchildren with poor sleep patterns were more likely to be fat.
Statistics obtained (获得) under the Freedom of Information Act by BBC Wales foundat least 408 children have been admitted to hospitals across Wales suffering from sleep disorders since March 2013.
Children agedbetween 0 and 4 made up the highest number of inpatients (住院病人), with some newborns being treated for sleep-related problems from the day of birth.
Vicki Dawson, who set up the Children's Sleep Charity (CSC), said sleepless nights were putting both children and parents in anxiety. "Their weight and growth may also be affectedas well as their mental health, "she said.
Teachers said children showing signs of sleep shortage and tiredness in class were a concern as they couldn't concentrate for long periods.
Psychologist Amy McClelland, of Sleep Wales, saida common problem was that children were "over excited"before bed and that families should get back to basics. "Think 1950s family home. Dinner as a family, read, chat, a film maybe, lights off and then bed. "She added.
Loneliness is like a disease, and what's worse, it's contagious. It can spread from one person to another, according to the recent research that stresses the power of one person's emotions to affect even people he doesn't know.
The new analysis, involving 4,793 people who were interviewed every two years between 2005 and 2015, showed that a friend of a lonely person was 52％ more likely to develop feelings of loneliness by the time of the next interview. A friend of that person was 25％ more likely, and a friend of a friend of a friend was 15％ more likely.
“Loneliness is not just the property of an individual. It can be transmitted across people—even people you don't have direct contact with,” said John T. Cacioppo, a psychologist of the University of Chicago who led the study published in the December issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Loneliness has been linked to medical problems, including depression, sleep problems and generally poorer physical health. Identifying some of the causes could help reduce the emotion and improve health, experts said.
Although the study did not examine how loneliness spreads, Cacioppo said another research has provided clues. “Let's say for whatever reason you get lonely. You then interact with other people in a more negative fashion. That puts them in a negative mood and makes them more likely to interact with other people in a negative fashion and they minimize their social ties and become lonely,” Cacioppo said.
According to Cacioppo, loneliness spread more easily among women than men, perhaps because women were more likely to express emotions.
Lonely people become less and less trusting others. This makes it more and more difficult for them to make friends－and more likely that society will reject them. Therefore, it is important to recognize and deal with loneliness．Cacioppo emphasizes people who have been pushed to the edges of society should receive help to repair their social networks.
Little Amy, a six-year-old kid, arrived home when her parents were talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. When she heard her daddy say to her1mother with whispered desperation, ＂2a miracle can save him now＂, the little girl went to her bedroom and took out her piggy bank. She3all the change out and counted it carefully. Then she 4her way six blocks to the drugstore.
＂What do you want?＂ asked the chemist. ＂It's5my little brother,＂ the girl answered. ＂He's really, really sick and I want to buy a6. His name is Andrew and he has something7growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him.＂ ＂We don't8miracles here, child. I'm sorry,＂ the chemist said, smiling 9at the little girl.
In the shop was a 10customer. He stooped(弯腰) down and asked the little girl, ＂What kind of miracle does your brother 11?＂ ＂I don't know,＂ she replied. ＂He's really sick and mommy says he needs12. But my daddy can't pay for it, so I have brought my13.＂
＂How much do you have?＂ asked the man. ＂One dollar and eleven cents, 14I can try and get some more,＂ she answered quietly. ＂Well, what a coincidence,＂ smiled the man. ＂A dollar and eleven cents — the 15price of a miracle for your little brother. 16me to where you live. I want to see your brother and 17your parents.＂
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon(外科医生). The operation was completed without 18and it wasn't long before Andrew was 19again and doing well.
The little girl was happy. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the 20of a little child.
When a child is told he is "uncool", it can be very painful. He may say he doesn't care, and even act in ways that are opposite of cool on purpose(故意地). But these are simple ways to deal with sadness by pretending it's not there.
Helping a child feel better in school has to be careful. If you say, "Why are you worried about what other children think about you? It doesn't matter!" Children know that it does matter. Instead, an active way may be best. You could say, "I'm going to do a couple of things for you to help you feel better in school."
If a boy is having trouble making friends, the teacher can help him. The teacher can arrange things so that he has chances to use his abilities to contribute to class projects. This is how the other children learn how to value his good qualities and to like him. A teacher can also raise a child's popularity in the group by showing that he values that child. It even helps to put him in a seat next to a very popular child, or let him be a partner with that child in activities, etc.
There are things that parents can do at home, too. Be friendly when your child brings others home to play. Encourage him to invite friends to meals and then serve the dishes they consider "super". When you plan trips, picnics, movies, and other shows, invite another child with whom your child wants to be friends.
What you can do is give him a chance to join a group that may be shutting him out. Then, if he has good qualities, he can start to build real friendship of his own.
As a young man, Aaron was a skilled artist, a porter. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son developed a stomachache. Thinking it was some 1 disorder, neither Aaron nor his wife took the condition very seriously. But the illness was actually severe and the boy 2 suddenly that night.
The son's death could have been prevented if he had only 3the seriousness of the situation! Aaron's emotional health got 4 under the heavy burden of his guilt (内疚). What's worse, his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Aaron could handle, and he 5 alcohol (酒精) to help him cope. In time Aaron became an alcoholic (酗酒者).
As the alcoholism (酗酒) 6, Aaron began to lose everything he possessed — his home, his land, his art objects, everything. 7, Aaron died alone in a San Francisco motel room.
When I heard of Aaron's death, I reacted like most people who show no respect for one ending his life with nothing material to show for it. "What a complete failure!" I thought. "What a 8life!"
As time went by, I began to reevaluate my earlier cold 9. You see, I knew Aaron's now adult son, Ernie. He has a family and he is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his 10. I saw the free flow of 11 between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.
I hadn't heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to 12an alcoholic. One day I worked up my courage to 13 him. "I'm really 14by something," I said. "I know your father was basically the only one to 15 you. What on earth did he do that you became such a special person?"
Ernie sat quietly and thought for a few moments. Then he said, "From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, Aaron came into my room every night, gave me a 16 and said, 'love you, son.'"
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge Aaron as a(n) 17. He had not 18 any material possessions to his son. But he had been a kind loving 19. He 20one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.
When faced with tough difficulties or troubles, people always give us positive words. 1 can lift our spirits indeed, but sometimes in some case it 2 depresses us. Psychology calls it "toxic positivity." What is it? Let's see the following 3.
Between sleepless nights, diapers (换尿布) and feeding times, having small children at home could leave Priscilla Goins feeling 4. She loved her kids, but it was a lot. "I would sometimes say ‘I just want a minute to myself,'" Goins, of Knoxville, Tennessee, said. "People would be like: Oh, you'll miss it when they're 5 or you should value it." That made her so mad. She doesn't 6 what people say. She disagreed at all. Actually, in those moments, she simply wanted 7 that she was going through the tiredness 8.
A focus on positive thinking, while putting challenging and 9 experiences to the side, is what some experts call "toxic positivity." Being cheerful is not a bad thing. Certainly, a 10 attitude can be a gift to those around you, but it shouldn't 11 listening thoughtfully to others' experiences. When you are choosing to look at 12 from one angle-in this case a positive angle-you are very likely to dismiss or deny an authentic 13. That's toxic positivity, which is what Goins 14 when she was looking for a bit of mercy about the 15 of parenting young children. Even if you're trying to 16 someone, ignoring someone's tough experiences can leave them feeling that they should 17 negative feelings in the future. 18 trying to find a positive spin, we are supposed to use accepting and comprehensive words. Sometimes we just need to say "Yeah, me too," or "That makes total sense." It's allowing someone to express something that is 19, even if it's hard to hear or it's 20.
