People hold different views on almost anything, mainly because of the culture we are familiar with or the education we have received. We live in a judgmental world where people are quick to point out the faults and imperfections of others, yet seem unaware of their own. Some     1     souls believe they have a duty to help you to be a better person by telling you what a failure you really are first and then offering suggestions as to how you can improve.

So what is the possible solution to criticism? If you are the one forcing others to feel     2     of themselves, STOP. Make a conscious decision rather than focus on the negative aspect of a person's performance or     3    . You'll offer helpful suggestions from the beginning. If I'm painting our living room and making a mess in doing so, I would like my husband to say to me, "This is a tough job. Can I offer a suggestion that might make it easier for you?" rather than have him point out what a careless painter I am and then tell me how I should be doing it.

If you are on the receiving end of criticism, the "OK" response is a perfect solution. When someone comments     4     on a task you are doing or a personality issue of yours, a natural response is to defend and attack. However, this approach is rarely effective as it puts both parties on the     5     . Instead, simply reply with "OK". This brief one-word response     6     the other person's comment without agreeing with it or feeling necessary to engage in a debate about it.

It is important to remain     7     attached to what the other person is saying, but to listen without feeling, to be an objective observer. In fact, there is much that one can learn from a 12 review. You can ask yourself: Did I make a mistake? Could I have done better? Did I give 100% of myself to the task at hand? If so, how can I improve myself? As for chronic (习惯性的) criticizers: It is important to set strict     8     with them. Remove yourself from their     9     when necessary.

In any case, one can learn to be "OK" with criticism and not allow it to negatively impact your life or relationship with the other party. Examine it for any potential     10    , and then let it go and just be "OK".

If I Were a Boy Again

If I were a boy again, I would try hard to talk to myself     1     to learn about my own weaknesses and     2     , and I would begin early enough, before faults (缺点) had time to become habits.

If I were a boy again, I would practise perseverance (毅力), and never     3     because it was hard to do something. If we want light, we must beat darkness. There is nothing more     4     than perseverance when the right thing needs to be done.

If I were a boy again, I would build a habit of attention, and I would let nothing come between me and my goals. When we are young, one of our great mistakes is that we do not strictly     5     what we are doing at that particular moment. If we begin early and put a lot of     6    , it is easy to learn how to pay attention.

If I were a boy again, I would try to become a brave person. I would consider     7     as one of the highest achievements of life. Dangers will appear in any place, at any time, but staying calm will often get over the worst danger. Be     8     for any potential danger and show your bravery.

If I were a boy again, I would look on the     9     side of everything. Life is like a mirror; if you smile upon it, it smiles back again on you, but if you frown(皱眉), you will be sure to get a similar look     10     . Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner, but all who come in contact with it.

Crazy is our new normal. With two teenage boys and three little boys, our family is     1     — to the baseball field, track field and piano lessons. Even though we’ve limited each boy’s activities and try our best to defend our family time, it seems that we’re in a     2     state of flight.

“Embrace it. Roll with it,” my husband, Lonny, says, “It’s going to be like this for a while.”

He is right. It’s likely that life will continue to go forward before it slows down. But I remembered the    3    , quiet days that our family used to enjoy. I missed long walks through the park when we     4     the boys’ little hands. I longed for lazy Saturday afternoons under the tree in our backyard. I wanted to slip back a few years, when busyness was the exception and not the     5    .

One night, after a particularly full day and evening games, our family     6     on the porch for ice cream. Two parents, two teens, and three small boys     7     on one old swing and a couple of rocking chairs. We were together, in one place, for a small slice of time.

The moon was full. The Mississippi River, flowing past our home, was smooth as glass. I wrapped my own arms around the son who sat on my lap and breathed deeply to inhale his little-boy     8     — dirt and sweat. My heart was still and content.

I realized that while crazy is our new     9    , happiness is as usual. They may look different from before, but they are still there — even if they’re in the form of a single moment on the porch. Maybe I just need the     10    to see.

Some personal characteristics play a vital role in the development of one’s intelligence. After a 30-year follow-up study of 8, 000 males, American psychologists found out that the main cause of disparities in intelligence is not intelligence itself, but non-intelligence factors. The so-called “non-intelligence factors” include one’s feelings, will,       1    , interests and habits.

Though people all know that one should have       2     objectives, a strong will and good learning habits, quite a number of teachers and parents don’t pay much attention to       3     these factors.

Some parents are greatly worried when their children fail to do well in their studies. They blame either       4     factors, malnutrition, or laziness, but they never take into consideration these non-intelligence factors. At the same time, some teachers don’t inquire into these as reasons why students do poorly. They simply give them more courses and exercises, or even       5     or laugh at them. After all, these students lose self-confidence. Some of them just feel defeated and give themselves up as hopeless. Others may go astray because they are sick of learning. An investigation of more than 1，000 middle school students in Shanghai showed that 46. 5 percent of them were afraid of learning because of examination and 36. 4 percent       6     persistence, initiative and conscientiousness.

It is clear that the lack of cultivation of non-intelligence factors has been a main obstacle to intelligence development in teenagers. It even causes a(n)       7     between physiological and psychological development among a few students.

If we don't start now to       8     the cultivation of non-intelligence factors, it will not only obstruct the development of the intelligence of teenagers, but also affect the       9     of a whole generation. Some experts have put forward suggestions about how to cultivate students’ non-intelligence factors.

First, parents and teachers should       10     understand teenage psychology. On this basic, they can help them to pursue the objectives of learning, exciting their interests and toughening their willpower.

Food for the digital age

Do you shop for groceries online and have them delivered to your door? Well, this might be just the start of a digital     1     in food. How about tattooed 0CM) fruit, ice cubes which send text messages, and wine from the bottom of the ocean?

All these things are on the    2    , according to global innovation research firm Stylus.

They say stickers and wasteful packaging on fruit could be replaced by    3     tattoos. These would be    4     “directly to the skin of the fruit without actually damaging skin cells,” according to Stylus’s senior vice-president of content, Tessa Mansfield.

Our kitchens are changing rapidly too, and some companies are cooking up a menu of technological advances. For instance, there’s a smart knife which can analyse the freshness of food and any bacteria    5     as it is being used.

Innovative ways to     6     what we consume are always being developed. Mandy Saven, Stylus’s head of food, beverage and hospitality, says new digital ice cubes send a text message to a friend if you drink too much alcohol.

Indeed, some companies are helping consumers stay healthy and make environmentally- friendly choices. Dutch firm Bilder and De Clercq sells food     7     by recipe(菜谱),which helps customers avoid waste by buying too much.

This makes the retailer more than just a supplier of food - it becomes “a kind of food     8    to a shopper”, says Tessa Mansfield.

For the drinker, the future holds another new     9    . How would you like to try 'ocean-aged wine’? This is wine which has been sunk to the bottom of the ocean to help it     10     before you