【推荐1】New Year’s resolutions(决心) usually are like some of those promises that are meant to be broken. The word “New” in the new year, puts a lot of pressure on starting over and turning a new leaf. But you must remember you cannot just become a different person overnight when the clock strikes 12.     1    . Instead of making resolutions that cause you stress, anxiety or more pain, set out this year by. Making resolutions that will encourage self-care.

To start fresh this New Year’s Day, here are a few tips setting realistic new years’ resolutions in order to avoid the burden of disappointment next year.

Choose a very specific goal

Unclear plans like “lose weight” “exercise more” or “write more” are goals with no teeth.

They are unclear plans and desires, and are very easy to explain away due to how unclear they are.     2    . Such goals with a certain task, are much more doable than unclear goals.

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Once you have chosen your goals, make a very detailed plan of how you will reach that goal. Having a plan and a pathway can help you imagine your progress and won’t make you impatient for immediate results. That way you will have already imagined what progress would look like for you in say, 3 months, 5 months, 7 months or every day depending on your goals.

Get yourself a social group

In today’s social media world, it is easy to find a group of like-minded individuals interested in sharing your goal. Get yourself a social group like this. However, just as there is this bright side to having a social group, the problem is the pressure. Don’t get consumed by social media and what others are doing.     4    

Accept failure and forgive yourself.

    5    . Accept this failure; own it and forgive yourself. Being hard on yourself will only do you more harm, so instead learn from, what went wrong and instead of quitting the resolution at the end of next year, see it through until you reach your goal.

【推荐2】When your birthday rolls around, how do you answer when Grandpa calls to ask you what you want? Well, first of all, you should brainstorm gift ideas before deciding what you want for your birthday.     1    

As for what to buy for your birthday, you can choose physical things.     2    You also can think about accessories of your electronics. In addition, if you’re a child or child at heart, you can even ask for toys and video games.

    3    For example, ask for a trip if you like to travel. If the budget is large, you might ask to go on a trip to a place you’ve never been to. If the budget is limited, ask to spend a day with the giver.     4    Besides, you can spend the day learning a special skill from a family member.

Now that you’ve known what you want for your birthday, next you need to narrow down your wish list. If you can’t decide between a few things, write down the good things and the bad things about each item on your list.     5    Also, you can think about what’s most important to you. If playing sports is the most important thing for you, new sport equipment might be more useful than electronics.

【推荐3】Does Failure Truly Exist?

In fact, if you believe you have failed, then you have.     1     Failure only exists in your own mind! The moment you decide to give up or stop working toward your goals, failure is born.

Never give up on yourself.

    2     They are willing to work hard on reaching their goals, but only until the going gets too rough or their energy dies down. Don’t do that! Make up your mind to make your goal happen, no matter what!     3    

Don’t believe in a clear finish line for goals.

It’s a good idea to set a general timeline (时间表), but remember that something will be beyond your control. You can never say exactly when your goal will be reached.     4     Instead, get a general idea of when you’d like your goal to be completed. Then take it one day at a time and focus on making progress instead of reaching the finish line in as little time as possible.

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Difficulties mean only one thing: it’s not time for your goal to be completed yet. That’s it! It doesn't mean you failed; it doesn’t mean you’re weak；it doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve your goals. It simply means you have not done enough yet. You’ve got to keep moving forward and find a way over, around, or through the difficulties.

【推荐1】On a July afternoon in 1937, 15-year-old Betty Brown was playing with her father’s shortwave radio and searching for her favorite songs when she casually turned the dial on the radio and heard something that made her stop. It was a voice that sounded familiar. Back in those days, news clips (新闻摘要) were played at movie theaters. Brown recognized the voice from one of the news films she had seen.

“I heard Amelia Earhart in a panicked voice, a heartbreaking voice,” Brown recalled in a 2007 interview. “She was saying, ‘This is Amelia Earhart Putnam, please help me. Please hear me.’”

Brown quickly began writing down what she heard --- parts of desperate conversations between the woman she believed was Earhart and an unknown man. Later, she decided that the man must have been Earhart’s navigator (领航员), Fred Noonan. As the signal faded in and out, Brown never left the radio. She scribbled (潦草地写) away as Earhart and Noonan struggled for control of the radio. Earhart tried to prevent Noonan from leaving the plane after they had apparently crash-landed. All the while, Earhart repeated strings of numbers and mentioned rising water. After about three hours, Earhart and Noonan were seemingly forced to abandon the plane as it was filled with water, and the distress calls (遇险呼救) stopped.

Brown and her father both tried to give her notes to the United States Coast Guard, but they were told the situation was under control. The search for Earhart was abandoned after a great effort was made. But Brown kept her notebook. In 2000, people from an organization researching Earhart’s disappearance asked to see it. The researchers were convinced that Brown’s notes were reliable. If the researchers are right, the notes are a priceless, yet sorrowful, record of the sad ending of an American hero.

【推荐2】An Uber self-driving car hit and killed a woman crossing the street in Arizona, U.S., police said on Monday, marking the first death caused by an autonomous vehicle and a potential blow to the technology expected to transform transportation.

The ride services company said it was delaying North American tests of its self-driving vehicles, which are currently going on in Arizona, Pittsburgh and Toronto.

So-called robot cars, when fully developed by companies including Uber, are expected to thoroughly cut down on motor vehicle deaths and create billion-dollar businesses. But Monday's accident highlighted (凸显) the possible challenges ahead for the promising technology as the cars face real-world situations involving real people.

"This catastrophic accident highlights why we need to be exceptionally cautious when testing and applying autonomous vehicle technologies to public roads," said Edward Markey, a member of the transportation committee, in a statement. "Elaine Herzberg, 49, was walking her bicycle outside the crosswalk on a four-lane road in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe at about 10 p.m. MST Sunday when she was struck by the Uber vehicle traveling at about 65 kilometers per hour," police said. The car was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel. U.S. federal safety officials were sending teams to investigate the crash. Canada's transportation ministry in Ontario, where Uber conducts are being tested, also said it was reviewing the accident.

"Uber and Waymo on Friday urged Congress to pass a law to speed the introduction of self-driving cars into the united states. However, some congressional (国会) representatives have blocked the legislation over safety concerns, and Monday's death could hamper passage of the bill, "congressional assistants said Monday.

【推荐3】It was late, about 10:15 pm. Janice Esposito got off the train at Bellport, New York, went to her car and started driving home. She was so familiar with the route that she almost drove automatically: turned left to the Station Road, then another left onto Montauk Highway, and then -bam! When Esposito’s car had just crossed the railroad tracks, it hit another vehicle and was pushed back onto the tracks. Injured but mostly shocked by the crash and by the airbags that popped up, she was stuck in the vehicle.

As it happened, Pete Dipinto was just about to go to sleep when he heard a sharp noise and saw the accident not far outside his bedroom window. As a volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, Dipinto who was 65, fetched a flashlight and rushed out without hesitation. “Any firefighter would have done what I did. We’re always on duty.” he said.

At first, he spoiled the other car in the accident. After making sure that the driver was all right, Dipinto looked around and discovered Esposito’s car straddling (横跨) the railway tracks. And then he heard die bell ring, which signaled a train’s arrival.

Dipinto rushed to Esposito’s car and broke the window on the driver’s side. Esposito looked up at him, with her eyes glazing over, “I don’t know where I am.” she said.

“You’re on the railroad tracks,” Dipinto yelled. “I have to get you off right now!” The train was running toward them at a speed of some 105 kilometers per hour. The driver’s door cannot be opened due to the collision, so Dipinto quickly ran to the other side and managed to open the door. He put the airbags aside, seized her arms, pulled her toward him across the passenger seat until finally got her out and walked her to safety as swiftly as possible. Several seconds later, the train crashed into the vehicle. It was like a Hollywood movie, Dipinto told reporters the next day.

“Last night?” said Gregory Miglino Jr, Chief of the Department in South Country, Ambulance, “the hero arrived in pajamas (睡衣), not in a fire truck.”