1 . Have you ever made your life look a little more attractive on social media than it actually is? If so, you may be damaging your mental health.

The posts we make on social media platforms allow us to look back and see what we did on a given day. But what happens when, in an effort to impress our online friends, photos and videos we post become beautiful versions of the things we did?

A young girl named Sophia went out to a romantic anniversary dinner with her boyfriend, had a near relationship-ending fight during dessert, then came home and posted, “Had the best time out with the love of my life!”—even with a photo of the meal. No surprise, but according to a new study, Sophia was by no means unique. Two-thirds of users admit lying about their lives on social media with 20 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 stating that they edit their own stories by frequently lying about relationships and promotions.

By beautifying our online stories, we are harming our memories. We start believing the stories we tell rather than remembering what really has happened. Soon, the real experience is lost and all that remains is the beautified version of history.

Scientists fear that these edited stories will end up changing our memories. It’s well confirmed through research that our own memories are often unreliable and can be easily controlled. Writing down one’s life in the form of a journal, or even on social media can help us keep our memories undamaged, but only if we tell the truth. And recording our experiences through whatever medium, to later recall lessons we have learned, is not only acceptable but desirable. In fact, looking back on our own past—however embarrassing or uncomfortable—is not just healthy but can be enjoyable.

2 . My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I found was convenient, but I’d noticed a woman in a blue car _________ for a while. As I was _________, I let her have it. On the _________ 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 _________ my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a _________ woman reverse park (倒车).

Just as I _________ my car, I saw the woman I’d let have my car space _________. She was giving a mean odd _________— half puzzled, half intent (热切的). I smiled and wished her a pleasant day. As I squeezed back into my car, I _________ the same lady looking in at me. “Hello,” she said, hesitantly. “This might sound crazy but I was on my way to ____________ some of my mother’s things off at the charity bins.” “You are just so much like her. You helped those people, I noticed, and you seemed so happy.” She looked at me meaningfully and passed a box in through the ____________, “I think she would like you to have it.” Shocked, I took it from her ____________. She smiled and walked away.

After a pause, I opened the box. ____________ was a beautiful gold necklace with a large grey pearl. It was the nicest gift I’d ever received, and it was from a complete ____________. The necklace was around my neck, a warm ____________ of human kindness.

4 . I’d planned to spend my weekend in the sun, enjoying flowers outdoors. But that was ____ the pair of disgusting crows (乌鸦) arrived. Out of nowhere, they had set up their base ____ in our backyard.

We first ______ our feathered enemies on Friday morning. It was early, and the sound the birds made ______ through our neighborhood. I figured they’d ______ soon. But, no. They were getting louder and probably ______ my neighbors nearly as much as us with the noise. I admit I got a little ______.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, I saw our dog Quatchi staring at something on the ground. I went to ______ and found a small coal-black bird in the grass. Its eyes were milky, and it stayed perfectly ______ as my dog walked towards it. Only when Quatchi ______ his nose to its head did it walk away. I ______ the dog inside and came back with my camera.

It never occurred to me that the young would be hanging out on the ground, growing and gaining ______ as its parents guarded it from above. The second I saw this little creature I ____ the crows.

To be honest, I’ve never been much of a bird person. And I wish they’d chosen another backyard. But I’m also ______ that I got to see this little bit of nature unfold up close. It’s pretty amazing.

The experience has also ______ my desire to create a beautiful backyard garden that attracts lots of bees, butterflies, and yes, birds. They are welcome here.

6 . It always seemed like having traditions was a good thing. They create _________ that will last a lifetime. So when our children David and Darla were preschoolers, we _________ a family Christmas tradition. It was our tree-decorating party and it would be complete with eggnog and pfeffernűsse cookies.

The kids were excited as we pulled the freshly _________ tree into the house. It smelled so good. We would turn on the Christmas songs _________ the tree decoration began.

Our hearts seemed to _________ to the merriment of the Christmas songs. The kids’ eyes twinkled with _________. It was a heartwarming evening. When finished, we would sit drinking the eggnog and snacking on pfeffernűsse cookies as we _________ the beauty of the Christmas tree.

Years later when my daughter Darla was home from college she _________ to help decorate the tree. I was so _________. Before we knew it, the tree decoration was finished. It was a beautiful tree and its ____________ smell filled the room. As we had every year before, I brought out the eggnog and the pfeffernűsse cookies for our traditional ____________.

Then during the laughter Darla suddenly got very ____________ and said she had something to tell me. From her hesitation and body ____________ I learned that she was fearing it. She sat down next to me. Then very ____________ and caringly Darla looked me in the eye and said “Mom I’ve ____________ liked pfeffernűsse cookies.”

Then I ____________ the importance of what she had just said. Why didn’t she ever tell me? All those childhood years rather than ____________ Mom’s feelings and spoil Mom’s tradition, she had stood the cookies ____________. From a child’s heart year after year she had given me the gift of ____________!

My daughter taught me life’s very important ____________: The best gifts aren’t always found under the Christmas tree.

8 . Imagine that your life is like a treasure hunt. One day, a particular goal _______ your attention and you decide to _______ on a treasure hunt. You begin the long hike and encounter a _______ or two along the way. Already the _______ path is starting to look different from the buried treasure that you have been imagining. Things get _______ when you finally arrive at the spot. You say to yourself, “This doesn't look like the treasure I _______ imagined! I must be on the wrong path. I _______ all this time！”

You wonder，“Hmm ... maybe I should _______ goals？” after thinking for a few moments. It's _______ to feel a sense of disappointment or ________ when this occurs, but I think the deeper problem is ________ in how we approached the treasure in the first place.

The ________ is that most people spend all of their time thinking about the treasure. The fastest way to get to a particular spot, ________, is to set your compass and start walking. The idea here is to commit to your goal with the strongest ________. Develop a clear, single-minded 　　15　　 for where you are headed. And then ________ all of your energy to the journey and be committed to the path you are walking.

In other words, your goal becomes your compass, not your buried treasure. The goal is your ________， not your destination. The goal is a mission that you are on, a path that you ________. That is just fine and worthwhile, ________ comes from that path. It is the commitment to walking the path that ________．

9 . Goodish News of Climate Change

Emissions of carbon dioxide (related to energy production) have stabilized, for now.

Is it a peak, a stutter or just a brief pause? Time will tell. But whatever it is, on February 11th the International Energy Agency (IEA), an intergovernmental ________ which collects such data, announced that emissions of carbon dioxide in 2019 which were ________ to energy had remained the same (33.3bn tonnes) as the previous year’s.

Energy-related emissions, which include those (produced by electricity generation), heating and transport, ________ more than 70% of the world’s industrial CO₂ pollution. The reason why the emissions remained the same was that there was a(n) ________ in coal use, particularly in rich countries, combined with an increase in the use of renewable power.

As a result of this the CO₂-intensity of electricity generation—a(n) ________ of how much of the gas is emitted per kilowatt hour of petrol produced—fell by nearly 6.5%, to 340 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt hour. It had already been ________, but this is three times the average for the past decade. Such declines more than offset (抵消) the ________ of increased electricity production. The average emission-intensity of power generation in 2019 was “lower than all but the most efficient gas-power plants”, according to the IEA.

This is not the first time energy related emissions have plateaued (保持稳定). Between 2013 and 2016 they hovered around 32.2bn tonnes a year, before rising again in 2017 as the use of coal to ________ developing economies increased. This ________ plateau was accompanied by excited declarations that such emissions had peaked. Similar ________ have been made this week, perhaps also prematurely. Besides changes in coal use, a ________ economy may have played a part and the data show that milder than usual weather caused a perceptible drop in emissions from several countries with large, carbon-hungry economies.

________, the latest data from the Amazon rainforest also make us feel relieved. This, one of the world’s largest woodlands, has acted ________ as an absorbing sponge (海绵) for CO₂ by removing it from the atmosphere through photo-synthesis. Researchers at Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research have shown that a vast part of the south-east of the Amazon, about one fifth of its area, has lost its ________ to absorb the gas and is now a net source of emissions into the atmosphere instead. This land has been widely deforested, so the result is little ________. But it is disappointing.

10 . Kids' health：Four steps for fighting stress

Everybody gets stressed from time to time.     1     Some ways of dealing with stress — like screaming or hitting someone — don't solve (解决) much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.

Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed：

(1)Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult，such as a parent or other relatives.     2     They might have had similar problems，such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.

(2)Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear，that's not a good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself.     3    

(3)Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends，it's time to get down to business.     4     Even if you can't solve all of it，you can solve a piece of it.

(4)Be positive. Most stress is temporary (暂时的). Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.

These steps aren't magic，but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time，you'll help yourself feel better even faster.     5