1 . How often in your busy life when faced with an issue or a problem do you consider subtraction (减法)?

Every day, with big and small challenges, we ignore a basic way to make things better. We are great at adding to our “to dos”, but we don’t consider “stop-doings”. We collect new-and-improved ideas, but don’t delete the outdated ones.

Do your resolutions more often start with “I should do more of…” than with “I should do less of…”? Do you add new rules in your household or workplace more often than you take rules away? In our striving to improve our lives, our work and our society, we overwhelmingly add.

Leidy Klotz’s Lego bridge test, with two support towers of differing heights, found that almost everyone added a Lego brick to the shorter tower, rather than removing a brick from the longer tower. The valid subtraction solution produced a stronger outcome.

Why do we ignore the option to subtract from what is already there? Why do we fail to use subtraction as a way to change things?

Firstly, behavioural science suggests that our brains are wired to ignore subtraction. Initial studies show that our mental shortcuts have a preference for adding when solving problem. We are tricked by our mindset.

Further, we have a tendency to think addition or subtraction; however, they can be complementary (互补的) ways to make changes.

So we ignore subtraction because it is often harder to think of. Moreover, even when we do manage to think of it, subtracting can be harder to perform.

In chemistry, valency (化合价) refers to an elemental force that is not necessarily visible but helps explain the elements’ behaviour. Psychological valency is the inner attractiveness or strong dislike of something. There is a negative valency around subtracting. Even the word subtraction has a negative valency.

Subtraction is the act of getting to less but it is not the same as doing less. Getting to less often means doing, or at least thinking, more. In your pursuit of success and happiness I encourage you to overcome the tendency to ignore subtraction. Subtracting can be delightful!

3 . If you’re searching for a vacation spot that hits both your fix for city life and access to nature, Seattle is the perfect place to visit. Located in Washington, it’s home to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the country.

You’ll get the opportunity to climb to a few levels of the observation tower and admire the impressive views of the Mississippi River and the mountains. You’ll also be able to visit the Loupe Lounge to enjoy a circling glass floor experience and seat on a Skyriser — an angled glass bench on the open-air observation deck.

This one-hour, small-group tour will take you into the fascinating world beneath Seattle’s streets. You’ll travel along the underground pathways constructed over a century ago and learn details about Seattle’s early history from your knowledgeable guide. You’ll hear stories of the Klondike Gold Rush, Skid Row and the area’s original inhabitants (居民).

On this guided cruise, you’ll get a chance to admire the sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains and learn more about the history of the city. You’ll head to Puget Sound to see a variety of wildlife in the inland body of water. The cruise comes with a full-service bar aboard where you can purchase cocktails, local wine, beer, snacks and much more while relaxing on the tour.

You can explore the fascinating exhibits of the Museum of Flight. Inside, you’ll find 175 aircraft and spacecraft, thousands of artefacts and rare photographs. You’ll learn about the history of flight from humble beginnings to the fighter planes of World War I and II. You can even step aboard a Boeing plan and view a space shuttle in the Aviation Pavilion.

For those looking to escape the concrete jungle, maybe it’s time to dive into the bamboo forests of southern Sichuan.

A natural forest that people in Sichuan province tend     1    (visit) is the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea in Yibin. The 120-square-kilometer Bamboo Sea is the     2     (large) bamboo park in China and its average temperature seldom drops below zero degrees Celsius in winter     3     many parts of the country are covered with snow and ice.

Known as one of the country’s 10 most beautiful forests, it     4    (be) a popular tourist attraction since the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon     5    (shoot), there in 2001.

Two years later, the bamboo forest received world-wide     6    (recognize) as a bamboo reserve in December 2003,     7    (become) the fourth tourism destination in China to be granted Green Globe 21 certification.

The Bamboo Sea covers Changning and Jiang’an, two counties     8     the authority of Yibin. Amazed at its vast expanse, Huang Tingjian,     9     poet from the Song Dynasty, described it as “bamboo waves”. As Huang was an     10    (influence) man of letters, his description gave rise to the forest’s popular nickname—the Bamboo Sea.

6 . “I’ve met an old lady,” I eagerly told my parents on one of our daily phone. I volunteered to start a knitting club at a care home for the ________ in north London. I didn’t realize it would be the start of a close ________, where our ages ________ sharply.

From the beginning, I never felt that Edith and I lacked ________. I was amazed that Edith, at 110, could talk with me about anything, and that her ________ stretched back so easily, ________ even small things that took place 100 years ago.

When I first met Edith, I was ________ by her intelligence and vitality. Her doctor’s degree from the University of Vienna told me about this. As a child, she loved to skate on the lake in winters, but in her later years she adored the summer, ________ her physical conditions. Although from her nineties, she was ________ to a wheelchair, she participated in the exercise classes.

Over the years of visiting Edith, I understood how Edith valued the ________ of people above everything else and material possessions, which was a reminder of how we should ________ our lives.

Death at 111 is not unexpected, but I still feel that something is ________ from my life. I feel very fortunate to have formed such a ________ bond with a remarkable lady, from whom I learn to take the words of ________. I appreciate nothing more than the opportunity to regain new ________ into life.

7 . The journey towards self-improvement and personal success is often paved with challenges and obstacles.     1     The power of mindset extends beyond mere positive thinking. It shapes your attitudes and actions, thereby shaping your destiny.

Mindset rests on a fundamental principle: your inner beliefs and thoughts can form your reality.     2     It is also about how an optimistic mindset fosters (培养) improved decision-making, heightened problem-solving abilities, and stronger resilience against challenges.

Factors like talent and hard work are often highlighted in professional success.     3     Consider a physical therapist, who may encounter limitations in their effectiveness due to a negative or fixed mindset despite possessing the necessary skills and knowledge. This situation underlines how a growth mindset is essential.

    4     It is a game-changer in personal and professional development. It is centered around the belief that abilities and intelligence are not fixed traits but can be cultivated through effort, learning, and perseverance.

To make full use of the potential of your mindset, it is crucial to confront and overcome limiting beliefs. You may never realize it.     5    

Engagement (订婚) is an exciting and memorable event that many people look forward to. Bailey Davis, who had been in love with her boyfriend for more than two years, like many others, recently experienced this joyous occasion when she got engaged. As for the future, Bailey knew that no matter what challenges or obstacles came her way, she would always hold onto the memories and experiences she shared with her partner. She has been proudly wearing her beautiful engagement ring ever since, valuing it as a symbol of her love and commitment. However, her happiness was short-lived.

As a salesgirl of a large chain store, Bailey was as busy as a bee, going on business alone from time to time. On this particular day, Columbus, Ohio was her destination. She got up very early, packed all her baggage, and drove there happily. While at a rest stop, she used the restroom. Here, she took off her ring. But little did she know that she’d also leave it there. It wasn’t until she arrived in Columbus that she realized her ring was missing. “I had driven already two hours away to Columbus before I realized it wasn’t on my hand,” Bailey recalled. “I was shaky and sweating — I felt like I was going to puke (呕吐).” By the time she returned to the rest stop bathroom, the ring was gone. At that moment, Bailey felt certain she would never see her precious ring again.

Bailey’s heart began to sink at the thought of the special value of the ring. For her, it was not just a piece of jewelry but a symbol of the love and commitment she shared with her partner. She couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of loss and disappointment.

However, Bailey refused to give up hope.

Just when she’s about to lose heart, something amazing happened.