4 . Self-criticism (自我批评) is a mental habit of negatively analyzing and judging ourselves and our actions. If we don’t find a way to overcome self-criticism, we won’t be able to live a happy and satisfying life.     1    .

Thought stopping is one of the best secrets of how to overcome self-criticism. Interrupting your thoughts helps you change how you think about yourself, thus helping you feel better.     2    . However, with enough practice, you will make it.

Another strategy is to replace negative self-critical thoughts with positive realistic statements. For instance, if you set a goal, be realistic about it by giving yourself enough time to achieve it. In fact, having a constant desire to achieve immediate success can ruin your confidence.

Another secret is to let go of the need to be perfect. It’s all right to set high standards for yourself.     4    . In addition, desiring to be perfect in everything you pursue can prevent your progress.

    5    . However, it’s important to note that comparing yourself to your peers, friends, or family can increase dissatisfaction and unhappiness. That said, the best tip on how to overcome self-criticism is to practice self-acceptance.

Chengdu is regarded by many as one of the happiest cities in China, as well as the home of pandas. It     1     (become) the first Asian city to be identified as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2010.

Chengdu is a place where it seems to blur (难以区分) the boundaries between past and future. Its ancient temples, traditional alleys and historic architecture open a window into ancient China,     2     (take) you into a world of past impressive beauty. But what is really surprising is its focus on the future. Transforming into a center of technology, innovation and development, this city has     3     (ambition) plans to become a science city in southwest China.

Chengdu is not only rich in history and modernity, but also in flavor. This city is known     4     its spicy food, with bold flavors and centuries-old cooking traditions coming together to offer dining experiences     5     will delight all the senses. Chengdu’s most popular food, such as tongue-numbing mapo tofu and hotpot, is     6     feast for the palate (味觉). Hotpot works like this. A heat source     7     (place) on the dining table keeps a pot of soup stock simmering (煨), and a variety of Chinese foodstuffs and     8     (ingredient) are served beside the pot for the diners to put into the hot stock.

All this richness that Chengdu has to offer led to its selection as the host city for the 31stFISU World University Games. The athletic event was an opportunity not only     9     (show) Chengdu’s sporting spirit, world-class infrastructure,     10     (warm) and organizational skill, but also to promote friendship and cross-cultural understanding.

8 . Health organizations such as the UK’s national health services recommend that adults take 10 micrograms, or 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D every day, while the National Institutes of Health advise that most adults take 600 IU, with both bodies cautioning against taking more than 4,000 IU per day. Having too much vitamin D can cause a build-up of calcium (钙) in the blood, leading to symptoms such as nausea and kidney stones.

But Patrick J. LaRiccia at the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues recently found that a daily dose (一剂) of 5,000 IU may reduce the risk of influenza-like symptoms. They wondered whether this higher-than-recommended dosage may also have other positive effects.

So the team asked 196 adults to take 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day for about nine months. The adults, aged 47 on average, were aware of the dose they were having. The researchers also analyzed the data of more than 1,900 people who weren’t given the 5,000 IU daily dose of vitamin D. However, they were free to take vitamin D supplements if they wished. Towards the end of the study, across this group, the average reported dose was 1,318 IU and the average age was 50.

Over 10 months, those on the 5,000 IU dose had a lower risk of being hospitalized due to any cause, and they had to visit the emergency room or be admitted to intensive care less than people in the other group. No participants reported side effects.

However, LaRiccia says the team can’t rule out the age difference as a possible cause of these results, with those in the high-dose group potentially avoiding hospital because they were on average three years younger. The nationalities of people in the two groups also differed, with fewer Hispanic and Latino people in the high-dose group, which may have affected the results.

“The findings are promising, but the study was relatively small and the study period was too short to monitor any long-term safety issues of such a high daily dose of vitamin D,” says JoAnn Manson at Harvard University.

9 . Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a Sphinx statue (狮身人面像) with a smiley face near the Hathor Temple, one of the country’s best preserved ancient sites. The smiling Sphinx is much smaller than the famous Sphinx in Giza, which is 20 metres high. The stone work of art, believed to be a stylized representation of an ancient Roman emperor, was found inside a two-level tomb near the temple in southern Egypt.

Next to the beautifully and accurately carved Sphinx, researchers had found a Roman stone written in hieroglyph (象形文字). Once fully translated, the stone may unveil the identity of the sculpted ruler, who could be Emperor Claudius.

The smiling Sphinx is among a series of discoveries announced over the past few months. The country has uncovered major archaeological discoveries in recent months, primarily in the Saqqara cemetery (墓地) south of Cairo as well as in Giza, home to the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Recently, Egypt announced the discovery of a hidden nine-metre passage inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which may lead to the actual burial room of pharaoh (法老) Khufu, or Cheops. Further south, in Luxor, archaeologists had discovered a 1,800-year-old complete residential city from the Roman times.

Hathor Temple, about 500 kilometres south of the capital Cairo, was home to the Dendera Zodiac, a heavenly map which has been displayed at the Louvre in Paris for more than a century. Since Frenchman Sebastien Louis Saulnier took it out of the temple in 1922, Egypt has been attempting to get it back.

Some experts see such announcements as having more political and economic weight than scientific, as Egypt is counting on tourism to revive its vital tourism industry in a severe economic crisis. The government aims to draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028.

10 . For many runners, a marathon can often be a challenge — but sometimes what gets a runner through the tough 26.2 miles is looking out into the crowd and seeing his or her loved one holding up a sign and shouting words of encouragement. For one mom, though, her loved one was a bit more hands-on.

While running the REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon in Salt Lake City, Courtney Rich, a self-taught baker and mother of two, was beginning to run out of energy just yards from the end when she was suddenly joined by her 10-year-old daughter, Avery.

The touching moment, caught on video and posted on social media, shows Avery running to her mother’s side to support her as she approached the end of the race. Rich’s face lit up when Avery joined her and helped her cross the finish line.

Rich later said in the video’s caption that being joined by her daughter to finish the race was “a moment I hope neither of us ever forget”. Rich said that her daughter could tell she was struggling after a phone call near the end of the race. “She knew I had struggled the last few miles,” Rich said. “She saw tears in my eyes when I called on mile 24.”

In the video, Rich’s facial expression changes from tiredness to a smile after seeing her daughter emerge from the crowd to join her. Then, Rich and her daughter ran hand-in-hand to the finish line. “Nothing could have prepared me for the moment my 10-year-old daughter would jump out of the crowd and run with me to the finish line,” she said. When the race was done, the two hugged each other at the finish line. The video ends with a final caption, “And then she just held me. She held me.”

In the past, the REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon has had other memorable moments of mothers caring for their children, but perhaps not as hands-on as this one.