Nanjing, situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, was the capital of China for six Dynasties. An Australian Nanjinger Townley loves the rivers in the city. He     1     (ride) a bike along the bank of a river to the Nanjing Fishmouth Wetland Park in Jianye District every Saturday and Sunday mornings, about a 15-km round trip.     2     (walk) around the city or visiting museums is also an enjoyable part of his life.

According to Townley, Nanjing is in an ideal     3     (locate) in one corner of the Yangtze River Delta region, close to Shanghai.

Now, Townley works with and     4     (support) by the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute. He serves     5     a visiting professor at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Nanjing Tech University. After being a consultant and in the industry for     6     (year), he loves being connected to a university again     7     (share) his knowledge and experience with younger people and to initiate research based on the problems he has encountered in the real world so far. “I know my education and life are different from the     8     (type) Chinese students. Despite the differences,     9     I want to do with my Chinese students is encourage them to think, to be curious     10     to always search for new things.”

2 . Do you ever find yourself saving the good things in life for some distant moment in the future? Maybe you have a collection of fancy plates that only see the light of day on special occasions, or perhaps you’re waiting for the perfect time to wear that beautiful dress put away in your closet.     1    

In a recent conversation with leading psychologist Dr. Alison McClymont, we explored the idea of giving ourselves permission to enjoy the good things now, rather than waiting for an uncertain future.     2     So saving pleasure for the future may be pointless.

But why do we feel the need to save things for best?     3     It’s typically British to save our crockery or clothes for “special” occasions. This mindset may have originated from times when resources were not enough and has been passed down through generations. However, when we feel abundant, we are more willing to use and appreciate our favorite things regularly.

Welcoming the joy of everyday life can be seen as an act of self-love. We are supposed to surround ourselves with things that bring us happiness, even in ordinary moments.     4     It’s also about finding ways to renew our worth, fighting the negative thoughts that we don’t deserve to enjoy the good things in life.

    5     Take out those fancy plates for a simple weeknight dinner. Wear that beautiful dress to run errands or pick up your kids from school. Celebrate the small moments and make them extraordinary. Because in the end, life is too short to deny ourselves joy. Let’s break free from the mindset of waiting for the perfect moment. Embrace the joy of everyday life and make every day a celebration.

3 . Napping during the day is an ancient custom that is practiced worldwide. Short naps, which last from 20 to 30 minutes at the right time, can benefit vitality and overall health in countless ways.

Short naps can boost mental functioning and memory, as well as improve vitality, attention and reaction time.     1     Because napping seems to improve creative thinking, some companies have attempted to introduce napping rooms.

What’s more, it appears the brain uses nap time to process information gathered throughout the day.     2     A study revealed that short naps also helped people become more confident and sensible, which resulted in better focus and efficiency at work. Napping may also lead to an improved ability to learn new skills, such as a golf swing. This is because these memories or skills are strengthened in the brain during sleep.

    3     Studies show that more consistent sleep will help lower “fight or flight” chemicals in our bodies. As a result, our blood pressure and heart rates are normalized. Napping appears to help this process for some people.

    4     One condition associated with napping longer than 30 minutes is sleep inertia (睡后迟钝). This can harm cognitive function from several minutes up to half an hour. Long or late afternoon naps can lead to difficulties falling asleep during the night.     5    

So, to maximize benefits while reducing risks, please keep naps short in the early afternoon to avoid sleep inertia and nighttime sleep disruptions.

4 . The Decluttering Philosophy That Keeps Your Home Organized

When you sit at your desk, you may constantly be confronted by chaos.     1     Here an expert shares about some useful strategies to keep our messes at bay and her decluttering philosophy — getting rid of unnecessary possessions and distractions.

    2     “What becomes clutter and where your clutter collects can say a lot about what’s going on with you.” Thus the first thing you should keep in mind is to understand your clutter. When you understand the reasons behind your clutter, it’s a lot easier to know what to keep and what to get rid of.

When it comes to organizing, don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you start off with too big a goal, you might get discouraged if the job takes too long.     3     Instead, start with something less challenging. You can also work within short time restrictions. All in all, setting realistic goals and breaking tasks up into manageable portions can really help.

Once you’ve chosen an area to declutter, make a list of everything you have in that space. Then comes the hardest part: figuring out what to get rid of. At this stage, please look at your items with neutral eyes.     4    

Admittedly, it’s easy to be organized the day after decluttering, when tidiness is still top of mind. But what happens when you come home from a trip and are too tired to unpack your luggage? Or when you get the flu and are too sick to clean up?     5       In other words, make a system that works for you even when you’ve got to work or when you’ve got a cold.

5 . The Importance of Being Independent

The ability to be independent is something not everyone possesses.     1     And learning to support yourself is fundamental for any success you ever hope to achieve. At the end of the day, you only have yourself to fall back on, so it’s very important to be able to handle things on your own.

People rely on others far more than it is necessary. People put their happiness in the hands of a significant person, thinking this will bring them satisfaction.    2    

Should you always be dependent on someone else? Of course not.     3     Therefore, you need to learn how to make decisions on your own. People are unable to be independent for a variety of reasons, with fear being the biggest: the fear of being alone, the fear of rejection and the fear of the future.

However, there is no reason to base your life decisions on relationships with people. All relationships end at some point or another.     4     The only thing you can do is alter your understanding of relationships. Instead of expecting them to make you happy by being in your life and providing enjoyment, appreciate the time spent and enjoyment since you know it will be gone.

    5     Don’ t ask for advice , do what you want and learn from your own mistakes. Many people are afraid to think for themselves because that involves taking responsibility for their own lives. This is just one way people become dependent. We are born alone and we die alone, so we each have to take responsibility for our lives at every step along the way.

6 . From the age of eight, I attended a little boarding school on the Derbyshire-Staffordshire border. On Sunday afternoons, the _______ would leave us to wander the edge of the grounds where we were supposed to _______ time chatting or playing sports but my _______ was to climb over the fences and disappear into the landscape. Often, much to the teachers’ annoyance, no one knew where to _______ me.

That was the point. To walk to a(n) _______ place and, for a moment, feel the world as something new brought with it a feeling I would desire. The habit _______ with me. By my mid-20s, I was a _______ walker. Walking became a way of life that, _______, gave shape to a wandering decade and I would ease myself into new _______ the world over by setting out on foot to get ________ and then find myself again in the backstreets of Ahmedabad or Isfhanan, Ramallah or Bari.

Now I have established my home in the landscape of Devon. Here, walking ________ me and my dog Dharma as an essential daily practice. The world outside our front door is an ________ the tiring, routine aspects of our lives. It’s a place where we watch the seasons change and ________ the movement of the sun and the light around the moon. We walk the same ________, day after day, but every minute of every hour can feel like ________.

7 . We all know the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. This is an old proverb we learn from an early age.    1    

Have you ever noticed that when you do something nice for someone else, it makes you feel better too? This isn’t just something that happens randomly (随机地).     2     Doing nice things for others increases your serotonin (血清素), which is responsible for feelings of satisfaction and well-being.

    3     While there are several ways to reduce anxiety, it turns out that being nice to others can be one of the easiest, most inexpensive ways to keep anxiety at bay. University of British Columbia researchers found that participants who engaged in kind acts displayed significant increases in positive afct (积极情感) that lasted over the four weeks of their study. So, the next time you’re feeling anxious, look for opportunities to help others.

Making others feel good can “warm” your heart, sure — but being nice to others can also affect the actual chemical balance of your heart. Kindness releases the hormone oxytocin which reduces blood pressure and therefore protects the heart.    4     Maybe that’s why they say nice, caring people have really big hearts.

Kindness can help you live longer. You may be shaking your head at this one, but there’s science to back it up. According to Health.com, you’re at a greater risk of heart disease if you don’t have a strong network of family and friends. When you’re kind to others, you develop strong, meaningful relationships and friendships.    5    

Conflict and     1     go hand in hand in our daily lives. When conflicts     2    , it is important to     3     and inquire about the potential issues to find a resolution. It’s natural to find certain behaviors annoying or inconvenient, but it’s our responsibility to     4     the root cause and     5     it appropriately.

9 . Stepping out of your comfort zone (区域) helps you to improve yourself and become a happy and fun person. You’ll experience greater enjoyment as you try out new experiences.     1    .

Unplug (拔掉插头)

Take a break from today's interconnected world.       2    .   You may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but you will know that is just part of the process to let you know better about yourself.

Go to another country

You will experience new cultures, different customs, unique landscapes and another language from travel.     3    . Additionally, the excitement of exploring different scenery and experiencing different cultures are lifelong treasure.

    4    

Try diving, skydiving or a roller coaster ride. If those are too frightening, try giving a speech or taking a dance class. Once you overcome your inner fear, you will have a sense of satisfaction that comes from overcoming it.

Talk with someone new

This doesn’t have to be a complete stranger. Start a conversation with someone new at work, the barista (咖啡师) in your local coffee shop, a neighbour or someone in the queue.     5    . By focusing on other people rather than your own internal thoughts, you can improve your own mental health.

10 . Everyone has bad days at work or studies. For example, you had an unexpected trouble with a project you had been working on for weeks.     1     Or you forgot to attend an important meeting on time and missed a good chance. Whatever the reason for your problem, the result is to make you feel more stressed and alone.

    2     According to a research, practicing gratitude can help make you happier. The next time you’re feeling troubled by a problem, take a minute and think of someone in your life that you’re grateful for.     3    

Why will that make you feel better? Gratitude is often a feeling when someone else does something helpful for you that they don’t need to do.     4     It might be a relative who took care of you when you were little, a guide teacher who helped you out, or a workmate who offered you a great chance.

Remember those people who helped you, and knowing why you’re grateful to them has two good points. For one, it gets you to think about something wonderful, which can cheer you up.     5