1 . For some people gratitude comes naturally; other people may have to actively think about being grateful for what they have. But it doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you do.     1     These are several benefits that it can bring you:

Being grateful for what you have could reduce social comparisons about money and success. These comparisons can lower self-esteem (自尊心).     2     It is likely that being grateful helps people focus on the positive things and puts them in a better condition of mind.

    3    . Expressing thankfulness to the people you are close to for the contributions they have made has been linked to happy relationships. In other people’s eyes, you are a kind person to get along with.

A study found that grateful people are more likely to say that they are in good physical health. The researchers found people who express gratitude are more likely to take part in healthy activities and ask for medical help when they need it.     4    

Gratitude is a good act. It can make you a more empathetic person.     5     For example, to get students to better understand others’ feelings, a Canadian education project brings babies into the classroom to teach the students to care for others.

2 . “Psychological well-being(心理健康)” is important to a person. Studies have discovered that people with higher psychological well-being are more likely to live healthier and longer lives. They are also more likely to enjoy a better quality of life.     1     For example, research has found that people with high psychological well-being are less likely to break laws.

Living a life with meaning and purpose is key to improving your psychological well-being. Your purpose doesn’t necessarily have to involve(涉及)changing the world or setting a goal of helping others though.    2     Or your purpose might involve making the world better by volunteering in animal shelters.

Thinking positively(积极地)improves your psychological well-being. In turn, as your psychological well-being improves, it becomes easier to think positively.    3     First, take a few minutes and write down all the good things that could happen to you in the future. Then, make a plan on how you can make that happen.     4     When you’re working toward a better future, it gives you a sense of purpose and something to look forward to.

    5     So take steps to meet more people. For example, take part in community activities, get to know your neighbors, or reach out to old friends. All these can help make you have a support system.

6 . We all know that honesty is an important value and that lying is wrong, but who can say they’ve never told a lie?     1     They are little lies that we tell to protect others from the truth.

We’ve surely had the experience of someone cooking a meal that we don’t like. Most of us of course lie that the food is “delicious”. Or we may tell a friend their new haircut is “great!”, even if we think it’s awful. Why?

One of the main reasons for telling a white lie is to make others feel better.     2     Perhaps we are in fact lying to protect ourselves from the disappointment and anger of others.

    3     Say for example that your friend asks you what you think of his singing. You of course say it’s wonderful, despite secretly thinking that your cat can sing better. Stop and consider that maybe your friend wants some frank comments from you so that they can improve.

Finally, we may also tell a white lie when we want to protect others from bad news. If you’ve had a bad day, do you tell your parents about it, or do you hide your tears and lie that your day was “fine”?     4    

We may find even white lies have results we cannot know in advance. Perhaps the meal you said was “delicious” will be served every time you visit. Would your friend trust your opinion again if he found out you had lied about his “wonderful” singing?     5     Moreover, how would you feel if you discovered that the people closest to you had been hiding the truth from you?

How often do you say “thank you” to someone? Expressing we respect the persons we are grateful to can make our relationship     1     (strong) than before.

Expressing gratitude shows we care for the person who receives the gratitude. When we say “thank you” to another, we often respond with     2     (appreciate) for this good deed. Gratitude allows the two sides of the relationship to respond to goodness,     3     deepens the relationship in the end.

In addition to serving as a response to a good deed, it is clear that sharing in feelings of kindness in our relationship     4     (real) makes it more important to both parties.

Expressing gratitude     5     (celebrate) the positive in our relationship, bringing both sides closer together. Gratitude can be a starting point to discovering the positive aspects of our connections. Celebration of good moments—by means of a social media post     6     a hand-written thank-you note—can help bring both sides closer together.

Expressing gratitude makes us feel happy,     7     (satisfy), and builds the way for future acts of kindness in the relationship. Our relationship is the biggest predictor of happiness and health. So,     8     gratitude can strengthen our relationship, why not combine both sides     9     (gain) a more satisfying life? In fact, just     10     (consider) the gratefulness we feel towards others daily can be a strong start to improving our relationship.

The American writer Mark Twain once    1    (say), “I can live for two months on a good compliment (赞美).” Perhaps his words sound theatrical, but it’s true that compliments can really make people feel good. They can give us the    2    (confident) we need to finish a project or to improve ourselves. They can even turn a bad day into a good one.

Compliments also play    3    important role in social communication. They can be used    4    (greet) a friend or relatives, to start up a conversation at a party, or to show    5    (we) appreciation to someone. Compliments are only meaningful, however, if they are sincere. In    6    (give) a compliment, we should not say anything we don’t really mean.

It is also important to know how to accept a compliment    7    (polite). For English-speakers, the best answer is often a simple “Thank you”    8    (speak) with a cheerful voice. Some compliments might also be acceptable, especially if the person    9    gave the compliment is trying to start up a conversation. For example, if someone compliments you on your clothing, you might mention when or where you bought it or some other bits of information. Another good way    10    (be) to offer a compliment in return.

9 . Letter writing may seem like a lost art to many of us, but for Emerson Weber, it’s a way of life. Emerson is a fifth-grader. Her dad said the 11-year-old has a(n) _________ letter writing habit and _________ dozens of letters to her pen pals (笔友) each week. She pours her heart out in these simple homemade _________, often including jokes, drawings, and stories about her family.

One day, she decided to write a _________ letter to Doug, their mail carrier, to thank him for helping everyone stay _________.

“You may know me as the person that lives here that writes a lot of _________ and decorates the envelopes,” she wrote. “Well, I wanted to thank you for taking my letters and _________ them. You are _________ to me. I make people _________ with my letters, but you do too. I don’t have a ____________, so how else am I supposed to stay in touch with my friends? You make it ____________!”

Emerson gave Doug the letter and was ____________ to receive a reply from him the very next day. He also included some stamps to help Emerson do what she ____________ best!

Now that their story has gone viral (传播开来), Emerson’s dad is ____________ more people to reach out. After all, everyone ____________ human connection, and it doesn’t take much to let someone know they’re not alone.