2 . What we choose to do is up to us. “Life is for living”, according to a well-used expression. That may not be completely true, but there is no harm in dreaming about what we’d like to achieve in our life. Many of us write a list of things we’d like to do before we leave this world — often called a bucket list.

Bucket lists have been called “the greatest hits of your life” and have helped some people overcome anxiety which would have stopped them following their dreams. Some of us may choose to write one to fill our life with exciting and new experiences — from skydiving to swimming with sharks — the list is unlimited. This is something the BBC radio programme “All in the Mind” has been looking at. It heard from a blogger called Annette White, who said she made a promise to live her bucket list which “continuously pushes the comfort zone to its limits and beyond it.” Such a list can be exciting and can indeed help you plan your life and give you focus.

Creating a bucket list can certainly give us hope, but Clinical psychologist Linda Blair told the BBC that he was “not really in favour of bucket lists, which take you away from the chance to be spontaneous (顺其自然的).” It’s probably true that a list can encourage people to follow someone else’s idea of the perfect life. But why not at least dream of what we would like to do? Why not reach for the stars, even if we only reach the sky? Whether we want to plan it or just see what happens, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so maybe we should live for today.

5 . For many years, I had a recurring (重复出现的) dream. I was a little girl again, rushing about, trying to get ready for school.

Deep inside, I knew where the _______came from. It was about some unfinished business in my life. As a kid, I loved everything about school. But at 15, I had to______because my parents couldn’t afford tuition. My hope of getting a diploma (毕业文凭) was ______. Pretty soon, I married and had three children.

I wanted my children to be ______. But Linda, our youngest child, had juvenile arthritis (幼年型关节炎) in her hands and knees, which made it______for her to function in a normal classroom. I felt really sorry for her and I didn’t want her to live her life ______regret.

One day, I saw an ad for evening courses. “That’s the answer,” I said to myself. Linda always feels ______in the evening, so I’ll just ______ her up for night school.

Linda was busy_______out enrollment (入学) forms when the secretary said: “Mrs. Schantz, why don’t you come back to _______?” I laughed: “There’s no ______! I’m 55!” But he persisted, and ______I knew what I had done, I was enrolled for classes in English and crafts. Anyway, my dream was still there in my heart. It was exciting to go to school again but it was no game. When I was down, Linda encouraged me. “Mom, you can’t   ______now!” At last, I got my diploma. The unfinished_______ in my dreams was ______ finished.

Good morning, everyone!

Last weekend we went for camping in the mountains with our teacher，Anna. When we arrived， we made a camp fire first. Then，Anna taught us to catch fish so that they could have more food to eat that night. I liked the airs there because it was fresh and clean. Many stars were up highly in the sky and the moon looked bright .   We all sat around the fire ， listening Anna's stories about her childhood. She was born into a poor family or she worked very hard to be successful. I was very touched that I couldn't sleep the whole night，thought about being a teacher in the future. When I get home，I said to my parents，“Everything was great about the camping. I want to be the teacher like Anna in the future. ”

How are you doing? I wonder that you could sell some Chinese knot for me. I made them myself with red silk threads, cloth and another materials. They look really beautifully in the shape of a diamond, about 5 inches length and 4 inches wide. In China, these knots stand friendship, love and good luck. People can either give them as gifts to friends nor hang them in their houses. There are only 12.99 US dollars each. If anyone wants to know more about the knots, let you write to me. Besides, do let me to know if you need further information. Thank you !

Li Hua

10 . We were told for years that positive thinking was the key to achieving our goals. Now more and more evidence suggests exactly the opposite: that spending a lot of time thinking about your hopes and dreams may make you less likely to put in the work required to actually achieve those dreams. So if positivity is out, what should we replace it with?

New York University psychologist Gabriele Oettingen talked about a four-step plan she’s come up with from her years of research. Oettigen explained the plan as WOOP.

Wish: First, define your goal. “Think about a wish that is dear to you,” Oettingen said. “What is it you really want? This could be running a marathon or losing a certain amount of weight.” Your wish doesn’t have to be huge; it just has to be real, something you truly want.

Outcome: Keeping your goal in mind, ask yourself: If this wish of mine is realized, what is the best possible outcome? “Very often, it is a feeling,” Oettingen said, “You define that outcome, and you imagine that outcome.”

Obstacles (障碍): After you’re let yourself daydream for a little while about what it will feel like when your goal is accomplished, bring your mind back down to reality. “Then you sat, ‘What is it in me that holds me back from experiencing that wish, that outcome?’” Oettinger said. “Very often it’s an emotion, it’s those same old habits. And you imagine that obstacle.”

Plan: “Once you’re imagined that obstacle,” Oettingen said, “you’ll understand what you need to do to overcome it.” If this obstacle pops up, then you’ll do something to get over it and keep going after your goal.

Oettingen’s research has shown that this method has helped people eat more fruits and vegetables; it’s also helped students achieve better grades in school, and it has even helped people act less insecure in their romantic relationships.