外研版（2019）高中英语选择性必修第一册 Unit 1 Laugh out loud! 素养评价1

 "Have a nice day!" may be a pleasant gesture or a meaningless expression. When my friend Maxie says "Have a nice day" with a smile, I know she sincerely cares about what happens to me. I feel loved and safe since another person cares about me and wishes me well.

"Have a nice day. Next!" This version of the expression is spoken by a salesgirl at the supermarket who is rushing me and my groceries out of the door. The words come out in the same tone (腔调) with a fixed procedure. They are spoken at me, not to me. Obviously, the concern for my day and everyone else's is the management's attempt to increase business.  

The expression is one of those behavior that help people get along with each other. Sometimes it indicates the end of a meeting. As soon as you hear it, you know the meeting is at an end. Sometimes the expression saves us when we don't know what to say. "Oh, you just had a tooth out?  I'm terribly sorry, but have a nice day. "

The expression can be pleasant. If a stranger says "Have a nice day" to you, you may find it heart-warming because someone you don't know has tried to be nice to you.

Although the use of the expression is an insincere, meaningless social custom at times, there is nothing wrong with the sentence except that it is a little uninteresting. The salesgirl, the waitress, the teacher, and all the countless others who speak it without thinking may not really care about my day. But in a strange and comfortable way, it's nice to know they care enough to pretend they care when they really don't care all that much. While the expression may not often be sincere, it is always spoken. The point is that people say it all the time when they like.

Attention from strangers is nothing new to me. Questions about my height are the center of almost every public interaction. My friends say my height is just a physical quality and not a personality aspect. However, when I reflect on my life, I realize that my height has shaped my character in many ways and has helped to make me who I am.

I learned how to be kind. When I was younger, some parents in my neighborhood regarded me as kind of dangerous because I was so much larger than other children of my age. I had to be extra welcoming and gentle simply to play with other children. Of course, now my coaches wish I weren't quite so kind on the basketball court.

I learned the quality of not being too proud of myself. At 7 feet tall, everyone expects me to be an amazing basketball player. They come to see Dirk Nowitzki, and instead they might see a performance more like Will Ferrell (successfully starred a professional basketball player). I have learned to be modest and to work even harder than my fellows to meet their (and my) expectations.

I developed a sense of lightheartedness. When people playfully make fun of my height, I laugh at myself too. On my first day of high school, a girl dropped her books in a busy hallway. I got down to her level and gathered some of her books. As we both stood up, her eyes widened as I kept rising over her. Astonished, she dropped her books again. Embarrassed, we both laughed and picked up the books a second time.

All of these lessons have defined me. Looking back, I realize that through years of such experiences, I have become a confident, expressive person. Being a 7-footer is both a blessing and a curse (诅咒), but in the end, accepting who you are is the first step to happiness.

Many people are aiming and praying to be happy. What they do not know is that happiness is a journey and not a destination. Here are some of the how-tos.

Be true to yourself.You can withdraw with a person that cannot satisfy you. You can change a job. You can choose friends. If you think people, things and events in your life don't give you happiness, let them go and think of better ways.

Think of good things and not the opposite. When you think you have less money in your pocket, don't say "I don't want to be poor". Say "I want to be rich" or "I have more than enough money for everything". You'll notice you'll attract a lot of good things, gifts and good people in your life that could improve your financial aspect. 

Start your day with hopes. By the time you wake up, stretch your muscles with hopes and thoughts of abundance in your brain. You'll get more energy than waking up with a bad mood.

Always smile. Nobody wants to be depressed people. You cannot sell your products if you are not marketable enough. Smile makes some people's day. Smile and the world smiles at you. 

Happiness depends on yourself. If you want happiness in your life, you have to prove it in your actions. To receive, feel and be happy is to do happy things to others.

A. Always think positively.

B. Be thankful for the journey you are taking.

C. It is so uncomfortable to be with people who love frowning.

D. Don't pretend if you do not like a situation.

E. Accept people for who they are and don't compare them with other better people.

F. Every good thing in the world is already here and it's up to us to work for happiness.

G. If you start your day with a good mood, you'll end it with a good mood.