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Many years ago, when I was a young man in my twenties, I worked as a salesman for a St. Louis piano company. Every time we would advertise in Southeast Missouri, we would receive a reply on a postcard which said, "Please bring me a new piano for my little granddaughter. I can pay $10 a month with my egg money." The old lady scrawled on and on and on that postcard until she filled it up.

Of course, we could not sell a new piano for $10 a month. No finance company would carry a contract with payments that small, so we ignored her postcards.

One day, however, I happened to be in that area calling on other replies, and out of curiosity I decided to look the old lady up. The old lady lived in a small and dirty house in the middle of a cotton field. There were chickens in the house. Obviously, the old lady could not have qualified to purchase anything on credit. Her little granddaughter was about 10, barefoot. I explained to the old lady that we could not sell a new piano for $10 a month. However, she still sent us the same postcard every six weeks.

A couple of years later, I owned my own piano company, and when I advertised in that area, the postcards started coming to me. For months, I ignored them.

But then, one day, despite knowing that I was about to make a terrible business decision, I delivered the piano to the old lady and told her I would carry the contract myself at $10 a month with no interest, and that would mean 52 payments. I took the new piano in the house and placed it where I thought the roof would be least likely to rain on it. I told her and the little girl to try to keep the chickens off of it, and I left—sure I had just thrown away a new piano.

But the payments came in, all 52 of them as agreed—sometimes with coins taped to a 3×5 inch card in the envelope. It was incredible!

So, I put the incident out of my mind for 20 years.

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Paragraph 1: Then one day, as I was sitting at the bar having an after-dinner drink, I heard the most beautiful piano music behind me.

Paragraph 2: She told me her name was Elise and since her grandmother couldn't afford to pay for lessons, she had learned to play by listening to the radio.

The total floor area of Chain's green buildings has been over 6.6 billion square meters with the country's efforts to promote high-quality development in urban and rural areas.

(note) China's achievements of green development in urban and rural areas, Zhang Xiaohong, vice minister of housing and urban-rural development, (stress) the difficult task of saving energy and reducing carbon emissions in urban and rural construction at a press conference on Monday.

The ministry will make continuous efforts  (increase) the proportion of green buildings, raise building energy efficiency standards and popularize buildings with extra-low energy  (consume) in regions with suitable climate conditions. It. will also promote green renovation (修复) of existing buildings to improve energy efficiency and make  (low) carbon emissions.

China issued a guideline  supports green development in urban and rural areas recently. Institutional mechanisms and policy systems for green development in urban and rural areas will be  (basic) established by 2025, while green development will cover urban and rural areas  a comprehensive way by 2035, with  increased cut in carbon emissions, said the guideline.

The ministry will state a 14th five-year plan on urban and rural living environment planning and take  (measure) to bring eco-environment, construction and social and cultural environment into line while promoting green development of regions and cities.

Devi had never been to a swimming lesson in her life. But now that her mother had found a new job in the city, Devi faced a new 1 —school field trips to the local pool.

The first time Devi went with her class to the pool, she had no 2  what she was in for. Devi 3  into the water and held onto the side of the pool, expecting to be able to touch the 4  with her feet. But when Devi 5  the side of the pool, she sank under the water. Devi soon 6  the cement ledge (水泥平台) to prevent herself drowning. Then, seized by 7 , she just sat on a bench, too embarrassed to try again.

When she came home, her mother 8 right away that Devi was upset. "Honey, I made a call to the local pool, and you start lessons this weekend." Devi felt 9 that lessons would help, but she had to 10 her fear.

11 , when the time came to take her first lesson, Devi was even more embarrassed than before. "I'm 13, and I'm taking lessons with all little kids! This is 12 !"

When she was standing there, her 13 came over and said, "Hi, Devi! I'm Angela. You know what, I didn't learn to swim until I was 20, and now I'm a swimming teacher!"

Angela's words put Devi 14 . She couldn't help but smile, realizing that she might never be a fearless swimmer, but she would sure have fun 15 .

The chicken or the egg—which came first? It's probably one of the most commonly cited paradoxes—a chicken hatches from an egg, so the egg came first, right? The two ideas seem contradictory, and that's exactly what a paradox is—a problem that seemingly has no definitive solution and can't be logically solved.

How can work be flexible but maintain structure? How can we switch off if we're working from home? Two contrasting ideas could cause people stress, but what if we accept the contradiction and change the way we look at it? This is what some experts call the'paradox mindset'.

A paradox consists of two realities that exist at the same time—even though that seems impossible.  For example, embracing change may lead to burn-out, while embracing stability may lead to boredom. Some experts have found the acceptance of both realities and a willingness to embrace them can improve both creativity and productivity by allowing you to navigate a path through the contradictions.  Consider Einstein. The theory of relativity was born out of the paradox that something could be moving and stationary at the same time, depending on perspective.

So, having a'paradox mindset' and accepting the bigger picture may help you better understand problems. It could also make you happier knowing that contradictions exist. As a result, it may lead you to improving your productivity and creativity.

A. But then what laid the egg?

B. However, some say the chicken came first as it laid the egg.

C. If it worked for Einstein, maybe it could be good for you too.

D. And paradoxes don't just exist in philosophical debates but also in our daily lives.

E. Studies have found that the application of a paradox can bring enormous benefits. 

F. If you embrace just one of those realities and ignore the other, it can cause problems.

G. A 1996 study of geniuses found those thinkers spent time considering opposites.

Expecting the worst to avoid feeling bad later is known as "bracing". It may help people prepare for emotionally challenging situations, particularly in the moments before these situations occur. People brace for the worst while waiting for potentially negative outcomes. Someone might also brace for the worst in anticipation of stressful events like giving a presentation at work.

Some psychological theories suggest that bracing should help. For example, "decision affect theory" proposes that how we feel about a situation is determined partly by comparing what actually happened with what could have happened. Based on this, people should be happy when an event goes beyond their expectations, and disappointed when an event falls behind. Therefore, by anticipating the worst, one can safeguard themselves against future disappointment, as any result is likely to surpass their expectations.

But other psychological theories undermine the idea that bracing will be helpful. It has been theorized and scientifically established—that expectations can powerfully influence reality. There are two key ways that expectations can shape reality.

First, people may behave in ways that fit with their expectations. If you expect to fail an upcoming test or interview, then you might not invest efforts in preparation, which in turn reduces your chances of doing well. Second, people may interpret a situation in line with their expectations. Imagine you believe you are insufficiently qualified for a job you've applied for. During the job interview, you're likely to interpret blank expressions from the interviewer in line with this belief, which could negatively affect your performance. In fact, the interviewer did not want to give anything away.

Drawing together the scientific studies, it seems that expecting the worst is anything but a wise way to prepare for upcoming news or results. It might be better to hold positive expectations than to brace for the worst.