Mom was right! If you say thank you, for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness, you'll fell happy. Gratitude , says Robert A. Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, is an extremely important element of happiness, In his most recent book, Thanks! (Houghton Mifflin, $30.95), Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom's point. In acknowledging and promoting this much-ignored expression of thankfulness, he explains how people have benefited --even improved their health. As one of the leading scholars of the positive psychology movement, he admits gratitude may be difficult to express. He recommends you begin by acknowledging that life is good and full of events and elements that make daily existence a wonder. Second, recognize that the source of life's goodness is more than just you. That source may be your mom, a friend, partner, child, colleague at work or play, a caregiver or God --or any combination of these. Expressing gratitude should not be a reaction. Instead, it should be a state of mind, To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than what you need is easy, To be grateful in times of crisis --anger, hatred and bitterness--is easier. Also, too many people are aware of life's blessings only after these are lost. It's crisis and chaos--danger, disease, disability and death -- that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others. Yet it's the way each of us begins life and ends it. It's too hard that so many people waste those decades in between laboring under the illusion  that they are self-sufficient, says Emmons. I'm not a reader or advocate of self-help books, but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients . The chance discovery led me to this book. Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving, receiving and repaying. So I'll follow her... It will be easier for you to feel grateful when  _ A) you live a comfortable life B) you receive gifts on your birthday C) you get help during your hard times D) you are congratulated on your success
C


Jayson McCarthy, 12, was born without fingers on his left hand. That didn't stop him from being able to do many tasks. But Jayson could not grasp more than one object at a time. So Jayson 's father, Paul, created a Prosthesis , using a 3D printer. Now Jayson has fingers that open and close. "It was a do-it-yourself, father-and-son adventure," says Paul. When Jayson was a baby, his doctor advised his parents not to give him a prosthetic hand until he was in his early teens. "The doctor said Jayson should first learn to get full use out of the hand he was born with," says Paul. As Jayson got older, his father looked into _ a prosthetic hand, which can cost as much as $30,000. Paul found a more affordable solution. One day, Paul discovered a video on the Internet about Robohand, a prosthesis created with a 3D printer. He downloaded the free instructions and called Robohand's creators for advice. They told him all he needed was a 3D printer--which costs around $2,000--and some materials. Luckily, Jayson 's school had recently purchased a 3D printer and it offered to help Paul build the hand for Jayson n. "We used a soccer shinguard , cardboard , and tape. They cost about $10," says paul. With his new hand, Jayson can do things better. "I can help my mom more, because now I can carry two grocery bags," he says. Jayson 's father has already built several hands for Jayson. Jayson helps design each one. He says there's one thing in particular that he wants to do with a future prosthesis. "The goal," he says, "is to be able to tie my shoelaces ." Why did Jayson 's doctor disapprove of  his using a prosthesis in his childhood? A) The prosthetic technology was underdeveloped then. B) A prosthesis was very expensive at that time. C) To use the disabled hand was important. D) The original hand could do many tasks.
C


(Question)
A pet parrot that spoke with a British accent when it disappeared from its home four years ago has been reunited with its owner ---- and the bird now speaks Spanish. The reunion was brought about by Teresa Micco, a Southern California veterinarian who mistook Nigel, an African gray parrot, for her own missing bird, the Daily Breeze reported on Sunday. Teresa Micco tracked Nigel's microchip  to Darren Chick, a British man who lives in Torrance, California. "I introduced myself and said, 'Have you lost a bird?' "Micco told the newspaper. "He first said, 'No' But he thought I meant recently " When she checked on Chick's name and said she had his African gray parrot, "He looked at me like I was crazy. " He said his bird had gone missing for four years earlier. Little is known about Nigel's whereabouts   for the past four years, but Chick says the bird's British accent is gone, and it now chatters in Spanish. Chick says last week's reunion brought tears of joy to his eyes---despite the fact that Nigel bit him when he first tried to pick him up. Micco said the behaviour was not unusual and that Nigel would settle back in soon enough. "He is doing very well," Chick told the newspaper. "It is really strange. I knew it was him from the minute I saw him" It is the fifth parrot reunion helped by Micco, who has been running advertisements for her own missing bird for nine months. That parrot, Benjamin, escaped in February when it flew out through a door that had been left open. Julissa Sperling found Nigel outside her home and brought him to Micco after seeing one of her advertisements. "He was the happiest bird. He was singing and talking all the time," Sperling said. "He was barking like my dogs. I am from Panama, and he was saying, 'What happened?' in Spanish." What is the main idea of the text? A) A man finds that his bird can speak Spanish B) A parrot missing for years returns speaking Spanish C) Teresa Micco helps many people find their missing pets D) Kindness and love are passed on through a parrot.
(Answer)

B