A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  Is that really true? Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit

This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.

Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

"Dream may be more important than sleep. We all need to dream." some scientists say. Dream takes up (占据) about one quarter of our sleeping time. People have a few dreams each night. Dreams are like short movies. They are usually in color. Some dreams are like old films. They come to us over and over again. That may be because the dreamer is worrying about something. Dreaming may be a way of trying to find an answer. Some people get new ideas about their work from dreams. They may think about their work all day. These thoughts can get into dreams. Sometimes we wake up with a good feeling from a dream. But often we can't remember the dream. Too much dreaming can be harmful. The more we sleep, the longer we dream. The mind is hard at work when we dream. That is why we may have a long sleep and still wake up tired.

Do you often talk with your parents? Here is some advice on how to talk with them.

Try to start your talk with something fun. This will make talking easier. For example, ask them questions about their day. Howˈs work? They love this.

Make what you want to tell your parents clear. If they have an opinion, let them finish it and donˈt stop their talking. Ask them to do the same for you.

Show them respect(尊敬) by listening to them carefully. Look them in the eye.

Be honest. Honesty builds trust(信任). Life is good when your parents trust you.

If your parents donˈt understand you, thatˈs OK. It doesnˈt mean they donˈt love you. Sometimes

you have to explain the things to them again. When you finish the talk, thank them for listening. Say something like, “thanks; that helped”.

It will let them know this is important to you, and make them want to do it more often.

“The Chinese Dream”is a hot topic of this year．Many Chinese young people are inspired by the Chinese Dream．Everyone has their own dreams．They give us courage and confidence to keep us going through difficulties．Here are some advice on how to realize our beautiful dreams．

Never giving up is the key to make our dreams come true．We may fail from time to time，but we can learn from failure，correct our mistakes and try again until we achieve our goals．Our life is like a long journey which is not all roses．  It   sometimes has wind and rain．We believe rainbows will appear after storms．

Cooperation is also necessary．Everyone likes a person who is good at cooperating with others．Besides，in our society most problems can’t be solved by one person alone．Cooperation is becoming one of the most important ways for people living in the developing society．

At the same time，we should learn to examine our abilities because it helps us know our advantages and disadvantages as well as get a full control of ourselves．Then we may be confident enough to face challenges．

Follow the suggestions above，and our dreams are sure to come true．