LIFE – Love, Interests, Fun, Enthusiasm

Read the article on how to get the most out of life. Choose the best answers, A, B, C or D.

Every day people find themselves incessantly rushing from one place to another or hurrying from one thing to get to the next. There’s the need to make the school bus or the pressure of a homework deadline. Nevertheless, it is well-known that rushing causes varying levels of stress. Why then, do we not stop and decide to live our lives at a slower pace? Is it really because we have a list of things to do as long as our arm, as some say, or the desire to pass all our exams or to be the best tennis player that drives this crazy life style, or do we just accept that this is life? But perhaps these people have lost sight of the real meaning of what it means to live. If we look at the letters that make up the word, we can take the word ‘life’ to be an acronym of a collection of very significant words. These words are: Love, Interests, Fun and Enthusiasm.

For those wanting to make the most out of ‘life’, here are four quick and easy life-changing steps that you could be doing: Make contact in person if possible, or if not, via email, phone or text, with at least one family member and friend each day. Those friends you keep saying you need to contact, contact! Love comes from relationships that have been built, not from those that are hanging by a thread. Some people may say that they don’t have time for that but there are ways to make time. ‘I don’t have time for that’. Well, make time!

In life we need ‘love’ – the love of our friends and family. The feeling of love can be heart-warming and can aid motivation. ‘Interests’ are needed so that we can put away and forget about that never-ending ‘to do’ list. Interests are

hobbies that guarantee life does not become overly monotonous. So often people see life as a process or as a cycle, and to some degree they’re right, but everyone gets stuck on the conveyor belt and, at times, they need to step off and take a look at the bigger picture. That’s where ‘fun’ comes into it. Doing something fun enables people to relax and value life.

Remember, ‘all work and no play’ can have a negative effect on us. Last but by no means least, we need ‘enthusiasm’.

Enthusiasm for what we do and what we believe in. Understandably, each person has their idea of what constitutes ‘fun’. It could be closely tied up with your interests or it could be something you do less frequently, like meeting up with friends, dancing, going on holiday or dining out. We all need fun. Without it, life would be boring.

Enthusiasm gives people energy. You have to ask yourself, if you’re not enthusiastic about doing something, why are you doing it? Often people say ‘I can’t be bothered to …’ or ‘I don’t see the point in doing …’. Why moan about something? Set a time limit for the tasks you don’t enjoy so much and make sure you schedule enough time for those you do enjoy. If you’ve read these very simple suggestions, then it’s not too late to do something to adjust things for the better.

We all need hobbies to do in our free time. Perhaps parents or older siblings sometimes say, ‘free time, we don’t have that, our lives are too busy’. If that is the case, you need to organise your time more efficiently. Try to carry out

something that you enjoy doing at least once a week. Your interests may include: cycling, painting, photography … the list is endless. If you don’t like doing things alone, get a friend or family member to join you.

1. According to the writer, people are always in a hurry because …

2 In the article, the writer claims ‘everyone gets stuck on the conveyor belt’. What is meant by this?

3 In the first life-changing step, the writer …

4 In the second life-changing step, people are meant to …

5 In the fourth life-changing step, the writer suggests people …

6 The writer’s main purpose in the article is to …