These days , it seems that almost all of us are too serious . My older daughter often says to me . “Daddy , you’ve got that serious look again .” Even those of us who are committed to non-seriousness are probably too serious . People are frustrated” （沮丧的） and uptight （不安的）about virtually everything being five minutes late , seeing someone look at us wrong or say the wrong thing , paying bills waiting in line , overcooking a meal , making an honest mistake—you name it , we all lose perspective over it .

The root of being uptight is our unwillingness to accept life as being different, in any way , from cur expectations . Very simply, we want things to be a certain way but they’re not a certain way. Life is simply as it is. Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best : “Our limited perspective , our hopes and fears become our measure of life , and when circumstances （环境） don’t fit our ideas , they become our difficulties .” We spend our lives warning things , people , and events to be just as we want them to be-and when they’re not , we fight and we suffer.

The first step in recovering from over-seriousness is to admit that you have a problem. You have to want to change, to become more easygoing. You have to see that your own uptightness is largely of your own creation—it’s composed of the way you have set up your life and the way you react to it .

The next step is to understand the link between your expectations and your frustration level. Whenever you expect something to be a certain way and it isn’t, you’re upset and you suffer. On the other hand , when you let go of your expectations , when you accept life as it is , you’re free .

A good exercise is to try to approach a single day without expectations. Don’t expect people to be friendly. When they’re not, you won’t be surprise or bothered; if they are , you’ll be delighted . Don’t expect your day to be problem-free. Instead, as problems come up , say to yourself, “Ah. another hurdle （障碍） to overcome .” As you approach your day in this manner you’ll notice how graceful life can be . Rather than fighting against life, You’ll be dancing with it. Pretty soon, with practice, you’ll lighten up your entire life. And when you lighten up, life is a lot more fun .

1．The underlined word “perspective” （Paragraph 1） probably means         .

      A．best hope            B．proper judgment C．wrong guess       D．firm belief

2．According to Benjamin Franklin we should         .

       A．be uptight about life

       B．leave life simply as it is

       C．fight and struggle to make the surroundings fit our ideas

       D．accept life as being different from our expectations

3．Which of the following belongs to “over-seriousness”?

       A．To let go .                                       B．To hold on .

       C．To get used to life .                          D．To try to approach a single day without expectations

4．What might be the best title for the passage ?

       A．Lighten Up                                      B．Cheer Up

       C．Let Go of Your Expectations             D．Never Be Too Serious