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    The ancient Greeks were very good at making conversations, and the greatest talker of them all was philosopher Socrates. His pupil, Plato, recorded some of his supposed conversations, and we read them in ‘The dialogues' of Plato. In many classrooms today, Socrates' method of teaching is used.

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    The best talkers appear to have a great interest in and love for their fellow creatures; a curiosity about the world in general; some powers of observation and reflection; respect for their own opinions and tolerance for those of others; and quick thinking. And they talked for the fun of it, not to show off their knowledge.

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    A good voice must have the help of good speech, whose two assistants are clear enunciation(清晰发音)and correct pronunciation. Poor enunciation may suggest to your listeners that you lack consideration, and that you are not especially concerned about their opinion of you.

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    Pronunciation is settled by common agreement of the community or group speaking the particular language or dialect. For standard pronunciation of words, a dictionary is your best friend. The usage of words is somewhat the same as pronunciation. To be accurate in your use of words is very important in your conversation. Dictionaries usually provide the usage of words. So whenever you meet with new words, it is a good idea to look them up in the dictionary.

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    Think of meeting a stranger as a chance to have a good time to talk, to make a friend. Look with a smile directly into the other's eyes when you are introduced, and shake hands with a firm, friendly clasp. This will give you confidence. Then try to have a smooth and pleasant conversation with him.

Parents Model Healthy Eating

    It should come as no surprise that the more stressed parents are at work, the greater the burden on their family is{#blank#}1{#/blank#} After all, the more time parents spend working, the less time and energy they have to plan and prepare healthful meals.

    For years, most studies have focused on the role of working mothers while fathers were ignored. They didn't look at the family as a whole{#blank#}2{#/blank#} adds a new wrinkle（褶皱）to the relationship between work stress and family nutrition.

    Mom's work related stress is still a central factor in low well families eat because they typically do most of the food shopping and cooking{#blank#}3{#/blank#} The study found that when mom or dad experience high levels of work related stress, their families are eating one-and-a-half fewer family meals per week, and the parents themselves report eating fewer fruits and vegetables, more fast food, and are less likely to eat breakfast regularly.

    It's worth nothing that the study looked mainly at low income families who belonged to ethnic（民族的）or minority groups{#blank#}4{#/blank#} But the implications are wide ranging.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Teaching kids, especially teenagers, to help with grocery shopping and to cook actual meals, instead of just putting a frozen pizza in the microwave, could be an important piece of the puzzle in helping families improves their eating habits.

A. And the role of fathers in particular

B. But dad's work related stress has a large impact, too.

C. Yet, the kids' stress may influence the families' nutrition, too.

D. So the findings don't necessarily apply directly to other types of families.

E. When it comes to family nutrition, the entire family plays a role even kids.

F. It's also probably not a surprise that this can negatively affect a family's nutrition.

G. It is parents who give their kids a good model to develop a good eating habit.

    Imagine that you're an actor or actress performing in a play for the first time. You've learned all your lines and you know where to walk on stage. Waiting behind the closed curtain, you can hear the audience whispering. Then your big moment arrives! The curtain goes up, and the crowd falls silent. All you can see is the spotlight shining down on you. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The inside of your mouth is dry, and your hands are wet.

    If you've experienced a moment like this, you know all too well what it means to have stage fright. It's one of the most common types of fear.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can experience this kind of fear when playing sports, giving a talk, or even speaking in class.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The experience differs from person to person, but the same chemical process occurs on each of us. In reaction to anxiety, our bodies produce a chemical that prepares us to either fight or run away quickly. Scientists refer to this as our bodies' “fight for flight” reaction. As a result, we feel the great energy that makes our hands sweat, our hearts race and knees shake.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Practicing your performance and following some simple tips can help you calm down and manage the feelings caused by anxiety. Firstly, dress comfortably and appropriately. Secondly, before the performance, take deep breaths and stretch to help relax your body. Thirdly, stay away from drinks that contain caffeine(咖啡因).{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Instead, try a banana! Some doctors believe that eating a banana can help calm your heart and the rest of your body. Finally, when you look into a crowd, try to focus on particular people rather than the whole group. These tips have helped many people learn to deal with their fears.

    Are you often upset about your failure in daily life? In fact everyone has gone through failure. In most cases you fail because of a lack of persistence(坚持不懈). Being persistent is a skill that can help you reach a dream more easily, get what you desire and even be a way in which you defend your idea or right before difficult people. Being persistent is a kind of quality most people who are successful have.

    Failure is often used as an excuse or reason not to go after a goal. Yet, getting over failure is a good way of being persistent. So to be persistent, you should accept that we all experience failure in life. The most successful people in life have ever failed. The difference between them and people who fail is that successful people face the failure, learn from it and use it fully and wisely to inspire their next attempt.

    You should keep on trying at the first sight of difficulty. Anything that is worth doing or achieving is sure to be difficult. Treat that as the challenge and as something that will test your courage, shape you for the better, and make you stronger and wiser. If at first you do not succeed, try it again and again.

    More importantly, you need to learn to give up where necessary. If the constant facts tell you that you should let go of an realistic goal despite your efforts, be wise about devoting your energies. Don't waste time and energy, for you have just learned what does not work and is not worth persisting with.

    In addition, it is also important to be persistent when refusing or demanding something. So you have to be persistent in what you say so that other people truly understand your meaning and know that you mean it. Whether it that will be remembered by others. Thus, when making your request or refusal, make eye contact with the person you are talking with, and this shows you are serious. Avoid saying sorry unless it is necessary because an apology usually is a sign of guilt, uncertainty or fear. Always state what you want to do or what you refuse to do clearly and exactly.

    My dad is a kind, gentle man, and a man of few words. Throughout my life, he offered advice rarely. But the words were always appropriate to the situation I was facing.

    As a teen when I struggled with making sense of the world around me, he said, “All things are relative.” He taught me the right view of the world. When I was offered the opportunity to be a manager of an organization as an undergraduate student, I asked him for advice because he was a senior manager of a large company. His advice was simple, “Only when you become the manager can you have a vision for how you can make the organization better; management isn't about power and it's about leadership.” I learned what I needed was not only to be responsible for my team but also to have leading ability. When I was feeling down, he explained, “Think that you make the wrong choices in life, sometimes.”

    My dad is 86 now, living on his own and enjoying life while struggling with the challenges that aging brings. He keeps a positive attitude despite long pain and the losses that come in life. Although we live quite far away from each other, we talk daily on the phone, and he shares the joys of my young family. As I tell him how we're heading off cycling or on a trip or out to play tennis, now his typical response is, “Do it while you can.” This is very important. We can't be sure of the future. My father's advice is like the ancient dictum（格言）of “ carpe diem”— seize the day and enjoy it to the fullest.

    My dad rarely “lectured me”. He trusted me, and helped me when I needed help. His patience and wisdom have been true gifts in my life. As I doubt my ability and my motivation, I recall his most recent gift of wisdom, “Do it while you can”. It's enough to “just get me started”.

    If you seek happiness, then you need to know what happiness is for you. I don't believe there is one universal definition of happiness. Happiness is a very subjective emotion, according to me. Put two people in identical situations: same amount of money, life experiences. etc. and you can be pretty sure that they both wouldn't feel equally happy or equally sad. I believe this is so because there are two kinds of happiness. There is one kind of happiness, which is kind of universal and then there is the other kind, which is very individual to each one of us. It is this kind of happiness that I find more interesting.

The second kind of happiness that I talk about comes from our expectations out of our lives, which vary from person to person. For example, a person who expects a lot out of his or her life may find that happiness is hard to find. They are constantly in search of these things in life, which always seem to elude (逃避) them. Those things may be money or fame or power or any of the other pursuits (追求) that humans have, but it would be likely that such people are less likely to be happy, if their goals are not met. In most cases, even after their goals are met, they don't find happiness, because they seek more— new goals, new wish lists, and it's a seemingly never- ending process for them!

    On the other hand, a person who takes life as it comes along and makes the best of each day is more likely to be happy every day. They have no pressure or goals to occupy their minds and they can achieve happiness from the simple pleasures of everyday life, finding love, making time for the family and kids, seeing their kids grow, etc. Of course, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't have any expectations at all. You should keep those expectations reasonable and manageable.