Learning English is challenging because of the various rules and exceptions to the rules. The best way to learn English is to hear it spoken and repeat the words as you hear them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You will learn how to make English a daily part of your life in order to learn to speak it quickly.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ask a friend to help you write letters of English alphabet on index cards. You should write a letter on each card. Practise the letters by mixing up the cards and saying the letters. You can ask your friend to help you pronounce the letters and quiz you on your knowledge.

    Make your own videos in English. If you have a video camera, you can tape yourself speaking English and practice along with your own video. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Watch your videos daily, and repeat what is being said.

    Get a private tutor. A professional English instructor can give you one-on-one instruction that will help you understand the rules of English. Your instructor can teach you how to write and speak English.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also inquire at your local community college.

    Watch movies with English subtitles. When watching a movie in your native language, use the English subtitles so you will understand the connection between your language and English.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will make mistakes, and that is OK. You need to practice English as much as possible in order to quickly learn to speak the language fluently.

    It's not easy to talk with teens about their relationship with screens.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Open with a discussion of young children's tech use

    Rather than asking teens to put down iPads, introduce a discussion on babies' tech use. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When I had my eighth graders read an article about banning iPads for children under two, the class were interested.

    Admit your tech problems

    One of my students wrote that she would like to prevent the whole family from using tech facilities. Clearly, someone in her home was having some tech use problems. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}We can't tell kids to put down their devices if we continue to use them.

Keep a balanced opinion

    We adults wouldn't be able to live in today's society without screens, so we shouldn't expect teenagers to do so either. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It's improved our lives in many ways. Before we start talking about its challenges, we need to realize its opportunities, too.

    Deal with the topic like you would nutrition (营养)

    If children weren't making good food choices, we would never take their lunches away and make them stay hungry. We would teach them how to eat healthy and help them learn to set new habits: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Instead of taking their devices away, we should help them keep a balance with technology.

A. The same should go for technology.

B. Technology isn't a bad habit to be got out of.

C. This will invite teens to talk about the subject.

D. Teens need face-to-face communication with adults.

E. One of teens' fears is that we'll take their devices away.

F. So we need to be open about our own tech habits as well.

G. Here are a few ways that will make the discussion easier and more productive.

    "Fire! Fire!" What terrible words to hear when I 1 in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, 2 house —the kind that burns easily — and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, 3 the door and stepped out into the passage. It was full of 4.

    I began to run, but as I was still only half awake, 5going towards the stairs I went in the opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I found it hard to 6. The floor became 7 under my feet. I ran into another room and tried to reach the 8 for fresh air. Suddenly, one of my feet got caught in something 9 and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a package of 10, and I picked it up to 11 my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor 12 under me and I fell through to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me.

    13, there was a doorway in front, so I put the package over my face and 14. My feet were terribly burned, 15 I got through. As I reached the cold air outside my package of clothes gave a 16. I nearly dropped it in surprise. Then I saw there were many people in the street. A woman screamed as she saw me and came running 17.

    "My baby! My baby!" she cried. Those people 18 loudly as she took the smoke-blackened package out of my arms. I almost 19 to see who she was—my boss's wife. I had saved her baby, and become a(n) 20!

    Theatre is a great activity to be a part of. It's an excellent way to make friends, practice the art, show your talents, and explore your creative side. Here's how to prepare yourself so that you can be your shining best.

    Practice, practice, practice!

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}To improve your practice, ask directors for pointers. While no show is perfect, with persistence (意志力), you can create a very satisfying end result.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    When you are in bed, picture yourself on the stage having a great time. Go through your lines, songs, and dance moves, and picture them going perfectly. The key is to stay relaxed and create a positive image of yourself on the stage.

    Don't be nervous when you are on stage!

    It will be dark where the audience is seated, and you won't be able to see their faces. When you aren't saying lines, take deep breaths. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Just have fun!

    Remember to show expression.

    Be proud of your performance and display the emotion that your character is feeling. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Keep in mind that you're not only representing who you are as a performer, but also the rest of your cast and crew members and your directors as well! Smile (if you are supposed to) and have lots of fun!

    Smile during the curtain call.

    The curtain call is when the audience will take pictures, so wear a smile. Depending on the type of show, you might want to stay in character for a few extra seconds before you break out into a smile. Also, if you have one last song to sing at the end, sing it loud and proud.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Just make sure the audience can't tell.

B. This is when all of your hard work pays off.

C. Get good sleep for the last few nights before the performance.

D. Go over every aspect of the performance until you are satisfied.

E. It's also polite to introduce your supporters to the other cast members.

F. Talk about exactly what you want to do on stage, and what you don't want to do.

G. If you are performing an emotional scene, pull the audience into your tale so that it's an enjoyable experience.

Public Speaking Training

    Get a coach

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, so get help. Since there are about a billion companies out there all ready to offer you public speaking training and courses, here are some things to look for when deciding the training that's right for you.

    Focus on positives

    Any training you do to become more effective at public speaking should always focus on the positive aspects of what you already do well. Nothing can hurt confidence more than being told that you aren't doing well. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, so good public speaking training should develop those instead of telling you what you shouldn't do.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    If you find a public speaking course that looks as though it's going to give you lots of dos and don'ts, walk away! Your brain is so full of what you're going to be talking about. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. As far as we're concerned, there are basically no hard and fast rules about public speaking. Your audience can be your friends.

    You are a special person not a clone

    Most importantly, good public speaking training should treat you as a special one, with your own personal habits. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Your training course should help you bring out your personality, not try to turn you into someone you're not.

The Things That Keep Us From Succeeding

    We have always been told not to fear failure because it is essential to success. So we should embrace failure or at least the possibility of failure.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. If you're not reaching the kind of success you imagine, one or more of the following things might well be true of you, too.

    NO.1: You don't have a goal. A lot of time we find ourselves struggling through a day-to-day routine that isn't getting us anywhere because we don't know where we want to go. Sometimes we had goals when we set ourselves on a particular path, but we've changed along the way and those goal s are no longer that important.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, figuring out what your goals are is important.

    NO.2: You don't have a vision. Setting goals is important but isn't enough to drive you to the finish line; it's important, too, to be able to imagine yourself as the achiever of your goals. If goal s are the end result of a journey, your vision is the fuel to get you there.

    NO.3: You don't have a plan. If goals are your destination and a vision is your fuel，your plan is the map to get you there.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. The world is full of people with goals they have never accomplished because they didn't have a plan—don't be one of them.

    NO.4: You're too certain or not certain enough. Too much certainty creates inflexibility. If you're sure that your plan is correct, and refuse to accept the possibility of error, you may well find yourself stuck when an unexpected change comes about. However strong your plan and however sure you are of your goals, make room for periodic reassessment.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If you refuse to take a step because you aren't positive that it will move you towards success, you won't make any better progress than if you had no goals at a11.Keep your eyes open and be willing to change, but have faith in yourself, too.

    NO.5: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Often we close ourselves off from other people not because we're afraid that they will influence us but that we will influence them. We are afraid that our brilliant ideas will be taken up by someone else and no longer be solely ours. So we avoid sharing our passions, and spend our energy jealously guarding our "secret" rather than simply moving forward. In the end，we turn our passions into burdens that are difficult to carry instead of a joy.

A. Whatever the case

B. Whatever the cause

C. You worry about being copied

D. You don't learn from your mistakes

E. At the same time, too little certainty will fail you

F. However, fear isn't the only thing that keeps us from succeeding

G. Without it, you have no idea what immediate steps to take to achieve your goals