You might dream of fluency in this or that language, and maybe you've already achieved fluency in a foreign language.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Fluency, like all abstract terms, has no universal meaning. Each individual must determine what the term means.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Perfect fluency means knowing every word you encounter, speaking quickly, clearly and easily and having no accent.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. You aren't familiar with every word of your native language, and sometimes you have to search for the right word, even in your mother tongue.

    Quick fluency is the type of fluency you see in advertisements, because “Master a Language in Two Months!” sounds way catchier than “Fluency in Twenty Years!”{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is possible to achieve quick fluency, but the fluency achieved after such a short time frame will be a very thin, superficial fluency.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Native-like fluency means that you generally know all the same words that a native knows and can speak at the same pace with the same amount of ease as a native speaker. You will likely have an accent, but as long as your conversation partner can understand you, it doesn't matter.

    Literary fluency is like graduating from native-like to educated-native-like fluency. It focuses on the more intellectual（知识性的） side of a language: indulging in literature, attending university, composing song lyrics, etc.

    There are a ton of other things that fluency could potentially（可能地） be, but that's up to you to figure out.

A. It sounds too good to be true.

B. However, Nobody is “perfectly fluent” in any language.

C. Quick fluency is good if you have some sort of deadline.

D. But have you ever considered what fluency really means?

E. But does fluency have the same meaning to other person as it does to you?

F. Unlike perfect fluency, native-like fluency is a reasonable and attainable goal.

G. To assist you in determining what fluency is, I'll describe a few different types of fluency.

    Are supermarkets designed to persuade us to buy more? When you enter a supermarket, the manager knows better than you: how you will behave — which way you will walk, where you will look, what will make you buy one product rather than another. When customers go into a shop, they naturally look to their left but move clockwise, towards the right. So supermarket entrances are usually on the left of the building. And the layout is designed to take shoppers around the store, aisle (通道) after aisle, from left to right. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Fresh fruit and vegetables are displayed near supermarket entrances. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Basic food like sugar and tea, are not put near each other. They are kept in different aisles so customers are taken past other attractive foods before they find what they want. In this way, shoppers are encouraged to buy products that they do not really want.

    People walk quickly through narrow aisles, but they move slowly in wide aisles and give more attention to the products. One best-selling position for products is at the end of aisles, because shoppers slow down to turn into the next aisle. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Supermarkets are paid by food companies to put their products in each of these high-selling places.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} While parents are waiting to pay, children reach for the sweets and put them in the trolley.

    More is bought from a fifteen-foot display of one type of product (e.g. cereal, washing powder) than from a ten-foot one. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They do not like to buy from shelves with few products on them because they feel there is something wrong with those products that are there.

A. Another is on shelves at eye level.

B. Sweets are often placed at children's eye level at the checkout.

C. There are always enough products prepared for customers in the supermarket.

D. Then shoppers will pay attention to all the products.

E. This gives the impression that only healthy food is sold in the shop.

F. Customers also buy more when shelves are full than when they are half empty.

G. Supermarkets are one of children's favorite places and they are also big consumers.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} According to a new survey by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 pm or later on school nights, even though they have to get up early. Last year the Foundation reported that nearly 60% of 7- to 12-year-olds said they felt tired during the day, and 15% said they had fallen asleep at school.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Babies need a lot of rest: most of them sleep about 18 hours a day! Adults need about eight hours. For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal. But the new National Sleep Foundation survey found that 35% of 10- to 12-year-olds get only seven or eight hours. And guess what almost half of the surveyed kids said they do before bedtime? Watch TV.

    "More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more opportunities to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone," says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University Medical School. She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Changing levels of body chemicals called hormones not only make teenagers' bodies develop adult characteristics, but also make it hard for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 pm.

    Because sleepiness is such a problem for teenagers, some school districts have decided to start high school classes later than they used to. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Students parents and teachers are pleased with the results.

A. How much sleep you need depends a lot on your age.

B. Other experts say part of the problem is chemical.

C. Getting less sleep has become a bad habit for most American kids.

D. what homework waiting for kids might always affects them sleep well every night.

E. Raising the minimum sleep is identified as a key way to help solve the problem.

F. Three years ago, schools in Edina, Minnesota, changed the start time from 7:25 am to 8:30 am.

How to Be a Good Tourist

    We travel not only for work but also for fun and learning. Restaurants, galleries, temples and architecture...These places are like homes for people who live and work there. How would you want visitors to behave in your own home? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are many ways of doing this without sacrificing our own holiday.

    Do your homework. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Guides will help you when you get to the site, but is that the best place to go? Is it popular only because the one-day tourist can see it easily or because it is really a worthwhile place to visit？You'd better check it out.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Walk around, even if in the streets closest to your hotel. Eat in local restaurants. Talk to the locals. Learn a few in the local language and use them. You will surely get a smile from the hotel staff and street sellers.

    Help preserve the sites. Most of the sites you visit may be visited by millions of people a year, so care needs to be taken to allow others to enjoy them as well. Some of these monuments are so old and fragile that they are sensitive to the touch of hands or bags and shows. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This way, you don't encourage the use of those plastic bags that fly all over many sites.

    And here's the big one — good manners are nearly universal. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If that doesn't sound like you, then give the world a break and stay home.

A. Experience the place.

B. Always have a cloth bag with you.

C. Read about the places you want to visit.

D. Try to buy something from the local stores.

E. A good tourist is polite, positive and eco-sensitive.

F. We've cleaned up after ourselves and taken only good memories.

G. I think we would like them to make it a little better because of their visit.

Master Your Deadlines

The struggle begins in high school, sometimes earlier. Deadlines, and lots of them, start to pile up. At college, the pressure sometimes leads to last-minute rush and unsatisfactory work. At work, failing to meet deadlines can easily get you fired. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are a few best practices.

▪Assign deadlines to what matters.

If the task isn't of high importance, don't set a specific deadline. In this way, you are able to keep it on your radar for a while without feeling pressured. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This will provide just enough pressure to ensure you get it done.

▪ {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Set a personal deadline for yourself a day or two before the actual deadline. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you're working with a group of people, add in even more time to account for potential follow-ups and the need for approvals.

▪ Keep communicating.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This means letting others know when something is taking longer than expected, when a delivery didn't come in, when a client is not providing the necessary information, etc. Although it may feel embarrassing to admit that something is not on schedule, being honest is much better for relieving your stress.

A. Plan for flexible hours.

B. Finish your project as early as possible.

C. But if an activity is urgent, set a deadline immediately.

D. In this way, you'll never have to stay up late and feel stressed.

E. But handled properly, deadlines can actually improve productivity.

F. Whenever you feel challenged to finish work on time, communicate.

G. So if anything takes longer than expected, you can still wrap it up and submit it on time.

The outbreak has forced people to work from home and given many couples the chance to see each other at work. But, after all, living together and working together are not the same. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

⒈ Put the problem on the table

Knowing what your partner does is one thing but seeing them in action is another. "We are forced into the intimacy (亲密), not just with spouses (配偶), but also with kids or whoever else is in the home," said Karen Bridbord, a psychologist in New York City.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Talk about any insecurities you may have whether it's participating in a video meeting or being eavesdropped on and what you need in terms of a work environment. Then create a schedule and set boundaries when it comes to separating work life and personal life.

⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

You might be learning that your spouse is fan of all the office cliches or holds too many meetings—but it's best to keep that to yourself. Even if you think your intentions are good, don't offer any unsolicited（主动提供的）feedback when it comes to your partner's' work style. And don't mistake complaining as an opportunity to criticize. "Even if a partner is complaining about work, you shouldn't see that as an invitation or opportunity to provide critical feedback," said Anthony Chambers, a chief academic officer. "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}"

⒊ Don't complain a lot

These working conditions aren't ideal for many people right now—especially if you are juggling kids and other care giving responsibilities {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. However, try not to keep score of who is doing what around the house, or whose work is more pressing.

A. Provide an inside look.

B. Allow them to complain and you just listen.

C. Avoid treating each other like colleagues.

D. This can leave you feeling overburdened and exhausted.

E. The first step in making this situation work is to talk about it.

F. How to do with this "new colleague" to maintain a harmonious relationship?

G. In this way, you're more likely to arouse sympathy from the partner which will help negotiate boundaries.