I was ten when I first sat with my grandmother behind the cashier（收银台）in her general store. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I quickly learned the importance of treating customers politely and saying “thank you.”

    At first I was paid in candy{#blank#}2{#/blank#} I worked every day after school, and during the summer and on weekends and holidays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. My father helped me set up a bank account. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    By the time I was 12, My grandmother thought I had done such a good job that she promoted me to selling cosmetics（化妆品）. I developed the ability to look customers directly in the eye. Even though I was just a kid, women would ask me such things as “What color do you think I should wear?” I took a real interest in their questions and was able to translate what they wanted into makeup（化妆）ideas. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

The job taught me a valuable lesson: to be a successful salesperson, you didn't need to be a Rocket scientist—you needed to be a great listener. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Except they are no longer women purchasing cosmetics from me; instead, they are kids who tell me which toys they would like to see designed and developed.

    Nail-biting(咬指甲) is one of the most common annoying habits in children. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But you needn't worry too much and as soon as you realize what's causing nail-biting, you can help your child overcome and stop it. So, here's what you can do about it.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}In some cases, children won't even realize they are biting their nails, let alone know why they are doing it. So make sure you have a conversation with your child (if he/she is old enough) and make him/her realize he/she is doing it and try to figure out why it's happening.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It's important to agree on the level of your involvement. If he/she wants help, create a secret reminder that will make him/her stop without embarrassing him/her.

    Give alternatives (替代物).{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Depending on the age of the child, there are several things that you can offer such as a small ball, Play-Doh games, or any kind of other small toys.

    Use bitter solutions(溶液). Forcing a child to keep this solution on his/her fingers may feel like a punishment.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Everything else will only lead to embarrassment and discouragement. Furthermore, some of these solutions contain pepper which burns if it enters a child's mouth or eyes. But if you have an adolescent child who wants to quit biting his/her nails, you may suggest and try out this solution.

A.It's also likely to continue as the child grows up.

B.Help the child become aware of the habit.

C.You should also consider asking for professional help.

D.Make an agreement on how you're going to stop it together.

E.The best thing children can do is communicate with their parents.

F.The child needs to go through the process painlessly and in agreement with you.

G.That will keep his/her hands occupied when he/she is likely to bite his/her nails.

    Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resting your body clock {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here is how to make one.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In order to make a change, you need to decide why it's important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise or just be better prepared for your day? Once you are clear about your reason, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.

    Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags{#blank#}3{#/blank#} That's a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.

    Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you're tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating (弥补) on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you've tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} If rot, take another look at other methods you could try.

A. Gel a sleep specialist.

B. Find the right motivation.

C. A better plan for sleep can help.

D. And consider setting a second alarm.

E. If the steps you take arc working, keep it up.

F. Slick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the clay it is.

G. Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the café to get coffee.

    How to Feel Attractive and Be Confident of Yourself

    Feeling attractive and confident has little to do with your appearance and everything to do with how you feel about yourself on the inside. Every person is an individual and has attractive qualities to focus on{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⑴Do what you can do.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Don't complain about something that you are not willing to change. Begin dieting and exercising if you are overweight. Change your hairstyle, have your nails done or arch(使成弓形) your eyebrows.

    ⑵{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Let your hands swing, keep your neck straight and hold your shoulders back. Walking confidently will make you feel more attractive and be more confident.

    ⑶Don't compare yourself to others.

    You don't have to look like a model or a host on TV. However, you can learn to love yourself as you are{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Make a list of your attractive qualities, and think about those each time you want to compare yourself with someone else.

    ⑷Avoid negative thoughts about yourself.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}View pictures that show you at your most attractive. Force yourself to think about the things you like about yourself rather than the things you don't like.

A．Walk confidently.

B．Focus on the areas over which you have control.

C．Learn how to be attractive and confident from models.

D．You will be happier when you don't need to compare with others.

E．Focus on achievements that will make you feel more confident and attractive.

F．The way you handle yourself can make you feel more attractive and confident.

G．Every time you think something negative, replace it with a positive thought or action.

    Some students bring good luck charms（幸运符）to school on test days. They might keep a four-leaf clover in their pocket or wear a pair of lucky underwear. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  there are better ways of doing well on a test.

    When you get the test, don't forget to put your name on it. Then, take a quick look at each page. A long test may have different sections. Notice how many marks each section is worth. Like a runner, you will want to be careful about your pace. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} you will want to leave yourself enough time for the sections that are worth the most marks.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Read the instructions and questions very carefully. Make sure you understand what you are being asked to do. If you do not understand a question, ask your instructor. If you feel nervous, you may want to build your confidence by starting with the questions that arc easiest for you.

    During a reading test, it can help to do a quick pre-reading exercise you have been taught, even if it is not part of the instructions. For example, try scanning the text to figure out the topic before you rend the whole thing more carefully. Then think about what you already know about the topic. Predict the details that might be in the reading. For a writing test, pre-writing is a very important first step, Brainstorm your ideas and organize them before you start writing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

     Before you hand in your test, review your answers. Check your grammar and spelling. Make sure your instructor will be able to read your handwriting. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Follow these tips and, if your lucky underwear doesn't work, you will have a solid back-up plan in place.

A. While these things can't hurt,

B. Whenever you finish your test,

C. Be sure that you answered every question.

D. You can answer your questions one by one.

E. Now you are ready to begin answering the questions.

F. If you have a limited amount of time to complete the test,

G. These activities warm up your brain so that it will work more efficiently.

    The world is a colorful landscape of different languages, skin colors, and different cultures. It's important to have a good understanding of different cultures in order to become a well-rounded person{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One way is to read hooks written by authors from a particular culture. Reading works by authors who have a close relationship with a particular culture allows people to gain an authentic glimpse into the food, music, language, religion, and way of a life of a particular group of people.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Another way to learn about different cultures is to try to learn a foreign language. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}A person can choose a language she has always wanted to learn and locate learning programs to help her master the language. Besides, one can enroll in a foreign language class in order to learn in a more formal setting. One can also try to visit areas of the city to establish social connection with native speakers of the language.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Seek out restaurants that feature authentic food from a variety of countries. Food is an important part of different cultures and allows people to gain deep understanding into a particular cultural group's way of life.

    Communicating with people from other countries through email or snail mail is another useful way to become familiar with different cultures. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Various websites offer pen pal services, offering to connect individuals with pen friends around the world.

A. Stories based on a local culture expose one to a different culture.

B. Trying authentic food from a specific cultural group is also a great idea.

C. There are several ways to become knowledgeable about different cultures.

D. A variety of language-learning books, software, and audio programs is available,

E. The Internet has made it possible to communicate with others from different countries.

F. Making contact with native speakers of the language allows one to gain firsthand knowledge.

G. One way to develop this appreciation is to try to team about other cultures around the world.