How to Read a Book

    Books can be your best friends．{#blank#}1{#/blank#}They can introduce you to things you may never see …But do you know how to read them in order to get the fullest enjoyment possible? The following tips should help．

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Look in the library or in one of the large bookstores．You could also ask friends if you could have a look at their book shelves. Search the shelves until you find a book that looks good．Read the first page to see how it reads, and the cover text on the back of the book, if it has any．If you are already concentrating，then buy it or borrow it.

    Do not start to read it until you have the time．{#blank#}3{#/blank#}And set aside time to do nothing else but read，as it can be，at times，suspenseful(悬疑的)，exciting and relaxing．

    Get comfortable on the couch．Have a lamp behind you, lighting the area where you are reading．Make sure the television is off and that anything else that could distract(使分心) you has been attended to．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Start the book by turning the pages and really enjoy it．Do not think about anything else but what you are reading．Put yourself into the action or location in the story．Once you concentrate completely, it will be difficult to put the book down．And remember that reading is not running your eyes over a book．{#blank#}5{#/blank#}However，if you need to read the book quickly，then you do not need to pay attention to every word．

A. Find a book.

B. Look for a place.

C. Otherwise, you will miss it.

D. You should read it actively and enjoy it completely.

E. They can take you to places that you may never go.

F. Get warm if you are going to be sitting still for a few hours.

G. If you are busy doing other things, you should wait until you have finished them.

    Please wear loose clothing, mostly cotton. It is obvious that wearing clothing that is loose rather than tight is welcomed in summer. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. This carries away the warmth that your body produces and allows cooler air to flow back in.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. When it's really hot out, materials that “breathe” — allowing the flow of air through the fabric (衣料) itself — also work to keep you cool. Cotton and linen are among the most breathable fabrics，so look for clothes made of those substances.

    Your body controls its temperature via a small peanut-shaped section of the brain known as the hypothalamus (下丘脑). {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It turns the temperature up or down based on various factors — such as how cold or hot the skin is.

    Certain parts of the skin have a larger influence than others. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. They get their name because you can feel your pulse there, and the reason you can do that is because vessels are so close to the edge of your skin that one can easily hear or feel the flow of blood.

    When you want to lower your body temperature, cooling those pulse points with cold water or ice sends a signal to the brain that says, “Turn cold.” {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Focus on pulse points that are easy to reach: the insides of your wrists, the area around your temple, and your neck. Holding an ice pack or even a cold washcloth against the skin on these regions will make your entire body feel cooler.

A. It allows air to flow past the skin

B. Sweating helps to cool off the skin

C. These areas are called pulse points (脉冲点)

D. The type of fabric you wear has an influence, too

E. This fools your brain into turning down its thermostat (恒温器)

F. This region works almost like a thermostat in a home

G. Exercising in extreme heat is usually not recommended

Tips on Young Adult Life

    As you grow rapidly through your teenage years, you will experience a lot of changes. The changes may seem difficult. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Don't panic! You will deal successfully with them! You are a young adult now!

    With more responsibility, you will find more freedom to make your own choices. This is a time to be well informed about making choices. In this way you can make healthy balanced decisions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You may already know your career path or you may have no idea at all what you want to do. Both situations are fine! Work hard and the right opportunity will show itself to you.

    Young adulthood means greater freedom and more choices. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But try not to shut your family out of your life. You should learn to think of others even though you are old enough to look after yourself.

    It is also perfectly natural at this time for you to spend more time with your friends than your family. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A true friend will stand by you no matter what happens.

    This period is a part of the life cycle. There are some people who will be with you throughout life's journey. There will be some people with whom you part and go separate ways. Leaving school can be hard. The reality is that you may not even see all of your classmates again.

    You are a young adult. It is your life. No one can live it for you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} So making the right choices will be important to you. Life is for living. Enjoy your life wisely!

    There are several different types of fire departments. Some hire full-time paid firefighters and some are run entirely by volunteers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, a firefighter must go through strict physical and academic training to ensure a strong knowledge of fire safety and the physical strength to handle the tasks required by member of a fire department.

    Joining a fire department requires that both physical and written tests are passed with scores showing a thorough knowledge of fire safety. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    The first step in joining a fire department as a paid firefighter is to submit an application as well as acquire the appropriate training. Usually firefighters must have a high school diploma, and some complete two-or-four-year programs in fire science at community colleges and universities. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, and if a candidate already has connections at a fire department, he may apply for a position straight out of high school.

    Once a candidate applies and is accepted for training at a fire department, he must then complete several weeks of training at the department's training center. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. When this is done, the candidate is sent to a fire company for a period of probation (实习). He has to continue training in the new position while being directed by experienced firefighters. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. An application must be submitted to the volunteer fire department, then if the application is accepted, the candidate will take a training program and then be required to pass a physical and written test. Firefighters must also become certified (认证) as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). The level of EMT certification is determined by the individual departments.

Voluntourism

    Volunteering to help people in need combined with travelling to faraway places is a new trend in the travel industry. It is called voluntourism. People travel to other countries, learn languages and gain new experiences. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Recent statistics show that in the past few years voluntourism has been one of the fastest-growing areas of tourism. More than 1.6 million people around the world are volunteers in other countries. They help build schools, assist in hospitals and do farming work in developing countries. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They keep in touch with their host families after they return home, and many return to visit.

    There are many reasons why people want to engage in voluntourism. When people choose to join a voluntourism program, they are joining a global network of volunteers who are living and working with diverse cultures on projects that have a positive effect. The volunteers come from all over the world, and they will share the passion for giving back and the desire to broaden horizons. Some students also see it as a gap year after school, while others simply want to take time out from a job and do something else. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, many voluntourists do not see volunteering as what it is. They think it is a cheap way of travelling and don't really want to get involved in hard work.

    While voluntourism has been around for over a century, modern volunteering started with the Peace Corps, a program that the US government started in the 1960s. From then on, voluntourism has become more and more popular. Many organizations start similar projects. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} And they have hundreds of different types of programs for people to choose from in more than 30 developing countries. The programs run year round and each volunteer chooses when they want to start and the duration they would like to stay for.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They say that if people really want to help those in need, there are many opportunities in their own community to do this. On the other side, volunteers are often not skilled enough for the tasks that they do. Travel experts point out that in some cases voluntourists are often taken advantage of by the organization that sets up the trips.

A. Not everyone sees voluntourism in a positive way.

B. Some of them establish lasting bonds with people there.

C. And there are those who are bored and merely seek adventure.

D. Most voluntourism organizations employ people from similar fields.

E. They find it is the best way to get the best of the world.

F. By participating in voluntourism, they are contributing to local economy.

G. They offer voluntourism trips to suit people's interest, experience level or age.

Make Your Fitness Resolutions Stick

    Last year, the most common New Year's resolution was fitness-related. A study showed that roughly 50 million Americans pledged (发誓) to increase activity and lose weight. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, success was hard to achieve. Two months later, only 37 percent of people in their 20s and 16 percent over age 50 had kept to their new fitness habit.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, the benefits of such a change are clear. There is no question that exercise plays a role in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Weekly exercise routines have been shown to reduce rates of depression and anxiety, lessen risk of heart attack and stroke, and reduce the prevalence of diabetes.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It's suggested that 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise like swimming, of 75 minutes per week of intense exercise, like jogging, should be the minimum amount of exercise needed to achieve maximum medical benefits.

    Often the best way to increase your exercise is to incorporate (融合) movement into your everyday life. On average, urban citizens who walk by walk, bike or public transportation are fitter than suburban citizens who drive to work. Besides, taking the stairs instead of the elevator also helps. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Whether you resolve to work out at your local gym three times a week, take 10, 000 steps a day or give your dog an extra walk every day, what matters most was not your commitment to exercise but you sticking to it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. While they have good intentions

B. Although behavior change is tough

C. However hard they try to make a change

D. There is always one type of exercise that you are fond of

E. So commit to something you love and keep to your fitness habit

F. They are good ways to increase the amount of your movement every day

G. The best form of exercise is the type that someone will consistently perform