Investing in yourself

    Figuring out how to invest your money can be a difficult task. This is something that you will want to learn how to do.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Things that will improve your knowledge, skills or health are all great investments. However, before you start, you need to be clear about what you will gain out of doing all of these things.

    You may think investing in yourself means investing in your education. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} . There are some other things you can do as well as buying a gym membership or learning a new skill.

    So what are some specific things you can do? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} . Reading books can really expand your mind and allow you to learn different skills and gain knowledge. I'm talking about the books where you will actually learn a new skill, not fiction books.

    You can also take courses and attend seminars. These programs are taught by people with a high level of knowledge or skill. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . Only in this way can you avoid being fooled by some sales presentation.

    Moreover, investing in yourself is a safe way to keep your money. Although a savings account is seen as the most secure investment, that isn't 100% safe. Even if you never experience your bank closing down, the return is little when inflation(通货膨胀) is taken into consideration. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} . But over time, they will show up in terms of your happiness level as well as your level of success.

A. This is just one way.

B. The benefits will stay with you.

C. If you aren't a reader, you should start with that.

D. The more you do this, the more valuable you will be.

E. Of course, you need to do some research before investing.

F. The best way to invest your money is to invest it in yourself.

G. When you invest in yourself, you may not see gains right away.

Hobbies

    Hobbies play an important role in our life. Most people have a lot of free time available but seldom use it gainfully.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}There are many hobbies from which you can pick and you can choose one that suits your talents.

    Once you have decided to start a hobby, it will be wise to go through a list of popular hobbies and choose one that is close to your heart and can make you feel confident. Some of the most popular hobbies that people generally take to are reading, listening to music, gardening, fishing, sports, music, exercise and computer-related activities.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Once you start, you seldom think of giving it up.

    Learning a new hobby is really a wonderful experience. As you progress, you will be living in a new world and learning new skills. You will begin to discover your hidden talents that you didn't know. You will start reading more about your hobby, meeting other hobbyists with similar interests, exchanging views and building friend circles both near and far.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}In these games you will get the opportunity to meet others on a regular basis and develop great relationship.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They can help you keep good health and remain fit. On the other hand, if you are young and take a great interest in sports, you can develop your skills and finally get financially rewarded too. Similarly, gardening provides the hobbyist with enjoyable pastime and opportunity for relaxation. At the same time they get the rewards of their labor.

    People take up hobbies for interest, enjoyment and relaxation. Over a period of time, you might develop outstanding skills and get financially rewarded.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Each of these hobbies can give you great benefits.

B. This will change when you play games like golf, basketball or tennis.

C. Most importantly, the main aim of having a hobby is for personal satisfaction.

D. Physical hobbies like sports and gardening can be very rewarding.

E. This will be more so if you take up games like golf, basketball or tennis.

F. Although these hobbies can benefit you a lot, you may not keep them forever.

G. They would rather chat with their friends than use their talents and start a hobby.

    If you are like most international students, you are probably pretty comfortable reading and writing in English. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Below are some tips to help you to improve your conversational skills.

    Make friends with American students. Many international students end up making friends with a lot of—or only—other international students.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Hanging out with natives not only naturally pushes you to improve your spoken English, but also helps you pick up cultural and social information.

    Learn from American friends. Tell your American friends that you are trying to improve your listening and speaking skills, and would like them to help you. If you pronounce a word incorrectly, or misuse an idiom, you ask them to guide you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Increase your knowledge. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you have been exposed to topics that are likely to be discussed in conversation, you have a much better chance of understanding people when they talk, and of being able to express yourself well.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you have to explain something to someone, you have a strong motivation to pronounce everything as well as you can, and find other ways to explain yourself. Finally, this becomes a good habit. Many people have asked me how I learned to speak English fluently, and I owe most of it to my years of being a math teacher in college for years.

A. It is bad for them to do that.

B. You will make progress this way.

C. If possible, become a teacher at your school.

D. It's a win-win opportunity for international students.

E. Keep up with news and watch popular shows and movies.

F. Explaining everything in a different way counts.

G. You may have trouble in listening and speaking in the language, however.

    It's important to prepare for rainy days. Similarly, it's important to save money. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Why? It's because they've got used to spending all the money they make. Sometimes, the hardest thing about saving money is just getting started. Here are some tips to help you save money.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}The first step in saving money is to know how much you're spending. For one month, keep a record of everything you spend money on. Once you have your data, organize these numbers by category(类别) and get the total amount for each.

    You can make a budget(预算). Now that you have a good idea of how much you spend in a month, what can you do now? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} To plan your spending, you can build a budget. In this way, you can limit over-spending and make sure that you put money away for unexpected situations.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Doing so make it much easier to get started. Begin by deciding how long it will take to reach each goal. Some short-term goals include starting a fund to cover 6 months to a year of living costs and saving money for a vacation. Long-term saving goals are often several years or even decades away and can include saving for retirement and putting money away for a child's college education.

    Make saving money easier with automatic transfers (自动转帐). Automatic transfers to your savings account are very helpful. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}By moving money out of your checking account, you'll be less likely to spend money you plan to use for savings.

A. You can set savings goals.

B. You can record your costs.

C. You can plan your spending.

D. You can keep a record of what you do.

E. They can make saving money much easier.

F. However, some people find it hard to save money.

G. You can move money out of your savings account.

    Everyone wants to be happy. You see people who are smiling and laughing, and you want to be like them.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, there are also bad days. Here are three ways to make you happier every day.

    Smile often. Research has shown that the facial expression you wear influences your state of mind.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Wearing a pleasant expression for a long period of time will slowly improve your feelings and help you have a happier day.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The more you complain, the more annoyed(恼怒的) you become. If all you notice or talk about during the day are the things that annoy you, it is no surprise that you are unhappy. To truly increase your long-term happiness, don't complain any longer.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Practice thankfulness. Thankfulness has been shown to be the last ticket to a happy life. The more you practice thankfulness, the more you will find things to be grateful for in your life.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Even something as simple as a safe place to sleep or food to eat is worth being thankful for because not everyone is fortunate enough to have those necessities.

A. Try your best to be healthy.

B. You will slowly stop paying much attention to what worries you.

C. Have an entire day without complaining even once and see how you feel.

D. Stop complaining.

E. There are good days filled with sunshine and smiles.

F. If you try to smile, you are more likely to be happy.

G. This then leads you to realize how much goodness is in your life.

    Running is a great way to get in shape and just about everyone can do it. Given that it's so easy to take up the sport, a lot of beginners jump right into running without actually knowing what it takes to establish a healthy routine.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. If you are just starting out, avoid the following things to help you increase your chances of running success.

    Doing too much too soon

    One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is doing too much too soon. Picking up a new hobby like running is no doubt exciting. Runners need to ease into the sport before increasing the distance.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Beginners might think they need to run nearly every day to meet their fitness or weight-loss goals, but this couldn't be further from the truth. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, especially for beginners whose muscles and bones haven't  yet been conditioned for such intense (剧烈的) exercise. So it's important to give your body ample rest between workouts. Follow a training plan that includes rest days.

    Comparing yourself to others

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. You're excited about running, so you are probably reading running blogs, magazines and message boards where you might start to feel inadequate about your own running pace. Instead of getting down on yourself, remember that every runner was once a beginner and use their success as motivation!

A. Not taking rest days

B. Not running every day

C. As mentioned, a healthy routine is what they attach importance to

D. Running is a demanding activity which can be really hard on your body

E. When starting out with running, it's tough not to compare yourself to others

F. It will help reduce the risk of injury, so you can continue with your new running routine

G. Many make a number of common mistakes, which can interfere (干扰) with training or lead to injury