Now, if you want to be charming, then you'll need to build self-confidence, but becoming more outgoing is actually pretty easy. To get to a point at which you feel comfortable talking to complete stranger, follow these steps.

    Encourage your curiosity about people{#blank#}1{#/blank#}I wonder what his parents look like. I wonder what her favorite color is. Is he from around here? Is she the girl I saw at the movie theater last week? It will take some conscious effort, but you can't be outgoing if you don't care about people.

Smile at others. Make it a goal to smile at one person a day. It can be anybody, and it can be the most subtle(微妙的) of smile. A quick glance paired with a smile—then run away if you want!{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Eventually, you will want to get to a point where you smile instinctively whenever you make first eye contact with someone.

    Ask people questions. The standard ”how are you?” doesn't really count, because people use it as a greeting rather than a real question{#blank#}3{#/blank#}This is where the curiosity and interest in others come into play.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}This is key to being a good conversationalist. If you don't make enough eye contact, the other person will feel invisible and the sense that you're elsewhere mentally. If you make too much, they'll feel uncomfortable. Is that specific enough for you?

    Note your body language{#blank#}5{#/blank#}To show that you're outgoing and welcome conversations, keep your body open, you head up, and a smile on your face. Resist playing with your phone or otherwise occupying yourself.

A. Master eye contact.

B. Never hesitate to smile at others.

C. Most of communication isn't verbal.

D. The more you do it, though, the less scary it will be.

E. Make eye contact when you're asking questions about people.

F. Wherever you go, try to observe people, and ask questions about them.

G. If you've already exchanged eye contact and smiles with someone, start off with a question,

    How to Become an Activist （活动家）

    Activists are people who see the need for change and devote their time to doing something about it.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you are interested in it you can do so.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This could be anything from a student club to a national organization （like the American Civil Liberties Union or the National Organizers Alliance）. Most activist organizations offer different levels of involvement, so you can do whatever you feel most comfortable with, whether that means attending meetings and demonstrations or just donating a little money when you can.

    Volunteer your time. One of the best ways to make a difference is to volunteer your time. Reach out to organizations in your community that do work for your cause, and ask how you can help.

    Donate money or supplies.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you can't afford to donate money to an organization that supports your cause, you may be able to donate other things they need, like clothing or canned food.

    Reach out to family and friends. Tell your family and friends about your cause, and invite them to get involved. If they are interested, share literature about your cause or just talk to them about what you have learned.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Promote your cause on social media. You can use social media to help keep your friends and followers informed about the causes you support.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Also, you can invite your friends to attend events or donate to fundraisers for your cause.

A. Take classes on issues related to your cause.

B. Join an organization that supports your cause.

C. They are driven by passion and a vision for a better future.

D. If you do volunteer work, invite them to volunteer with you.

E. Most activists or charitable organizations need resources to do their work.

F. Post useful articles and write about what you are doing to stay involved.

G. If you can't reach out to them in person, then try connecting to people online.

Common public speaking problems

    The use of “I feel”, “I think” and “maybe”

    In the question-and-answer session of the speaking competition, many contestants began their answers with uncertain expressions like “I feel”, “I guess”, “I hear”, “maybe” and “perhaps”. These words show that the person is only speaking from his or her point of view{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Work on keeping your answers brief and to the point{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead of the empty-sounding “I guess”, using facts, together with a clear conclusion based on those facts, is far more likely to be popular with an audience.

Using only one speaking style

    “Don't stick to the same tone{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, when they spoke about their dreams some sounded romatic. Others used humor. Very few used several different styles together. Try mixing more than one style, rather than just sticking with the same one.

    Irresponsible answers

    Public speaking is different from personal conversations. You're responsible for your words{#blank#}4{#/blank#}So you should think twice before you talk. Don't belike the student who, when asked about his opinion on book piracy（盗版）, started by saying he supported it.

    Talking around the topic rather than directly answering it

    You should focus on one point and give a clear solution. The key is to work out what question is being asked. Is it asking you to discuss a certain topic or to present your own point of view?

    Use one or two arguments together and give a strong conclusion{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It can be boring. Try to mix it up.

B. Also work on delivering them with calmness and confidence.

C. Even though you want to answer quickly, you don't want to sound foolish.

D. This lacks the support of facts and seems not to be reliable for the judges and audience.

E. Remember that judges are not judging you on whether they agree, but on your ability to say what you think clearly.

F. Confidence is extremely important in public speaking as it lets a speaker sound more convincing.

G. Deliberate gestures and affected（做作的）expressions of feelings are improper in a successful speech.

Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule

    From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often：ability, money, and time.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Money is a topic I'll discuss another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule：

    ⒈Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there's nothing ready to eat .So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook？ Do you have the right materials already？{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ⒉Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread？{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking is to try new things. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

    Hopefully that gives you a good start.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} And don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Try new things.

B. Ability is easily improved.

C. Make three or four instead.

D. Understand your food better.

E. Cooking is a burden for many people.

F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.

How to Live a Happy

    Happiness is what we need most with the increase of Pressure in modern life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Fortunately, this is not the case, everyone has the ability to hang on to happiness with his own efforts. The following methods may lead you to long- lasting happiness

    Take exercise. Other than health benefits that are too numerous to mention, exercise makes you smarter, happier, improves sleep, and makes you feel better about your body. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Keeping in touch wilt nature can help you reduce stress, make you more creative, improve your memory and may even make you a better person

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Relationships are worth more than you think. Not feeling socially connected can make you stupider and kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke and diabetes. On the other hand, studies have shown that the longest-lived people on the planet all place a strong emphasis on social engagement.

    Challenge yourself. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging your beliefs strengthens your mind. Increasing willpower just takes a little effort each day and it's more responsible for your success than IQ. Not getting an education or taking advantage of opportunities are two of the things people look back on their lives and regret the most.

    Laugh. Laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and the feet. It can even reduce the effect of pain on the body. Humor is a good way to cause laughter, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Spend time with friends and family

B. Do something kind for the people you care about

C. However, sometimes it seems far away from us

D. Learning another language can keep your mind sharp

E. Life is always full of hope

F. It would be better if you take exercise in nature

G. Just thinking about funny moments or things can help a lot.

Do you ever wish you could change something about your body? If so, you're not alone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But when you get stuck on what you don't like, it can really bring down your self-esteem (自尊).

So, want to look and feel your best? Here are some ways:

Accept your body

Nobody's perfect. Everybody wants to be liked and accepted just as they are. Don't body-shame yourself. When you say something negative about your own body, it hurts your self-esteem. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It hurts just as much as if someone else said it. Be kind and respect yourself.

Like your body

Find things to like about your looks. Maybe you like your hair, face, or hands. What about your shape shoulders, or legs? Your eyes or your smile?{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you get stuck, think of what your good friends like about how you look.  Accept those things and let yourself feel good.

Take care of your body

Eat healthy foods. Learn what foods are good for you, and how much is the right amount. Eating right helps you look your best. When you treat your body right, you feel good about yourself.

Be active every day. Your body needs to move to be strong, fit and healthy. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can run, walk, swim or dance. Pick activities you like and have fun.

Keep to a healthy weight. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Always talk to your parents or doctor first. But don't try to diet on your own. Your doctor can suggest ways you can stay at a weight that's right for you.

A. Attend to your body's needs.

B. Tell yourself what you like and why.

C. You can be active by playing a sport.

D. You can change a thing about your body.

E. Lots of people feel unhappy with some part of their looks.

F. Being a healthy weight helps you feel good about your body.

G. That's true whether you say it out loud or think it to yourself.