Living in a new country means experiencing a different way of life{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The cultures of all countries are unique, which means that people who have grown up in different places will have different ways of behaving, different ways of thinking about things and different ways of expressing themselves. Before you travel, it is useful to think about culture and the things that are affected by it {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Culture is the values, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs shared by a group of people{#blank#}3{#/blank#} We learn about the culture of our own society in a very natural way as we grow up-we learn through “do's” and “don'ts” about how we treat people, how we behave and what we believe in as children.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}You can see some parts of an iceberg-just like you can see some parts of a country's culture when you visit it. For example, you can see different ways of greeting people, hear different languages and observe different festivals and customs. However, a much bigger part of every iceberg is hidden under water. Even though this part of the iceberg is hard to see, it is very important -without it, the iceberg would not exist. The same is true of culture. There are many aspects of it which you cannot see when you visit a different country, for example the nature of friendship and the importance of time.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It will take a long time to understand those values and beliefs because you have to work them out, but it is probably the most interesting part of any time you spend abroad.

A. Culture is like an iceberg.

B. Different people have different cultures.

C. Doing so will help you prepare for living in a new country.

D. Some people like to travel to new countries and settle down.

E. The aspects of culture you can see are based on those values and beliefs that you cannot see.

F. This means that culture is like a kind of glue (胶水)that holds society together.

G. This is very exciting and interesting, but it can also be a little challenging at times.

Test-taking tips

    Do you sweat, check your pencil, and feel butterflies in your stomach as your teacher hands out the test paper? A lot of people feel anxious when it is time to take a test. Here are some tips for taking tests:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Your memory recall will be much better if you have had enough rest. In a scientific study, people who got enough sleep before taking a math test did better than those who stayed up all night studying.

    Read the test through first. Once you have the test paper in front of you, read over the entire test, checking out how long it is and all the parts that you are expected to complete.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}If something seems unclear before you start, do not worry: ask the teacher.

    Focus on addressing each question individually. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Instead, answer the best way you can or skip over the question and come back to it after you have answered other questions.

    Relax. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Of course you cannot get up and move around in the middle of a test, but you can wiggle your fingers and toes, take four or five deep breaths. As we all know, it can be easy to forget things we know well. During a test, if you forget something and start to get nervous, it suddenly becomes much more difficult to remember.

    Finished already? Although most teachers will let you hand your test paper in early, it is usually a good idea to spend any extra time checking over your work. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} On the other hand, if you have 5 minutes until the bell rings and you are still writing, end up whatever you are working on without panic.

A. This will allow you to decide how much time you have for each section

B. Be sure you have studied properly

C. Get enough sleep the night before the test

D. As the teacher hands out the test paper, be sure you know what is expected of you

E. As you take the test, if you do not know an answer, do not worry about it

F. You can also add details that you may not have thought you'd have time for

G. If you are so nervous that you blank out, you might need a mini-break

    The Wife-carrying World Championship has been celebrated in a small town in central Finland since 1992. In 1992, people of the town decided to restart some long-forgotten traditions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He was said to only accept men as members of his gang (团伙) who proved their worth in challenges. At that time, it was also a common practice to steal women from neighboring villages.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A large number of competitors, people, and journalist from Finland to Canada attend the Wife-carrying World Championship every year.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The Wife-carrying world Championship is held on a 253.3 meters long official track. The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle, about a meter deep. The wife to be carried may be your own, or your neighbor's. The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49kg. If she is less than 49kg, the wife will be given a heavy bag to carry. Each time a competitor drops his wife, that couple will be fined 15 seconds. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Alongside with the Wife-carrying World Championship, there is also a team competition. The distance is the same but three men in the team carry the wife in turns. At the exchange point the carrier has to drink official “wife-carrying drink.” Then he may continue the race. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} While the Wife-carrying World Championship is being held, there are bands playing music, a wife-carrying dance and other forms of entertainment.

A. There are a few basic rules.

B. People everywhere hold the event.

C. A special prize is awarded to the winner team.

D. Do you know how these traditions restarted?

E. This event is becoming increasingly popular.

F. The winner is the couple who complete the course in the shortest time.

G. Back in the late 1800s, there was a robber called Rosvo-ronkainen in that area.

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

B. But handled properly, deadlines can actually improve productivity

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. Finish your project as early as possible

F. Plan for flexible hours

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

    "The calm before the storm" is a very familiar expression. It is usually used to describe a peaceful period just before a very stressful situation or a tense argument. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They noted that before certain storms the seas would seem to become calm and the winds would drop.

    But why is it often so calm before a storm? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} According to US website HowStuffWorks, a calm period occurs because many storms, tornadoes and hurricanes draw in all the warm and damp air from the surrounding area. As this air rises into the storm clouds, it cools and acts as "fuel for the storm, like petrol in a car."

    Once the storm has taken all the energy it can from the air, it is pushed out from the top of the storm clouds and falls back down to ground level. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So once it covers an area, it causes a calm period before the storm.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} First count how many seconds there are between a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, roughly three seconds equal one kilometer. A good judgement is that if your count is below 30 seconds, you should seek shelter straight away.

    However, due to the complexity of storm system, calm doesn't always go first. So, your best bet is to keep yourself updated with weather reports for any predictions regarding a coming storm in your area. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Science has given us the answer.

B. There is no definite answer to the question.

C. Weather reports sometimes cannot be trusted.

D. British sailors coined the phrase in the late 1600s.

E. As the air declines, it becomes warm and dry, which is stable.

F. The Weather Network has a tip for working out how far away a storm is.

G. That's the most reliable way to predict the next display of nature's temper.