I got laid off at 53 from a senior management position in a restaurant. And I knew it was going to be hard to find another job in the {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(competition) working market. My age put me at{#blank#}2{#/blank#}disadvantage. But I also knew it was time for me {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (realize) my lifelong dream of owning a restaurant.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}was most difficult was that in order to make this happen, I needed to find an {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(exist) café that wasn't doing well. It couldn't be better if its owner was ready to quit his business. With great {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (lucky) I found just what I wanted eight blocks from home. Since I had never financially planned for this day, I had to borrow money from friends as well as {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(relative). I, together with my wife,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (be) ready to start off. We changed the name to Black Dog Coffee, the menu, the recipes and the look of the caf6, and my wife did a great job of designing. Eighteen years later, we're still here and doing {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(well) than ever. I'm grateful {#blank#}10{#/blank#}the layoff and the opportunity to pursue my dream.

    The nursing home invited me to play my violin for three{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (love) listeners I stopped in the room of the quiet and gentle woman, for whom I had played for two{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (time)before. She was sleeping but I set up anyway as I know she loves the violin. Her roommate was also with the health center for{#blank#}3{#/blank#}I volunteer and I asked if she wouldn't mind and maybe she would like it as well. She told me yes, please play but she was going to{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (weigh)soon. The weighing{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (take) about three minutes. My{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (sleep) beauty slept as I played and my other listener told me{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (repeated) how much she loved it and that I was just wonderful.

    It happened that another woman in the next door was sleeping lightly in front of her TV. She told me, " Why, sure, I would like music! Come on in!" Her TV and her room mate's TV{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (be) on (the room mate wasn't there). I played through it for one piece and asked if I could turn them off{#blank#}9{#/blank#}her. Oh please, she said. What{#blank#}10{#/blank#}difference today!

    Small talk is the short conversations we have at parties, while we wait in line at the store, at family events or work. Sometimes we make small talk with people we already know but not well. Often we have to make small talk with complete strangers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    If you have seen a really good movie or have read a really good book, you can talk about that.

   When you are sharing the same experience with someone, it's easy to start a conversation. You simply notice and comment on what's going on around you. For example, if you are at a party and a song comes on that you like or that reminds you of something, you can talk about that.

    ⒉Ask open-ended questions

    These types of questions require more thought and more than a simple one-word answer. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, the conversation will go on longer.

    ⒊Become a student

    Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It's a win-win situation.

    Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most definitely improve your speaking and listening skills.

A. Have some conversation starters ready

B. If you make small talk in your native language

C. However, some people are not good at small talk

D. If you ask questions that need more details to answer

E. You can talk about something that you recently learned

F. Many people find these small conversations about random topics easy

G. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something

    There is one all-important law of human conduct. If we obey that law, we shall almost never get into trouble. In fact, that law, if {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (obey), will bring us countless friends and constant happiness. But the very instant we break the law, we shall get into {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (end) trouble. The law is this: Always make others feel important. John Dewey, an American psychologist, once {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (say) that gaining others' respect is {#blank#}4{#/blank#} deepest urge in human nature. According to psychologist, William James, the ruling principle in human nature is the desire {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (appreciate). It is desires and urges like these {#blank#}6{#/blank#} distinguish us from animals. People have thought about the rules of human relationships for thousands of years before {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (discover) one rule—probably the most important rule in the world: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

    You want the approval of those with {#blank#}8{#/blank#} you come in contact. You want the recognition of your true worth. You want to have the {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (feel) that you are important in your little world. So let's obey the Golden Rule, recognize others' importance and recognize it {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (honest). When? Where? The answer is: all the time, everywhere.

    If you only got six hours' shut eye last night, there is no need {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (lose) sleep over it.

    Scientists say that though it is {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (wide) believed that we need eight hours of sleep a night, six to seven hours is the natural amount.

    Advising short-sleepers to rest easy, the US researchers say, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (have) important implications (暗示，含义) for the idea that we need to take sleeping pills because sleep has been reduced from {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (it) natural level by the widespread use of electricity, TV, the Internet and so on.

    The lead author of a study, Ghandi, said: "There's the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (expect) that we should all be sleeping for eight or nine hours a night, and if we took away modern technology, we would be sleeping more. But now, for the first time, we are showing that's not {#blank#}6{#/blank#} truth."

    Most of those {#blank#}7{#/blank#} were studied slept for less than seven hours a night, with the average amount just six hours and 25 minutes. This is much less than the eight hours often {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (recommend) in western societies.

    Despite this, the people studied were in good health, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} lower rates of obesity (肥胖症), better blood pressure and {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (healthy) hearts than people in industrialised societies. They were also fitter.