If you think you are too shy and want to be a little braver, just try the following things: Be open to others. Tell people you are shy. There is no need to hide it. When they get to know you are a shy kid, they will understand you better. This also helps you feel more comfortable in talks.

    Try to smile more. When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk with. Remember that other people have feelings, too; and most people will stay away from an angry-looking face.

    Learn to be a good talker. If you find it hard to start a conversation, say something nice about people around you. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you. Doesn't it make you want to keep talking to that person?

    Get your attention(注意) elsewhere（在别处）. Think more about ways to enjoy parties or games. Don't waste time worrying about your look or whether(是否) people like you or not. You will become relaxed(放松的) and find it's not so hard to talk with others.

Take one small step at a time. Each time when you say “Hi!” or smile at someone, say to yourself “You can make it.” Keep trying and one day you'll never feel shy when you talk to others.

Title: Advice on……to be a little braver

    Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's life having a sign to show you where you want to go. Think of it in this way. There are two drivers. One has a place clearly in mind which can be found on a map. He can drive straight there surely without any wasted time. The other driver has no goal or map.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But she drives aimlessly(无目的地) around, never getting anywhere, just using up oil. Which driver do you want to be?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They decide what they want in life and then get there by setting goals and making plans. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren't difficult to set, and they aren't difficult to reach.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You are the one who must decide what to achieve and what direction you want to aim your life.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They are harder to forget. Also when you write your goals in your own way, you are able to make yourself realize situations that will bring you closer to your goals.

    Have you ever counted the number of digits(数字) in your mobile phone number? Your number has 11 digits. You may sometimes find it hard to remember your number. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Why is that?

    The 11 digits can be divided into three parts. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}The first three numbers tell you which mobile phone service provider you are using. For example, 135 is for the China Mobile Communication Corporation and 188 is for China Unicom. The fourth to the seventh digits tell you which area the number is recorded in. And the last four digits are random (随机的).

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}We once had 10 numbers. But as our population grew, there were not enough numbers for us to use. So we began to use 11 digits starting from 1999.

    Eleven digits can be used to make tens of billions of mobile phone numbers, according to the Xinhua News Agency. That's enough for each person to have seven or eight phone numbers to use in China. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Usually, the service provider will reuse a canceled number after three to six months. If you call a number that you haven't contacted (联络) for a long time, you may find that its owner has changed.

    Besides China, Britain and Japan also use 11-digit mobile phone numbers. But their numbers always start with 0.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Countries like the United States, Australia and India use phone numbers with l0 digits. Canada's mobile phone numbers are perhaps the world's shortest: they use seven digits.

    A middle-aged man, Xu Shijie, from Kaifeng is a pedicab (三轮车）driver, or rather, a tour guide. Over the past 15 years, he has served hundreds of foreign tourists. He told them stories about Kaifeng in English.

        ①      With the help of a dictionary, he read English magazines and books in his spare time. He also kept a diary in English. Thus, he could learn more new words and grammar.

    He first talked to a foreign tourist in 2003. He was nervous and not sure whether the tourist could understand him or not. Luckily, the tourist understood him and they talked happily that day. Since then, Xu has studied English even harder. He practiced listening and speaking skills every night. In order to provide a better introduction to Kaifeng, he has also read lots of books about the city's history and culture.

    Xu is now better known as Jason, his English name. He has become the most popular pedicab driver in Kaifeng.    ②     He often helps tourists buy train tickets or medicine. Sometimes, he also helps them find quality hotels.

    Many people call Xu a culture ambassador. XU said he would try his best to live up to the praise and make Chinese culture known to the world.