Ways to say “Happy birthday to me”

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm at an age when not everyone looks forward to cakes and presents.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It always makes me feel excited to be alive and grateful for my life and my family. So I think even if your birthday is a regular old day at work or home, there are some easy ways to raise it to the special occasion.

    Give a gift to someone else.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} While everyone loves to open a birthday present, there is a lot of joy and goodness to be gained from being generous with others. Making a birthday donation (捐赠) to a charity that means something to you.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Try something new. Today is new to us. Why not enjoy the newness of the moment? Dip your tones into some new waters, sign up for an adult education class, go for a new-to-you park or plan a new trip.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Whether or not you have the opportunity to share a meal, outing or party with friends and family, please take time on your birthday to connect with people who are important to your life, if you use social media like phones, you are likely filled with well—wishes from loved ones. Use these as a. jumping off point to start new conversations and reconnect with people who lift your spirits and support in your journey towards being your best self.

A. Connect with people who matter to you.

B. Freshen up yourself with countless opportunities.

C. It's better to give than to receive

D. This year my birthday is on a Saturday.

E. I love my birthday, though.

F. Download an app to learn a new language is also a good choice.

G. One choice is to donate a dollar amount to match your age.

    Public Speaking Training

    Get a coach

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} so get help. Since there are about a billion companies out there all ready to offer you public speaking training and courses, here are some things to look for when deciding the training that's right for you.

    Focus on positives

Any training you do to become more effective at public speaking should always focus on the positive aspects of what you already do well. Nothing can hurt confidence more than being told that you aren't doing well.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} so good public speaking training should develop those instead of telling you what you shouldn't do.

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If you find a public speaking course that looks as though it's going to give you lots of dos and don'ts, walk away! Your brain is so full of what you're going to be talking about.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} As far as we're concerned, there are basically no hard and fast rules about public speaking. Your audience can be your friends.

    You are a special person not a clone (克隆人)

Most importantly, good public speaking training should treat you as a special one, with your own personal habits.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Your training course should help you bring out your personality, not try to turn you into someone you're not.

A. You aren't like anybody else

B. You already do lots of things well

C. Turn your back on too many rules

D. Check the rules about dos and don'ts

E. Whatever the presentation, public speaking is tough

F. The one thing you don't want is for them to fall asleep

G. So trying to force a whole set of rules into it will just make things worse

Plan a Budget-Friendly Summer Vacation

    It's never too early to start thinking about your summer vacation. Deciding where to go and what attractions to see can actually be a fun and exciting part of the experience—particularly when you find ways to save your travel dollar. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Rethink your “summer vacation”.

    If your summer vacation window is wide open, why not skip July and August? The flights and accommodations are about 25% cheaper in the spring or early fall. If you must travel during the busy season, you can still save by being flexible. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Flying out on a Tuesday instead of a Friday could save you a bit of money, and flying in the afternoon will likely be cheaper than a morning flight.

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    It's always in your best interest to book your summer vacation early. If you plan on flying to your destination, for example, it will be much easier to find seats on your preferred flights if you book in March than if you were to wait until the last minute. The same applies to hotels, where prices are based on supply and demand.

    Use the right websites.

    There are a lot of websites competing for your travel dollar. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, when you make five reservations with Booking.com, you can have access to their “Genius Program” which gives you 10% off as well as early check-in and late check-out.

    Consider a tour.

    With so many places to see and things to do, planning a trip can wear you out quickly. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Seasoned tour operators, such as Trafalgar, take the stress out of travel so all you have to do is show up and enjoy yourself. More importantly, a guided vacation represents a significant saving.

    Do you have a health problem, such as high blood pressure or obesity? Did your doctor tell you that you can improve your condition with better nutrition? Do cancer, heart disease, or diabetes run in your family? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Meanwhile, you also need to improve your eating habits for better nutrition.

    It can be hard to change your eating habits. However, you are sure to benefit from making changes to your diet if you have diseases that can be made worse by things you are eating or drinking. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Find the strengths and weaknesses in your present diet. Do your eat 4-5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day? Do you get enough calcium（钙）? Do you eat whole grain, high-fiber foods? If so, you're on the right track. Keep it up! {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you eat a lot of fat at present, cut back and change your habits. For example, reduce any extra fat. This includes butter on bread, sour cream on baked potatoes, and salad dressings.

    Keep track of your food intake（摄入量）. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This record will help you assess（评价）your diet. You'll see if you need to eat more or less from certain food groups.

    Think about asking for help from a nutritionist. They can help you follow a special diet, especially if you have a health issue.

A. Cut back on unhealthy fat.

B. Write down what you eat and drink every day.

C. Below are suggestions to improve your health.

D. If not, add more of these foods to your daily diet.

E. You should eat foods that contain vitamins and minerals.

F. If your answer is yes, talk to your doctor about your health.

G. Balanced nutrition and regular exercise are good for your health.

    Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective(选择性的) process.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The following methods may work best for you.

    Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

    Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

    Write your notes in your own words.

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    Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

    As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand (速记).When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Otherwise (否则), you may not be able to read your notes later.

B. There are three practical note-taking methods.

C. First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.

D. Use words, not complete sentences.

E. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.

F. You will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.

G. You must write your notes on separate paper.

    Tourism can be both good and bad. Yes, it brings in money for the local economy and creates lots of jobs for locals.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One growing problem is tourists who want to prove that they have visited a destination. They have used paints, rocks, or even keys to write on the Luxor Temple in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, Stonehenge in the UK, and many, many other places. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Another big problem in some places has been tourists disturbing (打扰) the local people and life. Some tourists walk around and take pictures of local people without asking for their permission(准许). For example, Chiang Mai University in Thailand and Yonsei University in South Korea have great numbers of tourists visiting their campuses and walking through their libraries, taking pictures of students, and disturbing their studies. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some tourists love to party there late into the night, making it difficult for locals to sleep.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Walking in large groups without considering others who need to walk by, crossing roads without thinking of local traffic laws, and many more, can be seen everywhere.

      The only way to solve the problem of terrible tourists is to make sure that you are not one! {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Remember, whenever you step out of your country, you are representing (代表) your country to the rest of the world.

A. But it may also bring some problems.

B. Pass kindness along to future generations.

C. Thousands of tourist sites are being destroyed.

D. Be the best, kindest, most polite tourist possible.

E. The number of problems from tourists is endless.

F. Enjoy the excellent food, and go shopping at the local markets.

G. Another example is Sanlitun, a neighborhood in Beijing, China.