Reading is a good habit, but the problem is that there's too much to read, and too little time to read every word of it. So ①we need to find good ways to read faster. There are hundreds of skills (技巧) to help you read more in less time. Here are two skills that I think are especially good.

Preview (预看) —if it's long and hard. This skill is especially useful for ideas of heavy reading like long magazine articles (文章) and business reports (报告).

    Here's how the preview goes.

●Read the first two paragraphs (段落) and the last two paragraphs carefully.

●Then read only the first sentence of the other paragraphs.

    This skill doesn't give you all the details (细节, 详情). It stops you spending time on things you don't really want or need to read.

    Skim (略读)—if it's short and simple (简单的). Skimming is a good way to get ideas of light reading like popular magazines or sports and entertainment (娱乐) papers.

    Here's how to skim.

    ●Get your eyes to move fast. Sweep across each line.

    ●Pick up only a few ②key words in each line.

    Everybody skims differently. You and I may not pick up the same words when we skim the same piece, but we'll get a similar (相似的) idea of what it's mainly about.

    The twenty first century is really fast and forces us to move faster with the pace(步伐) of it. The smartest way to shop nowadays is online shopping.

    Online shopping saves our precious time. It frees us from unpleasant visits to the shops. We don't need to travel long distances under the hot sun or the pouring rain. Just turn on our personal computers and a simple click will bring us into a magic world.

    It is very convenient(方便的) way of shopping because we can choose the product from a large range(范围) and we get to know the new products. We can see almost all products that we need online. There is food for people and pets， clothes， tools， books and magazines， electronic equipment， souvenirs and many others.

    Things in online stores are cheaper than those in big stores. There are always sales and special offers. With so many stores on line， we can take our time to make a comparison(比较) and choose the lowest price. There is also a possibility to pay by check or credit card(信用卡).

    Besides shopping on line， we can conduct(经营) our sales on line too. Is your family considering(考虑) replacing the old television that does not fit in your new home setting? Then why don' t you try to sell through Internet? Yes， even you can sell your products or un-wanted things through online shopping. You don't need to have your own personal e-commerce site. You can sell it through free ad posting sites. You will find plenty.

    With the latest technology， we have the best chance to shop online and feel the pleasure. You haven't tried it yet? Go and get a true online shopping experience now!

    We often dine out with others, but do you know some basic etiquette (礼节)? If you behave well at the table, it will make your partners happy. But if you don't know how to behave yourself, you will feel embarrassed. Here are some tips for the table etiquette.

    When helping a woman pull her chair to the table, hold it and guide it. Don t shove(碰撞)it against the back of her legs.
     If you're seated at a table with eight or fewer guests, wait for everyone to be served and for the hostess(女主人) to begin eating before you dig in. At a long banquet table, it's OK to start when several people are seated and served.

    If you prefer not to have wine while dining out, don't turn your glass upside down, and don t make a big deal of saying you don't drink. Simply place your fingertips on the rim(边缘) of the glass and say" Not today, thanks."

    When you excuse yourself to go to the restroom, just say" Please excuse me."

    When out with friends or family—even at a fancy restaurant –it's OK to ask for your leftovers(吃剩的饭菜) to be wrapped. But don't do it at a business lunch or dinner.

Information Card

    Do you know S.H.E? It is a singing group from Taiwan, China. There are three girls in it. They are Selina, Hebe and Ella. They are very popular.

Lots of girls like Selina because she is very beautiful. She has long, straight hair. She is of medium height and she is thin. Hebe is a nice girl. She isn't tall but she has long, straight hair, too. She likes to wear cute hats. Ella is really cool! She looks like a boy. She has short, straight hair and she likes to wear jackets and pants. Many fans think that she is the best singer.

Have you ever been to Holland（荷兰）? If you live in Japan and you have never been to Holland, you should go to Huis Ten Bosch（豪斯登堡）. Huis Ten Bosch is an amusement park near Nagasaki（长崎）in Japan. All the houses there look like the houses in Holland. All the restaurants have famous food from Holland, such as cheese.

Huis Ten Bosch is really big. There are five large hotels there. The park has an old-fashioned train, many buses and taxis, and several boats for people to travel around. Most of the buses and taxis are more than 80 years old. For people who like shopping, there are many stores where you can buy the souvenirs from Holland. For people who like movies, there are many movie theaters. One of them shows cartoons all day. Athletic visitors can enjoy ice skating, tennis and swimming. For people who are interested in animals, there's wonderful zoo. The zoo has many animals from South America, especially Peru（秘鲁）. If you want to visit the amusement park, you have to take a boat. There are many boat rides for visitors to Huis Ten Bosch.

    Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Most Chinese hotels often provide guests with things like disposable(一次性的)toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and slippers.

    Many guests like the idea because they don't have to bring their own. But, if you travel to Beijing, remember to bring your own things. Starting from June, some hotels in Beijing will no longer provide guests with these disposable things. They want to ask people to use less disposable things.

    Many disposable things are made of plastic. People throw them away after only using them once. It is a waste of natural resources(资源)and is very bad for the environment. Do you know, one Chinese person makes as much as 4o0kg of waste a year！ Most of that waste comes from disposable things. In Beijing, people throw away about 19, 00C tons of plastic bags and 1, 320 tons of plastic lunch bowls every year！Plastic can take between 100 and 400 years to break down. So the less plastic we throw out, the better. So, wherever you travel, bring your own things and use them again and again.

    Back at home and school, you can also do something to make our world a better place. Try to do these things in your daily life: Use cloth shopping bags, not plastic ones. After using a plastic bag, wash it out and let it dry. Then you can use it over and over again. Do not use paper cups. At your school dining-room, use your own bowl and chopsticks instead of disposable ones.

    To protect our environment and our home, it is very necessary and important for us to save natural resources.