In many countries of the world, people do what is called housesitting．It means that if owners of the house are going away, they wantsomeone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets whilethey are away．

        In Australia, many people travel．After peopleretire, they might buy a van and travel all over the country．{#blank#}1{#/blank#}．

        So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason, theymight want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy．House sittersmight have to care for pets．Also, quite afew people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning．{#blank#}2{#/blank#}． I feel it isa great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, getto meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area．

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}．There arewebsites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and byreplying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look aftertheir home．

        There are some requirements to be a house sitter．You must be atrusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything．You must beable to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}．You need to begood with pets, able to care for cats and dogs, or other pets they may have．

        Some house sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple ofweeks while the house owners have a short holiday．Sometimes itis for much longer．We have hadone house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe．

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can travel to many differentcountries and stay there．One of theimportant things to get is references from the home owners where you havestayed． A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthyand have looked after their home well．You can showthese letters to possible house sitting jobs and they know you will do a goodjob．

A．I have donehouse sitting many times．

B．Thousands ofpeople do this all the time．

C．It is alsopossible to do house sitting in other countries．

D．Generally youhave many opportunities to get a house sitting job．

E．You must takea little care over what your description says about you．

F．This is aninternational house sitting service for all city and country areas．

G．Youmust have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country．

Here are some tips on listening. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

  Relax yourself

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. You need to relax. This will help you with your listening.

  Listen carefully to the first sentence

  The first sentence tells a lot about the whole passage. For example, if, at the beginning, you hear “Many shops in many parts of China have decided to take away all kinds of Japanese goods off their shelves, but some people say it's not a good idea. Our reporter says……”, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

  Think when you're listening 

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. For example, you can think of the following questions：What happened? When，where and how? What was the result and what did the speaker want to tell us? In this way, you may understand the passage better.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

  It's important for you to remember some important facts. For example, if the passage is a science report, you should try to remember its findings, and how the scient ists got their results. This is also helpful to your listening.

A. Listen to important facts. 

   B. Pay attention to key words.

   C. Maybe they can help you in one way or another.

   D. When you're listening, try to do some thinking.

   E. This is especially helpful to improve your listening skills.

   F. Before you start listening to something, don't get excited or nervous.

   G. you know you will hear a piece of news, not a children's story, or a science report.

    When you have got a lot of stuff, decluttering(整理)your home can be really necessary. Decluttering is just about putting new systems into place in your life.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, you realize how great you feel about it, and you want to keep going.

Getting rid of things gives you time to look after yourself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, or looking for the potato peeler—because everything has a home and you know exactly where it is—you're free to spend that time on yourself and your family. It's liberating.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It has taken you a long time to get everything, and you won't be able to get rid of it all straight away. If you're pushed for time, there are easy ways of introducing decluttering into your life. Spend 10 minutes a day decluttering or, if that's not manageable, declutter three items a week.

    Have three piles: one for things you're going to keep, one for things that are a maybe, and one for things you're going to give away. You will also need some bin bags, for rubbish. A revisiting pile is important if you're struggling to get rid of things.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. More often than not, you end up saying, actually, I don't need that.

Stay focused. People often get sidetracked when they're trying to declutter. They start trying on clothes they had forgotten about, or looking at old photos. Another common mistake is to just move things from place to place, instead of getting rid of them.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Once you start decluttering

B. You need time to reflect on what to keep

C. Don't expect to declutter everything overnight

D. When you're not always looking for the scissors

E. If you realise that you own six wine openers, keep only one

F. Start the decluttering process before you move in with a new partner

G. You can just leave things there for a few weeks before a final decision

    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(选择的) process. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    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.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    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. Use words, not complete sentences.

B. There are three practical note-taking methods.

C. You must write your notes on separate paper.

D. Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.

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

F. The following methods may work best for you.

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

Life getting you down? Learn to bounce back

    "That which does not kill us makes us stronger.＂ Nietzsche said. There are a number of ways that can get us through tough times, help us to bounce back and make us happier. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Find something you can control.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But taking small, positive steps in any area of our life can have a ripple effect, enabling us to move forward in the problem area.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    As a species, we tend to focus on what's wrong rather than what's right. But we can benefit a lot from paying attention to what's going right. Psychologists have shown consciously focusing on these good things helps to increase our experience of positive emotions.

    Check your thinking.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Leading psychologist Martin Seligman found that the way we interpret the causes of everyday setbacks can have a significant impact on our ability to cope and our physical health. He also showed we can learn more resilient(有弹性的) thinking styles.

    Distract yourself.

    When we are immersed in a problem, it is hard to think creatively about ways to deal with it. It often helps to take time out from the things you are worrying about.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Not only does this give us a break from what we're doing and our worries, it's also great for our minds.

A. Always do something that is right.

B. It's true that there are lots of things we can't control.

C. An effective way of taking time out is exercise.

D. Next time you are feeling stressed or stuck, give them a try.

E. Focus on what's right.

F. Next time something goes wrong for you, pause for a moment.

G. The way we think can destroy our own resilience.

Does a Dog Help a Teen with Low Self-esteem?

    A dog is known as man's best friend for good reason. Loyal and affectionate, a dog companion can enrich its owner's life in many ways, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many teenagers suffer from periods of low self-esteem (自尊) as they try to navigate the wavy waters of adolescence and deal with all of its associated highs and lows. A teenager who lacks self-esteem may feel isolated from his peers and unable to tell his parents about personal issues. The company of a dog can be a huge comfort and ease feelings of loneliness and awkwardness. A dog offers genuine unconditional love. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}All dogs need exercise, so taking his clog for a walk is the perfect opportunity for a teenager to get outdoors and benefit from fresh air and physical activity. Exercise allows people to take control of their bodies, which is often the first step toward regaining control of other aspects of their life, says mental health specialist Dr. Alan Cohen. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Exercise releases chemicals called endorphins (内排肽）into the brain, which create positive responses in the body, including improved self-esteem. Dogs can help teenagers be more sociable and make new friends, suggests HELPGUIDE. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A dog is a great ice-breaker, avoiding awkward social situations and putting the teenager at ease with people he meets. The more confident the teen becomes when out and about with his clog, the more his self-esteem will improve. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If a teenager is suffering from depression or developing dangerous habits such as alcohol and drug abuse, more extreme action may be required. In these cases, professional help should be sought and all treatment plans considered. Parents who suspect that their teen's low self­esteem is a sign of a far more serious problem should ask a suitably qualified health professional for advice.

A. In some cases, having a dog will not help with a teenager's low self-esteem.

B. It simply accepts its owner for who he is and doesn't judge, question or criticize.

C. Pets offer an unconditional love that can be very helpful to people with depression.

D. You don't have to worry about hurting your pet's feelings or getting advice you don't want.

E. In particular, someone with low self-esteem may find a pet dog to be extremely beneficial.

F. A teen may meet his peers while walking his dog in the park or taking part in a dog training class.

G. Many forms of exercise besides walking can be enjoyed with a dog, such as cycling, jogging and throwing a ball.