One of the most popular vacation destinations for young families is the home of relatives. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  Here are some tips for making sure you are invited back again.

    Be considerate

    Every family has their own way of doing things. Keep these things in mind when you're visiting.

    If your host family are early to bed and early to rise, don't keep them up talking until one o'clock in the morning.

    If your host family gets angry about kids running wild, either plan to keep a close eye on your kids or plan to stay somewhere else. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    Offer to help out

    Playing host to a family with children can be quite a challenge. Make sure you help lighten the load.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Offer to help with cooking and cleanup. Make your beds and run to the store for milk. Better yet, don't ask. Just start working.

    Help pay for food

    This may not apply, if you're visiting parents and they insist on paying for everything and they can afford it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Use your judgment when it comes to parents. However, if you're visiting cousins, it will be a great help to them if you buy your  share of the food.

    Show your appreciation

    No matter whom you are visiting, make sure you let them know you appreciate their hospitality(盛情招待). {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Or leave some fresh flowers when you leave. If you don't have enough money, write them a letter, letting them know how much fun you had and how much you appreciate them.

A．Don't expect your hosts to supply your every need.

B．Offer to take them out to dinner on your last night in town.

C．Make sure you don't leave your things behind while visiting a family.

D．In that case you may hurt your parents if you insist on paying for food.

E．Try not to disturb someone who is in the middle of exams.

F．Staying with relatives is a great way to save money while getting away from home for a while.

G．Having a talk with your children about expected behavior while visiting is always a good idea.

    Time for a Brainstorm

    A brainstorm is a session where a small group of people come together to solve a problem. People voice spontaneous ideas, sometimes just shouting, and a note-taker writes them all down.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}By getting different ideas out there, ideas are said to bounce off each other and even can help solve the problem at hand. Brainstorming is often a group exercise but individuals can also conduct personal brainstorms.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}He defined it as using the brain to storm a creative problem and do so in commando (突击队）fashion, with each stormer attacking the same objective. According to him, it was easier to tone down a wild idea than think up a new one. He placed importance on the collection of as many ideas as possible and dismissed scientific thinking.

    Brainstorming has become one of the most popular ways to solve problems and hold discussion in schools and businesses. Many students brainstorm for a group assignment or even for a personal essay. Sarah Grace, 24, is an Australian marketing analyst and uses brainstorming during all her creative duties. She thinks brainstorming is the best way to work as a team. The sessions get everyone on the same page, everyone moving together and with a clear understanding about the foundations of an event or idea.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    However, a big problem with brainstorming is creating a mess that leads people further away from a solution.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you don't have a strong moderator or leader of the brainstorm, can go really off track, and people just start discussing something totally different. Brainstorming can sometimes confuse the human brain.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you brainstorm too much and your page is filled up with all the messy links, you can paint yourself into a bit of comer and get trapped with ideas.

    You need to move past brainstorming as soon as you have something workable.

A. The ideas can be smart, strange or crazy.

B. It is caused by a lack of direction from a leader.

C. Brainstorming really helps her organize her thoughts.

D. Brainstorming really is the best way to build team spirit.

E. It can open too many doors and not suggest a clear direction.

F. Brainstorms were popularized in the 1940s by American advertising boss Alex Osborn.

G. They can be words; phrases, paragraphs and anything that can help answer the question.

    Going to college is a new experience full of excitement of the unknown. Socialization is a big thing for college students and it is common to feel a little uncomfortable going into a situation where everyone is a stranger. You may probably miss your friends from high school.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} College is a great opportunity to make new lifelong friends. The question is: how?

    ▲ Get to know your roommate.

    You may find you have lots of things in common with your roommate, but even if you are completely different from each other, with a little effort and understanding the two of you may become best friends.

    ▲{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    If you leave your door open, this shows that you welcome visitors. As a result people will naturally stop in and say hello. Closed doors are not likely to bring many visitors and those who stay locked up in their rooms may give others the impression of being cold. Other students will be less likely to stop in and build a new friendship.

    ▲ Join clubs or organizations.

     Getting involved in organized socialization is a great way to meet new people.    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} By staying active in college groups such as clubs and organizations you can meet lots of people with whom you share common interests.

    ▲ Talk to classmates.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Starting conversations in class is a great opportunity to meet people who are interested in the same kind of studies as you are. Short friendly discussions can build lifelong friendships.

    ▲ Try out for a sport.

    If you're athletic trying out for a sport will do for you the same thing that joining a club will do{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Trying actively to find new friends can help ease the feelings of being lonely.

B. Close the door to keep away from theft.

C. Your roommate is the first person you will have close contact with.

D. Hang a welcome sign on your dorm room.

E. Get to know your classmates as you'll be spending several months with them.

F. You will instantly meet a large group of people who share your interests in sports.

G. It also helps you get more familiar with the campus.

    Each year there is an increasing number of cars on roads and streets as millions of new cars and trucks are produced. One out of every six Americans work at putting together the parts of cars, driving trucks, building roads or filling cars and trucks with gas. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Because most Americans find they are using their cars in almost every aspect of their life. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The polluted air becomes poisonous and dangerous to health.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} That's what several of the large car factories have been trying to do. But to build a clean car is easier said than done. Progress in this field has been slow.

Another way is to take the place of the car engine by something else.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Many makers believe that it will take years to develop a practical model that pleases man.

To prevent the world from being polluted by cars, we'll have to make some changes in the way many of us live. Americans, for example, have to cut down on the number of their total cars. They are encouraged to travel and go to work by bicycle. Bicycling is thought to help keep the air clean. But this change does not come easily. A large number of workers may find themselves without jobs if a car factory closes down.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Although cars have led us to a better life, they have also brought us new problems.

A. Americans know cars very well.

B. Americans won't live without cars!

C. Inventors are now working on steam cars as well as electric cars.

D. However, the number of vehicles has continued to increase in recent years.

E. One way to get rid of the polluted air is to build a car that does not pollute.

F. Thus the problem of air pollution would become less important than that of unemployment.

G. However, some have realized the serious problems of the air pollution that is caused by cars.

    Did you once make you friends angry or unhappy because of your words? Are you having trouble getting people to reply to your requests? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Learn how to say things the right way with this great guide!

    Could you give me five minutes? vs Go away.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you're busy and can't do anything else, just saying "Go away" is certainly not right. You can keep everyone happy by saying "Could you give me five minutes?"

    Excuse me. vs Move.

    Telling someone to "Move out of the way" is very impolite. The next time someone is in your way, saying "Excuse me" is a good idea. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    I'm afraid I can't. vs No.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} People will think it impolite to simply say "No". The next time you have to refuse an invitation, you'd better say, "I'm afraid I can't."

    Would you mind...? vs Stop it!

    Someone doing something you don't like, and perhaps being impolite. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To get the result you want, it's not a good idea to shout "Stop talking on your phone in the cinema!" and it's a good choice to ask them politely with the sentence, "Would you mind not using your phone in the cinema, please?"

    Although most parents don't like doing it after a long and exhausting workday, reading bedtime stories does make a positive influence on your child's emotional and mental health. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It helps to develop children's imagination.

    Reading bedtime stories can develop your children's ability to form pictures or ideas in their mind. A healthy imagination makes their minds work well and teaches them to think quickly yet effectively. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    It improves children's language.

    Reading also improves your children's language. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They'll most likely use those words in the stories you read right after they hear them. Listening to many stories helps kids to express their opinions better.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Reading books makes people more learned. When children hear the stories you tell, they learn grammar and vocabulary, for example. It helps them be successful in school as they already know a lot from your stories. What's more, every story has its moral aspect and tells them what's good and what's bad.

    These reasons leave no chances of doubting whether to read bedtime stories to your children or not. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They will thank you in future, I promise.

A. It makes children knowledgeable.

B. It fosters children's affection for reading.

C. Take a look at the best benefits of it and you'll never be lazy to do that.

D. So however tired you are, find time to read bedtime stories to your children.

E. Bedtime stories create just unforgettable moments.

F. They remember most words you say and enlarge their vocabulary.

G. They'll be successful in many aspects thanks to a wonderful imagination.