Among the teachers in my life，there is one person I called“Old Uncle”．I first met with him a decade ago when I was in primary school．{#blank#}1{#/blank#} During those rides，Old Uncle told me about his life．

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} He made a living by riding tricycles(三轮车)and raised the children on his own．His daughter gave up the chance to go to college so that the younger brother would have money to go after his future．Later on，she became a nurse at a hospital through her hard work．

    For each ride，Old Uncle should charge me five yuan．However，he insisted on accepting only four from me．In our conversations，he told me to always have a good heart，to be a good student，child and person．{#blank#}3{#/blank#} More movingly，every time he took me to school，he asked whether I had eaten breakfast and would try to offer me biscuits．

    Old Uncle was one of the early people who led me to explore pain and suffering，  unintentionally and naturally，through stories and giving．He didn't complain(抱怨)about the hardships he had suffered in life．{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ten years later as I thought back to the scene，I came to realize that Old Uncle and I shared space，and connected through our spirit．{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A．I knew that Old Uncle lived a difficult life．

B．Old Uncle would pay the price for his behavior．

C．He took me to school in his tricycle every morning．

D．Old Uncle guided me to see the beauty of human nature．

E．Instead，he shared peacefully as if they weren't happening on him．

F．His wife had passed away when their two children were still young．

G．He said this with so much caring that I listened with my whole heart．

How to write an email?

    While many people are accessible by email, sometimes it is difficult to determine how exactly to write an email to them. Here are some tips for you to follow.

Write an appropriate subject line. The subject line should tell the recipient (接收者) immediately what the email is about. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Remember that your wording also has to be brief.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is best to be more formal rather than informal, so when writing to someone you have never met or written to before, a “Dear Jane Smith” is appropriate. When addressing someone whom you are a little familiar with, a “Dr. Smith” is okay until they tell you to address them by their first name, in which case a simple “Jane” will be okay.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Within the first two sentences of your email, your recipient should know exactly why you are writing to him. Sometimes an introduction may have to precede (先于) the sentence that states why you are writing, and sometimes it has to follow.

    Use appropriate language. You may be used to using informal language in certain social settings. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Even when dealing with colleagues or friends you are familiar with, do not immediately fall back on informal language.

    Keep it simple. People may get dozens and even hundreds of emails a day.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}In that way, they can save much of their time when reading emails.

A. Use proper greetings.

B. Express your ideas clearly.

C. State your purpose at the beginning.

D. Be as specific as possible when writing the subject.

E. However, an email may not be the best place to use such language.

F. It is important to check the language to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes.

G. It is always easier for them if you keep your email as short and brief as possible.

    Sometimes we fall in love with something at once and sometimes it takes time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If were lucky, we come across a poem that immediately attracts us. But usually we need to spend a little time or make a little effort to truly understand a poem. Today I'd like to share some tips for reading poetry in ways that make the experience better with the goal of improving your own poetry writing.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Sometimes a poem that seems boring on first reading becomes clear with more readings. A poem that feels meaningless becomes deeper and more meaningful. And sometimes you're just not in the right mood the first time you read a poem, but later it touches your heart. Keep a dictionary and a poetry reference book at hand when you are reading poetry. Poets are fond of using unusual words. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Read aloud and listen to the poem. Some poems have unclear structures and hearing a poet's reading will make the poem's rhythm clear. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    After you finish reading a poem, take a few moments to consider what it is saying. Sometimes its meaning are better understood through repeated readings. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

It is hard to say that there's a right and wrong way to read poetry, but there is an argument to be made for reading practices that will enrich your experience, increase your enjoyment, and deepen your understanding of any poem.

A. Besides, a poet's reading can even help understand the poem's meaning.

B. Keep a record to track the poets you've studied and the poems you've read.

C. Other times they are grasped through reflection on a poem.

D. The same is true with poetry.

E. Reading a poem repeatedly will deepen your understanding of it.

F. Study the poet's life and read some of his other works to gain deeper understanding.

G. Instead of skipping over these words or trying to guess their meanings, look them up.

    Want to live in a perfectly clean environment and make it shine brightly? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Then you will not need to purchase expensive cleaning products.

  Clean the toilet with Coke. It's amazing how powerful Coke might be as a toilet cleaner. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}You'll save your health by not consuming chemicals that Coke contains and save money by not purchasing professional cleaners. Pour some cola over the stains and leave it all for a few hours. Then let water wash the toilet!

    Remove water stains with orange peels(皮). You've just eaten an orange. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Do not throw away those orange peels. You can use the skins to clean stainless steel. Your appliances will shine again after you rub them with the skins. The peels can easily make those stubborn stains disappear in a second.

    Use banana peels to polish leather furniture. Experts claim that banana peels are great for polishing leather sofas and armchairs. Banana skins are rich in oils and have the right texture(质地) to do the task. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Afterwards, remove the leftover with a cloth. This trick is simple and cheap. Use it if you want your leather furniture to look brand new again.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Why would you want to buy one when you can make your own product that is cheap and non-toxic(无毒的)? Just pour 2 liters of slightly warm water into a deep bowl. Then add 50ml white vinegar and half a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Shake the bowl and then fill up a plastic spray with the mixture. Use it to clean windows and mirrors. Make your glass surfaces clean and shiny.

A. Instead of drinking it, use it to clean the toilet bowl.

B. Make your own glass cleaner.

C. Follow the steps given below.

D. They leave no marks or scratches (抓痕).

E. Of course your answer is "yes".

F. They are economical and safe to use on all of furniture.

G. Wait a minute!

Make Stress Work for You

    Stress can come from all directions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Rather than only looking for ways to change the stress-filled situations, look for stress that can work for you. These methods are suggestions to make stress work in your favor.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Colors of the walls, floor coverings, and furniture can reduce stress. Cooling greens and blues are positive colors that can reduce stress and create a sense of well-being.

    Choose friends carefully. Your choice of friends can be the key to stress reduction. Friends should be people who help us to increase our strengths and create solutions to stressful situations. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Stop and look at yourself. Take time to recognize signs of stress like anger, work and sleep habits. As you become aware of these signs, you are beginning to identify how to make stress work.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} We can accept what we cannot change by changing what we can make choices that are realistic, not out of reach.

    Don't say yes to everything. Recognize what your strengths are and focus on taking the time to do a project built on them. Taking on too many projects results in loss of control and creates stress.

    Maintain a sense of humor. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And laughing creates less wrinkles (皱纹) than worrying.

A. We live in a stress-filled world.

B. Leave time for the unexpected.

C. Accept what cannot be changed.

D. Create environments that reduce stress.

E. They support us and make us feel that we are not alone.

F. Laughing at oneself can release potential stress from the inside.

G. When you come across a difficult situation, stop and think of how to use it to make things better.

Diet Myths — Get the facts, or your diet may fail!

    Dieting is hard work, and there are plenty of "helpful" diet tricks that can make weight loss even harder. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Carbs(含碳水化合物的食物) are bad for you. Carbohydrates are actually an important source of energy. There are good carbs and bad carbs. Some foods, like white bread or white rice, are example of bad carbs. Good carbs include whole wheat bread and brown rice. They're rich in fiber and really good for you!

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} On the contrary, studies show that people who eat breakfast will eat fewer calories throughout the day. And if you know you're going to be eating a big meal later, don't starve yourself in order to save you calories. You'll just eat more during the meal because you're so hungry! Instead, eat smaller meals a couple days before and after, and exercise more.

    You can control where your body loses weight. Bad news – if you want a flatter stomach, just exercising your stomach won't work. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Cardio(有氧运动) exercises will help burn fat, while weight training helps build muscles. Your "trouble areas" might not be the first to slim down, but keep exercising!

    Your weight depends on your genes. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} While a "fat gene" does exist, its influence on your size is small. Smart eating and exercise have a much greater effect than your genes. Only 25 percent of your weight is controlled by genes – the rest is up to you.

    Say "no" to junk food. Many people think that the key to losing weight is cutting out all bad foods. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To lose weight and keep it off, eat great 80 percent of the time, but allow yourself in a treat or two the other 20 percent.

A. You can't target where you lose weight.

B. But the more strict your diet is, the more likely you are to break it – and in a big way.

C. Here are some common myths about losing weight and the truth behind them.

D. Skipping meals helps you lose more weight.

E. If you and your family have problems with obesity, you're not sure to be fat.

F. Don't miss meals but exercise.

G. Instead of choosing a difficult diet, find one you can manage and stick to it every day.