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．

How to write a Letter to Parents

    As a teacher, one of the most difficult parts of your job is working with parents. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Writing a letter to parents is one way to do this. If you do it properly, this is an excellent way to communicate when you cannot meet with parents face to face.

    Put positive communication in the letter, even if you are writing to discuss a problem. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Even if it is difficult, you must find this positive spin（言辞）, because it will make the parents more open to what you have to discuss. The general rule is “start with the good, hit them with the bad, then end on a positive note”.

    Share the problem with the parents. Express your concern and desire to help. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Show them through the letter that you want to work with them to find a solution to the problem.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can ask them to write back, sign a part of the letter or give you a call. If you do not hear from them, you should call them. Be caring, but make sure they got the communication. Remember, your goal is to work together to help their child succeed.

    Consider mailing the letter to the parent, rather than sending it home with the student. Some students will intentionally forget to give the letter to their parents, while others will accidentally or purposely lose the letter. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Ask for a response.

B. Respect parents and never quarrel with them.

C. Whenever you meet with problems, you should keep cool.

D. Sending it in the mail makes it more certain that it will be received.

E. Do not place it completely on their shoulders, as they may hate this action.

F. You can do this by pointing out a little progress the child has made recently.

G. With proper communication, however, you can build bridges between the school and home.

How to Pick the Perfect Family Tent

    People like camping. But to ensure everyone has a good time, choosing the right family tent is important. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here's how to choose the perfect tent for your family.

    First of all, consider the size of the camps. Generally speaking, four-and-six-person tents are popular with families. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But a couple of features（特点）can make all the difference. For families with small children, a tent with a single entrance is a better choice. This makes it easier to keep track of who's coming and going. Of course, two doors can offer added more convenience.

    Some tents require two full-grown adults to set them up. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Be sure to take into account the setup and breakdown needs of any model you're considering. It may be necessary to go with a smaller model, or even two smaller tents, rather than one large tent for your family.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Or, if friends have a tent, see if you can borrow it for an overnight in your backyard. You'll quickly discover what you like and don't like.

    As an alternative, many outdoor shops have rental departments. Do your research to determine what style and size you think would work best, and find out if you can rent that model or one that's similar. Finally, if you are in a rush, ask if you can climb inside the tent at the store. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Getting in and out of the tent sounds basic.

B. To save money, you can make one on your own.

C. But you can turn to anyone for help when necessary.

D. It could be a problem if you're the only adult when camping.

E. Take the tent you are considering out for a “test drive” before you buy.

F. It's your home away from home, and the place where you'll sleep and relax.

G. This will give you a chance to assess all the features up close and in person.

    Some embarrassing situation pack a double effect: not only do you embarrass yourself, but, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You say to a friend that another friend is such a copycat (无主见的人), and then realize the copycat is standing right behind you. You imitate your teacher's unusual accent just as teacher walks in. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Making a joke now would make the situation even worse, so don't go there. Although you might feel like running away or even crying, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Instead, apologize, "I'm so sorry. That was really mean of me."

    If you've been disrespectful to a teacher or a parent, accept whatever consequences without complaint. If you've hurt a friend, do your best to make it up to them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If someone else bring it up, just say," I feel bad enough about that—can we just let it go, please?"

    The next time you're stuck in an embarrassing moment, remind yourself that you're a strong person and you can get through this. Stay calm and act confident and {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

Why Do We Find It Hard to Say "No"?

    As we all know, saying "no" to others is not easy at all. But sometimes we have to learn to say "no". {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Below are common reasons why people find it hard to say "no":

    ●{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You are a kind soul at heart. You don't want to turn the person away and you want to help when possible, even if it may eat into your time.

    ● Afraid of being rude. I was brought up under the idea that saying "no", especially to people who are older, is rude. This thinking is common in Asian culture, where face saving is important. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ● Wanting to be agreeable. You don't want to alienate (疏远) yourself from the group because you're not in agreement. So you agree to others' requests.

    ● Fear of conflict (冲突) {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This might lead to an ugly confrontation (面对). Even if there isn't, there might be disagreement which might lead to bad effects in the future.

    ●{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Perhaps you are worried saying "no" means closing doors. For example, one of my friends' wives was asked to work in another department in her company. Since she liked her team, she didn't want to go. However, she didn't want to say "no" as she felt it would affect her promotion (晋升) chances in the future.

A. Wanting to help others.

B. Fear of losing chances.

C. Wanting to keep a good relationship.

D. I slowly realized I needed to learn to say "no".

E. You are afraid the person might be angry if you refuse him / her.

F. It means not making others look bad or lose face.

G. To learn to say "no", we have to first understand what's stopping us from it.

    Do you enjoy your work? Maybe you do or maybe you don't. Chances are that you fall somewhere in the middle: you have good days and bad days, and you could definitely be happier than you currently are.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Be Friendly to Your Colleagues

    In some big offices, people might not even say "good morning" to one another. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. You might think that you have nothing in common with them, but if you strike up a conversation, you may well find that they share some of your interests, hopes or ambitions.

    Focus on How You're Helping Clients

    Some jobs are pretty tiresome — there's no way round that. Whatever you're doing, though, you're helping someone.

    Perhaps you work in McDonalds, helping customers who want a cheap, quick meal. Perhaps you do data entry, helping a big company to get their records organized so that they can take better care of their clients. In most jobs, you've got the potential to make someone else's day that bit better.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Do Your Hardest Task First

    Have you ever put off a difficult phone call or a high­pressure task for days and days, only to find it appears larger and larger in your mind? I've read a lot of productivity advice over the past few years, and something that almost all experts seem to agree on is that it's a good idea to get tough tasks out of the way as quickly as possible.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Plus, you'll constantly have that task hanging over you and dragging your mood down.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Try eating at regular intervals — and go for healthy, tasty foods which make you feel energized rather than sluggish. Fresh fruit is a great snack option, or you can have dried fruit, nuts and/or seeds. Don't forget to drink enough water, too.

    These are all little, but significant, ways to be happier at work today. Put them into practice and you will feel inspired!

A.Eat Sensibly and Regularly

B.Eat Outside during Your Lunch Break

C.Here are several ways to be happier at work

D.The longer you wait, the more resistant you will feel

E.Doing that will almost certainly put a smile on your face

F.It costs nothing to be polite and friendly to your colleagues

G.Look for some small items to bring a bit of happiness into your day