How to plan for a perfect holiday

    People often dream of a perfect holiday with white sands, blue beaches and so on. But sometimes planning a trip can be difficult. Here are some tips to make your holiday a memorable one.

    Set a budget. Before making a plan for the holiday, the most important thing is to plan how money will be spent. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Plan ahead. The first thing you need to do is to be sure of what you need from this trip. Do you want to experience the local culture or just have fun on those sandy beaches?{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Read up before you go. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Buy a good guidebook and read up on the culture, history, local attractions of the place. You can also surf the internet for more information. The more you know, the better you can enjoy the place and its traditions.

    Pack light and right.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Avoid carrying unnecessary things around. A heavy luggage may sometimes influence your holiday spirit. Carry clothes that are comfortable and right for the season. Try to put everything you need in a single carry-on bag.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Unreasonable expectations can lead to a lot of stress. So enjoy each moment, whether good or bad.

A. You had better look for information before visiting an unknown holiday place.

B. All you need is to get away from busy people and the world.

C. Always book your stay.

D. Have realistic expectations.

E. It helps you to plan and enjoy the trip within your limits of money.

F. Pack only the important things.

G. You can plan your trip according to your needs and likes.

    When it comes to the benefit of volunteering, a lot of people think it s all about the warm feeling after helping someone{#blank#}1{#/blank#} As is known, charity work requires a wide variety of people to do a wide variety of things for everything to work. It means that there are some surprising benefits for volunteers. For example, volunteering:

    Teaches you new skills.

    From helping making websites to teaching immigrant kids your native language, or to arranging events for charity, volunteering can really be almost anything. It means that when you get involved in charity work, a lot of the time you will face challenges{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Can teach you what truly matters.

    It's a great way to find new perspectives(角度) on life. When you've been at it for a while, you just might find yourself re-evaluating your advantages{#blank#}3{#/blank#} One of my friends went from wanting to be a lawyer to discovering a true passion for teaching

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Maybe it is not surprising, but what might surprise you is how genuine these friends are. Some of my long-term friends are people I've met through volunteering. I'm not that kind of guy that makes friends purely for connections, but sometimes it's very convenient to have a broad network.

    Summed up in one line: volunteering helps you grow{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You meet a wide variety of people who don't have a lot in common with. You learn to get along with people involved in many different walks in life. You learn to know what you are to do. So if you've ever considered volunteering, what are you waiting for?

A. You might even decide on a completely new path to take in life.

B. Helps you make new friends

C. As it turns out, that's far from the only benefit.

D. Volunteering helps you look outside yourself and your problems.

E. Through overcoming the challenges, you learn completely new skills.

F. Not only as a person, but it helps you develop your skill as well.

G. Can help improve social skills

Forgiveness

    To forgive is a virtue (美德), but do one has ever said it is easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible, and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. People who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness, according to a recent research.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Try the following steps:

    Calm yourself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.

    Don't wait for an apology. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't sec things the same way.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.

    Take the control away from your offender. Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who causes you pain. Instead of focusing on your mounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness, fear, and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender's point of view.

    Don't forget to forgive yourself.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But it can rob you of your self-confidence if you don't do it.

A. Why should you forgive?

B. How should you start to forgive?

C. Recognize the benefits of forgiveness.

D. Try to see things from you offender's angle.

E. For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge.

F. To make your anger die away, try a simple stress-management technique.

G. If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time.

    The wife-carrying World Championship has been celebrated in a small town in central Finland since 1992. In 1992, the people of the town decided to restart some long-forgotten traditions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He was said to only accept men as members of his gang who proved their worth in challenges. At that time, it was also a common practice to steal women from neighboring villages.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A large number of competitors, people, and journalists from Finland to Canada attend the Wife-carrying World Championship every year.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The Wife-carrying World Championship is held on a 253.3 meters long official track. The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle, about a meter deep. The wife to be carried may be your own, or your neighbor's. The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49 kg. If she is less than 49kg, the wife will be given a heavy bag to carry. Each time a competitor drops his wife, that couple will be fined 15 seconds. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Alongside with the Wife-carrying World Championship, there is also a team competition. The distance is the same but three men in the team carry the wife in turns. At the exchange point the carrier has to drink official “wife-carrying drink.” Then he may continue the race. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    While the Wife-carrying World Championship is being held, there are bands playing music, a wife carrying dance and other forms of entertainment.”

A. There are a few basic rules.

B. People everywhere hold the event.

C. A special prize is awarded to the team.

D. Do you know how these traditions restarted?

E. This event is becoming increasingly popular.

F. The winner is the couple who complete the course in the shortest time.

G. Back in the late 1800s, there was a robber called Rosvo-Ronkainen in that area.

    The art of growing dwarf(矮小的)trees, or "bonsai"(盆栽)as their Japanese planters call them, is increasing in popularity in the United States. Growing bonsai can make a fascinating hobby for anyone who enjoys plants and creating beautiful effects with them.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    In growing bonsai, in fact, one must be careful in choosing the type of tree, as the growing conditions are unusual.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Varieties of pines with small needles and hardwood trunks are especially suitable.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This is necessary because the major growth of bonsai is kept confined(被限制) to the tree's trunk and leaves, not its root system-a process quite unlike what is done with other plants.

    Another thing the bonsai-grower must do is to trim(修整)the roots and branches of the tree periodically (定期地). Unless this is done, the plants will not have the proper proportions(比例) and will look unnatural.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The last thing one must do is to be careful to keep the tree well-watered. Because bonsai are grown in smaller-than-usual containers, they often need more water than ordinary houseplants do.

    As can be seen from the above, the art of bonsai-growing is one which requires a certain amount of time and effort.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Imagine having such a tree in your living room and passing it down through several generations of your family. That is exactly what bonsai-growing is all about: establishing a tradition of beauty which lasts for years and years and is a symbol of the beauties of the natural world.

A. Then one must be careful in choosing the size of the container.

B. How can we meet the goal of making such a kind of art?

C. Why do so many people take a fancy to the art of bonsai-growing.

D. But one must get well prepared before starting bonsai-growing.

E. The satisfactions that growing bonsai brings can be great, however.

F. The ideal for bonsai plants are trees just like normal trees in everything but size.

G. Not all species of trees can be made into bonsai.

How to Grow Organic Tomatoes in a Container

    Anyone who has seen tomatoes growing in a garden knows that they tend to be huge plants. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So the first thing to do when considering growing tomatoes in a pot is to find a suitable variety.

    After you find the perfect plant, it is time to plant it. In general, plastic or fiberglass pots are best for growing tomatoes. They don't dry out quickly. While tomatoes love heat, they don't like being dry. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Besides, tomatoes need to grow in a reasonably large pot. A pot must be 8 inches deep. That's the absolute minimum. A 12- or 16-inch pot is even better.

    Any good quality organic potting soil works for tomatoes. Don't use soil dug directly from the garden. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Compost-based soil, whether purchased or mixed from your special recipe, is nice. When planting the tomato, put some soil in the bottom of the pot and set the plant in. After you have the plant set at the proper level, fill in around it with soil. The soil should go up to about an inch below the rim of the pot to allow room for watering.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The best way to tell when to water is to stick your finger into the soil­if the first two inches are dry, it's time to water.

    The trickiest thing about growing tomatoes in a pot is that they are heavy feeders. Every time you water, you wash nutrients out of the soil. So fertilize (施肥) regularly. Once a month is good. But every other week, applying the fertilizer at half-strength is better. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It is too heavy for container gardens.

B. That's why clay pots are popular.

C. Instead, use whatever soil you can get.

D. And dry soil can reduce fruit production.

E. This provides constant nutrients for the tomato plants.

F. They require people's much work to stay manageable.

G. Tomatoes don't like being dry, so water them regularly.