Pronunciation Tips

           These English pronunciation tips will help you get the most out of your Pronunciation Power program.

★ {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    For example, “threw” and “through”, although spelled differently, are pronounced the same. Also, identical（相同的）letters or letter clusters（字母组合） in words do not always produce the same sound. For example, the “ough” in “though” and “through” represents a different sound in each word.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

★ Imagine a sound in your mindbefore you say it.

    Try to visualize（想象)）thepositioning of your mouth and face.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

★ Listen to and try to imitate thePronunciation Power instructor.

    In addition to listening for specific sounds, pay attention to pauses, the intonation（语调） of the instructor's voice and patterns of emphasis.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}．

★ The English language has manydifferent dialects, and words can be pronounced differently.

    It is important, however, that you pronounce words clearly to ensure effective communication.

★ Finally, the Pronunciation Powerprogram is a tool to help you.

    But you must practice what you are learning! Remember that you are teaching your mouth a new way to move. You are building muscles that you do not use in your own language.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Use the program to exercise yourmouth a little bit each day.

a. Read these words over and over againand try to learn them by heart.

b. This can be just as important as the pronunciation of sounds.

c. Learn to practice what you hear, notwhat you see.

d. So you should force yourself to dowhat you really don't like to do.

e. Do not confuse pronunciation of words with their spelling!

f. It is like going to the gym andexercising your body.

g. Think about how you are going to make the sound.

    Want to be happy and enjoy your life? Here are four ways to bring you happiness.

● Share appreciation

    Tell someone how much you appreciate（欣赏）them. Thank them sincerely for being part of your life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. When you share with someone your appreciation, they will not forget you.

●{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    One of the best ways to strengthen new ideas in your mind is to share them with others. The more often you share what you've learned, the stronger that information will become in your memory. Sharing knowledge also provides solutions to problems. The more knowledge we share, the more knowledge we receive in return.

● Share friendship

    Let your friends know that you are willing to be there when they need you. Introduce two friends who don't know each other. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

● Share experience

    Keep written or photo journals of your life. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Share a happy memory. Also share the difficult times that have helped you become stronger and wiser. When shared, the value of these experiences multiplies.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

 A. Share knowledge and ideas.

 B. Record successes and failures.

 C. We succeed with the help of others.

 D. Happiness is not so much in having as sharing.

 E. You can spend time with the people that you love.

 F. Feeling appreciated is one of the most important needs that people have.

 G. If you'd like to have many friends, share friendship with others generously.

    Do you know Australia? Australia is the largest island in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai. The cities in Australia have got little air or water pollution.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well.

    Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers' exhibition. There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} In spring every year Perth has the wild flowers' exhibition.

    After visiting Perth, we spent the day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.

A. The people of Australia are very hard-working.

B. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world.

C. Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos.

D. Australia is big, but its population is not large.

E. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers.

F. The sky is blue and the water is clean.

G. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves.

    Every animal sleeps, but the reason for this has remained foggy. When lab rats are not allowed to sleep, they die within a month.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One idea is that sleep helps us strengthen new memories. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We know that, while awake, fresh memories are recorded by reinforcing (加强) connections between brain cells, but the memory processes that take place while we sleep have been unclear.

    Support is growing for a theory that sleep evolved so that connections between neurons (神经元) in the brain can be weakened overnight, making room for fresh memories to form the next day.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Now we have the most direct evidence yet that he is right.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} The synapses in the mice taken at the end of a period of sleep were 18 per cent smaller than those taken before sleep, showing that the connections between neurons weaken while sleeping.

    If Tononi's theory is right, it would explain why, when we miss a night's, we find it harder the next day to concentrate and learn new information — our brains may have smaller room for new experiences.

    Their research also suggests how we may build lasting memories over time even though the synapses become thinner. The team discovered that some synapses seem to be protected and stayed the same size. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} "You keep what matters," Tononi says.

A. We should also try to sleep well the night before.

B. It's as if the brain is preserving its most important memories.

C. That's why students do better in tests if they get a chance to sleep after learning.

D. Similarly, when people go for a few days without sleeping, they get sick.

E. The processes take place to stop our brains becoming loaded with memories.

F. Tononi's team measured the size of these connections, or synapses, in the brains of 12 mice.

G. "Sleep is the price we pay for learning," says Giulio Tononi, who developed the idea.

Getting the Cheapest Flights

    After interviewing 10 travel agents in the area, we've compiled (汇编) the very best tips for finding the cheapest flights.

    Book your flight 21 days before you want to fly. Booking a flight is like playing a game of chicken. Airlines want to get the most money possible for their tickets and have difficult computer programs that adjust their prices automatically. Booking too early, you might miss out on some major deals. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The best advice is to book your flight 21 days before your planned departure date to get the best deals.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Most airlines update their reservation systems on Tuesday at 7 p.m. GMT. People tend to buy their tickets on weekends, so airlines make changes on one of the slowest days of the week—Tuesday.

    Fly on Tuesday or Wednesday. Tuesday and Wednesday are the least busy days at airports, and are also the cheapest days to fly. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Friday and Sunday are the peak flying days of the week, and are the worst, and most expensive days to fly.

    Book early for international flights. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}You can also try flying into smaller airports, which sometimes have better deals.

    Eat your cookies（网络标记)． Delete your Internet browser cookies if you've visited an airline site within the last 30 days. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Compare prices. Use travel search engines, in addition to airline websites, to make sure you're getting the best deal possible.

A. Collect it one day ahead.

B. Tuesday is the best day of the week.

C. Pay in cash when you receive your ticket.

D. Booking too late, you might be shocked to see prices skyrocket.

E. The best deals for international flying are found 11-12 weeks in advance.

F. As an added bonus, you'll also have less people to deal with at the airport.

G. It's been discovered that some airlines will raise prices for previous visitors to their websites.

    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?"