If you think your vocabulary is weak, a little effort every day over six to nine months can go a long way in improving it. Here are some tips for increasing your vocabulary.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You may be comfortable reading a particular part of the newspaper but make an effort to read different articles on every page. The editorial (社论的) page is highly recommended not only for vocabulary but also for structuring and presenting thoughts.

    Make it a habit to read a new book every week. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. You can consider becoming a member of the local library. Make a list of new words and look up their meanings in the dictionary.

    Watch English movies and television shows. It's an interesting way to enrich your vocabulary. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Use vocabulary cards. Vocabulary cards are used by students who are trying to learn many words in a short time. You can make your own cards by writing the word on one side and the meaning on the other side of a piece of paper. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Use the Internet. The Internet is an unlimited resource for reading material.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. You will come across plenty of material to read. The Internet will also introduce you to new words. Be sure to look them up in a dictionary.

A. Read the newspaper every day.

B. Everyone has his own way of choosing books.

C. Vocabulary is important for you to learn English well.

D. Pick up a topic you like and search for articles about it.

E. Besides, by doing this you can learn the correct pronunciation as well.

F. Flash cards are a convenient tool to use to learn new words in your free time.

G. It is not surprising that those who read a lot of books develop good vocabulary.

    Facing the Enemies Within

    We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally ruin our ambitions (雄心壮志). Fear can ruin fortunes. Fear can ruin relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can ruin our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies living inside us.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    The first enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Take a sword to this enemy.

    The second enemy inside is doubt.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} But you also can't let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I'm telling you, doubt will ruin your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.

A. Sure, there's room for healthy doubt. You can't believe everything.

B. Build your courage to fight what's holding you back, what's keeping you from your goals and dreams.

C. Let me tell you about two of the other enemies we face from within.

D. Below are the ways which might be useful for us to overcome our fears.

E. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.

F. It will steal your chances for a better future.

G. Some people doubt everything.

    Most people will agree that it is good to read, but not all reading is equal. Here are some tips for productive reading.

    ⒈Take notes.

    Even if you never refer to your notes again, the process of taking notes helps you sort out something important and will help you remember it. You can choose between computers or paper for your notes. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. On the other hand, many people feel they recall information better when they write it by hand.

    ⒉{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    If you are like me, once you commit to reading a book, it is very hard to give up until you've finished it. Given the number of books that are available and our limited life, it just doesn't make sense to read a book that you aren't getting anything from.

    ⒊Variety is good.

    While you don't want to give up on a book that you are benefiting from, it is important to give yourself variety. You can pick up a book at random or intentionally looking for something different from what you normally read. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    ⒋Review what you've read.

    If you want to remember what you read, take the time to review. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. When you finish a book, spend 15 minutes examining your notes in 2 to 4 days. Then 2 to 4 weeks after that and then 2 to 4 months after that. This will strengthen the knowledge in your mind.

    ⒌Discuss what you read with others.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you can talk with people in person, that is ideal, but don t overlook the power of the Internet in connecting people with similar interests but different geography.

A. Don't be afraid to give up

B. Make full use of reading time

C. It's hard to get more out of your normal reading

D. This can be very valuable in giving you a different opinion

E. And you，d better go over things at ever increasing time intervals

F. Using computers will make it easy to find your notes later by search

G. The best way to get more from your reading is to discuss it with others

    A volunteering vacation can be a meaningful way to spend your time off, but to make the trip satisfying both for you and the cause you are supporting, several factors need to be considered. Here is some advice on planning the satisfactory vacation:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are hundreds of causes to volunteer for, and finding one close to your heart will lead to a more worthwhile trip. Possibilities include wildlife conservation, education, environmental protection, health and nutrition. Also, consider any personal and professional skills that you can contribute. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Choose your destination and setting. Your volunteering trip will be more enjoyable if you use it to reach a favorite destination. Southeast Asia is on your mind, helping with tree­planting programs in Bali would benefit the environment and let you appreciate the scenic island. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Is volunteering outdoors in a hot or snowy climate attractive, or do you prefer being in an air­conditioned office?

    Ask the right questions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Be aware that most volunteering programs require a week-long stay. Ask other questions like: How many hours of work per day is required? Are there days off? Will you be working individually or as part of a team? And what are the goals of your efforts? {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Ask if the cost includes only accommodations or meals and transportation too.

A. Figure out your cause.

B. Find a well­respected organization.

C. And think about the surroundings you want.

D. Your duty there is to rest and play.

E. The more you know about your trip, the more successful it will be.

F. Despite the word “volunteer”, these vacations usually cost you some money.

G. If you're a doctor, for example, working at a health clinic could be an ideal fit.

The science of setting goals.

It's the time of year when we think to ourselves:our New Year's resolutions will totally work out this time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But what if this year really could be different? Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist, shares four tips. 

Choose a goal that matters, not just an easy win. Our brains love rewards, so we often set simple goals that make it easy to check off boxes. But if that's all are about, no wonder we end up abandoning them so quickly. A meaningful goal requires going deeper. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. For example, if you want to quit eating junk food, ask why you want to quit it. Then, if you want to quit it for your health, ask why you want good health.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.When we set goals, it's easy to focus on that magical ending. But we can't control outcomes. We have to inch toward them, one choice at a time. Ask yourself, "What is the smallest thing I can do today that helps me reach my goal?" If you make daily choices that are consistent with your goal over and over again, you will eventually reach it. 

Frame your goals positively. Focusing on what you want to bring into your life –not what you want to avoid – will make you more likely to actually pursue it. "Any sort of avoidance is going to trigger inhibition systems, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}," says McGonigal.

Prepare for failure. Moments of failure are inevitable, but most of us abandon the goal entirely when minor failures and setbacks start piling up. Your task is not to avoid failures, but to plan for them. Ask yourself, "How am I likely to fail?" For example, if you‘re likely to choose unhealthy meals when you're hungry, carry a light snack that can tide you over. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Focus on the process, not the outcome

B. Psychologists call this an emergency plan

C. It really drives home why that goal matters

D. Never mind that we abandoned them very quickly

E. How you describe your goal makes a big difference

F. Think about what you want, and then ask yourself why

G. But positive goals are going to trigger approach and reward motivation

Books have tremendous power. Between their pages, readers can be transported to anywhere imaginable and become just about anyone or anything. Unfortunately, many children all over the world don't have access to books. For several years now, Maria Keller, a 14-year-old girl from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been changing that fact.

When she was 8 years old, Maria already loved reading. She also noticed that some of her classmates didn't read as much as she did. When she asked her mother why that could be, her mother said that they might not be able to afford books. Maria had never thought of this. She could not believe that some children might not have bedtime stories read to them. She became determined to change this.

With her mother's help, Maria created Read Indeed. Read Indeed is a non-profit organization aiming to collect and distribute(分发) books to children in need. During the early stages of Read Indeed, Maria set the goal to collect and distribute 1 million books by the time she was 18. It didn't take long to reach that goal.

Today, at age 14, she has collected over 1.8 million books and has shipped them to many states and countries around the world. She says, "I cannot live without books. As I continue my mission, I have learned that the number of kids who have no books are in the hundreds of millions. So I just can't give up, even after reaching my original goal of 1 million books distributed."

She recently set a new goal: to distribute donations to kids in need in every state in the United States, and every country in the world. She keeps track of her progress on a large map at the warehouse(仓库) where they store and sort books. Maria believes that she can get support from even more people and help kids around the world to become better readers!