Fashion, a term that applies to clothing, hairstyle, footwear, furniture and so on, is like a wind and is changing rapidly. From school-going kids to working professionals, everyday wants to look their best. Fashion is promoted mostly by TV advertisements and celebrities. Many people defined their fashion statement as comfort. They wear whatever makes them feel comfortable. Of course you need to consider the occasion too. You can't wear a jogging suit and go for a wedding and similarly you won't wear a skirt to go jogging.

    Nowadays, fashion has become a common language for people all over the world, it helps to connect people internationally, because it travels from one city to another. Sometimes, fashion can be an inspiration for many to discover their hidden potential, and it persuades individuals to attend fashion schools and make something out of their career. In other words, fashion inspires some people to expand their knowledge and creativity to turn their hobby into a career. And therefore, fashion offers employment opportunities to those who dream about being a part of the fashion industry.

    Additionally, following your own fashion statement makes you a more independent thinker. If you think you have the ability to carry the attire(服装),then it fills you up with a great deal of confidence. It also helps you to make new friends easily. If you share the same interest as other people, then connecting with them won't be difficult. You will have a common thing to base your decisions on.

    However, there are also negative impacts of fashion. For example, today some students focus more and more on fashion than on their studies. They want to know everything about fashion, but little about their school or college activities. There are other problems, too. People experimenting with their hair or skin often forget about the allergies(过敏)they may have to face when using cosmetic(美容的)products. Being fashion-conscious can even make you anxious and depressed if you don't feel you are dressed up to the mark. Worse still, fashion can do harm to our environment through the procedure and ingredients used to produce fashionable products. Often, animal fur is used in jackets and fur coats. A large number of birds are killed, and experiments are done on animals to check if the products would be allergic to humans.

    On a concluding note, fashion will not be harmful to our society if we learn to create a balance between our studies and interests. There is no harm in being fashionable, but don't let it interfere with your way of life and career.

How to Improve Your Confidence

    Confidence is something that everyone admires. At some point in your life you may question your level of confidence and wish it to be higher{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you believe the theory that we attract into our lives who we are, then creating and keeping high levels of confidence is vital to your well-being.

    Watch your intake{#blank#}2{#/blank#}So reduce the amount of hours of soaps and reality TV each day. Read a book or magazine about a topic you are interested in. Listen to a different radio station you have not listened to before. In this way, you challenge the beliefs you hold and raise your awareness of new things.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Spend an allocated period of time being quiet and just reflecting on your life. Remove yourself away from others and focus on the power of silence and improve your levels of concentration.

    Believe in yourself. One of the key steps in raising your level of confidence is to believe it for yourself. You need to believe, accept and be in no doubt that you are a confident person{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Meanwhile, value the time that you spend doing this process.

    Take a look around for people you admire. It can be helpful to have someone in your circle that you admire for their skills or achievements. Observe the way they face new challenges and communicate with people. You also should attend a club or a group associated with a topic you're interested in{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Spend some time being quiet.

B. In this way, your attitude is changed.

C. Spend time imagining you at your absolute best.

D. What you read, watch and listen to affects your mindset.

E. Your level of confidence affects the decisions you make in your life.

F. You'll meet new people different from your present circle of friends.

G. These are the kind of people that can help you to grow in confidence.

注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。

When a thought has found words

    Poetry is the forgotten child of literature. Few people read it for pleasure and modern poets are looked upon as odd creatures from a strange universe. In Western high schools, poetry is seldom taught because it is considered old-fashioned and not relevant to the needs of today's students.

    In China, however, poetry is still an important part of the curriculum and, with recent changes announced by the Ministry of Education, the number of poems students will have to memorize and recite is being increased from fourteen to seventy-two. Now, before you gasp in horror, let's think about the reasons why studying so many poems, especially ancient poems, is important.

    First of all, poetry is an essential part of traditional Chinese culture. It is a pathway to understanding your history and your society. It is also the key to understanding the thoughts and emotions that are common to everyone but which we may be unable to express—the joy of Li Bai dancing with the moon, for example. Everyone has feelings of joy, love, loneliness, sadness and even anger, and a good poem can put those emotions into words and bring us self-understanding.

    Poems can also express beauty. In a few short lines, even something commonplace can become beautiful. Here is a poem called "Fog" by Carl Sandberg: The fog comes / on silent haunches (弓腰蹲着) / and then moves on. Yes, fog does move smoothly, silently and mysteriously like a cat, and Sandberg captures that feeling and image, and makes it beautiful.

    Of course, to really appreciate poetry, it has to be really aloud. After all, a poem is really just a song without music. Most ancient poetry, especially Western poetry, was actually spoken before it was written. Take Homer's Iliad (伊利亚德), the story of the Trojan War (特洛伊战争), for example. That epic saga (史诗般的故事) of Helen's kidnapping and the war that followed was apparently told for hundreds of years in palaces, taverns (客栈) and on street corners before Homer wrote it down and was given credit for it.

    The American poet Robert Frost said, "Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words." And poems are very concise—there is not a wasted word. You are lucky that you now have seventy-two poems to learn!

How to Have a Successful Teenage Life

    Everyone dreams of success in their life, don't they? Even as a teenager, you can achieve success in your life; it really isn't that hard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Do well in school.

    No matter how boring it is now, education will help you be a productive member in society. Try your best for excellence in school; listen to the teachers, do your homework, study, and get good grades. Doing so will help you get into a better university, which will enable you to have a bright future. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Do good in your community(社区).

    Volunteering can not only improve your community's status, but it could make you happier. Studies show that people who volunteer are less likely to develop depression (抑郁)than people who don't. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, if you love animals, volunteer at an animal shelter. If you love helping the environment, plant trees or pick up litter. When you help others, it will make you feel better about yourself.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Remember, they're there to help you be the best that you can be. Respect them and value their opinions, even if they annoy you sometimes. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You don't get to choose your teachers or your family, but you still have to put up with them. Learn how to deal with people now, because when you're an adult, you don't get to choose your boss or your co-workers, so learn how to respect them now.

    These points can help you enjoy success in your teenage life.

A. Live life to the fullest.

B. School sets you up on the right track!

C. Be nice to your parents and teachers.

D. Find chances to do volunteer work that interests you.

E. It will help you pass time and develop your personality.

F. Here are some important points that you may find helpful.

G. Keep it in mind that they do the things they do because they care about you.

Consumer behavior is the study of how people make purchase decisions to satisfy their needs or desires and how their emotional, mental and behavioral responses influence the buying decision. By understanding it, businesses can make their marketing efforts to focus on specific groups, improve brand images, and predict the trends. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Anyway, understanding consumer behavior is vital to any successful marketing strategy.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Among them, marketing campaigns influence purchasing decisions a lot. If done right and regularly, with the right marketing message, they can even persuade consumers to change brands or choose more expensive alternatives.

For expensive products, like houses or cars, economic conditions play a big part. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The consumer's decision — making process is longer for expensive purchases and it can be influenced by more personal factors at the same time.

Consumer behavior can also be influenced by personal factors: likes, dislikes, morals, and values. In industries like fashion or food, personal opinions are especially powerful. Of course, advertisements can influence behavior. However, finally, consumers choices are greatly influenced by their preferences. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Last but not least, our purchasing power plays a significant role in influencing our behavior. Unless you're a billionaire, you'll consider your budget before making a purchase decision. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

However, if you don't have the money for it, you won't buy it.

A. Education levels and social factors can have an impact.

B. Consumer behavior is often influenced by different factors.

C. The product might be excellent and the marketing could be great.

D. This knowledge can also help businesses stay ahead of their competition.

E. Vegetarians, no matter how many hamburger ads they see, won't start eating meat.

F. A positive economic environment can make consumers willing to buy them.

G. A consumer purchases a different product just because he or she wants to seek diversity.

Recently, I carried out an investigation to discover what it was that prevented people from journalling. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So, today, I want to introduce a very simple tool — The MicroMOVEment Wheel. It will help you pick up your journal even at times when you really don't feel like it.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} She describes creating this method so she could use it as a creative planning tool for her writing projects and goals. While it was originally aimed at writers, you can use this technique to help you complete any project in a fun and creative way.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Here's how it works. Take a blank sheet of paper and draw a large circle, and then another smaller circle in the middle, In the center circle, write down what you are inspired to achieve. Remember, journaling does not need to feel like a chore in your day. So come up with descriptions for your journalling that are inspiring and energizing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} These are what SARK refers to as the MicroMOVEments. Each MicroMOVEment is five minutes in length, So, in the case of journalling, that would represent a minimum of up to five minutes of journalling in one sitting, on any given day.

Let's say you're new to journalling. By setting aside five minutes out of your day, you could write one word in your notebook that sums up a feeling or an experience. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The idea of the MicroMOVEment is to create easy steps to get your journal writing or writing projects moving. When you keep the steps small, it will become doable and achievable.

A. Next, divide the rest of the circle into eight equal parts.

B. It is the brainchild of international bestselling writer SARK.

C. There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to journalling.

D. Where to start and not having enough time were amongst the top responses.

E. Daily tasks such as sweeping and washing are time-consuming and laborious.

F. Then, list any associated words, images or thoughts that are generated by the word.

G. The medicine with this approach is breaking your actions down into the tiniest steps.