House Sitting

    In many countries of the world people do what is called house sitting. It means that if owners of the house are going away, they want someone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets while they are away.

    In Australia, many people travel. After people retire, 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, they might want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy. House sitters might have to care for pets. Also, quite a few people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I feel it is a great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, get to meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} There are websites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and by replying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look after their home.

    There are some requirements to be a house sitter. You must be a trusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything. You must be able to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You need to be good 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 of weeks while the house owners have a short holiday. Sometimes it is for much longer. We have had one house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can travel to many different countries and stay there. One of  the important things to get is references from the home owners where you have stayed. A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthy and have looked after their home well. You can show these letters to possible house sitting jobs and they know you will do a good job.

A. I have done house sitting many times.

B. Thousands of people do this all the time.

C. It is also possible to do house sitting in other countries.

D. Generally you have many opportunities to get a house sitting job.

E. You must take a little care over what your description says about you.

F. This is an international house sitting service for all city and country areas.

G. You must have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country.

Building Trust in a Relationship Again

    Trust is a learned behavior that we gain from past experiences. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} That is a risk. But you can't be successful when there's a lack of trust in a relationship that results from an action where the wrongdoer takes no responsibility to fix the mistake.

    Unfortunately, we've all been victims of betrayal. Whether we've been stolen from, lied to, misled, or cheated on, there are different levels of losing trust. Sometimes people simply can't trust anymore. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's understandable, but if you're willing to build trust in a relationship again, we have some steps you can take to get you there.

    ♦ {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Having confident in yourself will help you make better choices because you can see what the best outcome would be for your well-being.

    ♦ {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you've been betrayed, you are the victim of your circumstance. But there's a difference between being a victim and living with a “victim mentality”. At some point in all of our lives, we'll have our trust tested or violated.

    ♦ You didn't lose “everything”. Once trust is lost, what is left? Instead of looking at the situation from this hopeless angle, look at everything you still have and be thankful for all of the good in your life. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Instead, it's a healthy way to work through the experience to allow room for positive growth and forgiveness.

A. Learn to really trust yourself.

B. It is putting confident in someone.

C. Slop regarding yourself as the victim.

D. Remember that you can expect the best in return.

E. They've been too badly hurt and they can't bear to let it happen again.

F. This knowledge carries over in their attitude toward their future relationships.

G. Seeing the positive side of things doesn't mean you're ignoring what happened.

    Last week the electricity in my flat went out.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} My typical evening is spent watching TV and scrolling (滚动) through social media. Tonight this wasn't possible. My roommate and I weren't prepared with candles and matches. We just rely on electricity.

    So for me it was an early night.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} That night, losing our electricity felt like losing a basic necessity, as basic as running water. But really, electricity is a luxury that we've grown to take for granted. I use electricity all the time, even when it's not really necessary.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And as I'm writing this, I have my lights on, even in the middle of the day when I don't really need them.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It contributes to global warming. It is harming our environment and we need to do what we can to stop it. Not only that, but if we continue to use the same large amount of energy, we will soon run out of it.

    How would we survive in a world without electricity? Our daily lives go around it. We wouldn't be able to function.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}So, shouldn't we start preparing for it now? Cutting down on our use of electricity would save energy resources so that they could last for longer. And if everyone does it, we can make a big difference.

A. Yet we know one day we will run out of it.

B. Our over-use of electricity is a big problem.

C. This left me in complete darkness the whole night.

D. It is a real problem to cut down on the use of electricity.

E. I know for sure I could cut down on my use of electricity.

F. I couldn't help but think, do we rely too much on electricity?

G. I turn on the TV in the background even when Tm not watching it.

Plan a Budget-Friendly Summer Vacation

    It's never too early to start thinking about your summer vacation. Deciding where to go and what attractions to see can actually be a fun and exciting part of the experience—particularly when you find ways to save your travel dollar. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Rethink your “summer vacation”.

    If your summer vacation window is wide open, why not skip July and August? The flights and accommodations are about 25% cheaper in the spring or early fall. If you must travel during the busy season, you can still save by being flexible. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Flying out on a Tuesday instead of a Friday could save you a bit of money, and flying in the afternoon will likely be cheaper than a morning flight.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    It's always in your best interest to book your summer vacation early. If you plan on flying to your destination, for example, it will be much easier to find seats on your preferred flights if you book in March than if you were to wait until the last minute. The same applies to hotels, where prices are based on supply and demand.

    Use the right websites.

    There are a lot of websites competing for your travel dollar. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, when you make five reservations with Booking.com, you can have access to their “Genius Program” which gives you 10% off as well as early check-in and late check-out.

    Consider a tour.

    With so many places to see and things to do, planning a trip can wear you out quickly. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Seasoned tour operators, such as Trafalgar, take the stress out of travel so all you have to do is show up and enjoy yourself. More importantly, a guided vacation represents a significant saving.

    We don't meet people by accident. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Some will help you grow, some will hurt you, some will inspire you to do better. At the same time, you are playing some role in their lives as well. Know that paths cross for a reason and treat people with significance.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}There is no better joy than helping people see a vision for themselves, seeing them go to levels higher than they ever would have imagined on their own. But that doesn't mean you have to fix them or enable them; {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Offer them support and motivation as they find their own way and show you what they're capable of. All you have to do is believe in them.

    Never look down on someone unless you are helping them up. We like to think of life as a meritocracy(精英统治),so it's easy to look down on someone who isn't as successful or accomplished or well educated as you are. But you have no idea how far that person has already climbed or where they will end up. Time could easily reverse(颠倒) your positions,{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Appreciate those who have supported you, forgive those who have hurt you, help those who need you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Treat all people -including yourself-with love and compassion, and you can't go wrong.

    Treat people the way you want to be treated and life will instantly get better.

A. so be sure you treat everyone with dignity.

B. therefore, cherish every person you meet.

C. Never fix them when they make mistakes.

D. Don't tell them how to get there but show the way.

E. instead, guide them to the source of their own.

F. Business is complicated, life is complex and leadership is difficult.

G. Every person you meet will have a role in your life, be it big or small.

Four Habits to Help You Succeed

    Nobody would like to experience failure. We all want to succeed. For those who have tried and failed, success seems difficult to understand. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Know your values.

    Finding your values is in line with creating motivation. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Pick a handful of things and write them down. Remind yourself of your values every day and reflect on whether you are honoring those values through your work.

    Pick a goal and focus on it.

    Choose one goal to start something large enough that will give you a sense of achievement, while adjusting well to your values. If you want to achieve your goal, focus is the key here. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you perform many tasks at a time, you might never finish your projects because they will take far too long.

    Set a time for success.

    Set a date for success. Know when you hope to realize your goal. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}By setting a time limit, you are making the process realistic.

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    Failure can't be avoided when you take risks. By its very definition, the desire to succeed means you are risking failure. Many people tend to give up far too early. Don't fall into this trap! Use failure. Treat it as a good thing, and go on.

A. Make the right decision.

B. The more focused you are on one goal, the higher chance you have of success.

C. I have made a list of four habits to help you set goals and realize them.

D. Keep it realistic, while not giving yourself too much time.

E. Don't give up because of failure.

F. Sit and reflect on what you value most.

G. Push yourself to be courageous, and take that next step.