Certain things confident people simply don't do.

They don't make excuses.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}That's why you won't hear them blaming traffic for making them late. They don't make excuses, because they believe they're in control of their own lives.

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    Confident people don't give up the first time something goes wrong. They will figure out why it went wrong and how they can prevent it the next time.

They won't wait for permission to act.

    Confident people don't need somebody to tell them what to do or when to do it. Whether it's running a meeting or going the extra mile to solve a customer's problem, it doesn't even occur to them to wait for somebody else to take care of it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

They don't need constant praise.

    Have you ever been around somebody who constantly needs to hear how great he or she is? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . They don't think that their success is dependent on other people's approval, and they understand that no matter how well they perform, there's always criticism.

They won't put things off.

    Why do people postpone(拖延)? Sometimes it's simply because they're lazy. A lot of times, though, it's because they're afraid of change, failure, or maybe even success. Confident people don't sit around waiting for the right time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If they think it's not the right time, they make it the right time.

A. They don't quit.

B. They won't lose heart

C. Confident people don't do that.

D. They are not afraid of failure at all.

E. They see what needs to be done, and they do it.

F. They know that today is the only time that matters.

G. Confident people believe that they can make things happen.

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    A Kickstarter launched Friday will allow interested parties to set up a camera and pet toys in their home for anyone to play with their pets remotely. It's called the ipet Companion, an Internet-connected camera and device that streams video online and allows basic commands from people watching. They can move the camera, look at their pet and press a button to swing a toy around.

    Obviously, demand is strong. The Kickstarter proved so popular that Scott Harris, iPet Companion's founder, said that thousands of people started asking for it.

    The reason why people keep talking about this is the emotional(情感的) connection they have from a thousand miles away. If you want, you can enter a queue to move the camera and play with the pets. Each room has toys that are hooked(钩住) into Internet-connected devices, and you can move them by pressing a button.

    But there's sort of a problem: Pets get bored easily. Young pets will stay more interested than adult pets, but finally even a baby pet will get bored, too. To stop that from happening, you'd better limit the pets' access(接近) to the boys and change the place where they're located in the room.

Harris understands this and said you can plug anything into that adapter(适配器) —toys that you can get on your own. And that's where the iPet Companion really gets interesting. Harris explained that the device is actually sort of a Trojan horse to bring the “Internet of things” to more homes. You don't really have to use it for pets. The adapter could be used for any device with an electrical plug—a sprinkler, say, that you'd be able to activate to water your grass.

    “Our whole goal, our whole purpose is to let anyone control any physical object that they want to while they travel anywhere in the woorld,” Harris said.

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    When was the last time you relied on an old-fashioned map to figure out the route to an unfamiliar place? For many, the GPS has revolutionized navigation, making a paper map almost obsolete? So how has this piece of technology developed over its 26 years of existence? On February 14,1989,the first satellite in the US Global Positioning System was sent into space from Cape Canaveral, beginning the start of one of the wonders of the modern world.

    GPS stands for Global Positioning System, which is made of a network of around 30 satellites that move around the earth. The system uses a process called trilateration to find out one's position. By measuring the time it takes for the signal to reach one satellite, the GPS can determine your distance from the satellite, creating a sphere(范围) of possible locations. Measuring your distance from at least three satellites will narrow your location to the place where the three spheres cross one another, to the accuracy(精确) of about less than 1 meter!

    The GPS was first invented during the Cold War by the United States Department of Defense. In 1960, the first system, which was made of just five satellites, was put into place. It was initially created for strictly military(军事的) use; however, in 1983, as a result of faulty navigation technology, a Korean passenger plane mistakenly flew into USSR territory(苏联领土) and was shot down. In order to prevent such bad events, American President Ronald Reagan allowed civilian(民用的) use of the GPS.

    Over the next ten years, the system's accuracy improved as the network was increased to 24 satellites. And during the first Persian Gulf War, the new GPS was finally used by the military. Now scientists use the technology to track animals to better understand their movement and behavior. Parents who may be worried about their children can also use GPS technology to track them.

    When the natural climate changes due to global warming, it can surely affect seals. The majority of them live in the Antarctic region so as the ice is melting, their natural habitat（栖息地）can be seriously affected. These changes don't take place overnight. They can be the result of many years of additional temperatures in the area. The seals then have to find ways to adapt.

    Seals depend on the cool air currents to bring plenty of food for them. When the temperatures get higher, there is less and less food and the seal population starts to get depleted. Mothers aren't healthy enough to feed their babies. Many of them end up abandoned as the mothers have to leave to find their own source of food.

    The fact that their desire to produce young can be changed by the warmer temperatures is frightening too. It is also believed that the warmer temperatures can allow different diseases and viruses to attack the seals. This is a huge concern as they can rapidly wipe out huge numbers of seals out there.

    However, these changes in climate and temperature aren't all bad for other species of seals. Scientists have found that those living in warmer climates are producing more young due to the changes. Research also shows that the females are moving further to find food and water. When they are out of the reach of the governing males, they are more willing to accept the moves of other males in the group.

    This is good news too because it means that there will be more selection in the gene pool（基因库）for future generations. It can help the seals as a species adapt to changes in their natural environment more easily.

    The climate change problem for seals is directly linked to humans. When we take action to change what we let out into the environment, we will make positive changes for the seals. However, it is going to take a very long time to reverse（彻底改变）the effects of what has already been done.

    Rivers play an important role on the earth, and we can't imagine what the earth would be like without rivers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    With a length of 6, 650 kilometers, the Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile River has been the source of human civilization since ancient times. The Nile has two main branches—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts from the Great Lakes region of East and Central Africa through Lake Victoria.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The Blue Nile carries with it a lot of fertile soil which turns out to be very important to farming in Egypt.

    The Amazon River is the world's largest river with a width of about 40 kilometers during the rainy seasons but about 10 kilometers wide when it is not flooded. The Amazon River has such a big water volume that it accounts for(占.....比例) more than 20% of all the world's fresh water—far more than any other river. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The main Amazon River flows mostly through Brazil and Peru but its tributaries can also be found in many other countries.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It has a depth of about 250 meters. Its length is 4, 700 kilometers. The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains in the Eastern Africa Rift Valley. It's the second largest river in terms of water volume. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The Congo River basin(盆地) is the catchments(流域，集水区) area of the Congo River. It lies in both north and south of the Equator, making its flow very stable as there are always some tributaries experiencing a rainy season at any time.

A. Some of them are worth mentioning.

B. The Congo River is the world's deepest river.

C. Do you know which is the deepest river in the world?

D. The Blue Nile originates from(发源于)Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

E. Without rivers, there would be no living life in and along them.

F. And it flows through the second largest rain-forests in the world.

G. Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are its sources.

    Playing a musical instrument can be a fun and rewarding hobby. It's a good way to express feelings and develop confidence in your abilities. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are a few questions to help you decide.

    What kind of music do you like?

    What you are interested in will encourage you to play. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Traditional orchestra musical instruments are what you hear in classical music. Modern music calls for modern instruments, like electric guitars.

    Where are you going to practice?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Think about where and when you are going to practice, as well as the patience of the people you live with or near. Some instruments like the guitar give you the chance of playing in the night using earphones, while your housemates sleep in peace. Also, you may need to consider going to a school or a music center to practice.

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    This is quite a big problem. A lot of instruments can be bought in different price ranges. But this doesn't change the fact that many instruments, such as the piano, are always expensive. If you can't afford your chosen instrument, will you be able to borrow someone else's?

    Are there any physical limitations?

    If you are small and don't like lifting heavy objects, you won't want to carry around a cello (大提琴). If you don't have great lung power, think twice about the saxophone. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But remember that with the right coaching, everyone can develop the right skills.