It's reported that a male waiter recently poured boiling water over a female customer at a hot pot restaurant after the woman was caught complaining about the waiter's bad service online{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The female victim, surnamed Lin, reportedly got into an argument with the waiter, surnamed Zhu, when Zhu refused her repeated request for additional soup for her pot. Lin was rushed to hospital and was diagnosed with severe bums on up to 40% of her body.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Many netizens criticized the waiter for being too impulsive and ignoring the possible consequences, but some also accused Lin of being too picky. Meanwhile, some came up with a question worthy of discussion:{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Many tragedies are caused by arguments and if the victim can control his or her anger and try to reach a compromise, the tragedies could possibly be avoided. Sometimes so-called “cowardliness” can be a form of self-protection, especially when you are faced with strangers and you know little about their personalities.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When they calm down afterwards, they would regret their “ridiculous” behavior and have to pay the price for the consequences.

    In May, a male driver in the southwestern city of Chengdu was captured on film intercepting a woman's car and dragging her out of her seat, throwing her on the ground, before cruelly kicking her several times on the head, simply because the woman suddenly changed lanes in front of his car.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Forgive others' mistakes and avoid fueling others' anger. Accordingly, you may be less likely to suffer from unexpected troubles.

A. Will the situation be out of control because of your anger?

B. Intolerance has contributed to lots of violent incidents.

C. How to keep ourselves safe when we argue with others?

D. The waiter has been arrested for further investigation and trial.

E. This incident caused an outcry among netizens and opinion leaders.

F. But it is difficult to control our anger when we have conflict with others.

G. So next time you deal with conflict, it is mere advisable to control your temper and say “sorry” with a smile.

How to read more and learn more

    These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can broaden my mind and improve my language skills.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some tips for you.

    Clear your purpose for reading.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Most people read for two main reasons, pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is important to you, so you will keep reading and complete the book faster.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may introduce you the books they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.

Give up books that you don't enjoy.

    You may have chosen books that you are interested in, and they are right purpose. But while you are reading them, there may still be some books that you don't enjoy reading. Whenever you realize that you aren't enjoying the book you are reading, give it up. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Set a reading goal.

    It is interesting that I read the books borrowed from libraries faster than those I bought. The reason is the books I bought don't have a due date! I don't need to return those books.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Before you read each book, ask yourself what time you need to complete this book by.

A. Read only what you are interested in.

B. Read the books borrowed from others.

C. Remember reading shouldn't be a burden（负担）.

D. Of course, it also can help me to get good grades.

E. We need to get the latest news and communicate with friends.

F. Before you start reading, ask yourself why you are reading this book.

G. Having a reading goal helps you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day.

    Our personal strengths are part of what makes us unique as individuals, and part of the value we offer to the world around us. If we're not aware of our personal strengths, we can't use them well.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The activities we enjoy often slow the skills we naturally have. Take a few moments to think about the things you really love doing and look at the potential parts that enrich these experiences for you.

    Ask trusted friends and family.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Many of us come from cultures where it's polite to be modest, and this can make it hard to make out our own strengths without any outside help. Ask trusted friends or family what they think your personal strengths are, and see if any of the answers surprise you.

    What qualities do you like in yourself?

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}For example, if you like the fact that you stick to your goals, even when the going gets tough, one of your personal strengths might be determination.

    What makes you proud?

    Think about three examples in your life when you really felt proud of the way you acted or responded. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}What values did you display and why do you feel proud of the way you acted?

A. Notice what you enjoy.

B. Take a look at a list of personal strengths.

C. Sometimes it's hard to judge our strengths exactly.

D. Most of us have role models in our business and personal life.

E. What was it about your action or response that made you proud?

F. We potentially miss out on true achievements in our lie and careers

G. The qualities you like about yourself will show some of your personal strengths.

    Starting college is a difficult transition for many students. Here are some ways to make the transition a little bit easier.

    Get involved.

    By joining a team, you not only get to meet older students who can help you get through the transition, you also make friends quickly and have things to do. One of the huge differences from high school to college is the amount of free time you have.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Have an open mind.

    Especially if you are going to a bigger school, it's important to have an open mind. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Yet when you get to college, there are people from all over that have different views on things and act in a different way.

    Stay focused.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It is so easy to get caught up in your social life and forget about the academics. Remain focused on your schoolwork and figure out what you want to study, but be sure to have time for social activities as well.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Take care of your body. Being away from home and no longer having parents looking after you doesn't mean you have to throw away all the things you learned about staying healthy. Eat healthily and play sports as you did in high school to stay in shape.

    Again, the transition from high school to college can be extremely challenging. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} By following some of these tips, hopefully your transition will be a little smoother and you will get the most out of your freshman year in college!

A. Enjoy the sports.

B. Work to stay healthy.

C. When you are healthy, you feel better.

D. It may not come as easy to you as it does for some students.

E. How you decide to use it determines how well you do in school.

F. You may be used to the people from your town and your high school.

G. The main thing to remember when starting college is what you are actually there for.

Common public speaking problems

The use of "I feel", "I think" and "maybe"

    In the question-and-answer session of the speaking competition, many contestants began their answers with uncertain expressions like "I feel", "I guess", "I hear", "maybe" and "perhaps".

    These words show that the person is only speaking from his or her point of view.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Work on keeping your answers brief and to the point, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead of the empty-sounding "I guess", using facts, together with a clear conclusion based on those facts, is far more likely to be popular with an audience.

    Using only one speaking style

    Don't stick to the same tone.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    For example, when they spoke about their dreams, some sounded romantic. Others used humor. Very few used several different styles together. Try mixing more than one style, rather than just sticking with the same one.

    Irresponsible answers

    Public speaking is different from personal conversations. You're responsible for your words. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}So you should think twice before you talk. Don't be like the student who, when asked about his opinion on book piracy（盗版）, started by saying he supported it.

    Talking around the topic rather than directly answering it

    You should focus on one point and give a clear solution. The key is to work out what question is being asked. Is it asking you to discuss a certain topic or to present your own point of view?

    Use one or two arguments together and give a strong conclusion.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It can be boring. Try to mix it up.

B. Even though you want to answer quickly, you don't want to sound foolish.

C. Also work on delivering them with calmness and confidence.

D. Deliberate gestures and affected（做作的）expressions of feelings are improper in a successful speech.

E. Remember that judges are not judging you on whether they agree, but on your ability to say what you think clearly.

F. This lacks the support of facts and seems not to be reliable for the judges and audience.

G. Confidence is extremely important in public speaking as it lets a speaker sound more convincing.