As a teenager, you may listen to stories often. But have you ever been a storyteller?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The following are some tips:

    Who will listen?

    Will you tell your story to children of your own age? Will they are friends or young people you haven't met before? Perhaps you will tell it to younger children. Or, well it be an audience of adults?{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Why are you telling it?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Knowing why you are telling it may be the most helpful reason for choosing a story for a particular audience. Many storytellers choose tales just to entertain(娱乐). They tell jokes or silly stories. Others want to teach something, such as how to be kinder to animals, the environment, or other people.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Some babysitters tell stories to help children feel not afraid of thunder, lightning or scary shadows in their rooms. Others want to make people think or to help people remember. Some like to tighten other audiences with ghost stories.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    How you tell your story and what story helpers you use depend on where you will be speaking. Will you be taking at an evening party, in your classroom, in a library storytelling program, at a family dinner, at a museum, at a storytelling festival, or during a religious program?

A. One storyteller likes to encourage his listeners to try new things.

B. Will it be just a few people, a small group, or a large audience?

C. Generally, a story should be interesting.

D. Where will you speak?

E. When will you speak?

F. There are many reasons for telling a story

G. And do you know how to tell a story?

    Does this situation seem familiar to you？Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, and you are speaking quite fluently.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen as often as possible.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}The Internet is really a useful tool for English students. You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com.The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station.

    Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated(受阻) by limited understanding.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Here is some of the advice I give my students：

    Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.

    Stay relaxed when you do not understand, and try listening to the material for more times.

    Do not translate everything into your native language.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't concentrate on details before you have understood the main ideas.

    Listen to something you enjoy.

    I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn't understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This method usually resulted in confusion.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Firstly, translating creates a barrier between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, I noticed that even if I didn't pay much attention I could usually understand what the speaker had said.

A．Then, after the first six months, I discovered two extremely important facts.

B．But listening is a problem for most of the beginners.

C．But you can't follow a native English speaker at all!

D.  However, after several weeks, I got used to the new environment in Germany.

E．So, what you need to do is to find listening resources.

F．What should you do?

G．Listen for the general idea of the conversation.

Ways to Improve Your Luck

    Some people have all the luck! Or does it just seem that way? Why did your co-worker get that big promotion while you were overlooked? Why do some of us seem to experience these lucky things more than others and how can you improve your luck? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    What You Tell Yourself Matters!

Do you know that people who are lucky tell themselves they're lucky? Has your own self-talk been filled with less-than-lucky talk? Do you say things like: “I'm just not a lucky person.” or “Good things never happen to me?” {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They say things like — “This setback is only temporary. I know things will turn around.” or “Things have a way of working out for me.”

Expect and Appreciate Your Good Luck.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Research suggests keeping a “good luck journal” helps people become even luckier. Did someone bring you coffee at work today? Did you find a random (随机的) quarter on the street? Did your husband or wife do something nice for you today? Did your child get a good grade at school? Write them down! {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Begin to notice all the good that comes to you.

Do Something New and Different.

    Make contact with people. Take risks. People who try new things are much more open to luck and good fortune than those who don't. This doesn't mean you have to quit your job or take up skydiving! It could be as simple as starting a conversation with a stranger, taking a class in an unfamiliar subject, learning some words and phrases in a foreign language, or trying a new ethnic restaurant. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And this greater openness can help promote chance opportunities in their lives.

A. All of these things matter a lot.

B. You will never forget your lucky friends.

C. Lucky people generally expect good fortune.

D. Here are ideas that researchers tell us about luck.

E. A lucky person generally receive good fortune in the future.

F. Lucky people score much higher on openness than unlucky people.

C. Lucky people generally expect good fortune.

    The eyes are the windows of the soul. Having a pair of bright, clear eyes is very important, so we should protect our eyes throughout our lives. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Keep a distance from the TV set when you watch TV and give your eyes a rest every 30 minutes.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Don't read while lying down or walking. Relax after every hour of reading.

    Don't stare at the sun or try to read in the darkness. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This can damage your eyes easily.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Not many people have this habit, but it is necessary. If you feel that there is something wrong with your eyes, get them checked quickly. Eye problem can be found and treated early with regular checks.

    Rest your eyes whenever you can. You can close your eyes for a few seconds or look into the distance for one or two minutes. A small break will relax your eyes and help to stop you from getting eye problems.

    Be careful when you choose your glasses.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Make sure your glasses are right for you. If they don't feel right, get your glasses changed.

A. Get your eyes checked often.

B. Develop good reading habits.

C. Make sure you get enough sleep every night.

D. Even if you're wearing sunglasses, never look directly at the sun.

E. The following tips may help you to protect your eyes.

F. Drink green tea every day as a way to protect your eyes against eye problems.

G. Glasses that aren't suitable for you could bring you trouble.

How to Write a Story

    Writing a detailed story takes patience and practice. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, though, you can handle the challenge.

    Keep the outline short

    Avoid complete sentences. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Long outlines with complete sentences end up being unnecessarily wordy. Sometimes they look like full paragraphs rather than brief outlines. Spending too much time and putting too much detail into your outline is effort you could be putting into writing the story itself.

    Choose a point of view

    Once you've written your outline and thought about the story you want to tell, decide at what point the reader enters the story. For you, and especially for the reader, the experience is a more intriguing one if the reader begins the story in the middle of the action. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It will get your reader's attention immediately. He wants to continue reading surely. A boring opening means a bored reader who has no interest in moving on.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Avoid giving everything away about the character in the first few paragraphs. Instead, consider different ways you can reveal different facets of the characters to your readers without stating them in an obvious way. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you take on too many, you'll find you won't be able to develop each of them fully in only a few pages.

A. Develop the characters

B. Instead, use short phrases or terms

C. Begin your story in an interesting way

D. If you're motivated and truly love to write

E. Before you write anything, you need an idea for a great story

F. Limit the number of main characters you include in your story

G. Once you've written your outline about the story that you want to tell

    Words have great power. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Many of us have been offended by words and know how badly words hurt. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Trust me if you are not careful in this area, your emotions will soon be controlled by the words of the people around you.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    If someone tells you "You are a fool.", don't believe it in your mind. People who hurt you can never really harm you unless you allow yourself to be defined by these words. You are a child of God. You are very valuable in the sight of God, so never allow yourself to feel inferior just by the words of other people.

    Turn those words into positive thoughts within you.

    If there is something wrong with your actions, and others are trying to correct you, it can sometimes hurt your feelings if their words are hurtful. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Think like this in your mind, "Yes, I'm wrong, but I'll find out ways to improve. Now I have hope because I know I can change."

    Respond softly.

    If someone speaks in a hurtful way, take a deep breath first and try to speak softly and kindly in response. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. On the contrary, an angry answer is like a sword, which will bring harm instead of healing.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It's none of your business. We need not respond to every personal comment from people. It's not your problem that they keep on hurting you on purpose. So simply leave it

A. A soft answer turns away anger

B. Don't worry about what others say

C. It is wise to correct others' mistake by soft words

D. Never let negative words of others define who you are

E. In that case change those words into positive thoughts

F. If someone is purposefully hurting you for no reason, simply be silent and ignore it

G. Today I will share a few tips on how to handle the effect of negative words spoken to you