Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It's 25 days before Christmas. It's after Thanksgiving and often the first day of Christmas shopping.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don't need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up in costumes to tell people that we buy too much.

    In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They made posters and talked to other students about it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The students at high schools liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day.

A. They asked restaurants in the neighborhood to donate the food.

B. At this time, we see ads in Newspapers and, on TV telling us to “buy, buy, buy!”

C. Buy Nothing Day has successfully persuaded people not buy anything.

D. Many people think highly of the idea of Buy Nothing Day.

E. They don't want anyone to go shopping on that day.

F. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day.

G. The dinner was a big success, and many students agreed not to buy anything on November 29.

Problem-solving skills

    We face problems in our everyday life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Don't worry. The following tips may help you to solve problems.

    ⒈Know the problem

    First of all, it is important to know and understand the problem clearly.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Following questions like why, what, how, when, where and who will take you to the root cause of the problem.

    ⒉Analyze the problem

    Analyzing the problem will give you time to think of a proper solution. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It can be a diagram, a flow chart or a list, etc.

    ⒊Plan a strategy(策略)

    Planning a strategy will help you waste less energy and time in trying all the solutions. This step includes knowing the advantages and disadvantages of a solution. In this way you can rule out the strategy that you don't find worthy to apply.

    ⒋{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Leave out the information that is not required for the solving of the problem. You need to be accurate with the details. Keeping the irrelevant(不相关的) information usually won't simplify the problem as we tend to overlook the relevant information.

    ⒌Carry out the solution

    Carrying out the solution in a correct way to get the expected result is important while solving a problem. You need to be creative while carrying out a solution just in case some other problem arises while applying the solution.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Solving a problem is easy if you understand the problem in the first place. By analyzing the problem, planning a strategy, using the best solution, and carrying out the solution in the best method, you will solve your problem smoothly.

A. Make a wise decision.

B. Delete irrelevant information

C. You can use various tools to analyze the problem.

D. Knowing the problem means solving half the problem itself.

E. It can be social problems, relationship problems, or problems at work.

F. Sometimes we can take wrong decisions for solving the problems in haste.

G. Being ready with other choices is also important in case a solution works only half way.

    Finland is a small country of just 5.3 million people, but over three million saunas(桑拿浴). {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Finns have a sauna at least once a week. Saunas can be found all over Finland: in offices, factories, sports centres and hotel, and 2/3 of the people have one in their house.

    Some of the basic rules for using the sauna include not eating or drinking. Also, you can't wear any clothes or swimsuits in the sauna. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Men and women visit the sauna separately, unless they're members of the same family.

    Saunas have existed for hundreds of years in Finland. In the past, Finns dug holes in the ground and put heated stones in them. When water was thrown on the hot stones, they gave off a vapour.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Traditional type is the smoke sauna. We find smoke saunas mostly in rural areas. They're heated with burning wood. Once the room is hot enough, the fire is allowed to die and the room is ventilated (使通风) by letting the smoke out through a hole in the ceiling. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} With these, you simply turn on an electric stove an hour before you want to go in. This is seen as the safest and easiest way to heat the room.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Many think that they're important for your wellbeing (幸福). Finns believe that the sauna can treat a number of diseases. Having a sauna is also seen as a good way to relieve stress and tension.

A. Now there are several types of sauna.

B. That is to say, you have to go naked.

C. Why are saunas so popular in Finland?

D. Saunas play an important role in Finnish life.

E. Since then, saunas have been introduced to Asia.

F. However, the most common type is the electric sauna.

G. If you ever visit Finland, don't forget to have a nice, relaxing sauna.

    Is college really worth the cost? Let's explore some of the pros and cons. It takes money to make money.

    Do college graduates make a higher salary? In general, yes. Those with a bachelor's degree make nearly twice the income of someone with only a high school diploma.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Among the majors that make the most money out of college are engineering, math and computer science. Not surprisingly, some of the lowest include art, religious studies, and early childhood and elementary education.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The average cost of a year of tuition (学费) in the United States is more than $30,000.That's just one year. Because of that, many college graduates come out with debt that annoys them for years after they graduate.

    For many tradesmen, a special skill in their specific field is all that's needed to make not only a fairly good living, but a comfortable one. The average electrician, for example, makes $58,933, whereas the average preschool teacher, after college, makes around $30,000. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    College grads have higher job satisfaction.

    Another plus for going to college? In general, college graduates are more satisfied with their jobs — 57 percent of college graduates are satisfied in their careers as compared to 37 percent of people with just a high school diploma. What's more, college graduates are less affected by job cuts when economy is weak. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    They also have a better social network.

    College also provides numbers of social benefits, providing social networks that stay with people throughout their lives. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The college years are formative years in our lives.

A. But college tuition is pricy.

B. Better universities cost more but bring more.

C. That being said, not all college majors are created equal.

D. They really have a better sense of achievement in their career.

E. They are more marketable and can generally find another job more easily.

F. How many people do you know who met their future wife or husband in college?

G. And that salary doesn't factor in the cost to pay back student loans from four years of college.

    Ready to take a gap year? A "Gap Year" is a period of time when a student takes a break before going to university. It is often spent travelling or working.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Gap years are popular with European and Australian students, but remain less popular in America. However, in recent years, more and more American students are preparing for college by taking a gap year. The advantages of taking a gap year are as follows：

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Although you don't have to go abroad to experience gap years, most gap year students catch the chance to travel abroad. You are able to work out who you are and what you are for. The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons. You can learn more about the world and get to know yourself better.

    Face challenges and have fun

    A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation, but also a time to face challenges. Gap year students usually work, volunteer or take service projects. You have to learn how to get along in the real world. This process isn't always easy, but it is an important part of growing up.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Save money and improve your college admission chances

    There's a common thought that gap years are only for rich students, but it's not true. Actually, taking a gap year can save your money. Gap year students often take a part-time job. Besides, at the end of a gap year, students are much more likely to know what to study in college. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Both of them are excellent and have high grades. However, one student has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation. Who do you think the admission officer will choose?

A. Learn about the world and yourself

B. Only in this way can you enjoy life and have fun.

C. Check out your gap year choices before making the right decision.

D. It can give young people useful learning experiences and new skills.

E. Imagine an admission officer trying to admit only one between two students.

F. More students than ever before are taking a gap year before going to university.

G. Clear learning goals can keep the students working hard instead of wasting time and money playing.

The Four People You Don't Want to Sit Next to on a Plane

    Let me begin by promising you that I am not an angry person. I would actually vow that I am inherently happy and all-around quite friendly and nice. But one thing that really grinds my gears, is being seated next to a nightmare neighbor on an airplane.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Perhaps you normally like them, but when you are sitting next to them on a plane it's a different thing. They usually spend all the flight moving around and dropping their toys on the floor, and when they're drinking their orange juice it ends up on your trousers. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. So you can't have the little sleep that you were planning.

    Conversation makers

    You recognize this type as soon as you sit down. They immediately start talking about the plane, or the weather, or they ask you a personal question. It's very difficult not to talk to these people. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Nervous fliers

    These are the people with white faces who sit down and immediately ask for something to drink. Every five minutes they call a flight attendant to ask if there are any problems with the plane. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The best thing to do is to pretend to sleep.

    Space invaders

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. But they have a terrible habit of taking up all their room, and some of your room too. They usually sit so that you can't move, with their arms and legs in your space.

A. Naughty kids

B. Well-behaved parents

C. They also tell you about air crash

D. Some people want to talk all the time

E. The people are not necessarily very large

F. Then they decide they want to have fun with you

G. You'll probably have to keep talking until the plane lands