Many people need guidance in choosing a career （职业）. Fortunately, there is much information on the Web about job opportunities （机会）. With all the information available, it's not surprising that people can feel confused. So if you're ready to start your first job or change careers, where do you begin?

    The Occupation Handbook is a good resource.  Regularly updated, the Handbook is available as a book and on-line. Not only is information provided about the United States as a whole, but readers can easily search for information about their particular state. You can read about the fastest-growing occupations in the area where you live and find out what they are like. You can also learn how to apply for jobs.

    Take, for example, Nadia's situation. Nadia was a doctor's assistant in Iran, and her goal in the United States is to become a nurse. However, she needs to work while she is studying nursing. She is interested in becoming a medical assistant to help work her way through college. When going on-line to the Handbook and searching under "medical assistant", Nadia is happy to read that this is expected to be one of the fastest-growing careers through 2010. Besides, job opportunities are even better for people with experience. She discovers that medical assistants not only have to do some office work, but have medical responsibilities as well. Nadia decides this job will be interesting and will also provide excellent experience for her nursing career.

    The Occupation Handbook is just an example of websites that can help you plan a new career. When you have found information about some different careers, you will be ready to talk to career advisers. Choosing your future career is an extremely important decision. It's worth taking the time and finding as much information as you can.

    As we all know, friendship is of great importance in our daily life. A friend can give us help and share our difficulties and happiness. But how to make friends is still difficult to some of us. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    1). Be friendly to others. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You should try to make a stranger feel at home wherever he happens to be. Think more of others than of yourself and never judge a person by his appearance and clothes.

    2). Be reliable. If you and your friend agree to meet somewhere, don't be late. If you're not going to make it on time or make it at all, call them as soon as you realize it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Be someone that people know they can depend on.

    3). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Listen carefully to what people say, remember important details about them （their names, their likes and dislikes）, ask questions about their interests, and just take the time to learn more about them.

4). Encourage your friends: A true friend always gives courage to his friends. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Never make fun of or laugh at your friends in front of others. You should come to support them.

    In the years of my growing up, Dad was strict with me. He made sure I made my bed and did my homework. He would call in advance to make sure there was no alcohol at the party. I got so angry with him for laying down the law. I would scream, “ I hate you!” Dad would yell back, “Good! I don't care!” Deep down I knew he did.

    One time at a party, I drank too much alcohol and got so sick. I said, “ Call my dad.” Next thing, Dad was carrying me to the car. I woke up the next morning, thinking I would definitely be criticised. As expected, I got a roasting, but I now understand why I need discipline.

    Dad was 29 when he got his big roles in films. I had an early start at the age of nine with a role in a 1990s TV series, but it wasn't until I finished film studies that I pursued my career as an actress. Like those early days for Dad, I faced lots of rejections. Working in such a competitive industry, I've sometimes thought, “ I can't do this any more.”

    Once, after a trip to Hollywood, I returned to Australia so depressed and spent months in my bedroom painting, listening to Eckhart Tolle's music and trying to find myself again. Dad sat me down and said,“Alice, I know it's hard, but it's all about persistence(坚持不懈).”

    Now I get to work with Dad a lot, which I love. We both passionate about acting, which comes from us being so interested in people. If it weren't for Dad, I wouldn't be where I am today. He's my biggest fan, and when you have that in your life you can go a long way.

    Winter is a really fun time of the year—it's great to have snowball fights and build snowmen{#blank#}1{#/blank#} When it's cold outside and you're not prepared, you can feel uncomfortable. Lucky for you, learning how to stay safe is not difficult.

    ●{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Wearing thick clothes is the best way to stay warm in the cold. Depending on where you live and how cold it is, some kids may need more clothes, some less.

    ●Take that hat. You maybe wear a large overcoat and ready to go, but are you forgetting something?{#blank#}3{#/blank#} You'll stay much warmer with a hat than without one—tons of body heat escapes right from your head.

    ●Drink up. Sounds like advice for hot weather, not cold weather, right?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} When you're outside in the cold and breathing hard, your body loses a lot of water through your breath. And the best way to get that water back is to drink up!

    ●Take it easy. Sometimes if you're out having fun, it's easy to forget to pay attention to your body. But if your body temperature drops even 4 or 5 degrees while you're out side, it can make you feel terrible{#blank#}5{#/blank#} And if you ever feel weak, those are signs that you have to take it easy indoors for a while.

A.Love those clothes.

B.Have a snowball fight.

C. Pull a hat onto your head.

D. That's why you need to be careful with your body s signals.

E. Well, the truth is that it's good advice for both kinds of weather.

F. but you have to know how to be safe while you're out having fun.

G. You can stay outside as long as possible to fully enjoy your snow days.

                           How to Make Friends

    Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with difficulties better. It is not very hard to make friends. Continue reading to find out how to make friends.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are many ways to do this—talking about the weather (“At least it's not raining like last week!”), asking for help or saying words of praise (“I love your shoes.”).

    Introduce yourself at the end of the conversation. It can be as simple as saying “Oh, by the way, my name is ...” {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Remember his or her name!

    Join a sports team. As long as you enjoy the sport, you don't have to be really good at playing a sport in order to make friends with others.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you play the guitar or sing, try joining a band.

    Be a good listener.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ask questions about their interests, and just take the time to learn more about them.

    Encourage your friend. A very good friend encourages their friend.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Never make fun or laugh at your friend in front of others. If someone is making fun of them, a good friend will come to save their friend.

A. Start a conversation.

B. Find out common interests.

C. But a sports team isn't the only way.

D. The key to being a good friend is the ability to keep secrets.

E. They will remain with them in both good as well as bad times.

F. Once you introduce yourself, the other person will do the same.

G. Listen carefully to what people say, and remember important information about them.

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

The changes facing fast-food companies

    Fast food was once thought to be recession-proof. When consumers need to cut spending, cheap meals like Big Macs and Whoppers become even more attractive. As a result, fast-food chains have survived the recession better than their more expensive competitors. In 2009 sales at full-service restaurants in America fell by more than 6%, but total sales remained about the same at fast-food chains. In some markets, such as Japan, France and Britain, total spending on fast food increased.

    But in this ongoing recession(萧条), which is more severe, not all fast-food companies have been as fortunate. Many, such as Burger King, have seen sales fall. In the recession, while some people trade down to fast food, many others eat at home more frequently to save money. Smaller fast-food chains in America, such as Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr., have been hit particularly hard in this downturn because they cut back spending on advertising.

    In face of such challenges, some fast-food companies have sacrificed their own profits by trying to give customers better value. During the recession companies set prices low, hoping to tempt more customers through the door. But in many cases that strategy doesn't work. Some companies are rethinking their strategies. KFC has launched a chicken sandwich that costs around $5 to attract consumers away from $1 specials.

    Companies are also trying to get customers to buy new and more items, including drinks. McDonald's started selling better coffee as a challenge to Starbucks. Its “McCafe” line now accounts for an estimated 6% of sales in America. As fast-food companies shift from “super size” to “more buys”, they need to keep customer traffic high throughout the day. Many see breakfast as a big opportunity, and not just for fatty food. McDonald's has started selling porridge in America, because the profits can be high.

    But what about those growing waistlines? So far, fast-food firms have cleverly avoided government regulation. By providing options like salads and low-calorie sandwiches, they have at least given the impression of doing something about helping to fight obesity(肥胖). These offerings don't necessarily lead to profit loss, as they can broaden the appeal of stores to groups of diners that include some people who don't want to eat a burger.

    But calls for tougher government regulation never wear down. This year Congress passed America's health-reform bill, which requires restaurant chains with 20 or more stores to put the calorie-content of items they serve to the menu. And the recent proposal by a county in California to ban McDonald's from including toys in its high-calorie “Happy Meals”, because law makers believe it attracts children to unhealthy food, suggests that fast-food companies will have to continue trying something new.

    The changes facing fast-food companies

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