Moving to a foreign country is an amazing, life-changing experience. There are some practical decisions that need to be made.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}For me, choosing to live with a French with a French family was the best choice I made, and here is why.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you're in a new environment with people you don't know who are speaking a language you're still not fluent in, you might feel lost, tired and homesick—I know I did.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}They showed me which buses to take to get to work, cooked dinner for me so we could eat together, and took me with them on trips to the beach, the theatre and even a bullfight. These were great opportunities to experience French culture and build relationships. They helped me feel more comfortable and welcome.

    Living with French people has improved my language skills. Being constantly exposed to real French conversation has allowed me to learn new phrases, widen my vocabulary and even improve my accent. My host family are happy to answer my questions and correct me when I say things wrong.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The experience of living abroad is one that you will remember forever. Perhaps the friendships, like the memories, will also last.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}You might return for their birthdays, weddings, holidays, and much more. I hope to remain in contact with my host family long after I leave France because when I was away from my friends and loves ones, they welcomed me and made me part of their family.

A. One such decision is choosing where to live.

B. You can stay in your own space and privacy.

C. Your host family might become your life-long friends.

D. It makes me a better and more confident French speaker.

E. However, my host family was wonderful and welcoming.

F. A family can help you settle in, stopping you from feeling lonely.

G. It's an opportunity to meet new people, a different culture and another language.

    If you want to make a great first impression—and why wouldn't you—you know there are basic steps you can take: you should smile, make eye contact, talk less than the other person, and ask questions about him or her. Anyone can do those things.

    But what you might not know is that if you think other people are going to like you, they usually will. As research shows, interpersonal warmth explains the scene: study participants who expected to be accepted were sensed as more likable. (when you think other people will like you, you act in a more natural way—which then makes people like you more since we tend to like warm, friendly people.)

    All of which sounds great, but when you're shy or insecure, you might believe that other people will like you. When you're not familiar with the setting or do not feel comfortable, it's a lot easier to believe people don't like you.

    So how can you convince yourself that people will like you? Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and commit to taking a few steps that ensure almost anyone will like you.

    ⒈Give a sincere compliment(称赞).

    Everyone loves praise, especially since no one gets enough praise. Show interest by asking questions. But go past, "What do you do?" Ask what it's like to do what the person does. Ask what's hard about it. Ask what the person loves about it. You'll soon find things to compliment.

    ⒉Focus on letting people talk about themselves.

    People love to talk about themselves.

    Research shows approximately 40 percent of everyday speech is spent telling other people what we think or feel—basically, talking about our subjective experiences.

    By helping people talk about themselves, you're seen as a great conversationalist. In fact, you say very little. Even if you haven't succeeded in making people fully understand you, it is OK. And in the process, you also make other people feel better about themselves, and that makes them like you.

    That's another win-win.

    ⒊Change one word.

    Think about the difference in these statements:

    I had to go to a meeting.

    I got to meet with some great people.

    I have to interview some candidates for a job.

    I get to select a great person to join our team.

    No big deal, right? Wrong. We like to be around the people who have enthusiasm and motivation.

    Keep in mind choosing the right words also affects how you feel. Don't say, "I have to go to the gym." Say, "I want to go to the gym."

    ⒋Show a little weakness.

    Great teams are often led by people willing to admit weaknesses and failings.

    Want to make a great first impression? Don't try to impress. Instead, be humble. Admit your mistakes. Laugh at yourself.

    When you do, other people won't laugh at you. They'll laugh with you.

    And they'll immediately like you, and want to be around you more.

    Have you ever changed your mind, or even given up a dream because you were afraid of what someone else might think of you? If you're often worried about what friends, family, or even strangers in the street might think, then you're using up a huge amount of energy worrying.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} But the steps below should help.

Step 1: Ask yourself what matters to you.

    Maybe you can't stand the gym, but your best friend works out every day. It's natural for people around you to have different values from you.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Step 2:{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The truth is that I'm not the centre of the world, and neither are you! Most of the people around you are far too busy going about their own lives to think much about you.

Step 3: Recognize that their opinion can't hurt you.

    There are a few cases where opinions will make a difference.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} But the people who really matter are going to love you for who you are.

Step 4:{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    You can't control people's thoughts. You've got no idea what might go through their head, or why. You can't please everyone all of the time, and there's no need to try to.

A. Do whatever you want to do.

B. This is a hard habit to get rid of.

C. You should make everyone around you happy.

D. So just be clear and honest with yourself.

E. Remember that they're not all watching you.

F. Accept that you can't control what people think.

G. For instance, your boss's opinion is usually important to you.

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

    Ants: master cooperators

    Millions of ants live together in a colony, but they don't compete, get confused, or become disorganized. They behave in an amazing orderly manner at all times. Some scientists refer to ants as 'super-organisms' because they live in such highly organized societies that work together to survive. The way ants live and work together has made them one of the most important creatures on the planet.

    Ants, like bees, belong to a class of eusocial insects. Eusocial insects are broken into groups within their community, and each group has a special job to do depending on the needs of the community. There are three basic groups in an ant colony: queens, soldiers, and workers. Queens are the largest ants, and their only job is to reproduce—they lay all of the eggs that will eventually become soldiers and workers. Soldiers are responsible for protecting the colony and finding new places for nests. Worker ants have many jobs within the community, including caring for the eggs and young ants, hunting for food and maintaining the nest.

    Some scientists are studying how ants can lead to a better understanding of labor issues, social class, and the use of nature resources in human communities. Ants have had millions of years of practice in working together to survive and grow. For a colony to function successfully, ants have to cooperate, from which people can learn a lot. Researchers hope that gathering information about how ants live together in communities can help people learn to cooperate and compromise with each other.

    However, others argue that there are fundamental differences between ants and humans that mean human societies are unlikely ever to attain ant-like levels of collaboration. For example, ants in a colony don't compete with each other. When they are short of food in the colony, some worker ants automatically become 'feeder' ants and feed others with the food in their stomach, regardless of their usual job. When the food supply is replenished, they become worker ants again.

    In addition, ants are able to work together without a leader giving them directions. Despite their names, queen ants are not leaders. Instead, ants find out what they need to do from their sense of smell. Research on harvester ants pass each other, they pick up a chemical smell which tells them what the other ant is doing. The number of ants they pass doing a particular job determines what they need to do. It is a form of communication, but unlike human communication it has no content; it is just based on numbers.

    While ants undoubtedly have a great deal to teach us about organization and the structure of networks, those searching for a greater understanding of human behaviour and morals may need to look somewhere.

    Main {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    They live together in colony without competitions, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} or being disorganized

    The way they work together for {#blank#}3{#/blank#} living in highly organized societies makes them unique on the planet.

    Three groups, including queens, soldiers and workers in an ant colony have a special job, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the needs of the community {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of studying ants.

    It helps people understand labor issues, social class, and the use of natural resources better

    Ants are {#blank#}6{#/blank#} in working together to survive and grow, helping people run the communities smoothly

    It helps people learn to cooperate and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} with each other

    Differences between ants and humans

    For {#blank#}8{#/blank#} of food some worker ants automatically become "feeder ants {#blank#}9{#/blank#} ants, humans have leaders giving people directions

    Suggestion

    Researchers should have different {#blank#}10{#/blank#} in understanding human behaviour and morals.

    Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight:

    Schedule yearly exams. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eyeglasses.

    Protect against UV rays (紫外线). Long term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it's extremely important to wear sunglasses. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Give your eyes a break. Two thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20second break and look at something 20 feet away.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.

    Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Otherwise, you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.

A. Eat your greens.

B. Eye care should begin early in life.

C. They can properly protect your eyes.

D. Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins.

E. Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight.

F. Always follow the doctor's advice for appropriate wear.

G. This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness.