America's holiday shopping season started on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Shoppers make the most money this time of year, about 20 percent to 30 percent of all revenue all year. About 136 million people shopped during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In an era of instant information, shoppers can use their mobile phones to find deals. Nearly 80 percent of this year's holiday shoppers, or about 183.8 million people, shopped on Cyber Monday. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Online spending on Black Friday rose 15 percent to hit $2.7 billion this year. Cyber Monday spending increased 12 percent to $3 billion. NBC News reported that for many, shopping online was a more comfortable alternative than crowded malls.

    The shift to online shopping has had a big impact on solid shopping malls. Since 2010, more than 24 shopping malls have closed and an additional 60 are struggling. Fortune says the weakest of the malls have closed. However, the business in malls is thriving again, it adds.  According to a survey, 94.2percent of malls were full with shops by the end of 2014. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The average American consumer will spend about $805 on gifts. That's about $630.5 billion between November and December – an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}That goes to China's Singles' Day, celebrated on November 11, which posted record sales of $14.3 billion in 2015.

A．More and more people shop online nowadays.

B．That is the highest level in 27 years.

C．It is the busiest shopping day of the year.

D．One-in-five Americans used a tablet or smart-phone.

E．The traditional mall industry can hardly survive.

F．Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

G．Nonetheless, Cyber Monday is not the biggest online shopping day in the world.

    Do you know that over ten million American kids go to camp every summer ?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Back then, hot city summers made people feel bad and even unhealthy for children, so escaping to the country for a few weeks became popular. Today, kids have different reasons for making camp a part of their lives.

To meet new people

    Camp is a great way to make new friends and learn about different places and cultures. Michiko, 13, put it like this, “I loved camp. I met this girl named Manny who lives in New York and she is cool.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}We taught each other words.”

    To challenge (挑战) yourself

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Activities like trying new sports, learning new games, or pushing yourself to achieve something need a lot of courage. Arabella, 13, told us, “I went to summer camp and I passed my swimming test! I can hardly swim, so it was a big progress.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}”

    To experience nature

    There's a great big natural world out there, and going to camp helps you learn how beautiful and important it really is.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Getting out into the woods or mountains can give you a better understanding of the world.

A. Not all the things that kids do at camp are easy.

B. She speaks Spanish and I speak Japanese.

C. I felt great afterwards.

D. It's also a great way to learn about teamwork.

E. Summer camp has been a U.S. tradition for over 150 years.

F. Going to camp is all about having a good time.

G. Without trees, soil, water, and wildlife, the Earth couldn't survive.

    How can I carry out a group project?

    Group projects can be so overwhelming (使人不知所措的), especially when people don't cooperate and follow through. “{#blank#}1{#/blank#}” To follow this wise advice from expert Julie Hochheiser IIkovich, simply break down that hug project into smaller jobs that can be tracked. Here's exactly how to do it:

    List it. The day the project is assigned, immediately identify the end goal.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}This should include everything from minor tasks to major ones.

    Schedule it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}This should include meetings, tasks, and deadlines. Assign each person a color and highlight each task with those colors, so it's clear who is doing what.

    Track it. As a team, decide on a project manager who will keep everyone on track, and who you agree is allowed to call team members out if they're not hardworking. (Advice on how to choose:{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    As stressful as group work is, it can actually be beneficial in the long run. At first, groups that work well together can achieve much more than individuals working on their own. And being part of a team will help you develop your interpersonal skills. Also, working with others will help identify your own strengths and weaknesses.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Give feedback on group processes to groups

B. Then list what needs to get done to accomplish it

C. Look for the person with the most organized desk!

D. A half-hour of planning saves a week of stress at the end!

E. Create a timetable for the project and put everything from the list on it.

F. This sense about yourself will be invaluable when you enter the workforce.

G. Group projects can help people develop new approaches to solving problems.

    Experts have recently found that making conversation plays an essential part in connecting with people and building closer relationships. Although most people can hold a conversation, only a few are smooth when they talk. If you have dreamed about being a good talker, or you just want to make some change, then listen up!

    Talk slowly

    Generally, good talkers don't rush into a conversation. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They act as if they have all the time in the world. This makes them come off as centered and collected. Model this way of talking and you will create the same effect.

    Hold more eye contact

    Most people keep eye contact about 2/3 of the time or less when they talk. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This will convey confidence and interest in interacting with them.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    People with good conversation skills are more likely to notice the kind of things that the average person doesn't notice, and to bring such details into the conversation. They may notice and point out an interesting ring on the other person's hand, a certain foreign accent, or a certain voice tone they use when saying a name. All these details help to leave a deep impression.

    Express Your emotions

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Express your feelings about those facts. Keep in mind that it is at the emotional (情感) level that people connect best.

    Use the best words

    The ability to talk smoothly has a lot to do with choosing the precise (精确的) words to convey your precise feelings or thoughts. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It will help you develop a way with words and allow you to express yourself more easily.

    Conversational skills don't improve just like that. It takes time, practice and the ability to learn at a rapid rate from your own experiences.

A. Notice the details.

B. Offer interesting news.

C. Improve conversational skills.

D. Don't just present the facts—you're not a newspaper.

E. It's a very good idea to hold eye contact just a bit more than that.

F. Develop your vocabulary and practice communicating as accurately as possible.

G. They take their time when they think over something and when they say it out loud.

    Besides studying and tests, teens need to learn some life skills for the future. These skills can help them live by themselves. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Managing money

    You often get a little money from your parents, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

You can make a list of the things that you want to buy, and plan how to spend the money. Don't waste.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Doing laundry correctly is important. You should first read the instructions on clothing, and then check the pockets of the clothes. Pay more attention to different colors of them.

    As for cleaning, you should learn how to use brooms, mops (抹布) and so on.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} , the people who live with you will thank you for the efforts you make.

    Cooking your favorite meals

    You should learn how to cook a few of your favorite meals. First ask your parents for help to decide on the menu and ingredients（材料）, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. How to use brooms, mops.

B. and you may spend it as you like.

C. If you often do more cleaning.

D. and your parents know you how to spend your money.

E. Washing and cleaning.

F. and then you can go shopping, cook the meals and clean up the kitchen together.

G. The following are some necessary skills.

Home libraries can be a dynamic expression of the owner's personality. Creating a home library is a fun way to display your interests while establishing a special space for reading.

While there's no right or wrong way to design a library, the questions can be puzzling, especially to someone with hundreds or thousands of books. How do I organize?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} We'll discuss how to build a home library that works for you.

What room should I use for my home library?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} While reading in a room with big windows and lots of light is refreshing, storing books in natural light is harmful to them. Basements heavy with humidity (湿气) will cause mold (霉菌) and attract insects.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

When you started using the public library, you probably learned about Melvil Dewey and his system for ordering libraries. The Dewey Decimal Classification System has ten broad categories for organizing books, including philosophy, religion and the arts.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, when you want a book on modern art, you head to the 700th block. Larger libraries, such as those at universities, tend to use the Library of Congress Classification System, because it offers a more specific array of subjects for categorization, adding subjects such as medicine and law for a total of 21categories.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your home library may or may not be as large as your local public library, but a good system of organization will still help you find the book you want quickly. You could take a page from Dewey and the Library of Congress and sort books by subject matter. Sections for subjects such as history, technology or fiction might make their retrieval (检索) easier. This system will also allow you to highlight a particular passion, such as an extensive collection of World War II history,

A. How do I get everything to fit?

B. Each category is assigned a number.

C. Almost everybody wants a home library.

D. A good system of organization is the key.

E. In addition, basements are likely to be flooded.

F. Almost any room will do with a few exceptions.

G. The size of a home library depends on how much space you can spare.