People Are People

    Globalization has brought different cultures together in a way unimaginable one hundred years ago. Today, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Africans, Anglos, and Hispanics may all work in the same offices, attend the same schools or live in the same neighborhoods{#blank#}1{#/blank#} And our society has lately emphasized（强调）the importance of diversity.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Take the following old proverbs for example.  

    “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” Thomas Jefferson, American President

    “One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.” African proverb

    “Be honest to those who are honest, and be also to those who are not honest.” Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher

    “A sacrifice is written off by a lie and the merit of devotion by an act of cheat.” Hindu saying

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} These seems to be a sort of cultural unity.

    We don't wish to imply all cultures are the same. Cultural diversity is real, and people from different cultures view many situations in different ways. However, historically, different cultures seem to share many common values. They are justice, courage, patience, generosity, equality, mercy and kindness, respect for the elders, and many more. Lying and stealing appear to be wrong no matter where you go. Perhaps some cultures make room for extenuating（情有可原）circumstances more than others; perhaps cultures apply these virtues in different ways; and when values disagree, different cultures may place different levels of importance on them{#blank#}4{#/blank#} But both cultures may still value both.

    To us, it seems as if there is some sort of code of right and wrong that everyone everywhere seems to understand, regardless of culture. It is almost as if, behind all of the diversity, one finds a common understanding – a human culture, if you will – that goes beyond racial, social, and political boundaries.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. All people seem to agree that we should tell the truth.

B. As cultures meet with each other, many differences stand out.

C. Each value supports many more sayings from different cultures.

D. We want to show, however, that there is more to these cultures than diversity.

E. These sayings from four separate cultures all support the same value – honesty.

F. It is almost as if, despite all our differences, we are all still the same – we are just people.

G. In other words, one culture may lean more toward justice and another culture more toward mercy.

    Have you ever cleaned and organized your increasingly high-tech households, your hard drive, phone or tablet? It's not just stuff. Your privacy needs a cleanup too. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒈Clean up your browsers（浏览器）

    Cookies are blocking everything up and keeping your computer from running fluidly. A free program called CCleaner helps you sort out the cookies and archives（存档）you don't really need. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Cleaner analyses its backlog of information and lists the data that seems unnecessary.

    ⒉Speed up your smartphone

    Most of us already know about e desktops, but what about smartphones? Our phones are essentially handheld computers, and when they overflow with useless information, their operations can also slow down. These aren't necessarily apps, but overburdened call logs, search history, and saved texts.

    For Android users, there's 1Tap Cleaner, an app that earns its name. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Most of us are surprised by how many updated messages and URLs get archived, a data stream that we will probably never refer to again. Then again, you do want to make sure irreplaceable bits (landmark texts, unsaved photos) survive the deep clean.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Digital photos are easy to shoot, upload and copy, which is handy in almost every respect, especially if you grew up lugging rolls of film to the one-hour photo lab. The downside is that you may end up with multiple copies of the same picture. If you're shooting with a decent camera, each shot could take 10MG or more of space. This volume adds up.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This is the premise behind Duplicate Photo Fixer, which is designed to filter through your photo collection in search of double takes.

A. Make your photos shine.

B. The app gathers that data in one place, letting you decide what to keep.

C. This aim of this app is to clean your smartphones.

D. Remove redundant images.

E. When you download the app, you can focus on a specific browsers that you would like to clean up.

F. Here are three tools that can help you organize your virtual (and real) environments.

G. The trick is to safely delete redundant photos without losing the original image.

    Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they'll help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.

    First of all, good talkers ask questions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}One well-known businesswoman says, "At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going." From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn't. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he's really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it's time for you to change the subject. Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you're saying goodbye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, "I've really enjoyed meeting you."{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their life.

A. Real listening at least means some things.

B. You can become a popular person.

C. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question.

D. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.

E. If you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret.

F. It's polite to listen to others with a smile.

G. These people have something in common.

Little Habits Make a Big Difference

Everything around us is changing at amazing speed, it seems ̶ but some things will always remain the same.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some of our daily habits have the power to always give us happiness and lead us toward success. Here are some little habits that can make a big difference:

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Many studies have linked early rising with success. An early morning wake-up carries benefits including better planning and anticipation（预料）of problems, and more time to do the things that make you happy.

    Happiness comes to those who are curious.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} As long as you live, there will always be something to learn, and as long as you follow your heart and your passions, you won't miss out on learning.

    Believe in yourself and all that your are.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Confidence is the key to success ̶ the thing that lets you look at the past without regret, stay grounded in the present, and prepare for the future without fear.

A day well spent gets you a good night sleep.

    Enough sleep makes you feel healthier and happier, and it's more than lifting up your mood or removing exhaustion. Adequate sleep is a key part of your health and inner happiness. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    It doesn't take a huge effort to make a significant change in your life－using one or two tiny habits may be all you need. Get started today and you'll soon be experiencing the rewards.

A. That's why habits are so powerful.

B. The ground work of all happiness is good health.

C. Early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy, and wise.

D. The habit of respect means treating everyone with kindness.

E. Nothing will ever make you happier than having faith in yourself.

F. When you rest better, you can live better and achieve more happiness.

G. There is no stage in life when we can't be learning something valuable.

    Rivers play an important role on the earth, and we can't imagine what the earth would be like without rivers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    With a length of 6, 650 kilometers, the Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile River has been the source of human civilization since ancient times. The Nile has two main branches—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts from the Great Lakes region of East and Central Africa through Lake Victoria.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The Blue Nile carries with it a lot of fertile soil which turns out to be very important to farming in Egypt.

    The Amazon River is the world's largest river with a width of about 40 kilometers during the rainy seasons but about 10 kilometers wide when it is not flooded. The Amazon River has such a big water volume that it accounts for(占.....比例) more than 20% of all the world's fresh water—far more than any other river. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The main Amazon River flows mostly through Brazil and Peru but its tributaries can also be found in many other countries.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It has a depth of about 250 meters. Its length is 4, 700 kilometers. The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains in the Eastern Africa Rift Valley. It's the second largest river in terms of water volume. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The Congo River basin(盆地) is the catchments(流域，集水区) area of the Congo River. It lies in both north and south of the Equator, making its flow very stable as there are always some tributaries experiencing a rainy season at any time.

A. Some of them are worth mentioning.

B. The Congo River is the world's deepest river.

C. Do you know which is the deepest river in the world?

D. The Blue Nile originates from(发源于)Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

E. Without rivers, there would be no living life in and along them.

F. And it flows through the second largest rain-forests in the world.

G. Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are its sources.

Craftsmanship requires a great deal of time, patience and effort. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Traditionally craftsmen develop their skills through apprenticeship to those masters of the craft who came before them. Although we don't often work that way in this day and age. There are few things that we can do to emulate the process.

Practice everyday design something new, walk through a tutorial work on a personal project. Whatever it takes to getting you working with the tools of your trade each day, the more you do something, the better (and faster) you become at doing it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Learn to accept criticism and react appropriately. People have a hard time taking criticism of their work. You put so much effort into a piece. it can be difficult to hear that what you have done is not good enough. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} criticism isn't personal, you and your critics have the same goal, a quality product.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. As I mentioned earlier, this is where all of the difference is made. A true artisan is careful about the details. Take the time to add polish and style to the small things. That can easily go overlooked. Attentiveness to these details raises the quality of our work.

Design for the future. Items that exhibit the quality of craftsmanship are timeless, They are built well, and built to last. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} There are always new features in the software we use. People develop new tools that give us more possibilities. But despite the ever-changing face of this industry, it is possible to do work that has longevity.

A. Pay attention to the details.

B. Participate in quality discussion.

C. Trends and costumes change rapidly.

D. Building quality reputations is the key to building craftsmanship.

E. However, nothing will help you improve so much as a critic.

F. Practice is the most important part of developing the quality of craftsmanship.

G. So becoming a real artisan requires your continuous development of your craft.