Ireland now has one of the best education systems in the world. Class sizes are small, exam results are good and most children are happy to stay at school after the minimum(最低的) leaving age of sixteen. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    For years, Ireland had one of the most complicated(复杂的) education systems in the world. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Classes were large and the teaching was very traditional. As in many countries, teachers used to hit the children if they made mistakes. Fortunately, the punishment was not allowed in 1982.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} As a result, there were schools for the rich and schools for the poor. Boys and girls went to different schools. Nowadays, most schools are free and only about half the schools are either for girls or boys. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Girls do better than boys in their exams; more girls go to university and most teachers are women.

    At the end of secondary school, students take their final exams. Compulsory(必修的)subjects are maths, Irish and English. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some of these, like business organization, help to prepare them for the world of work. This is very different from the past when Latin and Greek used to be the most important subjects.

A. In many ways, education is now a woman's world.

B. Parents used to pay for their children's education.

C. In addition, they must choose two or three extra subjects.

D. Public schools in Ireland are not run by the government.

E. It is easy to forget that the picture used to be very different.

F. Here, children do not learn any subjects but some basic skills.

G. There were many different kinds of school, but most of them had a lot in common.

Finding Your Hidden Talents

 ●{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    What sorts of things do you like to read about, watch or do? What are your favorite shows on television? Which column of the newspaper and magazines do you like to read? To know what you are interested in is the first step towards finding your hidden talents.

 ● Try out different things.

    If y ou want to find out your dexterity (灵巧) in each of the things that interest you, then try them out.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Locate a safe environment, where you can try out different things without anybody's interference (干扰).

 ●Find your passion（激情）

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. However, there will be only a thing or two, which you are passionate about. What is the one thing that you love to do the most, with most enthusiasm (热情)? Get the answer to the question and you will come to know what exactly you are passionate about.

 ●Improve yourself

    After you come to know about the areas of your interest, it is the time to improve yourself. Read lots of books and learn from people. One of the best ways to learn something is to teach.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. This will help increase your depth of knowledge. In this process, you will be able to discover all your hidden talents.

 ●Know your limits

    In the process of finding your strengths or talents, you should not ignore your weaknesses as well. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Know what makes you struggle. You will then come to know about your talents as well as the areas that you need to work on.

A. Find your interests.

B. Know your strengths.

C. Therefore, teach what you have learnt.

D. You may be a person of various interests.

E. Carry out experiments and explore things.

F. It needs observation and analysis （分析）of one's own self.

G. Find out the things which you are not good at.

    It's natural to great friends with a smile and a wave.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But what happens if your face and body send mixed messages? Would someone be more likely to believe the look on your face or the way you hold your body?

    Scientists have recently tackled these questions. They found that when a person is looking at your face, she might not believe what she sees of your body language doesn't match the feeling that your face shows.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Previously, they had found that the tone of a person's voice can be more important than the words that are spoken. For example, most people tend not to believe a person who says in a flat voice, “I'm so excited.”

    When it came to emotions conveyed by facial expressions and body language, most scientists suspected that the face was more important. To test if this was true, psychologists from the Netherlands and Boston showed people a number of pictures of isolated faces and isolated bodies(with faces blurred out )that showed anger or fear{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    An angry face had low eyebrows and tight lips. A scared face had high eyebrow and a slightly open mouth.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}A scared body had arms forward and shoulders square, as if ready to defend.

    These results told the researchers that mixed signals can confuse people. Even when people pay attention to the face, body language subtly influences which emotion they read.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And if you want to be understood, it helps to avoid sending mixed messages.

A. Studying such mixed messages is nothing new for scientists.

B. So, your body language plays a major role in telling people how you feel.

C. Scientists feel new to study the mixed message that confuses people.

D. An angry body had arms back and shoulders at an angle, as if ready to fight.

E. Body language can sometimes be misunderstood in different culture backgrounds.

F. When you do this, your face and body work together to show your friends that you're happy to see them.

G. They also showed pictures in which angry or scared faces were paired with angry or scared bodies

    Have you ever tried to write a poem? It's easier than you might think. Poems are a lot like song lyrics(歌词). A good poem conveys an honest feeling about something. Follow these steps to write a poem.

First, pay attention to the world around you—--little things, big things, people, animals, buildings, events, etc.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}You can do just about anything in a poem. That's why poetry writing is so wild and free: there are no rules.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}What would you like your poem to be about? Your poem will be more powerful if you choose a topic you feel strongly about.

    Now free-write for 5 minutes about your topic. Then go back and read it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Circle these to use in your poem.

    Write your poem. Remember, a poem doesn't have to rhyme. It doesn't have to use sentences.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  And it should sound nice to you.

    Have a friend read your poem aloud to you. Do you like the way it sounds?{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    I believe that poetry is the most exquisite(优美的) form of writing. And anyone can write a poem if they want to.

A. Then, choose your topic.

B. Explore different types of poems.

C. Do any words or phrases stand out?

D. What do you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel?

E. But it should show your feelings about the topic.

F. If not, go back and rewrite the parts you don't like.

G. Choose a paragraph from a favorite book and turn it into a poem

    Listening to others requires entering actively and imaginatively into the situation and trying to understand a frame of reference different from your own, and yet so many of us don't listen properly as we should. Listening means more than just sitting silently while someone else talks.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Here are some ways to become a better listener.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Make sure you actually hear fully what your friend is saying, and you can't cut your friend off verbally carelessly. While you might intend to help move the conversation along your friend might feel as if what he has said needs to be continually talked over or sounds anything but interesting.

    Nod to encourage the conversation along. A better option to let your friend know you're interested in what he says is just to nod along from time to time. Sometimes you nod along but then start thinking about something unrelated to what he could say.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Turn out background noise. If you're easily distracted by laughter, glasses clinking, children crying, you might need to work extra hard to focus only on your friend.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Don't hesitate to tell them that the background noises are getting in the way. If you can't focus, try moving to another area.

    Don't text or look at your phone!{#blank#}5{#/blank#} For you see, when you're sitting in front of someone, he is the most important person in your world at that moment.

A. Stop the speaker whenever you have a question.

B. Practice silence when someone else is talking.

C. If necessary, ask your friend to repeat himself.

D. Whoever is calling or texting can wait until you're done with your conversation.

E. It means trying to see the problem the way the speaker sees it.

F. In this case, try to push away your thoughts until you're absorbed in what your friend is saying.

G Remembering ideas from previous conversations proves that your attention is kept and encourages your friend to continue.

    Homesickness is a feeling that we all have probably experienced at one time or another.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Remember the following strategies before you get ready to leave.

     {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Knowing more about homesickness will provide insights into how common it is for people to have feelings of missing home. This will surely help make you feel less stressed or embarrassed about missing home.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can ask someone who is knowledgeable about where you'll go to describe the daily routines or activities you should expect. If it's practical, you could plan a preliminary(初步的)visit with family or friends to the place you'll go to.

    Make plans for when you arrive at your new location. When you know what some of your routines and activities will be when you get to the new place, you'll feel more comfortable.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} One study found that vigorous exercise and purposeful social interaction while away helped to avoid feelings of homesickness.

    Bring something from home. Sometimes homesickness can be difficult because you never know when it might hit you. Bring along a favorite book, a pair of slippers, or a picture.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They can be helpful to comfort you when you're homesick.

A. Adopt your previous habits and routines.

B. Explore your new location.

C. Become familiar with the place you will go to.

D. The experience will seem a little more familiar, making homesickness less likely.

E. Preparing to move away from home helps prevent homesickness.

F. Know that homesickness is totally normal.

G. These items might help make home feel a bit closer.