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.

    You've seen news reports about people who need assistance after a natural disaster, or TV programs about how lonely and isolated older people can get. Maybe you've walked past people who are living on the streets.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The answer: you can volunteer. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change people's lives, including your own. Helping others in need is such an important part of life. So how do you go about it?

    Find what's right for you.

    Volunteering isn't school.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can choose what really interests you and who or what is most deserving of your time.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    After you've discovered what interests you, decide how much time you want to spend and what fits into your schedule.

    Expand your mind.

    Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills — from working as part of a team to setting and reaching goals.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And it can help you develop a new understanding of people who are different from you — people with disabilities, people in financial problems, sick kids, or the elderly.

    Feel good.

    Volunteering helps people feel they make a difference — that they do have the power to change things for the better. When people depend on you, it can change the way you look at yourself.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Volunteering is also a great way to get a view on your own life.

A. It can give you a chance to discover what kinds of things you're best at and enjoy most.

B. Instead of having the choices made for you, you've got to pick.

C. Doing something for others helps people to change the world.

D. So what can you do about any of those things?

E. You can feel proud of what you've achieved.

F. Find what fits your schedule.

G. Change things for the better.

    Americans spend a lot of money in their daily lives. Working people spend money on transportation to and from work and on various expenses throughout the day, Americans enjoy shopping and buy many things that they need and want, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They buy sports equipment, go to movies and do many things that cost money.

    However, many Americans don't pay cash or write checks for these things. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Credit cards are small, rectangular plastic cards. It is very convenient to carry them about. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}When the customer buys something at a store, he shows his card at the store. This permits the store to charge the bank for the customer's purchase. The bank collects all the charges for each customer, Then once a month the bank requires the customer to pay the charges for that month. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It allows the customer to pay for the charges in several payments over a period of time.

    However, the bank requires the customer to pay interest(利息)on the unpaid part of the charges. In this way the bank allows customers to buy things they cannot afford at one time. People can use the card to buy what they want and pay for it over a period of time, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It brings great benefits to the rich.

B. Banks give these cards to their customers.

C. They spend a lot of money on entertainment.

D. They also do not need to carry a lot of money.

E. People may spend less money in this way.

F. More and more Americans pay for things with credit cards.

G. The bank does not force the customer to pay the full amount.

    In the middle of my home country there are very large places. They are hot and dry land called deserts.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Families live a long way from other people. Sometimes they are the only people for thousands of kilometres. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    About 65years ago these people found that using strong radios was a possible way for families living far away to communicate with each other. They decided they could use the radios for school. In this way, children could talk to each other like at school. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The children each spent about 30minutes a day on the radio. They talked to their teacher about their work and difficulties. The teacher designed some exercises and tasks based on what they learned and posted them to the children. After finishing their work, the children sent it back to their teacher to mark. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} He tried to visit each child twice each year. This was sometimes difficult. The journey was very long and could be dangerous. In addition, the school held camps once a year. The children could all meet each other and shared their learning experience.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The government provides families with computers so that the children can use the Internet to talk to their teachers and classmates by e-mail now. The teachers enjoy their work very much because they get to know the children and their families very well. It is an interesting way to learn, don't you think?

    Several days ago, a 28-year-old Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The contest was held by a local radio show and its organizers promised a free Wii video game machine to the contestant who drank the most water.

    It was estimated that the woman who died drank approximately two gallons of water during the contest. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This information is particularly important for parents to pass on to their children. Foolish water-drinking contests are not uncommon among high school and university students, especially while playing cards.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The answer to this question depends on your unique circumstances, including your diet, exercise habits, and environment. If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables and fruits, you may not need to drink very much water at all. If you do not use much salt, your need for drinking water goes down even further.

    Regardless of what your diet looks like, if you sweat on a regular basis because of exercise or a warm climate, you will need to supply your body with more water (through foods and/or liquids) than someone who does not sweat regularly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}However, some people don't believe that it is a reliable indicator of how much water you need, as many people suffer with symptoms related to dehydration (脱水) and don't seem to feel a need to drink water on a regular basis.

    The main idea that I wish to share through this article is that it is not wise to drink several glasses of water per day without considering your diet, exercise habits, climate, and sense of thirst. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Remember, don't drink too much water in a short period of time.

A. Then why do we need water in our daily life?

B. It shows us that drinking too much water can be very dangerous.

C. Then how much water should you think to best support your health?

D. Ultimately, the best guidance I can provide on this issue is to follow your sense of thirst.

E. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a water-drinking contest.

F. And when you find yourself in need of water, you can get it from liquids and/or foods.

G. If you ask people if they would like a glass of water, they will almost always realize they are indeed thirsty.

Unit the 1980s, scientists were trained to ignore animal pain, according to the belief that the ability to feel pain was associated only with higher consciousness. However, today, scientists view humans as a species of animals, and largely accept that many species are capable of some level of self-awareness. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

If you hit another person in the face, you can estimate their pain level by what they do or say in response. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Gradually, scientists have developed a set of indicators of pain response in non-human animals. Demonstrating a response to a negative stimulation and displaying protective behavior of injured areas are two major signs.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some researchers argue lobsters (龙虾) are too dissimilar to vertebrates (脊椎动物) to feel pain. Nonetheless, lobsters do satisfy all of the standards for a pain response. Lobsters guard their injuries, and learn to avoid dangerous situations. They are even believed to possess some level of consciousness. In result, today most scientists agree that injuring a lobster causes physical pain.

Due to growing evidence that the lobsters may feel pain, it is now illegal to boil lobsters alive or keep them on ice in some countries. Even in locations where boiling lobsters remains legal, many restaurants prefer more humane methods. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} To satisfy picky diners, more restaurants rule out the cruel cooking methods.

Currently, the most humane tool for cooking a lobster is the CrustaStun. This device electrocutes (电击) a lobster. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The following process of cooking is sure to cause no pain. In contrast, it takes about 2 minutes for a lobster to die from boiling water during which time pain lasts.

A. But huge disagreement exists.

B. The creature instantly loses consciousness in half a second.

C. It beats the former method by saving chefs' effort in cleaning the creature.

D. It's difficult to assess pain in other species because we cannot communicate as easily.

E. People are coming to realize that other species might also enjoy the luxury of emotion.

F. Except for moral consideration, many chefs believe stress negatively affects the flavor (味道) of the meat.

G. Legal prohibition becomes the major consideration for restaurants when choosing a cooking method.