Everyone wants to be self-confident, but maybe we just don't know how to be. Here are some tips on how you can feel more confident about yourself.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Everyone has shortcomings. When you have found your shortcomings, work to overcome them. If you are a shy person, take part in social activities, such as parties, and speak to at least one or two people there.

    Second, try to spend more time with positive people. Successful and confident people have their own ways of settling problems.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Third, set goals for yourself. With each goal you achieve, your self-confidence will increase.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}We are afraid that we might lose. Stop thinking like that and give yourself a chance.

    Fourth, start each day with a sense of opportunity.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Think positively about yourself.

    Actually everyone has his or her own way of becoming confident.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Friends might have useful suggestions, too. In short, as long as you try new things, you are sure to become more confident.

A. Pay attention and learn from them.

B. You should talk with your friends.

C. First, don't think about your weak points.

D. It's not always right to ask friends for help.

E. Sometimes we might be afraid of trying new things.

F. Start your day by reading something encouraging.

G. First, you should know what your weak points are.

    How to Become an Activist （活动家）

    Activists are people who see the need for change and devote their time to doing something about it.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you are interested in it you can do so.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This could be anything from a student club to a national organization （like the American Civil Liberties Union or the National Organizers Alliance）. Most activist organizations offer different levels of involvement, so you can do whatever you feel most comfortable with, whether that means attending meetings and demonstrations or just donating a little money when you can.

    Volunteer your time. One of the best ways to make a difference is to volunteer your time. Reach out to organizations in your community that do work for your cause, and ask how you can help.

    Donate money or supplies.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you can't afford to donate money to an organization that supports your cause, you may be able to donate other things they need, like clothing or canned food.

    Reach out to family and friends. Tell your family and friends about your cause, and invite them to get involved. If they are interested, share literature about your cause or just talk to them about what you have learned.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Promote your cause on social media. You can use social media to help keep your friends and followers informed about the causes you support.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Also, you can invite your friends to attend events or donate to fundraisers for your cause.

A. Take classes on issues related to your cause.

B. Join an organization that supports your cause.

C. They are driven by passion and a vision for a better future.

D. If you do volunteer work, invite them to volunteer with you.

E. Most activists or charitable organizations need resources to do their work.

F. Post useful articles and write about what you are doing to stay involved.

G. If you can't reach out to them in person, then try connecting to people online.

    A conversation with a good listener is like a good meal—we walk away feeling satisfied and happy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are 4 ways to make your conversation partner feel like you're fully tuned in to their personal radio station.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Making your conversation partner feel safe starts with two things: an open mind and keeping judgment to yourself. Just as immersing（沉浸）yourself in a novel requires suspension of disbelief, immersing yourself in listening requires suspension of opinions or advice. While judgments may appear into your head, set them to the side.

    Ask questions to follow your natural curiosity.

    When you're interested, ask questions.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Ask for examples. Ask for details. Following your natural curiosity by asking questions not only shows you are listening and interested, but almost always produces an interesting story.

Listen with your whole body.

    In many a kindergarten classroom, teachers emphasize something called “whole body listening”. It goes like this: use your eyes to watch nonverbal（非语言）, your brain to think about what is being said, your heart to feel emotions» and keep the rest of your body quiet to show respect. But many of us lose it over time, especially as life gets busy. The result? We often try to multitask while listening.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Validate（使生效）with simple phrases.

    Keep in your back pocket some validating words and phrases to show you've heard someone.

    “Of course.” “That makes sense.” “Naturally.” “Clearly.” “For sure.”{#blank#}5{#/blank#}In conversation, combining those little phrases: “Of course you feel that way.” or “That makes total sense.” doesn't necessarily convey agreement, but it does convey something even bigger： acceptance.

A. Create safety.

B. Devote yourself to listening.

C. It's appealing to talk about your own experience.

D. We half-listen while getting things done or staring at a screen.

E. Think like a journalist and ask what, when, where, why or how.

F. But being a good listener goes way beyond just not interrupting or nodding your head.

G. All of these statements confirm a person's experience or feelings as worthy and accepted.

    There are so many words in English that learning all of them can seem difficult. To make things even more challenging, certain sounds are pronounced differently. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Learn the vowel元音) sounds.

    In English, there are five main vowel letters: a, e, i, o, u. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Each vowel letter has both a short sound(such as the a in "bat")or a long sound(such as the a in "play"). Learn and practice these different vowel sounds to help teach you how to pronounce certain words and to improve your English pronunciation.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    One of the most effective ways to learn a language is to listen to someone speaking it. Once you are familiar with how a language sounds, you will be able to start picking up on more sounds, words and phrases.

    Record yourself.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}To solve this problem and really see how you sound, try recording yourself. Use a smart phone or tape recorder to play back how you sound when you are speaking English.

    Get a spoken English tutor.

    To truly understand if you are saying and pronouncing things the right way, find someone who can practice with you and act as a spoken English tutor. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Break down words.

B. Listen to an English speaker.

C. Sometimes the letter "y" can make a vowel sound, too. .

D. How do you know if you are saying things correctly?

E. He or she will be able to correct you and teach you how to pronounce better.

F. Thankfully, there are tips that you can learn to make things a little easier.

G. Compare your English comprehension to someone else to see if you are doing it correctly.

    Life is filled with regrets (遗憾). Anyone around you will have no difficulty in telling his regrets. As we get older, we look back and wish that we had made better choice. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Make better plans

    If you start to do something, you need to make a plan before doing it. The earlier, the better.

    You will know what comes first and what comes last. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If changes happen, you can have more time to deal with them.

    Live a more active life

    You can go around more often. More outdoor activities can keep you relaxed and active. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} "Thank you" can bring a smile to someone's face. Learn to say "sorry" and don't be angry with others.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    A friend may make your life and he or she can break your life as well. So you have to think twice when you choose a friend. Good friends will always give you better ideas. When you get into trouble ask others for help. That little help may get you good results.

    Never fear failure

    Everybody fails. Even the greatest person fails before he or she achieves success. We should not fear failure, because failure is not the end of the road. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Life is good. We don't have to live in our past, but we do hope that we can plan better, live better, and work better when we have the chance to do so.

A. Ask others for help.

B. Find the right friend.

C. You also need to be kind.

D. What can we do to avoid future regrets?

E. Regrets play an important part in our daily life.

F. We must take failure as a chance to learn and improve ourselves.

G. You'll also know what you should do and what you shouldn't do.

Beijing Opera represents the finest combination of literature, music, dance, kung fu, fine arts and many other arts. Its way of performing is different from opera and drama. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Beijing Opera is a kind of art that pays equal attention to singing，speaking，acting and fighting. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Meanwhile, Beijing Opera provides the opportunity to appreciate the pleasing artistic balance of the dance, the strength and music, even from only one act. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} According to the historical record, it dates back to the middle period of the Qing Dynasty. In the 55th year ruled by the Emperor Qianlong, the most famous four theatrical groups in Anhui went to Beijing to show their opera performance and then got a great success. Then, based on "Anhui Opera" and "Han Opera", and also mixed with characteristics of Beijing dialect, Beijing Opera was formed. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

The Beijing Opera was officially formed after the 20th year of the Emperor Daoguang (1840). At that time, the forms of each kind of arias (唱腔) and the language characteristic of Beijing Opera originally came into being. New changes appeared in Beijing Opera's roles. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Later, the first generation of the opera actors also appeared.

A. Beijing Opera is a kind of modem opera.

B. Actually Beijing Opera has its own characters.

C. Many roles of the Beijing Opera had appeared.

D. Because it was popular in Beijing, it spread nationwide.

E. Many people wonder what is the origin of the Beijing Opera.

F. It enables the audience to be inspired by language, music and fine arts.

G. Although in was formed in Beijing it didn't have its origins in Beijing totally.