House Sitting

    In many countries of the world people do what is called house sitting. It means that if owners of the house are going away, they want someone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets while they are away.

    In Australia, many people travel. After people retire, they might buy a van and travel all over the country. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason, they might want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy. House sitters might have to care for pets. Also, quite a few people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I feel it is a great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, get to meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} There are websites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and by replying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look after their home.

    There are some requirements to be a house sitter. You must be a trusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything. You must be able to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You need to be good with pets, able to care for cats and dogs, or other pets they may have.

    Some house sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple of weeks while the house owners have a short holiday. Sometimes it is for much longer. We have had one house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can travel to many different countries and stay there. One of  the important things to get is references from the home owners where you have stayed. A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthy and have looked after their home well. You can show these letters to possible house sitting jobs and they know you will do a good job.

A. I have done house sitting many times.

B. Thousands of people do this all the time.

C. It is also possible to do house sitting in other countries.

D. Generally you have many opportunities to get a house sitting job.

E. You must take a little care over what your description says about you.

F. This is an international house sitting service for all city and country areas.

G. You must have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country.

    Have you experienced times when you feel like you're under too much pressure? I think most of you will say yes. Actually, many things can strike us beyond our control. With an annoying mix of late trains, missed appointments and work deadlines, many of us are living in a constant state of stress. Experts warn, our modern lifestyles means that stress is almost continuous, and comes without the natural release that either fighting or fleeing might provide.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Conditions vary from mood swings(情绪波动) to anxiety, irritability, nervousness and tiredness. In extreme cases, it can even cause headaches, muscle cramps, and digestive problems. But there are a number of things we can do to manage the symptoms.

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    Balancing blood sugar is essential in lowering stress. To maintain its level, you can try to have one small meal every two-to-three hours that contains protein, for example, breakfast, lunch and dinner plus a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. In this case, your blood sugar will be steady.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Laugh as you like.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Many studies show that laughter boosts our energy, decreases stress hormones, improves immunity and lessens pains. Try to find humor in life and engage in activities that make you laugh. Don't feel guilty about doing what you love. It will work its magic in your body.

    Schedule your workout timing.

    It could be the time, rather than the way that determines how effective your workouts would be.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Do energy-forming exercises like running or aerobics in the morning, and milder activities in the evening. Try a walk at the end of the day to calm your mind and stretch your muscles.

A. Eat little and often.

B. So will your mood swings.

C. Laughter is the best medicine.

D. These things are activated by laughing

E. The aim of exercise is to boost your energy.

F. Adapt your exercise routine to the biological clock.

G. Living with it can lead to a whole range of health problems.

    English has been called one of the most difficult languages for non-native speakers to learn. One reason is that English has so many rules.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sometimes, this leaves learners confused(混淆). For example, the order of words in a sentence can be tricky.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The pronunciation of English words cannot always be judged by their spelling. For example, there are at least six ways to pronounce the group of letters spelled o-u-g-h. And, maybe the worst thing of all is that there are many idioms, or expressions, in English.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    So, it is comforting to know that learning root words can help a non-native speaker use English.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Root words can help you to break down large, new words into smaller units to discover their meanings.

    Learning just one root word can help you understand several words in English.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then where can a root be found? A root can be any part of a word that carries meaning: the beginning, middle or end. Prefixes, bases, and suffixes are types of roots. The prefix appears at the beginning of a word, the base in the middle and the suffix at the end.

A. A root word is the most basic form of a word.

B. The English have always been fond of all kinds of rules.

C. You could say we use idioms like they're going out of style.

D. And there are almost as many exceptions(例外)of those rules!

E. Most English root words came from the Greek and Latin languages.

F. Another reason why English is hard to learn is the pronunciation of its words.

G. So, by learning 20 or 30 root words, you can increase your vocabulary to hundreds of more new words.

    Worry problems are everywhere in our daily life. How to solve them? The answer is that we must equip ourselves to handle different kinds of worries by learning the three basic steps of problem analysis. The three steps are:

Get the facts

    Why is it so important to get the facts? Unless you have the facts, you can't possibly attempt to solve your problem intelligently. Without the facts, all you can do is wondering around in confusion{#blank#}1{#/blank#}When you are worried, your emotions are riding high. But here are two ideas that can help you see the facts in a clear and objective way.

    When trying to get the facts, you can pretend that you are collecting this information not for yourself but for some other person. This will help you to take a cold and fair view of the evidence. You can also pretend that you are a lawyer preparing to agree{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You will generally find the truth lies somewhere in between.

Analyze the facts

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}And write out all the various steps you could take and then the probable consequences(后果) of each step. For example, what am I worrying about? What can I do about it? Here is what I'm going to do about it. After carefully weighing all the facts, you can calmly come to a decision.

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Unless you take your action, all you face—finding and analyzing—is a waste of energy. How can you break the worry habit before it breaks you? Crowd worry out of your mind by keeping busy.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Accept what can't be avoided. If you know a situation is beyond your power, say to yourself: “ It is so; it can't be otherwise.” Don't permit little things to ruin your happiness. Try to develop a mental attitude that will bring you peace and happiness.

A. Act on that decision

B. It is not an easy job to get facts.

C. Decide how much anxiety a thing may be worth

D. Plenty of action is one of the best ways to cure worry.

E. There comes a time when you must decide and never look back

F. Try to get all the facts both on your side and the other side of the case

G. Whenever you are worried, write down the questions that make you worry.

                                                                       Ways to Help Your Teen Adjust to a New School

 In an ideal world, a teen could start and finish their schooling at the same school. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.And while a move to a new city can be stressful for the entire family, it may be especially difficult for your teenager. Use these strategies to help your teen adjust to a new school.

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    The adjustment period begins before your teen ever steps foot into the new school. Point out the new opportunities that'll be available. If you have confidence that you can make it a new city or a new job, your teen will feel more confident about his ability to succeed in a new school.

    Listen to your teen's concerns

    If you don't have an open relationship with your teen currently, now it is the time to build one. It's easiest to get him to open up when he's feeling unsure. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.Is he worried about new teachers? Does he doubt his ability to make the basketball team?

Talk about your reasons for moving

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.If you're preparing for a better career opportunity, or you need to find a new house because you can't afford to stay where you are, talk about it.

    Learn about the new school ahead of time

    Conduct as much research as possible about the new school before your teen starts attending. Get your teen to find out about the size of the school and the types of classes offered. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.Talking to a network guidance counselor ahead of time can also be helpful.

A. Keep a positive attitude

B. Develop your teen's different abilities

C. Keep asking questions about his biggest concerns

D. Be honest with your teen about why you're moving

E. Most schools have websites that offer a wealth of information

F. Joining a club or playing a sport can be a great way for your teen

G. However, when a family must move, a teenager must switch schools

    Each of our experiences impacts us, either in a positive way or a negative way. Negative experiences can leave us in trouble and make us upset. However, positive experiences can greatly improve our daily motivation.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some ways to increase your daily motivation and you can achieve so much more in your life:

    Having goals is vital. They are the key motivator that drives you to succeed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Important and meaningful goals motivate you to take inspired action toward achieving what you desire and keep you focused and driven when you come across challenges and difficulties.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Breaking a goal down into small steps will prevent you becoming overwhelmed and help maintain a positive attitude to keep you moving forward.

    Life at times will be hard, but you should remember that these hard times are temporary.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Have daily inspiration to live life to the full and achieve all you can. A desire and motivation to live life to the full is the least you can give in return.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Your dreams and goals will never be realized unless you acquire a continuous drive and daily motivation to take inspired action that keeps you moving forward.

A. Your mind is extremely powerful.

B. Good times are always just around the corner for you.

C. They help us achieve our goals and become better people.

D.A life without goals is like a boat without a compass moving aimlessly.

E. Feed your mind with positive thoughts and you will gain whatever you want.

F. After setting a goal, you must take small progressive steps toward achieving it.

G. If you want to achieve more in life, you have to do whatever you can do to make it happen.