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.

    Everyone can benefit a lot from reading books. The following is about various benefits of reading books.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Whenever you read something, you learn information that you wouldn't have known. If you want to learn new words, reading books is a great way to enlarge your vocabulary.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Similar to solving puzzles, reading books allows your mind to practice its processing skills. Going without books for too long will turn your mind into mess.

    One of the primary benefits of reading books is its ability to develop your thinking skills.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Wherever you are faced with a similar problem in real life, your mind is able to put its mystery solving skills to a test.

    The information in books can be referred to over and over again. For example, reading a cookbook allows you the chance to review the cooking steps whenever you need to.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't even think about writing the information down because you may lose the paper sooner or later.

    These are just some of the wonderful benefits of reading books.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you can't even go outside, you can download free e­books online and read them on your computer. That way, you can see how useful reading can be for yourself.

A. You can improve your memory by reading.

B. Reading keeps your mind in good condition.

C. Reading books can make you become confident.

D. Reading books provides you with new knowledge.

E. Reading mystery novels, for example, trains your mind.

F. Following the steps from a cooking video will be difficult.

G. Why don't you drop into a bookstore and pick a book up?

Crossroads International

    How does crossroads work?

    Crosswords is a resource network. We take goods Hong Kong doesn't want and give them to people who badly need them. We collect those goods and give them out in the welfare agencies in Hong Kong, Mainland China, elsewhere in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Who do we help?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They are grass-root groups who have seen a need and tried to meet it. They can't get the job done without backup, though, so our task is to help them do their task. Our warehouse (仓库) is full of goods, from computers to high chairs, clothing to books, cupboards to dining sets. They send us a list of their needs and we try to match it with the resource we have in stock.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Crossroads itself also operates on a low budget. We do not buy the goods we send. They are donated. Similarly, rather than raising funds for freight (货运), we ask transport companies to donate their services{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Even our full-time staff work on a voluntary basis.

    What can you do?

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} While we receive large quantities of goods and there is never a short supply of requests for them, we are always in need of hands to help sort and prepare them for shipping. If you are volunteering regularly, we can offer work in some of the categories, some of the time.

A. What do we need?

B. How do we operate?

C. So Crossroads is just that: a Crossroads between need and resource.

D. Nobody in our organization receives a salary.

E. One resource that we are always in need of is people.

F. welfare agencies we help do not run on large budgets.

G. All volunteer work is done at our warehouse.

—Hello, Xiao Li, come in.

—Hello! {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

—I'm just writing a letter to Wang Ling in London.

—Oh. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

—I haven't seen you for a long time.

—No, I've been very busy because I'm doing a course in Business English. I had my first exam yesterday.

— {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

—I think I've done all right. Listen, I've got some good news.

— {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

—My company has just told me that they're sending me to England for a year.

— {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And Wang Ling will be able to show you around London.

A. Oh, what's that?

B. How are you?

C. Give him my best wishes.

D. Who told you?

E. Are you busy?

F. How did it go?

G. That's wonderful.

    A simple life means getting rid of many of the things you do so that you can spend more time with people you love and do the things you love.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It's often a journey of two steps forward and one backward.

    Evaluate your time.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}What things do you do from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep? Make a list, and evaluate whether they're in line with your priorities. If not, remove them and focus on what's important. Redesign your day.

    Limit your communications. Our lives these days are filled with a vast flow of communications: email, cell phones, paper mail, Twitter, forums, and more.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Instead, set a limit on your communications: only deal with emails at certain times of the day. Limit phone calls to certain times too. It is the same with other communications. Set a schedule and stick to it.

    Try living without a car. OK, this isn't something I've done, but many others have.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Walk, bike, or take public transportation. It reduces expenses and gives you time to think. A car is also very complicated, needing not only car payments, but insurance, maintenance, repairs, gas and more.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you rid your home of stuff, you might find you don't need so much space. I'm not saying you should live on a boat (although I know some people who happily do so), but if you can be comfortable in a smaller home, it will not only be less expensive, but easier to maintain, and greatly simplify your life.

A. Have a place for everything.

B. How do you spend your day?

C. It's something I would do if I didn't have kids.

D. They can take up your whole day if you let them be.

E. However, getting to simplicity isn't always a simple process.

F. Most people don't know what “enough” is, and thus they keep buying more.

G. Consider a smaller home.

    As we know, everyone can make mistakes, but don't worry about it. The following is what we should do when we make mistakes.

    Just admit (承认)it. Don't think that our mistakes are caused by others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Don't blame other people, and don't cheat ourselves, either.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. In order to stop the problem from getting worse, we should act quickly to solve it. If we don't act and deal with the problem quickly, it'll only make us feel more stressed. Also it is necessary to make a plan of action and correct the mistake according to it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Those who have made the most mistakes can get an A, for they are the ones who have learned the most. The more we learn from our mistakes, the cleverer we are.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. What caused us to make the mistake? How can we avoid making the same mistake in the future? When we act with a method to get a good result, do it that way next time. If we don't, we should stop, think about it, change it and try again.

A. Think about what we can learn from our mistakes.

B. Be brave and face the fact that we have made the mistakes.

C. So decide quickly and act.

D. Realize that making mistakes is the best way to learn.

E. Solve it at once.

F. Don't be afraid of failure.

G. So be away from stress.