Your mobile is now much more than just a communication device - more like a remote control for your life. You still call it a "mobile" from habit, but it is an organizer, entertainment device, payment device and security（安全） center, all developed and manufactured by engineers.

    What we do need is better mobiles and more intelligence. Because it knows your travel timetable it can check for problems on the roads or with the trains, giving you the best route into work. It can control your home, reprogramming the central heating if you need to get up earlier and keeping an eye on your home by connecting your mobile with the home security system. It is your payment system—you can pay for tickets for journeys or buy items in shops by placing the phone near a sensor(感应器). With an understanding of location, the mobile can also provide directions, or even tell you if your friends or family are nearby.

    Usually it will start work even before you wake. It will work with your home entertainment system while you sleep to find programmes that will interest you and download them as a podcast to watch on the train or in other spare moments. It will intelligently work out what to do with incoming phone calls and messages. Because it knows your diary it will also know, for example, to direct voice calls to voicemail when you are in a meeting, perhaps providing a discrete text summary of the caller and the nature of their call.

    With its understanding of almost all aspects of your life; many new services become possible. For example, a “Good Food” meal planning service could send daily suggestions for your evening meal based on learned preferences, previous selections made and the likely contents of your refrigerator.

    Ten years ago the mobile was purely a device for making voice calls. Now it is a camera, MP3 player, and texting device. This is only the start of an evolution that will turn it into our trusted and indispensable companion in life.

How to Prepare for Guests

    Guests are people whom we welcome sincerely and we should make sure they feel comfortable like they are in their home. Sometimes we get enough time to make preparations for guests, but sometimes we don't. This article will be beneficial for both these kinds of people. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Get a bedroom for your guests. It doesn't have to be complicated. Change bed covers, clean the bathroom and you can even add a nice scented(芬芳的) candle to spice things up. These are simple things you can do even if you are a very busy person. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Know what your guests' favorite foods are so that you can make for them and serve. Don't forget to note down if they are allergic to any certain kind of food to save the embarrassment(难堪). If you are among one of those people who can hardly manage the time to cook for your guests then take them to the restaurants so that they can taste new foods or enjoy their favorite ones.

    Plan activities to have a good time with your guests. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If they come over the weekends then plan for some indoor activities to have fun. It's also a good way to remove your tiredness from your boring life.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It can happen that you may not be able to be with your guests for a certain amount of time while they are staying in your home. In that case you must declare it to them and may have someone else to accompany them while you are absent.

    When your guests say goodbye, give them something as a token(信物) of love to remember the days they stayed with you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Declare your absence.

B. Allow them to come and go as they please.

C. Just bear in mind everything fresh and clean will do fine.

D. If they come during the vacation then you can plan for outdoor activities.

E. Here are some ways to help you to put away things well in a short amount of time.

F. Make your guests feel even more welcome by including them in activities such as outings, or movies.

G. It can be just a photo in a beautiful frame that will remind them of beautiful moments that they spent with you.

    Life is filled with regrets. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}When we look back, we always wish that we had made better choices. Then what can we do to avoid future regrets？

    Make better plans.

    If you start to do something, you need to make a plan before doing it. The earlier, the better. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}You'll also know what you should do and what you shouldn't do.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    You can go around more often. More outdoor activities can keep you relaxed and active. You also need to be kind. "Thank you" can bring a smile to someone's face. Learn to say "sorry" and don't be angry with others.

    Find the right friend.

    A friend may make your life and can break your life as well. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Good friends will always better your ideas.

    Never fear failure.

    Everybody fails. Even the greatest person failed. 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. Live a more active life.

B. Almost all of us have no difficulty telling our regrets.

C. We should take failure as a chance and improve ourselves.

D. We had many dreams when we were young children.

E. So you have to think twice when you choose a friend.

F. Build up your confidence.

G. You will know what comes first and what comes last.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here's how:

    Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First, time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then, decide a good, regular time for studying. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you realize what is happening to your time.

    Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a comer of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

    Make good use of your time in class. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

    Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you'll remember it longer.

    Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be over worried.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

A. There are other methods that might help you with your studying.

B. Don't forget to set aside enough time for entertainment.

C. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.

D. No one can become a top student unless he or she works hard.

E. Maybe you are an average student.

F. Make full use of class time to take notes of what the teacher says in class.

G. This will help you understand the next class.

    What attitude would you have to disappointments in life?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Find out how a chair, a pair of sunglasses and other items can hold unexpected promise for controlling your anger.

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    There's a reason you've probably never gotten into an angry state of mind from a chair. W. Robert Nay, a clinical professor, says, “Our brains become conditioned to associate sitting and lying down with feeling relaxed.” That's why it's so easy to fall asleep on an airplane. Sitting down, Nay says, sends a message of safety and security to your brain.

    ⒉Don't get mad; get organized.

    A study of nearly 11,000 subjects in 42 countries found that the key to hold back anger is preventing it in the first place. Spending a few minutes every morning to map out your day will go far in lowering anger and anxiety levels. The theory:{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⒊Keep your cool with a pair of shades.

    Research in the journal Cognition & Emotion (情绪) found that when people walk in direct sun without sunglasses, the light causes them to feel depressed.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Study co-author Daniele Marzoli suggests seeking shade during heated exchanges: “Compared outdoor, indoor conversations have more friendly interactions.”

    ⒋Handle anger in a sensible way.

    We are busy working all day as if running a car on the high way. But remember: remind yourself to brake at any time in case of sudden crash. When you're in anger, say to yourself, “Why am I angry? Is it necessary?”{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It's useful to handle problems.

A. Take a seat right now.

B. Don't be an angry bird.

C. Well begun is half done.

D. You're suddenly a crazy angry person.

E. Effective time management keeps you on track, avoiding stress.

F. When attention is transferred, blind emotion will be controlled.

G. Those who walked unshaded against the rays had increased aggressiveness scores.

Observational Learning: To See Is to Know

    A group of psychologists, led by Albert Bandura, developed social learning theory, which emphasizes the fact that much learning occurs in a social context. This kind of learning, which results simply from observing and imitating the behavior of others, is called observational learning. Observational learning helps people acquire proper behavior in their families and cultures. By watching others, we learn how to greet people, eat, laugh and tell jokes. Do you still remember your first few days in senior grade one? By watching others, you learned how people talked to each other, what clothes were "fashionable," and how to interact with instructors.

    With modeling, you observe others' behaviors, and then none, some, or all of these behaviors may be learned and repeated, or modified. In one of Bandura's classic studies, children were divided into three groups: One group watched an adult beating up a Bobo doll, one group watched an adult ignoring the Bobo doll, and the third didn't see an adult at all. After being mildly frustrated by being placed in a room with toys, but not being allowed to play with some of them, all of the children were then placed in another room with a variety of toys, including a Bobo doll. Children in the first group tended to imitate what they had seen, mistreating the doll (and inventing new ways to abuse it).

    Researchers have discovered that several characteristics of models can make learning through observation more effective. Not surprisingly, the more you pay attention to the model, the more you learn. You are more likely to pay attention if the model is an expert, is good looking, has high status, or is socially powerful. Second, by watching others, we learn about what behaviors are appropriate for people like ourselves, so models who are seen as similar are more readily imitated. All students need to see successful, capable models who look and sound like them.

    Then, as teachers, how can you apply observational learning? Here are a few guidelines. Above all, model the behaviors and attitudes you desire your students to learn. For example, show enthusiasm for the subject you teach. Be willing to demonstrate both the mental and the physical tasks you expect the students to perform. Second, use peers, especially class leaders, as models. For example, in group work, pair students who do well with those who are having difficulties. Third, you may seek the help of class leaders in modeling behaviors. Examples include letting high­status students lead an activity when you need class cooperation or when students are likely to be reluctant at first.