Learning a second language

    Nowadays, more and more people are learning a second language. So why should we invest time in learning a second language? Is it worth it? What are the benefits of learning a second language? Let us see.

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    If your work involves regular contact with speakers of foreign languages, being able to talk to them in their own languages will help you to communicate with them better. It may also help you to make sales and to negotiate and secure contracts. Knowledge of foreign languages may also increase your chance of finding a new job, getting a promotion or a transfer overseas, or of going on foreign business trips.

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    Needless to say, being able to speak a foreign language, for example, the Japanese, would benefit you a lot when you are travelling to Japan. Being able to speak the language of the target country will save you a lot of communication trouble and inconvenience. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Education

    If you are a high school student or a college student who is interested in going abroad for further education, then you will, in all possibility, have to learn the language of the country where you wish to move to, for further studies. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

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    Learning a second language can help in broadening one's horizon, it can help in learning about the culture of that particular country and it can pave the way for new interests and hobbies. Not only can you enjoy forms of art and literature connected with the new language, but you can also meet new people, make new friends and develop long-lasting relationships…all on the basis of learning a new language.

    Choosing the right job is probably one of the most important decisions we have to make in life, and it is frequently one of the hardest decisions we have to make. One important question that you might ask yourself is: “How do I get a good job?”

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. There are people who can answer an insignificant advertisement in the local paper and land the best job in the world; others write to all sorts of places all over the country, and never seem to get a reply at all. Still others believe that the in person, door-to-door approach is by far the best way to get a job; and then there are those who, through no active decision of their own, just seem to be in the right place at the right time. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. He used to spend a lot of his free time down by the sea watching the tall ships, but never thinking that he might one day sail one of them. His father was a farmer, and being a sailor could never be anything for the boy but an idle dream. One day, on his usual wandering, he heard the captain of the ship complaining that he could not sail because one member of his crew was sick. Without stopping to think, the lad（少年）offered to take his place. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If the lad had gone home to ponder（考虑） his decision for a week, he may have missed his chance. It is one thing to be offered an opportunity; it is another thing to take it and use it well.  Sometimes we hear stories about people who break all the rules and still seem to land plum jobs（美差）. When you go for a job interview or fill out an application, you are expected to say nice things about the company to which you are applying. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. And within a year this person had become general manager of the company.

A. This story also illustrates the importance of seizing an opportunity when it presents itself.

B. People find jobs in a variety of ways.

C. It's almost impossible to find a good job by answering advertisement in newspapers

D. Take for example the young man who wanted to be a sailor.

E. But there was one person who landed an excellent job by telling the interviewer all the company's faults.

F. He spent the rest of his life happily sailing the ships he had always loved.

G. It is very important to seize an opportunity when it presents itself.

Why Walking is Good for Weight Loss

    The best form of exercise is walking. Casual walk for thirty to forty minutes can do wonders for the body. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Displayed below are reasons.

    Help to burn calories（卡路里）

    A daily walk routine can help to burn calories. Walking for thirty minutes a day can help to burn about three to four hundred calories per day. A daily walk helps to burn 100 calories per mile. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Help to improve energy level

    There could be a possibility of drying up with other stressful forms of exercises. This is not possible with walking. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. With burning calories, it helps to stay active and fit throughout the day.

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    Walking helps to decrease the risk of health related diseases and infections（传染病）. In fact, with weight loss it helps to maintain a normal heart rate. Walking for weight loss is good as it helps to stay active and fit. It burns fat, but helps to strengthen the immune system of the body.

    Help in planning

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It doesn't like gym and other types of exercises. There is no proper planning required for walking. The progress is easy to track, there are many smart apps which are available for walk and weight loss. It helps to keep a track on calories burned to lose weight.

A. Help to stay energetic

B. Walking doesn't cost much

C. Help to decrease health risks

D. It is best to walk daily to keep a good body shape

E. Walking is perhaps the easiest form of daily exercise but benefits us a lot

F. Walking helps in weight loss, but at the same time it improves your energy

G. Starting a particular weight loss plan is easy, but continuing with the plan is difficult

How to persuade people

    Convincing people that your way is the best way is often very difficult —especially when you're not quite sure why they're saying no. The trick is to get them wondering why they're saying no.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Understand how timing is everything. Knowing how to persuade people isn't just in words and body language — it's also in knowing the right time to talk to them.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, you will most likely achieve faster, better results.

    Get to know them. A large part of whether or not persuasion is effective is based on the general relationship between you and your client/son/friend/employee. If you don't know the person well, it's vital to start building this relationship immediately — find common ground as soon as possible. Humans, in general, are more fond of people that are similar to them.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. People are more persuaded by a fast, confident talker than accuracy. The faster you talk, the less time your listener has to process what you've said and question it. You may create the feeling that you truly grasp the subject by running through the facts at warp speed, confident of them all.

    Create urgency. In order to get people to act in the moment, you have to be able to create a sense of urgency.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, it's unlikely they'll change their minds in the future. You must persuade people in the present; it's all that matters.

A. Talk fast

B. Communicate with others

C. If someone is aware of this

D. And with the right tricks, you can do it

E. So find parallels and make them known

F. If they're not motivated enough to want whatever you have right now

G. If you approach people when they are more relaxed and open to discussion

    I counted how many foreign languages I've studied so far in my life and it's been twelve!

    I always follow my interests and find ways to put my language learning into things I'm already interested in. I like to read blogs(博客) in other languages.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. For the most part, bloggers tend to write the same way they speak, so I don't have to worry much about adopting strange terms that are only used in writing.

    Movies are also a really good tool, especially if you can find subtitles in the language you're learning.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, they will still keep your brain listening and reading in the same language. Music is another way to start listening to things in your new language. Personally, I'm so bad at understanding lyrics(歌词) even in English, so this one doesn't really work for me, but I have friends who learn a language through lyrics. Games are of course also an excellent way of studying a new language. A lot of language learning computer programs include games. I'm super competitive and if I play any of them, I can be hooked for hours.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    When the initial excitement of learning a new language begins to fade, it can be hard to stick with it. The hardest bit for me is when I'm comfortable enough with a language to understand most things and make myself understood. I'm actually stuck at this stage in Norwegian. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Ideally I should sign up to take a big language exam. Each time I start getting self­satisfied, it's time to take a new course or sign up for online lessons, or take up some sort of challenge that will require me to level up my skills.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. The best language class I've ever taken was my beginner's Russian course at university where my professor never used any English. It got to the point where I would kind of just forget about English while in Russian class, which helped me to really immerse myself in the Russian language and do a whole lot with the limited Russian I had.

A. That's really uncomfortable

B. Whatever languages they're translated into

C. I also try to think in the language I'm learning

D. It's time well spent if I'm learning the language

E. Computer games always make me feel worn out

F. Though they don't always exactly match what's being said

G. I found them the perfect learning tool because they're usually written in oral language

As spring comes to half the world, many people can enjoy the new growth that comes with warmer weather. This is a great time to get outside and get dirty! {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This outdoor activity gives us beautiful plants, pleasant smelling flowers and fresh fruit and vegetables. Moreover, it also gives us many health benefits. 

Gardening reduces loneliness. It connects people. When you are gardening, you are outdoors. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Gardeners usually enjoy showing people what they are growing. And most enjoy sharing advice and stories about their gardens. 

Gardening is a great activity to do with children. It gets them outdoors and off computers, televisions and other electronics. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Gardening can teach a child about where food comes from and healthy eating. It can also help them to understand the limits of natural resources. 

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This means you are getting Vitamin D, which helps your bodies take in calcium(钙). That is necessary to keep bones strong. When you garden you must move around. All the different movements needed for gardening—bending, stretching and lifting—work small muscles in the body. 

Gardening may help your brain stay young. In one study, researchers found that gardening could lower the risk of future dementia(痴呆) by 36 percent. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} A flower and herb garden can help feed bees and butterflies. Growing herbs and flowers connects you to nature and pleases all of your senses. 

A. Vitamin D also helps us fight diseases. 

B. They can learn about nature and wildlife. 

C. Gardening is popular in many parts of the world. 

D. So it is a perfect time to communicate with your neighbours. 

E. While in your garden, you might feel the sunshine on your skin. 

F. Some people may not have the resources to have their own garden. 

G. Gardening can also give you the feeling that you have done something good.