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?

    Everyone knows that fish is good for health.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But it seems that many people don't cook fish at home. Americans eat only about fifteen pounds of fish per person per year, but we eat twice as much fish in restaurants as at home. Buying, storing, and cooking fish isn't difficult. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This text is about how to buy and cook fish in an easy way.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Fresh fish should smell sweet: you should feel that you're standing at the ocean's edge. Any fishy or strong smell means the fish isn't fresh.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When you have bought a fish and arrive home, you'd better store the fish in the refrigerator if you don't cook it immediately, but fresh fish should be stored in your fridge for only a day or two. Frozen fish isn't as tasty as the fresh one.

    There are many common methods used to cook fish.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} First, lean it and season it with your choice of spices. Put the whole fish on a plate and steam it in a steam pot for 8 to 10 minutes if it weighs about one pound. (A larger one will take more time). Then, it's ready to serve.

A. Do not buy it.

B. This is how you can do it.

C. The easiest is to steam it.

D. The fish will go bad within hours.

E. It just requires a little knowledge.

F. When buying fish, you should first smell it.

G. The fats in fish are thought to help prevent heart disease.

    Once there was a very poor villager. He found it difficult even to support his family. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He walked about in the streets, but he did not get a job. One day, he met a rich businessman, who gave him the job of cleaning the office. The villager began his work and he even started reading and writing in his spare time.

    One day, the businessman saw that the villager was writing something. He said, "You can also read and write! Your handwriting is very good." {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The villager began to do this job as best as he could.

    Later, the businessman learnt that the villager was good at accounting（记账）, and he made him his shop accountant（会计）. The other accountants were very jealous （嫉妒）of the villager's abilities. They told the businessman that the villager had a small room where he hid the money stolen from him. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    One day, they had their chance. They saw the villager going into 'that' room. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When they came back and opened the door, there was nothing in that room except an ordinary box.

    The villager was ordered to open the box with his own hands. And there was only a pair of dirty shoes and some old clothes.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} At the same time, he was so angry with the jealous accountants that he fired them at once. The villager was made the only accountant for his office.

A. He came to a big city hoping to find a job.

B. They closed the door behind him and ran to the businessman.

C. So the businessman decided to give the villager a good lesson.

D. Seeing this, the businessman was moved by what he had seen.

E. So the villager was given the work of writing business letters for him.

F. The villager wished that some kind people might give him a good job.

G. But the businessman refused to believe them unless he had seen it with his own eyes.

    It's difficult to find true friends these days. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} How? Here are some tips on how to make your friendship last forever:

    Call for no reason. Call just to say "Hi" or just to ask "What's up?" If you can't call, just send an e-mail. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Know when to say "I'm sorry." and "Thank you". {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Show appreciation for the things, big or little that your friend does for you. Say thank you. It's that easy.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you have nothing good to say, don't talk at all. Don't risk hurting your friend's feelings by saying hurtful words that, most of the time, you don't really mean.

    Be honest. Don't lie to friends. Trust is the foundation of true friendship. Write them a note from time to time. Also, try to be thoughtful. Give simple gifts that will make their day.

    Never be mean with your time. Spare some time to see your friends however busy you are. You can always spare an hour or two after school or work to visit them. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If you are the type of person who knows how to take care of friendship, you definitely are a keeper!

A. Avoid hurtful words.

B. Action speaks louder than words.

C. Some are never there when you need them most.

D. Don't let pride get in the way, especially when you're at fault.

E. Weekends are a great time, too, to bond and hang out with your friends.

F. This would send a message that you remember your friends at a random (任意的) time of the day.

G. Once you find a friend who is worth keeping, make sure to take care of what you have with that person.

    I've always been interested in why we do the things we do, so last year I decided I'd like to study psychology. Most courses I found, however, were either too expensive, too long or were impossible to combine with work. I was about to give up {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    At first, I had no idea what they were talking about, but they explained that a MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course—a new type of course offered completely online to thousands of people, which is designed so that anyone can follow it, regardless of age, location or education—{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. You can search for hundreds of different subjects, and can usually watch a short introduction video to get an idea of what the course is about.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. At first, I didn't know what to expect or how much time I might spend studying. Each week there were video lectures to watch and readings to do as well as some short assignments. The lectures were really interesting and easy to follow, and it was great to be able to watch them again or pause them to go and do something else. Most MOOCs have online forums (论坛), too, where students can discuss what they are learning. These are often really fascinating because there are so many different opinions, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If you read everything on the forums, you won't have time to finish the lectures!

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. There is a huge range of courses on offer in hundreds of subjects, and you have the chance to learn new things and be in contact with many different types of people, all from the comfort of your own home. Why not check out a MOOC and start learning something new today?

How to Survive Being Stuck in a Lift

    Being stuck in a lift, also known as an elevator, can sometimes be scary, especially if you are a fan of those kinds of movies which have a lot of elevator tragedies. You may think being stuck in an elevator in real life is not like in the movies. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Remain calm and do not panic! You may have heard of this a lot of times and it is true that panicking will do you no good. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Press each of the floor buttons one by one. Then, try the "doors open" button. If none of the buttons works, the lift is broken, and you need to let someone know about it.

    See if your phone has any reception or Internet. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you have WiFi connection, contact a family member or friend. Don't forget to tell them what the address is of the building and possibly which elevator you are stuck in. If your phone is not available, the following tips can help you.

    Look through the gap between the doors of the lift. If you can see light between the doors, the lift has stopped near a floor, and you should be able to shout for help and be released. Do not try to force the doors open yourself. If you can't see light between the doors, the lift has stopped between floors, and no one will be able to let you out if you scream for help. Look for an emergency telephone. If there is no telephone, press the alarm button repeatedly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you have waited for more than half an hour and nobody has come to get you out, shout and bang the inside walls of the lift. If no one is responding to you, then you'll have to accept that you will be in the lift overnight. If this happens, make yourself as comfortable as possible to save your energy. By morning, the building should be full again. You can try to get some help then.

A. Check the time.

B. It will cause you not to be able to think clearly.

C. Eventually, someone should hear you and get help.

D. Here are some tips to help you survive.

E. However, it is still a vital thing to know how to survive if it ever happens to you.

F. If you do have reception, call emergency services.

G. Use your watch.