We all believe we listen well and yet many times we feel others are not listening to us. However, listening goes in both directions—you may believe you are listening well, but how often have you completely forgotten what was said to you? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Make eye contact.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} when People talk, they put out visual clues that add to the conversation and meaning of their words.

Stop talking.

    You can't listen, talk and at the same time completely receive the meaning of the other person's words. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

React without words.

    Let the other person know you are listening through physical reactions, such as head nods, smiles, frowns and eye movement.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Concentrate.

    Concentrate on what the other person is saying. Clear your mind of other thoughts and emotions and focus on the conversation at hand. Be in the moment of that conversation, and don't think about what you want to say back.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Behave as an effective listener. The more you continue to behave as a listener, the more you will be an effective listener.

    When difficult people express themselves orally, they generally want at least two things: they're been heard and they're been understood. As a good communicator should be a good listener, five steps are advocated towards good listening.

    The first step is cooperating. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In fact, it's through the way you look and should while he is talking. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You do this by nodding your head in agreement, making certain sounds of understanding.

    When the person begins to repeat what's been said, it's signal of step two: turning back. It means that you repeat back some words he is using, sending a clear signal that you're listening carefully and that you think what he is saying is important.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} At this point, you start to gather information about what is being communicated. Ask some open-ended questions, which will allow you to figure out what intention he is hoping to satisfy.

    The fourth step is to summarize what you've heard. This allows you to make sure that both you and the difficult person are on the same page. When you do this, two things happen. First, if you've shown that you're making an effort to understand completely. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Having listened carefully, you've now arrived at the point of confirming with the person that he feels that his thoughts have been fully voiced. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    When enough sincere listening, questioning, and remembering are brought together, understanding is usually achieved and a difficult person becomes less difficult and more cooperative.

A. You may help him to fully express his thoughts and feelings.

B. Why does this happen?

C. Ask if he feels understood.

D. This increases possibility of gaining cooperation from him.

E. Talk with him about what he thinks of his expression.

F. Having heard what he has to say, the next step is clarifying.

G. How does a difficult person know that you're listening and understanding?

    We face problems in our everyday life. They can be social problems, relationship problems, or problems at work. Don't worry{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be aware of problem

    First of all, it is important to know and understand the problem clearly{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Following questions like why, what, how, when, where and who will take you to the root cause of the problem.

    Analyze the problem.

    Analyzing the problem will give you time to think of a proper solution{#blank#}3{#/blank#}They can be diagrams, or lists, etc.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Leave out the information that isn't required for the solving of the problem. You need to be accurate with the details. Keeping the unrelated information can sometimes complicate the simple problem as we don't notice the important information.

    Carry out the solution.

    Putting the solution into effect in a correct way to get the result expected is important while solving a problem{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Being ready with alternatives is also important in case a solution works only halfway.

A. Remove unrelated information.

B. You can use various tools to study the problem.

C. Use yes or no questions to get better information.

D. As long as you are breathing, you can solve problems.

E. Knowing the problem means solving half the problem itself

F Spend a little time analyzing the problem and most on the solution.

G. You need be creative while carrying out a solution in case some other problems arise.

    Good learners can inspire students or anybody to learn well. Here are some characteristics of good learners.

    Good learners are curious. They wonder about all sorts of things, often about knowledge beyond their areas of expertise(专长). {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Finding out about something they didn't know satisfies them for the moment, but their curiosity is addictive.

    Good learners don't give up easily. A few things may come easily to learners but most knowledge arrives after effort. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They try to search out new information. They read, analyze, and evaluate the information they've found. Then they study more and work at what they don't understand.

    Good learners know that a lot of learning isn't fun. The journey to understanding generally isn't all that exciting. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Others need a tiresome attention to detail, and still others need periods of intense mental focus. Your backs hurt, your arms and legs get tired, and your coffee gets cold.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}There's always more to know. Good learners are never satisfied with how much they know about anything. They are pulled around by questions—the ones they still can't answer, or the ones without very good answers. Those questions follow them like day follows night with the answers bringing daylight.

    Good learners share what they've learned. Good learners are teachers committed to sharing with others what they've learned. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Good learners can also explain what they know in ways that make sense to others. They are connected to the knowledge passed on to them and committed to leaving what they've learned with others.

A. Some learning tasks require boring repetition.

B. Good learners are willing to put in the time.

C. Some knowledge can broaden our views.

D. Good learners stay positive.

E. They write about it, and talk about it.

F. They love the discovery part of learning.

G. Good learners never run out of questions.

    No one likes to fail. Whether it's at work, at home, or in another area of your life, failure is painful and it can also be costly in terms of time, money, or both.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you never suffer a failure, then you're probably not pushing yourself to your full potential. The following are some tips on how to pick yourself up after you've failed.

    Remember that other people fail too. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They'll tell you about that great new contract(合同) they signed, not the deal that failed eventually though they worked on it for months. But failure is normal, and lots of people fail time and time again before meeting with success.

Remind yourself of your past successes. Failing doesn't mean that you're worthless, or that you'll never achieve the things you want.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Maybe you had high marks last term, or you lost weight, or you learned to play a musical instrument. You might want to write down a list of successes—things that you've accomplished over the past few years, whether big or small. If you ever lack confidence, you can go back and read over that list.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Your past successes are important, but so are your past failures. You've made mistakes before, and you've survived them. Perhaps you did badly in an exam, or lost your temper and had to apologize. It's not fun to think about the times when things went wrong, but by acknowledging your failures, you can remind yourself that today is no different. Just as you recovered in the past, you can recover from your recent failure too.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Whatever goes wrong, you're probably facing some sort of decision. Don't rush into making a hasty decision, but do look for a forward path. That might require some deep thinking.

A. Make a decision.

B. Limit the damage caused.

C. Remind yourself of your past failures.

D. However, failure is a normal part of life.

E. Get some advice and support from others.

F. Most people don't talk openly about their failures.

G. Think of all the times in the past when you've succeeded.

    My name is Aaron and I'm 16 years old. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} . It's always sunny here, and we have lots of beaches. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} . Often, the temperature reaches 40 degrees!

    Seasons in Australia are different from seasons in many other countries. Summers here go from December to February. Our winter is from June to August. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} . I don't have to wear shoes! We wear shorts and go to the sea every day. How nice it is!

    On a windy day, I can ride the waves on my surfboard.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} .It is difficult, but very good exercise. My mum and dad often come and watch me surf. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But there are always so many people on the beach. He can never get a good picture of me.

    I hope to be a great surfer one day. I will work hard and practice every day.

A. Summer is my favorite season.

B. I live in Sydney.

C. Surfing is very popular here.

D. Our summers are always very hot.

E. The winter here is very cold.

F. My dad likes to bring his camera and take pictures of me.

G. Taking pictures is very interesting.