Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States and Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head start in life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.

    Parents can see that their children's skills differ. Some children are very skilled in some areas while poor in others. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.

    Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework. Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in

    life. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully step by step. The result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.

    Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to repair them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And that is more important.

A. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.

B. The more cost in education, the better the result will be.

C. Cooking requires patience and time.

D. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children are badly off for self-respect and self-confidence.

E. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is.

F. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind.

G. Thus, the more the children use the computer, the better the result will be.

    When people have a choice of whom to work with, likability can sometimes matter a little bit; more than ability, said Tiziana Casciaro, an associate professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management，who researches likability in the workplace{#blank#}1{#/blank#} . These strategies can help：

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    You can induce a sense of similarity with almost anybody by finding things you have in common. They may not be apparent right away, so be observant. Great salespeople do this all the time by studying potential customers for bits and pieces of their lives they can relate to.

    Like someone and they'll like you right back

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Flattery (奉承）can convey fondness, but she doesn't recommend using the fake kind, even though it may work. Casciaro said, ^u Flattery' that is completely made up is exhausting and morally blameworthy. Instead, let a praise come from a real place{#blank#}4{#/blank#} For instance, ^“I really appreciate what you did yesterday.^”

    When you give people praises, it goes a very long way towards their liking you back.

    Be a familiar presence

    Humans like things that are familiar, so just seeing you around in person makes you more likable to others. “This concept gives a whole new meaning to the idea of face time,” Casciaro said{#blank#}5{#/blank#} If not, just try to talk to people as much as possible in person during work hours, she advised You want to maximize rich interactions and cut down on the drier ones, like texts and phone calls. Be sure to be seen.

A. Ask a lot of questions.

B. See the positive in a person and express it to him.

C. People like to guess what others think about them.

D. What can you do to increase your chances of being liked?

E. Find the common points that link you with another person.

F. It's almost irresistible that we like people who seem to like us.

G.Go to after-work drinks if you have time and you would find the outing enjoyable.

    New rules for middle school students came out in March. Middle schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The following are some of the new rules.

    Tell the truth. Have you ever cheated in an exam? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}That's not something honest students should do.

    Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate it? You should join! {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought people could live on the moon? Maybe you'll find another earth in space in the future. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Protect yourself. Has a thief ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know.

    Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your study.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But some things on the Internet aren't for children, so try to look at the good web pages.

A. Don't do it again!

B. Everyone's new ideas are important

C. Students must only work and play alone.

D. Students should not disagree with the teachers.

E. The best students won't only have high marks.

F. You can use the web pages for fun or homework.

G. In that way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them.

How to Be Grateful

    Has your mother or best friend told you that you're an ungrateful person? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Do you keep thinking about the things you don't have, instead of being thankful for what you do have? If so, then you need to work on being a more grateful person.

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#}This isn't a religious(宗教的) thing. You don't have to hold off on noting everything you're thankful for until Thanksgiving. Every Sunday, get a notebook and sit outside for fifteen minutes while making a list of all of the things you're thankful for.

    ⒉Be grateful for your friendships. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You may come to think that your friends are kind and they're just there, like the couch in your living room. If you take your friends for granted for too long, then they will slowly make their way out of your life.

    ⒊Be grateful to your family. Your family is another thing you should be grateful to.  Your parents might have even been the people who tell you that you should be more grateful. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Don't let a day go by without telling your family how much you love them.

    ⒋{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Throughout history, imagine how many people have contributed to where you are now. Realizing that you couldn't be what you are now if it weren't for all of these people is an important step in being a grateful person.

A. Make a gratitude list every Sunday.

B. Friendships are very important in our life.

C. Be grateful for all of the good deeds done for your benefit.

D. Many people are guilty of taking their friends for granted.

E. Keep everything that you are grateful for in mind every day.

F. So, take the time to tell your family how much they mean to you.

G. Do you feel unable to appreciate the beauty, nature, and love that are all around you?

    It's sometimes hard to understand a teenager. It's even harder if a teenager doesn't agree with you.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Listen to what the teenager has to say. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} While you may not entirely agree with what he's saying, the tension will be lessened if the teenager feels like you are listening and trying to understand him. Also, he might return the favor and give you the chance to talk as well. It's best to have a conversation where both of your opinions matter rather than fight and possibly hurt each other in the process.

    Understand that while teenager may appear grown up and perhaps even sound matured, his mind has not fully developed, and he cannot think like an adult all the time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, this doesn't mean you're completely right or he deserves to be ridiculed or treated like a child.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, remember that the teenager should understand when "no" is "no". Avoid bringing up a compromise every time you disagree on something. This might teach him that he can always get away with what he wants, whenever he wants it.

    If the conversation launches into an argument, stop it. Tell him that you both need to calm down and think clearly or the problem will never be solved. If he refuses to listen and continues arguing, step out of the room and allow time for both of you to settle down. Do not scold him or shout back. Your words will possibly be lost on the teenager since you both are too angry to listen to each other. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. He still needs to learn, and he doesn't know everything.

B. Avoid having a bad tone, including accusations in your words.

C. Find the good points the teenager has and mention the negative points too.

D. This article tells you how to disagree with a teenager in a kind manner.

E. People like being listened to, so give him the chance to express his opinion.

F. Come up with a compromise if the situation allows one.

G. Bring up the topic after a while and make sure you listen to each other patiently.

Craftsmanship requires a great deal of time, patience and effort. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Traditionally craftsmen develop their skills through apprenticeship to those masters of the craft who came before them. Although we don't often work that way in this day and age. There are few things that we can do to emulate the process.

Practice everyday design something new, walk through a tutorial work on a personal project. Whatever it takes to getting you working with the tools of your trade each day, the more you do something, the better (and faster) you become at doing it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Learn to accept criticism and react appropriately. People have a hard time taking criticism of their work. You put so much effort into a piece. it can be difficult to hear that what you have done is not good enough. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} criticism isn't personal, you and your critics have the same goal, a quality product.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. As I mentioned earlier, this is where all of the difference is made. A true artisan is careful about the details. Take the time to add polish and style to the small things. That can easily go overlooked. Attentiveness to these details raises the quality of our work.

Design for the future. Items that exhibit the quality of craftsmanship are timeless, They are built well, and built to last. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} There are always new features in the software we use. People develop new tools that give us more possibilities. But despite the ever-changing face of this industry, it is possible to do work that has longevity.

A. Pay attention to the details.

B. Participate in quality discussion.

C. Trends and costumes change rapidly.

D. Building quality reputations is the key to building craftsmanship.

E. However, nothing will help you improve so much as a critic.

F. Practice is the most important part of developing the quality of craftsmanship.

G. So becoming a real artisan requires your continuous development of your craft.