Being able to communicate effectively with others is one of the most important skills a person can have. From talking with family and friends to sharing your ideas at work, communication is absolutely fundamental.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} there are some strategies you can use to improve them.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} However, it doesn't have to be. There are some simple ways for you to start communicating with someone, even if you don't know the person very well. For example, you can focus on the weather or some other aspects of your surroundings.

    Besides, you should consider what topics are appropriate for the situation. In some cases, sticking with small talk and interesting topics might be best, but sometimes, you may consider developing into a deeper conversation.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Talk about things that interest the other party. If you want to become a better communicator, your focus has to be less on yourself and more on the person you re talking with.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} you shouldn't go on all night about yours. Find connection points that allow you to get the other person talking.

    The conversation will come to an end at some point{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Maybe you need to move on with your day. To end a conversation politely, pay attention to the other person's reaction and then say something to officially close the conversation.

A. If you want to make an apology to the other party

B. This may be because of running out of things to discuss

C. If he doesn't share his hobbies and interests

D. it's not appropriate to transform the conversation into a deeper one

E. If you feel like your communication skills fall short of your expectations

F. Consider the situation to determine what kind of topics might be appropriate

G. Starting a conversation can be the hardest part of communication for some people

    When it comes to the end of daylight savings time (DST), trying to remember how reset the time on the microwave might be the least of our worries. According to a review, a one-hour shift in your sleep cycle can affect you for up to a week. People are more likely to have trouble falling asleep, wake up more frequently throughout the night and wake up earlier than normal for up to seven days after daylight savings time starts{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here's how to battle the effects of DST.

    Dim the lights and your device

    Light can inhibit the production of melatonin, a natural hormone that is associated with sleep onset. When we stare at the screen of a phone or television, or even read next to too bright a light{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try dimming the lights and turning off your device at least thirty minutes before bed.

    Turn down the thermostat (恒温器)

    When we sleep, our body temperature drops, reaching our lowest level at around 5 a.m. If the air in our bedroom is too warm{#blank#}3{#/blank#} The National Sleep Foundation says the ideal sleeping temperature is around 18 degrees Celsius. Experiment with what temperature range is best for you.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    According to researchers, there's no bad time to exercise when it comes to improving your sleep. As long as you fit in physical exercise and, most importantly, stay consistent with it, you are less likely to have sleep problems. On the flip side, there is a good and a bad time for food{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Additionally, it's best to avoid spicy (辛辣的) foods and caffeine before bedtime.

A. Exercise often and eat early.

B. Develop a bedtime routine.

C. But that doesn't have to be you!

D. hat can interfere with our natural sleep cycle.

E. we essentially force our body into staying awake.

F. Eating too late in the day is a main cause of restlessness.

G. it only takes five minutes to put the temperature down.

    Idioms are one of the hardest parts of learning a language. For those of you who don't know, an idiom is a phrase which has a meaning, but if you translate it word for word, it sometimes makes no sense at all. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Get your act together

    This might be something your teacher says to you if you score badly in an exam or if you misbehave in class. It means you need to improve your behavior or work.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Yes, it's longer and more difficult to say than “I'm sick.” But if your English teacher asks you why you haven't done your homework, he or she is more likely to forgive you if you say that you were feeling under the weather.

    It's a piece of cake

    I don't know why this means what it does, but sometimes you just have to accept that English people use the phrase. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Break a leg

    This is perhaps one of the most confusing yet well-known English idioms. If someone says this to you, do not take offence or think they are threatening you. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is most often used for people wishing success to actors and actresses before they perform on the stage, but it can be said in other situations, too.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It's definitely not a piece of cake, especially when there are so many confusing idioms. However, with enough hard work and interest, you will succeed in no time. Break a leg!

A. It shows it's so easy.

B. Pull yourself together.

C. I'm feeling under the weather.

D. They are just wishing you luck.

E. Try your best to use them in various situations.

F. All in all, learning a new language can be challenging.

G. Here are four common English idioms that you can use in a variety of situations.

Ways to say “Happy birthday to me”

    Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm at an age when not everyone looks forward to cakes and presents.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It always makes me feel excited to be alive and grateful for my life and my family. So I think even if your birthday is a regular old day at work or home, there are some easy ways to raise it to the special occasion.

    Give a gift to someone else.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} While everyone loves to open a birthday present, there is a lot of joy and goodness to be gained from being generous with others. Making a birthday donation (捐赠) to a charity that means something to you.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Try something new. Today is new to us. Why not enjoy the newness of the moment? Dip your tones into some new waters, sign up for an adult education class, go for a new-to-you park or plan a new trip. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Whether or not you have the opportunity to share a meal, outing or party with friends and family, please take time on your birthday to connect with people who are important to your life, if you use social media like phones, you are likely filled with well—wishes from loved ones. Use these as a. jumping off point to start new conversations and reconnect with people who lift your spirits and support in your journey towards being your best self.

A.I love my birthday, though.

B. It's better to give than to receive.

C. Connect with people who matter to you.

D. This year my birthday is on a Saturday.

E. Freshen up yourself with countless opportunities.

F. One choice is to donate a dollar amount to match your age.

G. Download an app to learn a new language is also a good choice.

    If you need to interview someone for an article but you have never interviewed before, it can be frightening. Here are some tips for preparing for and conducting a successful interview.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If the person is a known author or speaker, take the time to read or listened to his/her work, or at least get familiar with his/her most recent or most important work. If the interview will cover events, review whatever is known publicly about those events.

    Prepare a recording device(录音设备). You can use your phone or an audio recorder. In this way you needn't struggle to write things down. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And this will make it easier to include direct quotes when you start writing.

    Remember to make it a conversation rather than a list of questions. Prepared questions are just a guideline. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can also try to ask your interviewee about his/her personal thoughts and reactions to events and people they deal with.

    Appropriate feedback(反馈) is also important. Feel free to say words that show you are listening, like "yeah" and "Mmmm". {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also give more facial feedback like smiling.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If the interviewee changes suddenly from one line of thought to another, lead them back to the area you are focusing on. Guide the interview but don't keep interrupting with many questions.

A. Politely ask if you can interview them.

B. Do your homework before you pick up the phone.

C. Then you can focus all your attention on the interview.

D. Consider how all the questions can be asked in a short time.

E. Nodding your head can be an encouragement to the interviewee.

F. In order to get the information you need, you should guide the interview.

G. You can try to ask questions based on what they have said to you in previous responses.

    In the 19th century, millions of European went to the USA because they wanted to find a better life. Many of them couldn't find work in cities like New York. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The people, called settlers, travelled west through the mountains on the Oregon Trail.

    Some of these people hoped to find gold in California. The journey sometimes took more than one year. There are a lot of films, called Westerns, about the settlers on the trail. In most of the film, we see the Native Americans (American Indians) attacking the settlers, and the "Indians" killing many white people.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In fact, most of them were very helpful to the settlers.

    It is true that the settlers' journey was extremely difficult. Many of them walked 3, 200 kilometers, the whole length of the trail. They had wagons(马车), but the wagons were often too full, so people could not travel in them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The people were very poor and many did not even have shoes-they walked the whole trail barefoot in extremely cold temperature.

    More than 50, 000 people, including many women and children, died on the trail. A lot of people died from illnesses like cholera, because the drinking water wasn't clean. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Many people died under the wheels of wagons, for example, and from accidental gunshots.

A. They hoped they could make more money.

B. So they left and went to find farmland in the west.

C. Many parents also had to carry their small children.

D. But the truth is that the native Americans were not the biggest problem for the settlers.

E. Many of them lost their home.

F. There were also a lot of accidents.