With the summer holiday just around the corner, it seems like everybody is busy planning their vacations. Here are some tips that can helpyou enjoy your holiday without emptying your pocket:

Travel off-season

Go to your desired destination while the demand is low and takeadvantage of huge discounts. During the peak season, the hotel and flightprices increase quickly, and you'll likely spend more of your vacation timestanding in line due to the rush of tourists.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

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      Websites can help you find discount hotel rooms. Look for placesthat do not charge extra for children if they use the existing bedding. Staywith the locals. If you and your family are going to stay for a longer period,renting a small apartment is a good choice.

Eat like a local

      Why eat at big chain restaurants when you can experiencesomething new?{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

During your family trip, try new food where the locals eat. Thiswill not just save money, but also provide you with a new and differentexperience. For smaller meals and snacks, avoid restaurants and try street foodor other takeout.

Don't hesitate to bargain

      Tourist- heavy places are known for overcharging for just abouteverything. Clothes, travel goodies, souvenirs, etc. are very expensive atthese places. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Bargain hard to get the best price.

Choose local transportation

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      Instead, take buses, railways or subways, which are alwayscheaper. If you are planning to stay for a while, you can consider renting acar. Hiring a car is much easier than carrying your bags everywhere if you aremoving around a lot.

A. Save on hotels.

B. Surf the Internet while traveling.

C. Therefore, avoid buying anything there.

D. So it's best to find out when the off-season starts.

E. Planning your meals is another way to reduce your travelcosts.

F. For this reason, you shouldn't feel ashamed to ask forbargains.

G .As a tourist, avoid taking taxis whenever possible, sincethey are expensive.

    The “best years of your life”? Maybe not, but you can learn to make the most of your high school days.

    Learn to appreciate small things. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on, family that loves you, having a good education or simply being born in this world.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Be happy, and life will reward you. Remember that these are the last few years you will be able to enjoy yourself without having to worry about the responsibility of an adult, but make sure you prepare yourself for when you do become one.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Unlike what many articles state, you don't have to be popular and have many friends to be happy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Try to have friends that like you who you are, not just because you are wearing a certain brand of shoes or something like that. These are people who shop at the same store as you; not someone who will sympathize with you when your dog dies.

    Be sociable.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} While you only need 4 or 5 close friends, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to meet new people. Participating gives you something to do instead of sitting bored at home.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Video games, for example, are good if you're the type who can get into that kind of thing. You should also find a hobby that is meaningful or practical. Use your “hobby time” to either volunteer (to gain practical skills for college apps, job resumes, and scholarships) or learn an instrument, or get into something else in the creative field like painting or dance.

A. You can pursue interests you enjoy.

B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C. Choose your friends wisely.

D. Participating in clubs, activities, and sports increases your chances of meeting new friends.

E. In fact, many of the “friends” you have when you are popular are not true friends.

F. Being confident in your appearance makes you more confident in other areas.

G. Remember that the point of life is for you to enjoy it.

    Ancient Rome was one of the world's most powerful empires more than 2,000 years ago. The Romans' Ideas about roads, laws, government and buildings still influence us today. Italy is shaped like a boot.

    The Colosseum (角斗场)in Rome was built during the time of the Roman Empire, in the first century A.D. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is a popular tourist attraction today.

    Italy is well-known for its designers, who create cars, handbags, clothes, shoes and other items that are in demand for their style and fine workmanship.

    Today, the economy of Italy is stronger than in the past. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Today, manufacturing and tourism are the main sources of income. There are some big companies, but Italy has many smaller companies, too. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The southern part does not offer as many manufacturing jobs, so it is not as prosperous.

    Italy is a member of the European Union, a group of countries that join together for better trade. The currency, or money, they use is called the “euro”.

    Food and eating good meals are important to Italians. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Popular foods include pasta, risotto, minestrone and pizza. McDonald's is also popular there.

    Many families still eat their main meal in the middle of the day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Families spend a lot of time together.

A. The family is very important to the Italian way of life.

B. The country used to depend on agriculture.

C. Mountains cover about three-fourths of the country.

D. It could seat about 50,000 people, who went to see fights between animals and people.

E. While there are some supermarkets, many people shop at small, neighborhood markets.

F. Italy has several islands off the coast.

G. The northern part of the country is the main manufacturing center.

    We automatically assume that as adults, we're wiser than when we were children. However, actually we can learn a lot from our childhood self. For example, we can learn to develop optimism about the future. Do you remember how excited you used to be just before Christmas? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Reintroduce that childlike wonder into our daily experiences.

    We can learn to dream big and imagine the impossible. How often have you heard a child say something like “One day, I'm going to be an astronaut”? Our adult minds immediately laugh at this idea and think about all the logical reasons as to why this might never happen. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}We minimize our chances of attaining what we dream about. It is okay to dream big just as our childhood self did.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Our childhood self looked at possibilities and believed we could achieve them successfully. If we wanted to build a tree house, we'd go about thinking about how to make it happen instead of focusing on all the reasons it might not happen. In this way we can fill our life with possibilities rather than regrets.

    We can learn to be playful and silly sometimes, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Children spend a large amount of time escaping from reality to mess about and have fun. Make time for your childhood self to come out and play. Run around the garden, wear a silly hat or spend time laughing. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Don't imagine things could go wrong.

B. We can learn to hold a “can do” attitude.

C. That feeling of great joy is hard to beat.

D. Most children tend to think in a positive way.

E. All of these activities can make us feel happy and alive.

F. We employ self-limiting beliefs without even realizing it.

G. All work and no play makes a person very dull and upset.

Public Speaking Training

    Get a coach

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, so get help. Since there are about a billion companies out there all ready to offer you public speaking training and courses, here are some things to look for when deciding the training that's right for you.

    Focus on positives

    Any training you do to become more effective at public speaking should always focus on the positive aspects of what you already do well. Nothing can hurt confidence more than being told that you aren't doing well. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, so good public speaking training should develop those instead of telling you what you shouldn't do.

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    If you find a public speaking course that looks as though it's going to give you lots of dos and don'ts, walk away! Your brain is so full of what you're going to be talking about. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. As far as we're concerned, there are basically no hard and fast rules about public speaking. Your audience can be your friends.

    You are a special person not a clone.

    Most importantly, good public speaking training should treat you as a special one, with your own personal habits. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Your training course should help you bring out your personality, not try to turn you into someone you're not.

A. You aren't like anybody else

B. You already do lots of things well

C. Turn your back on too many rules

D. Check the rules about dos and don'ts

E. Whatever the presentation, public speaking is tough.

F. The one thing you don't want is for them to fall asleep

G. So trying to force a whole set of rules into it will just make things worse

Helping people is the backbone (支柱) of a healthy society. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This statement is true and the following are some of the major benefits of assisting other people.

 {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Researchers have done lots of work to prove that helping others does have a great effect on a person's happiness. Even though we usually feel the urge to compete with other people, taking time to assist others can be very beneficial to us. The key to internal joy and happiness is simply helping those in need.

Build trust. When people see that you have genuine intentions of assisting them, it is likely they are going to be very grateful. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Helping people is also a good way to create and develop trusty relationship, particularly if you never expect anything to be given to you in return.

Improve the community. The mentality of helping people is increasing in popularity since more people have realized that we do not need to fight for survival. A rising number of individuals now assist others without asking for anything back. This has resulted in the change in attitude and people are now more giving, more willing and also much readier to offer assistance.

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Helping other people is important as it helps to connect many people together.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} The end result is an inspired community in general.

A. Increase happiness.

B. Improve mental health.

C. This improves the whole community and changes the atmosphere.

D. It is believed that helping others is basically helping yourself.

E. As a result, they see you as a caring person and begin to trust you.

F. If you often help others, you will become a more responsible person.

G. Those who offer help and get help come together and inspire one another.