How to communicate effectively

    Effective communication is a must for everyone who hopes to be successful. It helps express your thoughts and improves your career prospects (前景) as well as strengthens relationships. Therefore, it's necessary to work hard to improve your communication skills.

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    Before you are ready to talk to a group of people, you should think about what you are going to talk about. Although a printed copy of a speech may not be always necessary, highlighting a few important issues in your mind is a must. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And it reduces the possibilities of getting away from the main issues.

Choose your words

    Choice of words is the most important part of any communication. Simple, clear words are appropriate for the issue you are discussing. Needless to say, words that could make your audience unpleasant are best kept out of the communication. Most people tend to be careful about their language while at work. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This may hurt your loved ones beyond your imagination.

Body language

    Many people use body language by mistake and end up making a fool of themselves. Body language means keeping eye contact and using hand gestures only wherever required. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This will make your talk more of a stage performance and defeat its purpose.

Listen and concentrate

    Communication is an exchange of ideas. Once you are done with your part, listen carefully to what other people plan to say. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Get rid of all distractions (分散注意力的事物) such as a phone before you begin communication. A distraction not only disturbs your focus, but it also causes your audience's attention to wander.

    Everyone wants to be happy, but not everyone can make it. Do you want to have a good mood every day? If so, the following steps will be useful to you.

    Be grateful.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} They can be simple things like the purple flower on the sidewalk, the beautiful sunset, and the hot shower you take every day. When you have a grateful heart, you'll cherish them and be naturally filled with happiness.

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When you put your mind, heart and soul into what you're doing, you're creating a happiness state—called the "flow". When you're living in the flow, you're less likely to mind what others may think about you, and less bothered by unimportant things. The result? More happiness, of course!

    Become a problem solver.

Happy people are problem solvers.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Instead, they face up to the challenge and channel their energies into finding a creative solution. By becoming a problem solver, you'll build up your self-confidence and your ability to accomplish whatever you determine to do.

    Practice forgiveness.

Hatred and anger are forms of self-punishment. When you forgive, you're actually practicing kindness to yourself.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Everyone makes mistakes. It's through our mistakes that we learn and grow to become a bigger and better person.

Give back.

    Doing good is one of the surest ways to feel good. According to Harvard, when people do good, their brains become active in the very same reward center that is stimulated when they experience other rewards. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Go with the flow.

B. Focus on what you are doing.

C. And most importantly, learn to forgive yourself.

D. When they face a challenge in life, they don't fall into a sad state.

E. When they meet with difficulties, they will solve them on their own.

F. So It's not a surprise that people who care more about others are happier.

G. Slow down, look around, and pay attention to the little details in your life.

    Getting your children to study can be a little like getting them to eat their vegetables. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Make a study time and have it at the same time every day. This will help your kids to learn to schedule their day and will give them a sense of control over how they spend their time.

    Allow them to study in blocks of time，such as for half an hour with a five-minute break in the middle. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ideal(理想的) study times are after dinner or right after school before dinner.

    Never allow your children to study in front of the television，as that will encourage passive activity. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You'll also need to help your kids find the right place to study. After you've set up a good study time for little learners，set up a good place where they can get those creative juices flowing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Make sure there is a table or a desk and a comfortable chair.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This includes helping them out with their homework sometimes and being there for them with the answers to any questions. The input you give your children during study periods will help form a bond and help make studying enjoyable.

A．Pick a place where your children can study properly.B．Hold them to the schedule they create for themselves.

C．Finally，spend time with your kids when they're studying.

D．Keep the atmosphere light and offer lots of encouragement，too.

E．Instead，use TV as a treat or a reward when the homework is completed.

F．Try to stop this bad habit by offering some sort of reward.

G．One of the best ways to form good study habits for your kids is to design a schedule that they keep to.

    Are you ready for your exam?

    So, it's exam time again -have you done the necessary work to get good marks? Sleeping with the textbook under the pillow in the hope that knowledge will be magically absorbed into your brain as you sleep doesn't work. The best strategy is to space your practice out, rather than cram(突击学习)it all together.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}!

    In an article, Tom Stafford, a lecturer in psychology and cognitive(认知的) science at the APF--University of Sheffield, advises, “If you organize five hours of study into one hour a day, you'll remember more than if you study for five hours a day.”

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}—get pen and paper and start working. Students who can test themselves in advance will be better at getting back material from their memory and learning that material in the long run. You should start by reading a textbook using your favorite highlighter(荧光笔){#blank#}3{#/blank#}.Instead of just reading those, you basically try to test yourself on them.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, but if you are still anxious, there's no harm in performing a personal ritual(仪式). In Japan, for example, it seems to be a tradition for students to eat Katsudon before a test.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. The name of the dish reminds people of the word “katsu”, meaning“ winning”. The bottom line is that you need to study, sleep well on the eve of the test, eat a nutritious meal, drink plenty of water and believe that your efforts will pay off. Good luck in your exam.

A. Don't rely on memory alone

B. That means hit the books early

C. Good revision should give you confidence

D. Then make flashcards of all the important concepts

E. They believe they could wash all the knowledge out of their head

F. This is a warm bowl of rice topped with egg and a slice of deep-fried pork

G. In different countries there are always those who swear by their “lucky underwear”

Social Phobia

    It is natural to feel nervous, or shy in front of others at times. Most people manage to get through these moments when they need to. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's probably more than shyness. It may build up into a powerful fear. As a result, people feel uncomfortable participating in everyday social activities. This is called social phobia (also called social anxiety).

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It prevents them from chatting with friends in the lunch time, joining an after-school club, or going to a party. Sometimes, they even feel too nervous to ask a question in class or go to a teacher for help. Social phobia not only prevents people from trying new things. It also prevents them from making the normal, everyday mistakes that may help people improve their skills even further

    It is really sad, isn't it? But the good news is that people with social phobia can learn to manage fear, develop confidence and communicating skills and stop avoiding things that make them nervous. Of course it's not always easy. Dealing with social phobia takes the willingness patience and courage to face fears. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Therapists (治疗师) can help people create a plan for facing social fears and build the skills and confidence to overcome it. And family or friends are especially important for them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They can encourage them to pick a small goal to aim for, remind them to go for it, and be there when they might feel discouraged.

    Little by little, someone who decides to deal with extreme shyness can learn to be more comfortable. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} As shyness and fears begin to melt, confidence and positive feelings build. Pretty soon, the person is thinking less about what might feel uncomfortable and more about what might be fun.

A. Friends can overcome their fears easily.

B. But for someone, the anxiety can be extreme.

C. They are not able to make eye contact with classmates.

D. Social phobia makes people lonely or disappointed over missed opportunities.

E. Each small step forward helps build enough confidence to take the next small step.

F. It also takes an action to go forward rather than back away when feeling shy.

G. The support from those key people helps them gather the courage to try something new.

    For many people, bicycling is not just a convenient way of getting around town but also an exciting sport. Serious cyclists often arrange to take part in races.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Each racer leaves the starting line at a different time and heads hard for the finish line. The cyclist who covers the distance in the shortest amount of time wins the race. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, because the bicycles are spread out and are not likely to run into each other.

    Another kind of race is more difficult. A few city blocks are closed for competition. Then all the racers line up in a tight pack and begin racing at the same time. They cover many laps, going around and around the city blocks.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It also requires skillful handling of the bicycle as it runs at full speed around other bicycles. The racer who completes all the laps first is the winner.

    Road races are usually the longest cycling contests.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The race course may be a straight stretch of road or a long series of roads across the country. The prize goes to the first person who crosses the finish line.

    Between races cyclists stay in condition by doing exercise that builds their strength so that they can keep riding for long periods of time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, they often join bicycling groups and become licensed racers. So they can enter professional races. Just keep practicing. Any cyclist could become a star.

A. One kind of race is the time trial

B. The race requires more than speed

C. As cyclists become more experienced

D. A time trial is a very safe race for beginners

E. Most people will seize possible chances to get around town

F. Racers have to cover anywhere from 35 miles to almost 3,000 miles

G. When cyclists still need to build themselves up for those special races