Maybe you have heard the expression “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. So when you want to do business in France, you have to get to know French culture, to make marketing plans, and to run your business by local laws.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country's culture and language.

    The first thing that you should do when meeting someone new is to shake his hand firmly and always look the person in the eye. In social meetings with friends, kissing is common.

    Use first names only after being invited to.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first, followed by their first name.

    Dress well.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status. Always try to be tasteful and stylish. Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly.

    The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business m France, which usually consist of an appetizer, main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Do not begin eating until the host says, “bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This may suggest that you find the food tasteless.

A. The French draw information about people based on their appearance.

B. This is a time for relationship building.

C. Wearing make-up is practiced widely by business women.

D. Language should be the focus of anyone planning to do business in France.

E. Be careful with adding salt, pepper or sauces to your food.

F. Use Monsieur or Madame before the surname.

G. If eating in a restaurant, the person who invites always pays.

    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. Connect with people who matter to you.

B. Freshen up yourself with countless opportunities.

C. It's better to give than to receive

D. This year my birthday is on a Saturday.

E. I love my birthday, though.

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

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

Problem-solving skills

    We face problems in our everyday life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Don't worry. The following tips may help you to solve problems.

    ⒈Know the 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.

    ⒉Analyze the problem

    Analyzing the problem will give you time to think of a proper solution. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It can be a diagram, a flow chart or a list, etc.

    ⒊Plan a strategy(策略)

    Planning a strategy will help you waste less energy and time in trying all the solutions. This step includes knowing the advantages and disadvantages of a solution. In this way you can rule out the strategy that you don't find worthy to apply.

    ⒋{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Leave out the information that is not required for the solving of the problem. You need to be accurate with the details. Keeping the irrelevant(不相关的) information usually won't simplify the problem as we tend to overlook the relevant information.

    ⒌Carry out the solution

    Carrying out the solution in a correct way to get the expected result is important while solving a problem. You need to be creative while carrying out a solution just in case some other problem arises while applying the solution.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Solving a problem is easy if you understand the problem in the first place. By analyzing the problem, planning a strategy, using the best solution, and carrying out the solution in the best method, you will solve your problem smoothly.

A. Make a wise decision.

B. Delete irrelevant information

C. You can use various tools to analyze the problem.

D. Knowing the problem means solving half the problem itself.

E. It can be social problems, relationship problems, or problems at work.

F. Sometimes we can take wrong decisions for solving the problems in haste.

G. Being ready with other choices is also important in case a solution works only half way.

A Housewarming Party

    A housewarming party is a special party to be held when someone buys or moves into a new apartment or house. The person or people who bought the apartment or house or moved are the ones who throw the party.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It also gives people a chance to see what the new home looks like. It is an opportunity to fill the new space with love and hopeful presents.

    It is traditional to bring a gift to a housewarming party{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Some common items(物品) people will put on a gift registry include kitchen tools like knives and items like curtains. Even if there isn't a registry, a good housewarming gift is something to decorate the new house with, like, a piece of art or a plant.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is often appreciated since at a housewarming party there isn't a lot of food served, usually just appetizers or sandwiches.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The host or hostess of the party will, however, probably give all the guests a tour of their new home. Sometimes, because a housewarming party happens shortly after a person moves into a new home, people may be asked to help unpack boxes. This isn't usual though.

    Housewarming parties get their name from the fact that a long time ago people would actually bring firewood to a new home as a gift so that the person could keep the home warm for the winter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You can also bring food or drinks to share.

B. Different activities are held to make guests satisfied

C. There are usually no planned activities at a housewarming party.

D. Now most homes replace fires with central heating to keep warm.

E. Different people hold or attend housewarming parties for various reasons.

F. Some people register a list of things they need for their new home at local stores.

G. The party is an opportunity for friends and family to congratulate the person or people on the new home.

    HSC, mid-terms, finals, no matter how you describe them, exams have something in common—including how to study well. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Plan a study timetable

    Make sure you will cover your material in time with a realistic study timetable. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. With a plan in place, you'll be less likely to put off your work as knowing how you will use your time will also mean you make best use of it.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Give yourself the best environment by choosing somewhere with enough light, a comfortable chair, and little to no distractions. Sit down with all that you need — and only the things you'll need — like any books, notes or pens, as well as some water and healthy snacks on hand. Also ask what you don't need. A rule of thumb is if it doesn't help you study, it shouldn't be on your desk. It may look so simple but is really effective to help you focus on your study.

    Keep healthy: sleep, eat and move

    When exams come around somehow there never seems enough time for the basic things like sleep and exercise. Taking care of your health and wellbeing will really help you study at your best by improving your memory, mood and energy levels, and keeping those stress levels down. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Eating three meals and sticking to healthy snacks throughout the day will give you the energy you need to focus. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} A good aim is 20-30 minutes of exercise but even a walk nearby during study breaks will do you good!

Reversal—change your perspective and solve your problem

It's often your definition of a problem that limits you in finding a suitable solution. Creative solutions require a change of perspective. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

The reversal technique is a creative thinking technique that is based on the thought that to change your perspective, you sometimes need to change the order of the words in your problem definition.

How you change the order of the words doesn't matter much, as long as the key words are reversed. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Your challenge is "How do we make sure that fewer people take cars to their work?". Swapping the key words, you could rephrase this challenge as "How do we make sure that fewer cars take people to their work?" In this case, the first statement will make you think of alternative means of transportation, like trains or bikes, while the second statement will probably make you think of solutions like carpooling—fewer cars for the same number of people.

Not every problem statement is suitable for a reversal. Sometimes using this technique requires you to first rephrase the question altogether. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}For instance, the question "how might we sell more washing machines?" is not easily reversed—there is no key word to swap with "washing machines". Yet, when you rephrase the question to "How might we sell more washing machines to young parents?" you can easily change it to "How might we sell more young parents to washing machines? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You could interpret this last sentence as "the washing machine pays the young parents to try it out". Then, you could start communicating to potential buyers how much they will save each year when they choose your energy efficient washing machine.

As this example shows, some reversals will require a very flexible way of thinking. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, thinking about the tiny amount of time it will "cost" you to try out a reversal, you have very little to lose and, potentially, lots to gain.

A. The second problem statement is much more logical.

B. Often it helps to add one more key word to the sentence.

C. Rephrasing your challenge is to change the problem statement.

D. A great way to do this is by "reversing" your problem statement.

E. For instance, imagine you are responsible for limiting the traffic jam in your area.

F. Admittedly, it is a very unusual challenge, but it might just stimulate a creative thought.

G. Not everyone will be able to move from an unreasonable statement to a useful solution.