Do you remember the last time you read a book, or a magazine? Is checking e-mails or updating microblog your daily reading habit? If you're one of those who don't make a habit of reading regularly, you might be really out.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Stress Reduction

    No matter how much pressure you have at work, in your personal relationships, or other issues in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Knowledge

    Everything you read fills your head with new information, and you never know when it might come into use.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Besides, you might lose everything else—your job, your money, even your health, but knowledge can never be taken from you.

    Vocabulary Expansion

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} As a result, this will gradually enlarge your everyday vocabulary. Then you might become more knowledgeable and well-spoken, which can increase your self confidence and even help you get promotions more quickly.

    Better Writing Skills

    Exposure to well-written work has a great effect on your own writing. In other words, writing styles of other authors will influence your own work.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Now that reading has so many benefits, step away from your computer and go hunting for something new to read!

A. Here are some benefits of reading.

B. Here are some suggestions for your health.

C. The more you read, the more words you gain exposure to.

D. This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary.

E. A well-written novel can bring you pleasure, and allow you to relax.

F. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are for your life.

G. That is why beginners always learn how to write by reading the works of others.

    My mother is a kind woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher, she works hard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Both my brother and I love her dearly as she loves us. My mother has been teaching math at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to work early in the morning and does not return home until late in the afternoon. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} She treats them with patience and teaches them well.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Every day, when she comes back home from work, she sets about doing housework, sweeping the living room and bedrooms. As she has been very busy working every day, she looks older than her age. But she looks as cheerful and happy as ever. Mother never buys expensive dresses for herself. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Often she says to us, “Work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be a happy person. If you do not work, you will become lazy and be of no use to society". What a piece of good advice this is! {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my behavior. My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.

A. She enjoys listening to classic music.

B. As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort.

C. She loves her students and cares for them.

D. She often buys expensive and high quality clothes for us.

E. My mother is hard-working and never wastes money.

F. I never forget it and always bear it in my mind.

G. Can you tell us something about your mother？

Hobbies

    Hobbies play an important role in our life. Most people have a lot of free time available but seldom use it gainfully.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}There are many hobbies from which you can pick and you can choose one that suits your talents.

    Once you have decided to start a hobby, it will be wise to go through a list of popular hobbies and choose one that is close to your heart and can make you feel confident. Some of the most popular hobbies that people generally take to are reading, listening to music, gardening, fishing, sports, music, exercise and computer-related activities.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Once you start, you seldom think of giving it up.

    Learning a new hobby is really a wonderful experience. As you progress, you will be living in a new world and learning new skills. You will begin to discover your hidden talents that you didn't know. You will start reading more about your hobby, meeting other hobbyists with similar interests, exchanging views and building friend circles both near and far.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}In these games you will get the opportunity to meet others on a regular basis and develop great relationship.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They can help you keep good health and remain fit. On the other hand, if you are young and take a great interest in sports, you can develop your skills and finally get financially rewarded too. Similarly, gardening provides the hobbyist with enjoyable pastime and opportunity for relaxation. At the same time they get the rewards of their labor.

    People take up hobbies for interest, enjoyment and relaxation. Over a period of time, you might develop outstanding skills and get financially rewarded.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Each of these hobbies can give you great benefits.

B. This will change when you play games like golf, basketball or tennis.

C. Most importantly, the main aim of having a hobby is for personal satisfaction.

D. Physical hobbies like sports and gardening can be very rewarding.

E. This will be more so if you take up games like golf, basketball or tennis.

F. Although these hobbies can benefit you a lot, you may not keep them forever.

G. They would rather chat with their friends than use their talents and start a hobby.

    Africa is a very diverse land with many different tribes. One tradition that many of these groups share is painting or marking their bodies and faces in color. They do this for many reasons. Some marks are used to identify people as part of a group.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Let's look at some different examples of body painting.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Among the Masai of East Africa, when men are old enough to marry and make decisions for their people, they participate in a special ceremony in which they paint their heads and faces red. This ceremony takes place every seven to fourteen years, so there is not an exact age for participating in it. The Samburu, also from East Africa, like to paint their faces and hair red because they think it looks attractive.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} To show that he has killed a lion, a man will paint his body with a natural white material, making special marks to represent this accomplishment. The Masai men also use this white to show that they are no longer boys and are considered adults.

    One quite unusual example of face painting is done by the Wodaabe people of West Africa. Once a year, they have a beauty contest for men.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Then they add white and black circles and lines. Black paint is used near the eyes and on the lips to draw attention to the whiteness of their eyes and teeth, which the Wodaabe consider most beautiful.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    As you travel, enjoy the beautiful and bright colors of Africa.

A.Red is the common color in body painting because it often represents health and long life.

B.Other marks are used for ceremonies such as weddings and during times of war.

C.The ceremony expresses hope for rain.

D.The Masai men also have a unique way of showing that they are brave.

E.The women then decide which man they like best.

F.The men pretend to fight each other.

G.The men paint their faces yellow and red.

    Vacations are important. We need to take time out from work to relax, and just be ourselves. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We should all be allowed to leave our jobs behind us—at least for a few weeks each year—and just have fun. This might be something as simple as reading a good book in front of a warm fireplace and travelling to the most interesting places on our planet. Whatever we fancy doing is worth taking time out for.

    Workplace stress is on the rise. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} These include disease, depression and even death. We all seem to be running from one place to the next, never finding out where we want to go in the first place. I intend to break that trend in the coming days.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} I will sleep late, write, watch movies, drink the occasional glass of wine, and eat to my heart's content ignoring calorie counting. My plan is to just enjoy the fleeting moments of being alive.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Spend your next vacation the way you want. Do what will restore your mental health. You're very valuable to the people who are close to you, and to those who depend on you. Like it or not, we are all interdependent in this great life of ours.

    You are valuable. Just remember that the next time you look at the mirror and take a deep breath. Remind yourself that there will never be anyone like you ever on this earth again.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} All you have to do is just ask yourself what you want to do.

Why Do We Find It Hard to Say "No"?

    As we all know, saying "no" to others is not easy at all. But sometimes we have to learn to say "no". {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Below are common reasons why people find it hard to say "no":

    ●{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You are a kind soul at heart. You don't want to turn the person away and you want to help when possible, even if it may eat into your time.

    ● Afraid of being rude. I was brought up under the idea that saying "no", especially to people who are older, is rude. This thinking is common in Asian culture, where face saving is important. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ● Wanting to be agreeable. You don't want to alienate (疏远) yourself from the group because you're not in agreement. So you agree to others' requests.

    ● Fear of conflict (冲突) {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This might lead to an ugly confrontation (面对). Even if there isn't, there might be disagreement which might lead to bad effects in the future.

    ●{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Perhaps you are worried saying "no" means closing doors. For example, one of my friends' wives was asked to work in another department in her company. Since she liked her team, she didn't want to go. However, she didn't want to say "no" as she felt it would affect her promotion (晋升) chances in the future.

A. Wanting to help others.

B. Fear of losing chances.

C. Wanting to keep a good relationship.

D. I slowly realized I needed to learn to say "no".

E. You are afraid the person might be angry if you refuse him / her.

F. It means not making others look bad or lose face.

G. To learn to say "no", we have to first understand what's stopping us from it.