Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel you are already close friends. They are always good talkers. Here are several skills that good talkers have in common. If you follow the skills, they'll help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says，“At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}” From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully. Real listening at least means some things. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he's really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Finally, good talkers know well how to “say goodbye”. If you're saying goodbye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “I've really enjoyed meeting you.” {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away, happy and satisfied.

A. It's polite to listen to others with a smile.

B. You'd better change the subject if the voice sounds dull.

C. Don't be afraid to say so if you want to see that person again.

D. Common as the question is, it will get things going.

E. You can become a popular person.

F. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.

G. These people have something in common.

    English has been called one of the most difficult languages for non-native speakers to learn. One reason is that English has so many rules.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sometimes, this leaves learners confused(混淆). For example, the order of words in a sentence can be tricky.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The pronunciation of English words cannot always be judged by their spelling. For example, there are at least six ways to pronounce the group of letters spelled o-u-g-h. And, maybe the worst thing of all is that there are many idioms, or expressions, in English.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    So, it is comforting to know that learning root words can help a non-native speaker use English.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Root words can help you to break down large, new words into smaller units to discover their meanings.

    Learning just one root word can help you understand several words in English.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then where can a root be found? A root can be any part of a word that carries meaning: the beginning, middle or end. Prefixes, bases, and suffixes are types of roots. The prefix appears at the beginning of a word, the base in the middle and the suffix at the end.

A. A root word is the most basic form of a word.

B. The English have always been fond of all kinds of rules.

C. You could say we use idioms like they're going out of style.

D. And there are almost as many exceptions(例外)of those rules!

E. Most English root words came from the Greek and Latin languages.

F. Another reason why English is hard to learn is the pronunciation of its words.

G. So, by learning 20 or 30 root words, you can increase your vocabulary to hundreds of more new words.

    Are you suffering from FOMO—that is, Fear Of Missing Out? Research shows that a growing number of young people are, with worrying consequences for their sleep and schoolwork.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You aren't able to do your best unless you sleep well. Most experts agree that the optimum(最适宜) number of hours is eight, and this has been accepted as common sense for as long as I can remember. However, I was young once and know most of you get much less sleep than that.

    I read an interesting article in a teachers' magazine recently.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Worryingly, the results showed that teenagers are facing a new problem. They may go to bed and get up at appropriate times, but a growing number are waking up in the middle of the night, not to use the bathroom or have a snack, but because of FOMO.

    According to the article, the number of students waking up during the night to check social media is growing. Afraid of missing a comment or opportunity to take part in a chat, teenagers are waking at all times of the night, going online and getting involved.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Experts are worried about this growing trend and the report reveals some worrying statistics: 23% of 12-to 15-year-olds wake up nearly every night to use social media.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}One in third of the students are constantly tired and unable to function to their full capacity.

    So I'd like to ask you to be responsible when it comes to social media. Switch off your devices at night. The world won't end and your social media will be waiting to greet you in the morning!{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A.But things are getting out of hand.

B.They did a study of 848 students in Wales.

C.Another 15% wake up at night once a week for the same reason.

D.I give you my word that you won't have missed anything important.

E.All happens when they should be sound asleep.

F.FOMO is the fear that everyone else is having more fun and more excitement than you.

G.Everybody knows how important it is for students to get a good night's sleep every night.

    How do actors and actresses memorize hundreds of lines? Memorizing lines takes practice and constant repetition. However, there are a few ways to make the memorization process run smoothly and quickly.

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    For most performers, there is no quicker way of memorizing lines. To learn lines, an actor must recite the play loud over and over again. Most rehearsals (彩排) encourage this by running through the lines or having a “read through”. By the time opening night arrives, most actors have spoken their lines hundreds of times.

    Listen to your cast members.

    Sometimes inexperienced actors spend rehearsals just looking at fellow performers, waiting patiently to say their next line. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This will help the actor learn his lines better because the context of the dialogue is absorbed.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Because there is often not enough rehearsal time, many performers find ways to listen to the play's dialogue during everyday activities. They use a tape recorder or an MP4 player to listen to the lines from each relevant scene (剧情). Some actors prefer to record the lines of all the characters, including their own. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Others like recording the lines of fellow cast members (参演人员), and they leave a blank space so that they can insert their dialogue while listening to the recording.

    Think positively and don't panic.

    Most actors will experience stage fright before the opening night. Actors forget lines now and then. When it happens, however, most of the time the audience never notice. If you forget a line in the middle of your performance, don't freeze. Stay in character. Keep the scene going to the best of your ability. If unfortunately you forget a line once, you will probably never forget that line ever again. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Record your lines.

B. Practice makes perfect.

C. Read lines loud and repeat them.

D. Read lines loud and remember them in a flash.

E. Sometimes embarrassment is the toughest method of memorization.

F. Then, they not only listen carefully, but they also speak all of the lines.

G. Instead, they should be listening carefully, responding in character at all times.

    Researchers define self-control or self-discipline as "ability to control or change one's inner responses". {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, some people think that as an immediate consequence of leading lives of constant self-control, they aren't likely to gain a lot of pleasure from life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} To start, 414 adults completed on online survey. In the survey, they rated their self-control by indicating how much they agreed with 14 statements, such as "I indeed do certain things that are bad for me, if they are fun."

    In their study, 205 adults were given smart phones and required to report their emotions at random moments throughout the week. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If so, they had to report how hard they tried to resist them, and whether they eventually ended up acting on them.

    The researchers found that the more self-control people had，the more satisfied they were with their lives in the long run. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In fact, such people's increased happiness to a large extent accounted for the increased life satisfaction.

    These researchers also figured out that people high in self-control are simply less likely to find themselves in situations where that's even an issue. They don't waste time fighting inner battles over whether or not to eat a second piece of cake. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And that, it would seem, makes them happier……even if occasionally a little bit sad.

A. In a word, they are not bothered about such little desires.

B. Researchers checked these general ideas through a survey and study.

C. It is generally believed that in the long run self-control can make people happier.

D. Meanwhile, they were also asked to report whether they were experiencing any desires.

E. However, people with more self-control were also more likely to be happy in the short run.

F. But they are still uncertain why some people are more able to control their inner responses.

G. Most adults reported they failed to control their desire to play video games before an exam.

Taking a Child Fishing

    There is nothing quite like seeing the smile on a young person's face when they catch their fish. Here are some simple steps that can be taken to help children and parents enjoy these early fishing experiences.

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    It's easier to teach young children to fish if your attention is towards them and not towards your own fishing. If you are also trying to fish, this can make that difficult for both of you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When they need your help, you can hand down your tool and they can keep fishing.

    Keep trips short.

    Children have short attention periods. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Take this into consideration when planning a trip. When it stops being fun for them, it's time to call it a day.

Bring plenty of snacks and drinks.

    Even though most of these trips will be short, they will get hungry and thirsty. Bringing plenty of snacks and drinks gives them a little break from fishing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can use this time while they are eating or playing to do some fishing yourself.

    Other than fishing.

    Just because they are on a fishing trip doesn't mean that they have to finish all the time. Let them do things besides fishing as long as it isn't interfering (打扰) with the people fishing around you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A stop on the way home for ice cream or other treats can also be a fun part of the trip. Remember it's all about them having fun and hopefully wanting to go fishing with you again.

A. Let them help make choices.

B. Make the fishing trip about them.

C. Children love to feel like they are helping out.

D. This can be more exciting to them than the actual fishing.

E. The same is true if you bring a few small toys for them to play with.

F. One way to solve this problem is for you to use the tool the child can use.

G. An hour or possibly two will be about all of the fishing they can handle in a day.