If you think your vocabulary is weak, a little effort every day over six to nine months can go a long way in improving it. Here are some tips for increasing your vocabulary.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You may be comfortable reading a particular part of the newspaper but make an effort to read different articles on every page. The editorial (社论的) page is highly recommended not only for vocabulary but also for structuring and presenting thoughts.

    Make it a habit to read a new book every week. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. You can consider becoming a member of the local library. Make a list of new words and look up their meanings in the dictionary.

    Watch English movies and television shows. It's an interesting way to enrich your vocabulary. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Use vocabulary cards. Vocabulary cards are used by students who are trying to learn many words in a short time. You can make your own cards by writing the word on one side and the meaning on the other side of a piece of paper. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Use the Internet. The Internet is an unlimited resource for reading material.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. You will come across plenty of material to read. The Internet will also introduce you to new words. Be sure to look them up in a dictionary.

    It's very hard to write your own resume because a resume is a macro view of your life, but you live your life at the micro level. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} After all, spending money on a resume writer is one of the few payouts that will have good return right away.

    But some of you will be able to do a proper job rewriting your resume on your own. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You need to rethink the goals and rethink the rules of a resume in order to approach the project like the best of the resume professionals.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A resume is not your life story. No one cares. The only things that should be on your resume are achievements. Anyone can do their job, but only a small percentage of the population can do their job well, wherever they go. The best way to show that you did your job well is from achievements. The best achievement is a promotion. It is an objective way to show that you impress the people you will work for. Presenting clearly your achievements is enough and also necessary. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Don't make your resume a moral statement. It's a marketing document. Think about when a company announced the launch of their product. You need to take the same approach with your resume, because a resume is a marketing document. The best marketing documents show the product in the best light, which is to use whatever possible means to make you look good. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Chopsticks

    ⒈When chopsticks were invented?

    In fact, before the invention of chopsticks, Chinese ancestors actually used hands to eat, but how did they eat soup（汤菜）and porridge? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Chinese started to use chopsticks about 3,000 years ago in Shang Dynasty.

    ⒉Who invented chopsticks?

    The records of using chopsticks have been found in many written books but lack physical evidence. However many stories are about the invention of chopsticks. One says that Jiang Ziya, an ancient wise man, created chopsticks. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But there is no exact history record about the invention. We can only say that smart ancient Chinese invented chopsticks.

    ⒊How to use Chinese chopsticks.

    Using two slim sticks to pick up food is actually not difficult. You can do it if you practice it for some time, even if you are a foreigner. The key to managing chopsticks is keeping one chopstick in position while moving the other to pick up food. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⒋Chopsticks Manners

    Chopsticks are usually held in the right hand, and left-handed chopstick use is considered as improper in China. Playing with chopsticks is thought to be impolite. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ⒌The philosophy of Chinese chopsticks

    Chinese philosopher Confucius advised people to use chopsticks instead of knives because the metal knives remind people of cold weapons, which mean killing and violence.

    ⒍A chopsticks-themed museum can be found in Shanghai

    If you are truly interested in chopsticks, you can pay a visit to the Shanghai Chopsticks Museum. The museum gathered more than 1,200 pairs of chopsticks from China, Korea, Japan and Thailand.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Chopsticks were introduced to many other neighbor countries due to its lightness and convenience.

B. It is considered to be polite and thoughtful to pick up food for the elderly and children.

C. Bamboo chopsticks are most frequently used in Chinese daily life.

D. The oldest one was from the Tang Dynasty.

E. There also go around some other stories.

F. Remember to practice with patience.

G. They had to use sticks to eat them.

    Humor plays an important role in relationships. In new relationships, humor can be an effective tool not just for attracting the other person but also for overcoming any awkwardness or embarrassment. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Sharing the pleasure of humor creates a sense of connection between two people. When you laugh with one another, you create a positive tie between you. This tie acts as a strong buffer(缓冲) against stress, disagreements, disappointments, and bad patches in a relationship. And laughter really is infectious. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But don't worry if you're not naturally a lighthearted, humorous person—you can learn to access your playful side and develop your sense of fun.

    Like any tool, humor can be used in negative as well as positive ways. Humor can only help you overcome relationship problems when both partners can understand the joke. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your partner or friend isn't likely to appreciate the joke, don't say or do it. Humor in relationships should be equally fun and enjoyable for both people.

    Don't use humor to cover up other emotions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}That's when it is used as a cover for avoiding, rather than coping with, painful emotions. You can be funny about the truth, but covering up the truth isn't funny. When you use humor and playfulness as a cover for other emotions, you create confusion and mistrust in your relationships.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The important thing is to find enjoyable activities that help you embrace your playful nature with other people. As humor and play become an inseparable part of your life, you'll begin to find daily opportunities for using your new-found skills to help build and maintain your relationships.

A. Humor can help you and your loved one.

B. There are times when humor is not healthy.

C. It's important to be sensitive to the other person.

D. It's never too late to develop your humorous side.

E. The more you joke, play, and laugh—the easier it becomes.

F. Just hearing someone laugh can make you smile and join in on the fun.

G. In longer-term relationships, humor can keep things exciting and fresh.

    Lemon water is pretty popular. It's offered as a free upgrade to regular water at pretty many restaurants.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, others are devotees of the possible health benefits. Here's what may happen if you take up the lemon water habit.

    Easier weight loss

    Studies in mice indicate that the antioxidants(抗氧化剂) in lemons can reduce weight gain despite a high-fat diet. More studies are needed to determine if the results can be applied to humans, but anecdotal evidence is favorable. People who drink lemon water regularly report easier weight loss, though it is unclear if the combination of lemon and water is the fundamental driver.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Get enough vitamin C

    Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that has a ton of health benefits. It can only be gotten from food as our bodies don't produce it alone. Getting your RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of vitamin C can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Vitamin C is good for your skin and bonds with free radicals (自由电子) that accelerate aging.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}, but they're a great source nevertheless.

    Stabilized moods

    Studies have found that smelling lemon scent reduces stress hormones that regulate mood. Drinking lemon water offers this benefit as well as the vitamins and potassium(钾) in the fruit. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, and high blood pressure is related to stress, so not getting enough potassium can certainly affect your mood. All in all, lemon water can be a calming drink.

    In the end, drinking water is never a bad call, and there is absolutely no reason not to add lemon to it. Drinking lemon water provides some helpful nutrients and antioxidants. Give it a try!{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Lemon is a common smell in all manner of cleaning products

B. Potassium plays a huge part in regulating blood pressure

C. There is nothing to lose

D. Lemons aren't the highest in vitamin C

E. While some people drink it simply because of its taste

F. If adding lemon to water can encourage people to drink more

G. It could be that drinking more water helps dieters to feel full and avoid overeating

Dear James,

    It is a beautiful day here and I am sitting under the big tree at the end of the garden. I have just returned from a long bike ride to an old castle. It seems amazing that at my age I am still fit enough to cycle 20 kilometres in an afternoon. It's my birthday in two weeks' time and I'll be 82 years old! I think my long and active life must be due to the healthy life I live.

    This brings me to the real reason for my letter, my dear grandson. Your mother tells me that you started smoking some time ago and now your are finding it difficult to give it up. Believe me, I know how easy it is to begin smoking and how tough it is to stop. You see, during adolescence I also smoked and became addicted to cigarettes.

    By the way, did you know that this is because you become addicted in three different ways? First, you can become physically addicted to nicotine（尼古丁）, which is one of the hundreds of chemical in cigarettes. This means that after a while your body becomes accustomed to having nicotine in it. So when the drug leaves your body, you get withdrawal symptoms. Secondly, you become addicted through habit. As you know, if you do the same thing over and over again, you begin to do it automatically. Lastly, you can become mentally addicted. I believed I was happier and more relaxed after having a cigarette, so I began to think that I could only feel good when I smoked. Quitting smoking was really difficult because I was addicted in all three ways. But I did finally manage.

    When I was young, I didn't know much about the harmful effects of smoking. I didn't know, for example, that it could do terrible damage to your heart and lungs or that it was more difficult for smoking couples to become pregnant. Neither did I know that my cigarette smoke could affect the health of non-smokers. However, what I did know was that my girlfriend thought I smelt terrible. She told me that she wouldn't go out with me again unless I stopped! I also noticed that I became breathless quickly, and that I wasn't enjoying sport as much. When I was taken off the school football team because I was unfit, I knew it was time to quit smoking.

    I am sending you some advice I found on the internet. It might help you to stop and strengthen your resolve. I do hope so because I want you to live as long and healthy a life as I have.

Love from

Grandpa