How to Prepare for Guests

    Guests are people whom we welcome sincerely and we should make sure they feel comfortable like they are in their home. Sometimes we get enough time to make preparations for guests, but sometimes we don't. This article will be beneficial for both these kinds of people. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Get a bedroom for your guests. It doesn't have to be complicated. Change bed covers, clean the bathroom and you can even add a nice scented(芬芳的) candle to spice things up. These are simple things you can do even if you are a very busy person. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Know what your guests' favorite foods are so that you can make for them and serve. Don't forget to note down if they are allergic to any certain kind of food to save the embarrassment(难堪). If you are among one of those people who can hardly manage the time to cook for your guests then take them to the restaurants so that they can taste new foods or enjoy their favorite ones.

    Plan activities to have a good time with your guests. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If they come over the weekends then plan for some indoor activities to have fun. It's also a good way to remove your tiredness from your boring life.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It can happen that you may not be able to be with your guests for a certain amount of time while they are staying in your home. In that case you must declare it to them and may have someone else to accompany them while you are absent.

    When your guests say goodbye, give them something as a token(信物) of love to remember the days they stayed with you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Declare your absence.

B. Allow them to come and go as they please.

C. Just bear in mind everything fresh and clean will do fine.

D. If they come during the vacation then you can plan for outdoor activities.

E. Here are some ways to help you to put away things well in a short amount of time.

F. Make your guests feel even more welcome by including them in activities such as outings, or movies.

G. It can be just a photo in a beautiful frame that will remind them of beautiful moments that they spent with you.

    As is often the case, you are trying hard to keep your eyes open in class after a late night doing piles and piles of homework, "{#blank#}1{#/blank#}" You are probably thinking, " This weekend I'll make up for all the sleep I have lost."

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Most people think the same way-if you stay in bed longer on Saturdays or Sundays, you will recover your missed sleep during the week.

    However, this is not correct.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Actually, researchers have just discovered that sleeping during the weekend will not do you any good, but rather make you feel more tired on Monday morning.

    Our body keeps a clock inside. It tells us when to wake up in the morning and when to feel sleepy at night. But the time on our body clock can be changed once we start taking on different sleeping habits.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may mean on Monday morning we sometimes struggle to get out of bed.

    If we decide to get up only 20 minutes or half an hour later, it won't matter. This is because our body clock can accommodate(顺应) a delay of up to an hour, which means that a short lie-in at weekends is unlikely to have any big effect, we needn't worry about it at all.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    So, what should we do to balance and make up for all the sleep we've missed? Scientists say that simply eight hours of sleep would do the trick, not any longer.

A. You are not alone.

B. I need more sleep!

C. Sleep is important for everyone.

D. Sleeping is nothing like paying back money.

E. However, if we sleep longer our sleep becomes less efficient.

F. But delays of up to two hours or more can throw our body out of order.

G. This is why staying in bed for longer than usual might confuse our body clock.

    We all know that a hot, milky drink and a warm bath are supposed to relax you before bed, but many of us still can't slip into sleep. Here are some tips to help you go to sleep.

    Breathe in through your left nostril(鼻孔)

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Sleep specialist Peter Smith says, "Lie on your left side, resting a finger on your right nostril to close it. Start slow, deep breathing in the left nostril." Peter, author of Sleep Better With Natural Therapies, says this technique is particularly good when overheating is preventing sleep.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Relaxing all your muscles can prepare your body for sleep. Anxiety expert Charles Linden says: "Lying on your back, take a deep, slow breath in through your nose and, at the same time, squeeze your toes tightly as if you are trying to curl them under your foot, then loosen them slowly. Breathe again, contract your leg muscles, then your thigh, belly, chest, arms, and so on until you heat all the way up your body. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Try to stay awake

Challenge yourself to stay awake— your mind will fight against it! "It's called the sleep paradox(悖论)." says psychotherapist Julie Hirst. She explains: "Keep your eyes wide open, repeat to yourself 'I will not sleep. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, but instead view this as an instruction to sleep and eye muscles tire quickly as sleep turns up."

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Use at least three senses imagining yourself in a situation where you feel content—a paradise(乐园), sailing on calm waters, walking in flower fields.

A. Just imagine

B. Enjoy a paradise

C. Squeeze and relax

D. The brain doesn't process negatives well

E. You must repeat what you have done

F. This yoga method is thought to reduce blood pressure and calm you

G. When you have gone from head to toe, you should feel ready for sleep

    Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

The following methods may work best for you.

    Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

    Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

    Write your notes in your own words.

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    Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand(速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols(符号) and that you use them all the time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A．Use words, not complete sentences.

B．There are three practical note-taking methods.

C．You must write your notes on separate paper.

D．Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.

E. you will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.

F. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.

G. First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.

    Not everyone deals with their feelings as an open book for others to read{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Learn to open up in order to improve your mental health.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Accept this and move on. Give yourself some time to have sweaty palms or a shaky voice, since it will get better with practice.

    Ask people open-ended questions. To begin practicing opening up, you need to engage in honest, open conversation. Try a question like, "How are things going at work?" instead of "How's it going?" to get an open answer. Then, in turn answer open-ended questions with honest answers, instead of "Fine" or "OK". {#blank#}3{#/blank#}However, in most cases people are flattered that you are listening to them and interested in their life.

    Try emulating（效仿）someone who is very open. Observe them in a social situation. Then, try to act as if you are them occasionally. Many open behaviors are learned, and not a natural part of personality.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Avoid being a "know it all". Some people think advice is opening up, but it is unlikely to help you more open. When you want to give advice, listen and try to learn something new from the situation.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Schedule at least one long conversation per week. In the conversation you tell someone about the emotional and difficult part of your life. Get into the practice of opening up about what's good and bad in your life.

A. In this case, practice can make perfect.

B. Call close friends and family members more often.

C. Asking people personal questions is not always proper.

D. Try connecting about hobbies, interests, vacations or books.

E. Listening patiently is a great way to overcome fear of sharing emotions in public.

F. Understand that there is usually some fear with opening up to other people.

G. However, closing yourself from new people can stop your personal growth.

    Whether you use a GPS device (设备) in your car or Google Maps on your smartphone, few of us travel anymore without digital help. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For one thing, GPS isn't as accurate as you might think. What's more, science is beginning to discover that people who rely only on navigational technologies may have a poor sense of place during travel.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They soon become outdated as cities change, requiring users to continually purchase updated versions. They're also easily damaged from exposure to water, poor weather conditions and other physical forces.

    However, paper maps still offer a few advantages that technologies can't. For example, studying a map allows you to get a full view of where you're going, including the roads, forests, towns, historic sites, rivers and mountains you'll come across along the way. Many older maps are wonderful, offering a lovely feast for the eyes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Research by Toru Ishikawa and colleagues at the University of Tokyo found that GPS users spent 30％ more time looking at their device than those who used a paper map. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Instead they tended to stare at their screens and follow directions, never gaining a full view of where they were going.

    Therefore, go ahead and use your GPS, but also carry a paper map as a handy backup. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Also it could even be a life-saver!