While going through life with the pursuit of money on our mind, we're often told that money can't buy happiness. But what truth is there in the saying? Is there a relation between money and happiness?  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Humans are very sensitive to change. When we get a rise, we really enjoy it. But some studies have shown that in North America, additional income beyond 75,000 dollars a year stops impacting day-to-day happiness. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They often end up spending all the money, going into debt, and experience ruined social relationships.

    So surely money can't really buy happiness. Well, recent studies suggest that the problem may actually be in the way that we spend money. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Studies show that people who spend their money on others feel happier. As for the people who spend money on themselves, their happiness is unchanged.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} One experiment showed that instead of an organization writing a large check to a charity, dividing the amount up among employees, allowing them to contribute to a charity of their choice, increased their job satisfaction. Similarly, individuals that spend money on each other, as opposed to themselves, not only increase job satisfaction, but improve the team performance.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Interestingly, the specific way money is spent on others isn't important. Spending something on others is the important aspect of increasing your happiness.

    A few changes about how a teacher runs a classroom can make a huge effect on how concentrated students will be in that classroom. It's an issue every teacher has to face. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are just a few of my strategies.

    Rearrange (重新安排) Seats.

    I did the seat rearrangement because class conversation had become dull, and students just seemed to be there but not actually there. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I had all of my students pick new seats at the tables. The rules were simple. They could not sit with more than one other person they'd already sat with, and it had to be at a different table.

    Take over A Lesson.

    Once in a while, it can be fun to let the students take over a lesson in a unit. Let them become the teachers, and the teacher becomes the student. You can provide the topic they need to cover. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Have Open Projects.

    Open projects have been very successful in my class. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I used to dictate every part of my project assignments. Students would ask to do things a little differently. And I'd give in, surprised that their ideas were better than mine.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Sometimes teachers forget to bring the fun to the classroom. We try so hard to cover the courses for our students until they break down. Sometimes it's good to just set things aside for a day or two and have some fun.

A. Have fun.

B. Listen carefully.

C. But it can be solved in some very simple ways.

D. Let the students choose the topic and teach whatever they want.

E. It's one of the simplest ways to rearrange a class and get things going again.

F. They get to deal with the material in a way that is refreshing and new to them.

G. I've found that the more choices I gave my students, the better the projects have been.

    Acting is the activity of performing in plays or films. It's about living an alternative reality. It lets you explore all kinds of possibilities of what you could be. Just being your own self can be boring sometimes, and acting gives you an opportunity to be someone else for a while. It is voluntarily entering the psyche(心灵) of another personality and thinking according to a different set of values and constraints (约束). It lets you explore many parts of you, which you thought never existed. It lets you deeply explore what it means to be a human being.

    One of the best ways to begin your own acting studies is to start reading some good plays. Choose your favorite role from one of your favorite plays and prepare to act it out in front of the audience. To learn to act, you must act. Here are some tips on how to become an actor with no experience:

    To play a role, you must understand the character that you are going to play with open arms. Understand the plot of the play, as well as the psyche of your character. Understand the conditions in which your character lives. Try to understand why your character behaves in that way. So you must learn the lines or dialogues thoroughly and explore the thought behind every sentence. This will help you picture the circumstances in which the character finds himself/herself. Some actors go as far as “living” as that person for a while, to understand him or her. The idea is to go as close as possible to being that person. More importantly, only through practice can you get close to actually being that person. So seize every chance and perform as frequently as you can. This will help you develop confidence and overcome stage fright.

    As a student of acting, you need to always be a sponge (海绵), ready to absorb, learn, and observe the performances of great actors, to learn the slight differences of the art. While you watch movies, plays and any other performance, study the differences of a role played by any actors, especially the masters. By just keeping your eyes open, you can pick up a lot of things.

    Why do you want to act? Is it for money, fame, or genuine love for the art? Would you do it if you were not paid for it? If the answer and your motivation is love for acting, you are sure to eventually succeed.

My students and I were ready for a challenge — a trip to Costa Rica. As we were waiting at the airport, we talked about our hopes and fears for our ten-day trip. My students worried about homesickness and felt uneasy with their homestay families. But strange foods or meeting new people didn't concern me. What terrified me was the best part of the trip — a zip lining (滑缆绳) flight over the jungle valley bordering Arenal Volcano. I made a secret pact (协议) with myself to find an excuse to get out of it at the last minute.

    When the fateful day arrived, we got to the peak to enjoy the breathtaking view of the volcano. When seeing the activity, my students raised a cheerful shout. How I wished I had had the same feeling as them. However, I was afraid of heights.

    My student Eileen sidled up to me. Her face was pale. "I'm scared," she whispered. "Will you stay back with me?" Here was my chance! I could get out of zip lining and still save face!

    "I'm scared, too," I said quietly.

    "Yeah," she said. "I thought you would be the right person to ask because you are really white, and you are sweating." Her words woke me up, and something clicked into place. If I couldn't step outside of my comfort zone, how could I ask the kids to do so?

    "Maybe we should give it a try," I said. I felt a little sick, but I couldn't believe my body was actually moving toward the launch point.

    "Come on," I said.

    "OK," she agreed.

    Eileen zipped past me, screaming with fear or delight, which I was not sure of. Once she was across, I followed. The attempt was not as terrible as I had thought. From that moment on, I knew there was nothing to fear as long as I walked out of my comfort zone and had a try.

    Over the past twenty years, American country music has become more and more popular. Song writers are no longer writing about the modern values of the USA—money, success or expensive things to buy. Instead, they are writing once more about things that are common for everyone: feeling alone in the modern world, the value of having good friends and so on.

    In the 1950s, American music was about other things, for example, love—getting or losing a boyfriend or girlfriend. Money was also thought to be important.

    Then in the 1960s, song writers turned to other subjects. During these years many young students were angry with society, so songs were often full of anger. Political leaders were not well thought of.

    Today country music has returned. It has become big business and brings in between 200 and 400 million dollars a year. Once, the home of American country music was Nashville, Tennessee. Now, however, the music has reached all parts of the States, from Los Angeles in the west to New York in the east. Singers do not just come from the States but from all over the world. There are many famous singers from Britain, Canada and Australia. A lot of them appear on television too.

    The first country singers sang while playing the guitar. It was easy for them to carry a guitar on their travels. Now, however, a lot of electrical equipment is needed for large theatres.

    Country music today still remains very popular.

The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and pushed the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. "How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy in my old age. "

Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others.

Frank began, "My Dad was a fisherman. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home. "

Frank's voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad, he would drive me to school. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me good-bye!"

He paused and then went on, "I remember the day I thought I was too old for a good-bye kiss. When we got to the school, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, ‘No, Dad.' It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, ‘Dad, I'm too old for a good-bye kiss. I'm too old for any kind of kiss.' My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear. I had never seen him cry. He turned. 'You're right,' he said. 'You are a big boy…a man. I won't kiss you anymore. '"

For the moment, the tears began to well up in Frank's eyes. "It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back."

I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again. "Guys, you don't know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek."