Grow Your Vocabulary by Learning Root (词根) Words

    English is called one of the most difficult languages for non-native speakers. One reason is that English has so many rules and almost as many exceptions of those rules. Sometimes, this leaves learners confused (困惑的).{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Not all words can be pronounced by their spelling. And, maybe the worst thing of all is that there are many idioms, or expressions in English.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} That is why there are many funny mistakes resulting from the misuse of idioms.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A root word is the most basic form of a word. Root words can help you to break down large, new words into smaller units to discover their meanings.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} As a result, by learning 20 or 30 root words, you can enlarge your English vocabulary to include hundreds of new words.

    A root can be any part of a word that carries meaning: the beginning, middle or end prefixes (前缀), bases, and suffixes (后缀) are types of roots. The prefix appears at the beginning of a word, the base in the middle and the suffix at the end.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} One simple method is to first look at a base word and then look for familiar prefixes and suffixes that go with that base. For example, the word “construct” is a verb that means “to build”. The prefix “con-” means “together” or “with”. So, “construct” means “to put things together to build or create something”.

A. Another reason is related to the English pronunciation.

B. You can say we use idioms like they're going out of style.

C. The second difficulty lies in the spelling of the English words.

D. Having a good knowledge of grammar is also useful for English learners.

E. Building vocabulary through root words is quite useful for English learners.

F. Learning just one root word can help you understand several words in English.

G. However, it's comforting to know learning root words can help English learners.

    You should make thorough plans before you undertake a camping trip. Just follow these simple camping guidelines to make your trip safe and rewarding.

Selecting an appropriate tent

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} When determining the size of your tent, you should take into account the number of campers as well as the camping equipment necessary for your trip. There should be enough room in tihe tent for the camping equipment{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Importance of food

    While camping, you will need enough food to give you enough energy for your outdoor work.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}You should use a two burner stove to do all your cooking. Insist on simplicity in cooking and use vegetables and ready-made food during your trip to minimize cooking time.

Adequate sleep

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Nights are generally cooler than the days so you need to have enough warm clothes to feel comfortable enough to sleep during the night. When buying a sleeping bag, check that you feel comfortable in it. Extra air mattresses (气垫) may be included in your camping equipment to make your bed more comfortable.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Bear these camping guidelines in mind and make sure you are fully prepared to enjoy your camping trip.

A. All campers should have adequate sleep during the night.

B. Thus you must have an efficient arrangement for food preparation.

C. The best camping trips are had by those people who prepare the best.

D. Take healthy and nourishing food with you to meet energy demands during your trip.

E .The comfort level in a tent determines the success of a camping trip.

F. The size is the most important thing you should carefully consider when choosing a tent.

G. It will destroy the mood of the entire camping trip if you don't have a good sleeping bag.

How to Do Man-on-the Street Interviews

    The man-on-the-street interview is an interview in which a reporter hits the streets with a cameraman to interview people on the spot. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But with these tips, your first man-on-the-street interview experience can be easy.

    When your boss or professor sends you out to do man-on-the –street interviews for a story, think about the topic and develop a list of about ten general questions relating to it. For example, if your topic is about environmental problems in America, you might ask, "Why do you think environmental protection is important in America?" {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Hit the streets with confidence. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Say, "Excuse me, I work for XYZ News, and I was wondering if you could share your opinion about this topic," This is a quick way to get people to warm up to you.

    Move on to the next person if someone tells you she is not interested in talking on camera. Don't get discouraged.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Each interview that you get on the street shouldn't be longer than ten minutes. As soon as you get the answer you need, move on to the next person. Make sure that as you go from interview to interview, you are getting a variety of answers. If everyone is giving you the same answer, you won't be able to use it. A safe number of interviews to conduct is about six to ten. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If your news station or school requires interviewees to sign release forms to appear on the air, don't leave work without them.

A. Limit your time.

B. As you approach people, be polite.

C. If you don't own a camera, you can buy one.

D. For new reporters, this can seem like a challenging task.

E. To get good and useful results, ask them the same question.

F. That number of interviews should give you all the answers you need.

G. With a question like this, you will get more than a 'Yes" or "No" reply.

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    Home can be a great place for children to study. It's important to provide a workspace of their own where they can read books or just write a letter to their friends.

    Location (位置)

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Kitchen and dining room are not so well suited for regular study，since books and pens get in the way of the day­to­day uses of those areas. Set up a place where a child can settle in and leave papers and pens at hand without having to clear everything away each night. For a child that likes being alone，set aside a corner of his bedroom，but keep it separate from things like games，music and other hobbies not related to studying.

    Keeping Things in Order

    Parents should encourage their child to spread out，but to leave it neat and orderly when he isn't using his workspace. Ownership is very important for self­respect{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The workplace should be personal，but not another part of the playroom.

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    Encourage the whole family to help build a supportive environment that children need for success in school. Give them a good example of how to deal with problems，how to manage time and get things done in the right way. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Study will be more enjoyable and effective when supported by the whole family.

A．Attitude Is Everything

B．Bring Organization into Your Home

C．Here are several ways to choose a location.

D．Building a Good Home Learning Environment

E．Hold a can-do attitude and your child will follow your example.

F．Setting up a space in a common area of your home can be a good idea for children.

G．A child who learns to organize his space will carry organization into every corner of his life.

Make Stress Work for You

    Stress can come from all directions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Rather than only looking for ways to change the stress-filled situations, look for stress that can work for you. These methods are suggestions to make stress work in your favor.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Colors of the walls, floor coverings, and furniture can reduce stress. Cooling greens and blues are positive colors that can reduce stress and create a sense of well-being.

    Choose friends carefully. Your choice of friends can be the key to stress reduction. Friends should be people who help us to increase our strengths and create solutions to stressful situations. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Stop and look at yourself. Take time to recognize signs of stress like anger, work and sleep habits. As you become aware of these signs, you are beginning to identify how to make stress work.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} We can accept what we cannot change by changing what we can make choices that are realistic, not out of reach.

    Don't say yes to everything. Recognize what your strengths are and focus on taking the time to do a project built on them. Taking on too many projects results in loss of control and creates stress.

    Maintain a sense of humor. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And laughing creates less wrinkles (皱纹) than worrying.

A. We live in a stress-filled world.

B. Leave time for the unexpected.

C. Accept what cannot be changed.

D. Create environments that reduce stress.

E. They support us and make us feel that we are not alone.

F. Laughing at oneself can release potential stress from the inside.

G. When you come across a difficult situation, stop and think of how to use it to make things better.

Finding time for yourself

    Few people, these days would disagree with the theory that it's vital to take time for yourself. Creating some space for enjoyment and restoration each day or at least every week, is a win-win proposition. It'll make you both happier and more effective in fulfilling your responsibilities at work and home. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Here are some useful suggestions.

    Don't wait until it feels right. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, so you want to tell yourself that you'll only relax once everything is under control. But since both work and family life generate an infinite number of to-dos, that strategy is doomed (注定要失败的). As time-management writer Laura Vanderkam points out, it's far more useful to learn to tolerate the discomfort of knowing your email inbox is filling up, or that the living room is still a pigsty.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It's all too easy to fill 'me time' with things you think you should enjoy, above all exercise. If you genuinely love such activities, they're perfect. But if the truth is that you don't, you'll only get angry. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, even when the person doing the telling is ourselves. Make sure at least a small part of your week is spent doing something you can honestly say you enjoy for itself.

    Pay attention to good feelings. Once you do get some restorative time, borrow a Buddhist technique for making it count: when you realize you're enjoying yourself, spend half a minute consciously paying attention to the feelings of pleasure. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Choose true enjoyment

B. We hate being told what to do

C. Make commitments in advance

D. It's unpleasant to have unfinished tasks bother you

E. So, you'll often find that those feelings increase as a result

F. Making a plan in advance can create the space you need for your own happiness

G. Making sure you actually get a moment to yourself requires a shift in perspective