Being outgoing is good for your life. Those who are more outgoing like to meet lots of interesting people and have more fun in life. In fact, being outgoing is not so hard as you think. Even the shy people can be outgoing.

    You can start becoming outgoing with your best friend or a group of friends. But the real challenge (挑战) comes when you meet strange (陌生的) people or new friends. Smile more, and usually they will return (回报) your smile. In this way, you may have some talks.

    Start a talk. Just a simple "Hello" or "How is it going?" is a good start. If you want to make interesting talks, you should read the news and prepare (准备) your views. Surf the Internet for new information and then keep that in mind.

    The easiest way to become more outgoing is to go out. This is also the most important step. Go to a park, beach, club, party or any other place that you think can be fun, and you may make new friends there.

    Is it difficult for you to get up in the morning? Are you often late for work or school? Yes? Then a scientist called Mike has a special bed for you. His Bed will get you up in the morning! Here is how it works!

    The bed is connected to an alarm clock. First, the alarm clock rings. You have a few minutes to wake up. Next, a tape recorder in the bed plays soft music and then your girlfriend's beautiful voice comes, “Wake up, darling, please.” A few minutes later, loud music comes from the tape recorder. At the same time, you may hear the voice of your boss. Your boss shouts angrily, “ Wake up at once, or you'll be late!” If you don't get up after that, you'll be sorry! A plastic “foot” is in the bed. It kicks you in the head. Then the bed waits for a few more minutes. What! You're still in bed! Slowly the top of the bed rises higher and the foot of the bed goes lower. Finally, you fall off the bed and onto the floor. You are out of the bed and awake!

    Mike made his bed because he wanted to take part in a competition. Mike won one of the top prizes for his bed.

    A hobby is an activity we can do in our free time, so that we can keep ourselves busy with something that makes us happy. Different people have different kinds of hobbies, according to their personal likes and dislikes. Hobbies are activities we choose to do, but not activities we have to do. There is a lot of difference between wanting to do something and having to do it. We only want to do those things we like to do, and things that give us pleasure and peace of mind.

    Hobbies play a very important role in our lives. For example, they are a way of connecting us with our inner self. The time devoted to taking up a hobby is our own time. This is the time when we can connect and communicate with ourselves. During this personal time, we can do whatever we like. Doing things according to our own wishes gives us a sense of inner satisfaction, and also helps develop self-confidence.

    Hobbies also help discover talents. There is a possibility that we are interested in a certain activity, but have never had a chance to try it. If we develop our interest as our hobbies, it's quite clear that we'll do it with great interest. So, even if we have never tried a certain thing before, we can still learn to do it. The hobbyists' hidden talents can be discovered, and this can make them feel more confident.

    It's human nature to try to know more about the things we like. The moment we pursue (追求) some activities as our favorite hobbies, we want to gain more knowledge about the same hobby. Whether it's gardening, cooking, painting or collecting stamps, we always try to get a deeper understanding of what we're doing, so that we can do it more correctly. What's more, we also happen to meet people with similar tastes and sometimes, owning rich knowledge about their hobbies. Besides gaining knowledge, hobbies also provide us with a chance to meet people who share similar likes and dislikes with us.

    Whatever our hobbies are, they can be developed at any age, as a child or as an adult. However, if we begin at a young age, we can get more time to experience the joys. The hobby may grow with us, and some day, may also take us to great heights.

    If you ask people of different countries "Could you tell me the way to the post office?" you will get different answers.

    In Japan, people use landmarks（路标）instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The post office is across from the bus stop. "

    In Kansas, America, there are no towns or buildings within miles. So instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. For example, people will say, "Go north two miles. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} "

    People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions. They will often say, "Follow me." {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Sometimes if a person doesn't know the answer to your question, he or she might say, "Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don't know." {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. A visitor can often get lost in Yucatan!

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You might not understand a person's words, but maybe you can understand his or her body language. He or she will usually point to the right direction. Go on in that direction and you may find the post office!

Small talk

    Americans often have short conversations, called small talk, about unimportant things with strangers or people they know but not very well. They may have small talk at parties, while waiting in line at the store, at family events or work. It's a way to say hi and express friendliness.

    Small talk is very useful. It can avoid uncomfortable silences and build stronger relationships. For example, when you first meet someone or talk to someone you don't know well, you can break the ice by making small talk. Small talk with a colleague(同事) about his child may help you to understand more of his life outside the office.

    In 2013, researchers from the University of Essex asked some people to make small talk in a study. They found small talk can make people happier. People who talked briefly(短暂地) with a waiter in a coffee shop felt happier than those who simply went in, ordered and left.

    However some people are not good at small talk. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

    Firstly, find common ground. When you have something similar with your speaking partner, that means you have something to talk about.

    Secondly, ask open-ended questions. They are suitable(合适的) for small talk. For example, if you ask visitors whether they like your city, they may simply say "Yes." But if you ask "What do you think of our city," they will have more freedom in how they answer.

    Thirdly, become a student. Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something. It's a win-win situation.

    Finally, practice makes perfect. Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice.

    If you make small talk in your native language, you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most surely improve your speaking and listening skills.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}On that day, I learned how to make zongzi from my mother. And I watched the boat races on TV.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}On that day, I got some lucky money from my parents and wore new clothes to visit relatives. And we said "Happy new year" to each other.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}On that day, I sent my mom a card and some flowers. I said to her, I love you

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}On that day, we had a big dinner. Then we sat around the beautiful Christmas tree in the living room and sang songs happily

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}That night, all my family went out to enjoy the bright full moon. We also ate some moon cakes and fruit.

A. the Mid-autumn Festival

    It is a time for family members to get together. And it is also a time to enoy the beauty of the full moon.

B. Dragon Boat Festival

    It is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. Eating zongzi and having dragon boat races are very important customs of this festival.

C. The Spring Festival

    It starts on the first day of the first unary month. On the Spring Festival morning, people usually visit relatives. Older people give lucky money to children

D. Thanksgiving Day

    It is a time to give thanks for food in the autumn. Turkey is always the most important food in this festival.

E. Mother's Day

    Mother s Day in the United States is on the second Sunday of May. It is a time to show mothers our love

F. April Fool's Day

    April 1 is not a national holiday, but it is celebrated in man counties. On this day, practical jokes are played on friends and family.

G. Christmas Day

    At Christmas, family members get together to eat Christmas dinner. Parents always give children gifts. The Christmas tree is a symbol of Christmas Day