Nowadays, more people lose their jobs and the prices of goods and services steadily increase.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} But where do I start? Everything I'm paying for is necessity. There's nothing I can cut down on.

    But if you take a careful and objective look at your bills and all the “stuff” you're paying for, you actually do not need a good majority of them. I've put together 5 tips that you can follow right now to reduce your costs.

    1）Cut Back on Eating out.

    Maybe you didn't notice eating out is one of the things at your budget and you can save so much money just by reducing the number of times you eat out.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's so much cheaper preparing food at home and healthier too. This does not mean that you should never eat out. You can choose special days to eat out like birthdays or anniversaries.

    2）Reduce Your Electricity Consumption

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This will help reduce your electricity consumption. With CFLs (节能灯) you save so much on power. Also unplug appliances (家用电器) that you're not using.

    3）Cut Back on Magazine or Print Subscription (订阅费)

    Magazines are great but sometimes they come with articles that you don't really care about so you don't bother reading them.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Review your magazine or print subscriptions to determine which ones to unsubscribe from. You can also draw out a list of topics or categories you like reading about and search for free online alternatives where you can read about the topic of your choice.

    4）Cancel Your Gym Membership or Go for a Pay-Per-Use Plan.

    Exercise is important to stay healthy. In fact, you save more money when you stay physically fit than if you are in poor health. But there are more affordable ways to keep fit, if you exercise for health's sake and no as a body builder or something.

    Exercise at home or jog around your neighborhood. If you can't work out without an exercise trainer, try searching for exercise routines on You Tube. If you want to use gym equipment, then you can convert your gym membership style to pay-per-use.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Of course, you don't need to practice all of these at once, but if you are really willing to cut down on those costs, then one of these will surely come in handy.

A. Start by turning off the lights you're not using.

B. They're so simple but the results are impressive

C. As an alternative, make more home-cooked meals

D. It's time for you to take action and do something about your bills

E. That way you pay only when you come to the gym to use the equipment

F. Invest in gym equipment to cut down recurrent costs of gym membership

G These days most of the information or news is available on the Internet for free.

    If you want to make a great first impression—and why wouldn't you—you know there are basic steps you can take: you should smile, make eye contact, talk less than the other person, and ask questions about him or her. Anyone can do those things.

    But what you might not know is that if you think other people are going to like you, they usually will. As research shows, interpersonal warmth explains the scene: study participants who expected to be accepted were sensed as more likable. (when you think other people will like you, you act in a more natural way—which then makes people like you more since we tend to like warm, friendly people.)

    All of which sounds great, but when you're shy or insecure, you might believe that other people will like you. When you're not familiar with the setting or do not feel comfortable, it's a lot easier to believe people don't like you.

    So how can you convince yourself that people will like you? Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and commit to taking a few steps that ensure almost anyone will like you.

    ⒈Give a sincere compliment(称赞).

    Everyone loves praise, especially since no one gets enough praise. Show interest by asking questions. But go past, "What do you do?" Ask what it's like to do what the person does. Ask what's hard about it. Ask what the person loves about it. You'll soon find things to compliment.

    ⒉Focus on letting people talk about themselves.

    People love to talk about themselves.

    Research shows approximately 40 percent of everyday speech is spent telling other people what we think or feel—basically, talking about our subjective experiences.

    By helping people talk about themselves, you're seen as a great conversationalist. In fact, you say very little. Even if you haven't succeeded in making people fully understand you, it is OK. And in the process, you also make other people feel better about themselves, and that makes them like you.

    That's another win-win.

    ⒊Change one word.

    Think about the difference in these statements:

    I had to go to a meeting.

    I got to meet with some great people.

    I have to interview some candidates for a job.

    I get to select a great person to join our team.

    No big deal, right? Wrong. We like to be around the people who have enthusiasm and motivation.

    Keep in mind choosing the right words also affects how you feel. Don't say, "I have to go to the gym." Say, "I want to go to the gym."

    ⒋Show a little weakness.

    Great teams are often led by people willing to admit weaknesses and failings.

    Want to make a great first impression? Don't try to impress. Instead, be humble. Admit your mistakes. Laugh at yourself.

    When you do, other people won't laugh at you. They'll laugh with you.

    And they'll immediately like you, and want to be around you more.

Third-Culture Kids

    Did you grow up in one culture, your parents came from another, and you are now living in a totally different country? If so, then you are a third-culture kid!

    The term “third-culture kid” (or TCK) was coined in the 1960s by Dr. Ruth. She first came across this phenomenon when she researched North American children living in India. Caught between two cultures, they form their very own. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} About 90 percent of them have a university degree, while 40 percent pursue a postgraduate or doctor degree. They usually benefit from their intercultural experience, which helps them to grow into successful academics and professionals.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In fact many hardships may arise from this phenomenon. A third-culture kid may not be able to adapt themselves completely to their new surroundings as expected. Instead, they may always remain an outsider in different host cultures. Max, for example, experienced this fundamental feeling of strangeness throughout his life as a third-culture kid.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} While this can be a way to create a network of friends all around the world, it can be difficult for a third-culture kid like Max to maintain close friendships and relationships.

    For a third-culture kid, it is often easier to move to a new foreign country than to return to their “home” country. After living in Australia and South Korea for many years, Louis finally returned to Turkey as a teenager. But she felt out of place when she returned to the country where she was born. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} She did not share the same values as her friends' even years after going back home.

    While a third-culture kid must let go of their identity as foreigner when he/she returns, the home country can prove to be more foreign than anything he/she came across before. The peer group they face does not match the idealized image children have of “home”.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    As a part of the growing “culture”, TCKs may find it a great challenge for them to feel at home in many places.

A. Yet being a third-culture kid is not always easy.

B. In general, they often reach excellent academic results.

C. This often makes it hard for them to form their own identity.

D. However, their parents can help them see the opportunities of a mobile lifestyle.

E. Their experience abroad helps them to gain a better understanding of cultural differences.

F. Unlike other teens of her age, she didn't know anything about current TV shows or fashion trends.

G. Additionally, making new friends and saying goodbye to old ones will at some point become routine for a third-culture kid.

    There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving birds. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} She cared them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt the great love from the birds.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. As he flew close, she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} She opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate love had killed him.

    She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. He needed to fly into the clear, blue sky. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The bird circled once, twice, three times.

    The girl watched delightedly at the bird's enjoyment. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest songs that she had ever heard.

    The fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight, while the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

A. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss.

B. Suddenly she felt the bird go softly.

C. She took them home and put them in a small cage.

D. She gave them some delicious food and left.

E. She lifted him from the cage and threw him softly into the air.

F. One day the girl left the door of the cage open.

G. One day she left with the two birds at home alone.

Plan your answers beforehand

    The holiday season is a favorite for many. There are always parties with family, friends, relatives or work colleagues. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But at the same time, it can also make you feel unhappy, especially because there is always the chance that you will be asked to answer awkward questions during these gatherings.

    I think you had better have a general idea of who you might meet or the questions some people may ask you. You may prepare answers to some awkward questions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Think of ways you might be comfortable answering questions, and have some basic answers in your head.

    My family and I recently attended a holiday event. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}However, because I knew several people who would most likely be attending the event, I was able to take some time to think about how I wanted to answer the questions they could ask me. This doesn't mean that I spent the days before the party memorizing answers and recited the answers to the questions like a robot. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}So I found it most effective to prepare by having several stories and answers, or even questions for your companion, in order to make sure the conversation runs smoothly.

A. Ask some questions of whoever you are speaking with.

B. Communicating with others around you can be fun.

C. And you may even practice a bit beforehand if necessary.

D. You have no way of knowing exactly what questions you may be asked.

E. Some awkward questions might be asked at the holiday parties.

F. I was asked a few awkward questions about my work situation.

G. Rather, I simply decided what I was comfortable telling them.

Ready for final year

    Even though they're anxiously awaiting their gaokao, Senior 3 students feel relieved after having survived their busiest year of high school.

    Your milestone year begins in just two months, so how can you make the most of it? Here, three graduates offer some practical advice to help you navigate (航行) your final year in the right way.

    Sun Hairuo, High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, Beijing:

    Think ahead about your major. Even though some universities allow students to switch to a new major after enrollment, it still involves a lot of effort to do. So while you're preparing for the gaokao, start to consider what field you want to major in at the same time.

    When I was aware of my interest in social science, I began to collect information on the internet about what courses I'd like to take in university and what life would be like on campus if I chose this direction. Don't judge a major before you know everything about it, since your entire future depends on it.

    Qian Wenjing, Hangzhou Foreign Language School, Zhejiang:

    Enjoy a hobby alongside your studies. It's important to get high marks in all subjects, but if you have nothing that can distract you from the piles of homework, you'll have no motivation.

    For example, I run a WeChat public account, which you can find by searching for “大嘴小个儿” on WeChat. On it, I share my reflections on life, recommend good books and introduce learning methods to others. I also make videos on how to write an interesting daily journal for the video platform bilibili.com.

    So, keep on top of your schoolwork, but make sure you find time to let your hair down sometimes too.

    Wang Zixin, Beijing No 4 High School, Beijing:

    Create your own system of knowledge using a notebook. In the review stage, find your weak points on every science subject after each exam. Summarize the knowledge behind the errors in your notebook — this will not only identify the problem, but will also save you time when you don't have to spend so long figuring out the answer.

    As for liberal arts subjects such as Chinese and English, write down any memorable sentences you come across in your notebook.

    And keep it in mind that improvements don't happen right away — it takes time to get better.

    Ready for final year