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    The ancient Greeks were very good at making conversations, and the greatest talker of them all was philosopher Socrates. His pupil, Plato, recorded some of his supposed conversations, and we read them in ‘The dialogues' of Plato. In many classrooms today, Socrates' method of teaching is used.

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    The best talkers appear to have a great interest in and love for their fellow creatures; a curiosity about the world in general; some powers of observation and reflection; respect for their own opinions and tolerance for those of others; and quick thinking. And they talked for the fun of it, not to show off their knowledge.

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    A good voice must have the help of good speech, whose two assistants are clear enunciation(清晰发音)and correct pronunciation. Poor enunciation may suggest to your listeners that you lack consideration, and that you are not especially concerned about their opinion of you.

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    Pronunciation is settled by common agreement of the community or group speaking the particular language or dialect. For standard pronunciation of words, a dictionary is your best friend. The usage of words is somewhat the same as pronunciation. To be accurate in your use of words is very important in your conversation. Dictionaries usually provide the usage of words. So whenever you meet with new words, it is a good idea to look them up in the dictionary.

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    Think of meeting a stranger as a chance to have a good time to talk, to make a friend. Look with a smile directly into the other's eyes when you are introduced, and shake hands with a firm, friendly clasp. This will give you confidence. Then try to have a smooth and pleasant conversation with him.

①drift{#blank#}1{#/blank#}           A. offspring

②migrate{#blank#}2{#/blank#}        B. likely to be very good or successful in the future

③ancestor{#blank#}3{#/blank#}       C. make something increase over a period of time

④descendant{#blank#}4{#/blank#}    D. using new methods or ideas

⑤fragrance{#blank#}5{#/blank#}      E. move slowly on water or in the air

⑥accumulate{#blank#}6{#/blank#}    F. move from one country and settle in another

⑦alternative{#blank#}7{#/blank#}    G. guess the cost, size, value, etc of something

⑧innovative{#blank#}8{#/blank#}      H. a person who is from an earlier time

⑨estimate{#blank#}9{#/blank#}        I. a sweet or pleasant odor; a scent

⑩promising{#blank#}10{#/blank#}      J. different from the one you already have

    Are you truly happy? Do you ever know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness?  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life.

    Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your mood will very likely increase if you are going after something you value.

    Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    When something goes wrong, try to figure out a solution instead of being absorbed in self-pity. Truly happy people don't allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they ran turn the circumstances back to their favor.

     {#blank#}3{#/blank#}These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continuous happiness.

     {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing hath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance, you will be subconsciously putting yourself in a better mood.

    Keeping healthy is another way to achieve happiness.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Do you know Australia? Australia is the largest island in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai. The cities in Australia have got little air or water pollution. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well.

    Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers' exhibition. There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In spring every year Perth has the wild flowers' exhibition.

    After visiting Perth, we spent the day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.

A. The people of Australia are very hard-working.

B. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world.

C. Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos.

D. Australia is big, but its population is not large.

E. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers.

F. The sky is blue and the water is clean.

G. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves.

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

Time for Americans to act on climate change

    The climate crisis is worsening at a rate that is becoming harder and harder to ignore. For more than two decades, scientific reports have made it clear that global warming is real, that humans cause it and that the consequences will be disastrous.

    The scientific community has become increasingly panicked over the past year. The latest assessment from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change painted a far more terrible picture than its previous analyses, and the long-awaited National Climate Assessment made clear that climate change represents a severe threat to human health as well as our economic security. Out of this panic came the treaty(条约)reached this past weekend by world leaders to keep the Paris climate agreement alive.

    Yet many Americans still don't regard the threat as a key priority for our government, and support President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris treaty. Campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies have convinced elected officials to look the other way. A certain amount of despair has resulted in widespread apathy(漠然).

    But there is another reason that has been discussed far less openly. While a growing number of people understand that climate change will have significant worldwide consequences, many Americans have an intuitive(直觉的)belief that their nation is more capable than others of adapting to a changed environment. Why? Because they have before.

    This historical success, however, resulted from the federal government taking science seriously, and making investments to urge revolution and innovation.

    But these innovations did not happen by themselves, or simply because of the United States' rich resources. They depended on consistent support from the leaders about the need to take action when faced with crises. This has been especially true in the environmental crisis.

    President Bill Clinton had a shockingly modest record of advancing climate security, particularly given that his vice president, Al Gore, had been one of the most outspoken environmentalists in Congress. By far Clinton's biggest accomplishment was assigning Gore to participate іn thе Куоtо Рrоtoсоl negotiations. Сlіntоn сhоѕе, hоwеvеr, tо аvоіd whаt ѕurеlу wоuld have been a terrible fight in the Senate to gain approval of the treaty. While this effort probably would have failed, it would have signaled to the American people how seriously the Democratic Party took climate change.

    Thus, the time has clearly arrived for progressive candidates to start campaigning on a platform built around the need for a sustainability revolution. Such a plan should include a carbon tax, well-funded clean energy research, evolved agricultural policies and smarter public transport. Given that Generation X and millennials(千禧一代)never bought into the fiction that the United States is immune to the dangers of global warming, the time is ripe to make climate security a crucial government responsibility. Only by doing so can we begin the long-overdue(拖延好久的)campaign to save the planet.

Time for Americans to act on climate change

How to Learn Kung Fu Yourself

Kung Fu, also known as Gong Fu, is an ancient Chinese martial art. Should you be inspired to learn this art, yet there isn't a school nearby, you can't afford classes, or your schedule simply doesn't allow it, you can learn it yourself. As long as you're committed and ambitious, it can be done{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Clean out an area of your home and get a punching bag. Since you'll be doing a lot of jumping, kicking and punching, choose an area of your home to be for your practice sessions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But when you want to have resistance, that is where a punching bag comes in handy.

Try your best to find instruction. Buy some DVDs, watch some videos online, or look through the websites of Kung Fu schools.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Master a few stances (马步), and work on your punch, blocks and kicks. Practice combinations in the air and on your bag. Once you get really confident, try to find a friend to practice with.

Practice, practice, practice. The only way to truly get in the mind of a Kung Fu artist is to keep practice. At first, the moves may seem silly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} But if you practice every day, meditate, and read literature to understand the philosophy, it can become a way of life you can't believe you ever lived without.

A. Practice makes perfect.

B. It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it.

C. You may seem like you're not getting anywhere.

D. You'll be doing your moves just in the air at first.

E. Begin from basic training of your balance and moves.

F. Here are some practical ways to help you get a better insight into it.

G. Many will offer you a taste of their programs, teaching you some basics at the same time.