Each of us must communicate with others in this world. Sometimes communication is easy and your behavior is in harmony with (与……协调一致) others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  There are times when you are completely misunderstood. Therefore, it is really necessary to follow the tips below to increase your communication skills.

    Nod your head.

    People can think far faster than you can talk. If you want someone to agree with you, nod your head slightly up and down. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    Be respectful of space.

Everyone needs some space. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Most people are not close talkers. Standing too close during conversations makes some people want to get away. Keep this in mind, especially if you've eaten garlic for lunch.

    Smile.

    Smiling will not only make you feel better, but also make whomever you are speaking with feel better. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  This takes practice, but the benefits of learning how to eye smile can produce communication candy.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

    When you first meet someone, be sure to look directly into his eyes with a smile when shaking his hand. There is nothing worse than receiving a careless handshake from someone. Handshakes can tell you a lot about people.

A. Smile with your eyes.

B. Shake hands correctly.

C. However, this is not always right.

D. If you don't have anything good to say, say nothing.2

E. Don't stand too close to someone that you are speaking with.

F. There are many ways that we can improve our communication skills.

G. This body language will encourage whomever you are speaking with to agree with you.

House Sitting

    In many countries of the world people do what is called house sitting. It means that if owners of the house are going away, they want someone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets while they are away.

    In Australia, many people travel. After people retire, they might buy a van and travel all over the country. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason, they might want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy. House sitters might have to care for pets. Also, quite a few people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I feel it is a great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, get to meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} There are websites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and by replying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look after their home.

    There are some requirements to be a house sitter. You must be a trusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything. You must be able to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You need to be good with pets, able to care for cats and dogs, or other pets they may have.

    Some house sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple of weeks while the house owners have a short holiday. Sometimes it is for much longer. We have had one house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can travel to many different countries and stay there. One of  the important things to get is references from the home owners where you have stayed. A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthy and have looked after their home well. You can show these letters to possible house sitting jobs and they know you will do a good job.

A. I have done house sitting many times.

B. Thousands of people do this all the time.

C. It is also possible to do house sitting in other countries.

D. Generally you have many opportunities to get a house sitting job.

E. You must take a little care over what your description says about you.

F. This is an international house sitting service for all city and country areas.

G. You must have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country.

    Do you know people who have learned English earn twice as much as people who don't? If you speak English better, you will find more good jobs. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}: Children go to their parents when they need help with school. If you speak better English, you can help your children with homework and you can also talk to teachers and other parents.

    Think of your family: Most doctors in the United States only speak English, and if you can explain what the problem is and understand what the doctor is saying, you will get better, sooner!

    Think of yourself: With a little more English, you might be able to take your high school diploma (GED), learn a profession or even go to college! {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is never too late!

    Think of your pocket: If you understand what people tell you at the bank, a store or a lawyer's office, nobody will be able to cheat you!{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Here you can find out how you can get started. Don't you want to save your cash?

    And remember, with the Beehive you can practice your English and find help to get a good job, open a bank account or find a doctor!

    The Beehive is written with a very clear language so you can learn all the important words at the same time as you find all the important information you need to make your life better.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Just a simple click here!

A. Think of your future.

B. You can talk about your illness with doctors in the United States if you go to hospital.

C. Or you can get a promotion and earn more money.

D. Many people are doing it!

E. With more English, you can save more, send more money to your family and even start your own business.

F. Think of your children.

G. Find out what type of education is right for you, and how to do it.

    I chose to take psychology because one is able to better understand himself, understand others, and learn how people think, so I can use that to my advantage in the business world.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}By learning psychology I will learn how and why I think the way I think. This is important to me because I want to know whether my up-bringing or the genes I possess from my parents influence me.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}I hope to find an answer this year through my studies.

    I also think it is important to be accepting and tolerant of others and their certain beliefs about different matters. Some people like activities and subjects that I may not entirely agree with. It is important to learn why they believe what they do. People are different throughout the world. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} I would like to learn what customs, traditions, and ways of thinking are witnessed worldwide and why some are apparent one place but not another.

    My final reason for taking psychology is that I can better understand people from a business standpoint. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Knowing how they think will help in making major marketing and promotional decisions. I hope to learn how people react to certain situations or ads to see what will get them interested.

    I know the effort I put into this course will benefit me later in life. Of course, learning the course may be challenging at times. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. If I had to predict, I would say a mix of both.

B. But there are similarities between them.

C. Psychology is beneficial to my future.

D. Positive psychology has developed rapidly via the Internet.

E. It is vital to know what consumers want and need.

F. I often wonder why I like the items, subjects, and activities that I do.

G. However, what I learn will influence my future decisions and goals.

How to Become a Lifelong Learner

    Learning doesn't stop just because school does. Making a commitment to yourself to learn something new every day, you will not only enjoy what you discover, but you will be able to apply your knowledge and become a teacher to future generations. Here are some steps to become a life­long learner. 

    Learn how you learn.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Note what learning techniques are most efficient for you and use them as much as is practical, such as viewing online tutorials on websites like YouTube if you're more of a visual learner. 

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Try many different things so that you don't box yourself into believing you're only good at a few things. It's probable that you're good at many things, but you won't know until you've tried. 

    Look at learning as an exploration and opportunity, not a chore (琐事)．Don't just force yourself to learn things because they are important or necessary. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Follow your heart, as well as your sense of duty. Do you remember the 8th grade history that you hated so much, with all those names and dates that seemed to mean nothing? The point was to bring you to learn details now, which will knit chunks of information together later.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}   

    Read, read, read.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Reading is a gateway into other worlds and into the minds of your fellow human beings. And reading will help you to learn the discoveries and mistakes of others who have gone before you; reading is, in effect, a shortcut so that you don't have to learn things the hard way. 

A．Learn where your talents and interests lie.

B．It was a chore then, but it makes sense, now.

C．Recognize the educational value in whatever you read.

D．Determine your own preferred learning style or styles.

E．Their ways of learning might help you to improve your own.

F．Make friends with your local library and new and used book sellers.

G．Instead, learn things that you need to learn alongside things you love to learn.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here's how:

    Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First set your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.

    Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

    Make good use of your time in class. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

    Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day and read that material. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you'll remember it longer.

    Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be over worried.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.