Maybe you have heard the expression—when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when you want to do business in France, you have to get to know French culture, to make marketing plans, and to run your business by local laws.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country's culture and language.

    The first thing you should do when meeting someone new is to shake his hand firmly and always look the person in the eye. In social meeting with friends, kissing is common.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first, followed by their first name.

    Dress well.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status. Always try to be tasteful and stylish. Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly. Wearing make­up is practised widely by businesswomen.

The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business in France, which usually consist of an appetizer, a main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Do not begin eating until the host says “bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This may suggest that you find the food tasteless. If eating in a restaurant, the person who invites always pays.

A．The French draw information about people based on their appearance.

B．This is a time for relationship building.

C．Remember to be as polite as possible.

D．Language should be the focus of anyone planning to do business in France.

E．Be careful with adding salt, pepper or sauces to your food.

F．Use Monsieur or Madame before the surname.

G．Make an appointment with your business partner in advance.

How to read more and learn more

    These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can broaden my mind and improve my language skills.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some tips for you.

    Clear your purpose for reading.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Most people read for two main reasons, pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is important to you, so you will keep reading and complete the book faster.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may introduce you the books they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.

Give up books that you don't enjoy.

    You may have chosen books that you are interested in, and they are right purpose. But while you are reading them, there may still be some books that you don't enjoy reading. Whenever you realize that you aren't enjoying the book you are reading, give it up. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Set a reading goal.

    It is interesting that I read the books borrowed from libraries faster than those I bought. The reason is the books I bought don't have a due date! I don't need to return those books.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Before you read each book, ask yourself what time you need to complete this book by.

A. Read only what you are interested in.

B. Read the books borrowed from others.

C. Remember reading shouldn't be a burden（负担）.

D. Of course, it also can help me to get good grades.

E. We need to get the latest news and communicate with friends.

F. Before you start reading, ask yourself why you are reading this book.

G. Having a reading goal helps you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day.

    Maybe once you lived with your roommates! Many of us live with a roommate at some stage. Sometimes, there can be problems. Who hasn't had an argument about whose turn it is to take out the rubbish or who should be the one to clear up after dinner? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    You know that there's always someone else around, which can help you feel safer. There is always someone to talk to, so you never feel lonely. Besides these obvious benefits, there are some you may not notice. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    To examine the effect of living alone, Australian university researchers did much research and found that people living alone tended to eat less fresh food, which can have a significant negative effect on long-term health. However, those living with others generally benefited from a more varied diet compared to those living alone.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The researchers believe the social and cultural roles played by cooking, food preparation and eating may be important considerations. For example, those living with friends have someone else to go shopping with, and thus are likely to buy high-quality fresh food regularly.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If people living alone find they do not have the knowledge required to prepare a particular dish or cook a certain food, they may fall back on ready-made, less healthy food.

    However, if they live with at least one other person, they maybe able to ask for help.

    In addition, people living alone can eat whatever they want at any time of the day or night. However, it's helpful to have someone around who questions your decision to eat frozen pizza at 3 am. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    So, if you now live alone and find yourself fighting a losing battle against poor eating habits, why not consider sharing a home with someone else? You could encourage one another onto greater health and well-being.

A. Cooking skills maybe another factor.

B. In other words, roommates can draw your attention to unhealthy routines.

C. Living with a roommate could be good to share your expenses and contribute to your home's maintenance.

D. For example, we're actually more likely to eat healthier food when living with others.

E. What could explain these findings?

F. It's hard to find someone who doesn't grate on your nerves, has a similar cleanliness level as you and goes to bed at the same time.

G. However, living with another person also comes with many benefits.

    Stress is so common that many people choose to ignore it. But without proper management, stress can become much more serious. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒈Breathe

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Slow, deep breathing stops the mind focusing on whatever else might be going on, and actively lowers stress levels.

    ⒉Write

    Instead of allowing a jumble (混乱) of thoughts and ideas to jump around inside your head, let them fall out onto your computer keyboard instead. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They don't even have to make sense. Minutes later, you might be surprised at how light and airy you feel.

    ⒊Walk

    If you're feeling stressed, drop everything and go for a walk. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Walking provides your body with an ideal outlet(完美的出口) for the energy that stress can create.

    ⒋Laugh

    If you're stressed, the last thing you probably feel like doing is laughing. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you are able to smile during your day, you'll soon begin to see the effects of stress slowly disappear.

A. Stress is not good for people's health.

B. Here are four ways to deal with stress.

C. Deep breathing lowers the blood pressure.

D. Laughing can calm the nerves and reduce stress.

E. Or write down your feelings onto a piece of paper.

F. Keep yourself at an easy speed and breathe properly.

G. Taking a deep breath in stressful situation is helpful.

    How to Overcome Shyness Have you ever found it embarrassing to talk in front of the public? In fact, a great number of people are struggling with shyness. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ● Act confidently.

    Confidence comes through action, learning, practice, and mastery. Remember when you learned how to ride a bike? It was terrifying at first, but after you just went for it and tried it, you got it, and felt confident. Social confidence works the same way. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Remove avoidance and you will overcome your anxiety.

    ● Engage yourself

    This means participating in small talk in the checkout line and talking to strangers at bars, stores, sporting events, and the gym. Additionally, approach the individuals by whom you are attracted romantically. Talk to them. Ask them to dance. Ask them out on dates.

    Life is short. Who cares if you get rejected? There are seven billion people on this planet. You're not expected to like or be liked by all of them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ●{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Join a club, a sports team or an outdoor activity. Pick up a new project or learn a new skill. Do something to get out of your comfort zone. Part of overcoming shyness is about developing confidence in several areas of your life and not letting anxiety, fear of failure, fear of rejection, or fear of humiliation get in your way. By practicing new activities, you are confronting your fear of the unknown and learning to handle that anxiety more effectively.

    ● Talk it out.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Be more talkative and expressive in all areas of your life. Whether you're at work, with friends, with strangers, or walking down the street, you can practice talking more openly. Let your voice and your ideas be heard.

A. Get out more often.

B. Try new things.

C. Shyness can be a characteristic of people who have low self-esteem.

D. Fortunately, there are some effective strategies to overcome shyness.

E. Start practicing giving speeches and telling stories at every opportunity.

F. Take some chances and put yourself out there to meet new people.

G. Feeling anxious is not the problem; avoiding social interactions is the problem.

Painting

    The art of creating pictures using colors, shapes and lines is called painting. Museums and galleries show the paintings of professional (专业的) artists. But painting is also a popular form of entertainment and creative expression.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Experienced painters usually use a brush to apply oil paints to a canvas cloth surface. Young painters usually use watercolors on pieces of paper. Very young children may use finger paints to create paintings.

    Painters can use their art to express devotion to a religion, to tell a story, to express feelings and ideas, or simply to present a pleasing picture. Religious paintings often show a god or a scene from a sacred text (圣典). Other common subjects have been famous legends and events in history, as well as scenes from daily life. Artists also paint portraits (画像), or pictures of people.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} All of these types of paintings show the human figure in some way.

    Some kinds of paintings do not focus on people. In landscape (风景) painting the focus is on scenes from nature. Artists also paint still objects such as fruits and vegetables.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some artists communicate their ideas through pictures that do not represent any object.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Paintings dating back 15,000 years have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Samples of painted pottery (陶器) from at least 5,000 years ago have been found in China and Iran. The ancient Egyptians decorated their temples with beautiful paintings. People in ancient Greece painted decorative objects such as vases in addition to the walls of temples.

A. These works are called still-life paintings.

B. These works can communicate a special feeling.

C. Humans have been making paintings for thousands of years.

D. People of all ages create pictures using a variety of materials.

E. Cave paintings generally show animals that early humans hunted.

F. The design of a painting is the plan of its lines, shapes and colors.

G. Sometimes artists make portraits of themselves, which are called self-portraits.