【推荐1】Anytime you have more than two lines to choose from, chances are you will not pick the fastest one. What to do? Plan ahead.

On hold: Sick of hearing “For English, stay on the line”? Visit gethuman.com, a crowdsourced database that tells you the quickest way to beat the phone tree for more than 10,000 companies.

At the DMV: Start online, where most states allow you to take care of basic services remotely or at least schedule an appointment. Avoid visits at the end of the month, when most driver’s licenses expire (到期), and go before noon in the middle of the week.

At Disneyland: Arrive at least 30 minutes before the park opens, and start with the most popular rides; every minute you show up after the doors open becomes two extra minutes in line.

At the grocery store: Favor store that use a “serpentine line”—that is, a single long line that flows into several cash registers (e.g., the line at your local bank). Many Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods stores use this system, proved to be at least three times faster.

At airport security: Wait times tend to double every Friday afternoon from four to eight, but if you are a frequent traveler who cannot avoid rush hour, consider investing $100 in Global Entry. This U.S. Customs and Border Protection service makes you eligible for the TSA PreCheck line and allows you to skip the customs desk during international travel. Visitcbp.gov to apply.

1. Which of the following pictures best explains a “serpentine line”?

A．	B．
C．	D．

2. What advice does the writer give?

A．Get to the Disneyland well before the opening time.

B．Avoiding going through airport security from 4 p.m.

C．Going to the DMV as soon as your driver’s license expires.

D．Visiting gethuman.com to get access to freephone service.

3. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．How to plan ahead for stopping	B．Where to find the fastest Website
C．Where to get the best service	D．How to avoid the slowest line

【推荐2】As is known to everyone, we all care about what others think of us and want to be liked,     1    However, there are also many smaller, simpler things you can do, which can affect how others view you.

※Prove you are paying attention.

To really show someone your interest in him or her, try bringing up a topic the person mentioned earlier. Did your co-worker talk about working with his son on a science fair project last week? Follow up and ask how it went.     2    In fact, sometimes it says more that you can recall and show interest in even the small happening in another person’s life.

※Handle criticism in a wise way.

While you want to be generous with your praise, be careful with your criticism. For example, if someone makes an error, don’t call that person out in front of a group.     3    Anyhow, be always gentle with criticism and only offer it when it's truly needed.

※Ask for advice.

Asking someone for advice is a great way to get people to like you. It shows that you respect the other individual's opinion.    4     When you make someone feel better about himself or herself, that person will most certainly end up liking you for it.

※    5    

Most people love to talk about themselves. If you are asking questions and getting people to talk about themselves, they ’ll leave the conversation thinking that you're the coolest.

A．Try to be confident and respectful.

B．Everyone likes to feel needed and important.

C．It doesn't have to be a big, life-changing event.

D．Ask other people about their lives and interests.

E．Always use an individual's name in a conversation.

F．You can discuss your own mistakes before digging into someone else's errors.

G．The basics of getting people to like you are obvious---be nice, considerate and polite.

【推荐3】Top Tips for Better Writing

There are many different types of writing, such as essays, letters and speeches. Whatever your reason is and whatever your style, there are some universal tips that will help you improve your writing:

Be clear about your purpose

The most basic question to ask yourself before you start is why you are writing. In an essay or assignment, your purpose is to convey information and draw conclusions. But if you are writing a business report, you may want to make recommendations(建议).     1    

Start with a plan

    2    The result is often disjointed writing with parts that don’t connect. Whatever you are writing, creating a clear plan is the first step to getting your message across quickly and in the most effective way.

Guide readers through what you write

Your task is to help readers understand your message quickly and precisely.    3    Each sentence, each paragraph should be relevant to what comes before and what comes after. You should use words and phrases that connect to show these connections.

    4    

Your aim in writing is to communicate ideas and information to other people, and you must keep that in mind with every word and sentence you write. Constantly ask yourself who you really write the information for.

Write for the ear, not for the eye

Once you’ve finished a draft of your speech, practice reading it out loud.     5    Revise so you are more comfortable giving your speech. You want to sound natural, no matter what the occasion is.

A．Write for readers, not yourself

B．Write for the aim, not for the words

C．It sounds robotic, and employers hate it.

D．Far too often people write without a plan.

E．You’ll hear anything that sounds awkward.

F．Whatever it is, keep your purpose in mind at all times to avoid going off topic.

G．To do this, it is necessary to show them clearly how the different parts relate to each other.

【推荐1】Getting people to smile is not difficult because most people like to smile. However, if someone is faced with loss or experiencing sadness, they might be less possible to smile.     1    

Praise someone to get them to smile.     2     Maybe their hair is styled in an attractive way, or their clothes look nice on them. These are the nice things you can say to probably get them to smile.

    3     If you have a family member, a friend or a co-worker that is faced with a life difficulty, pull him/her aside and tell him/her you understand what he/she is going through and that you are there for him/her if he/she needs you. Doing this could help the person feel more connected with those around him/her and this is certainly a reason to smile.

Learn to listen. Again, some people may be so troubled by something that it is hard for them to smile.     4     Often, when a person can speak out what’s going on in their lives, to someone who is truly listening, it can reduce some of their burden (负担). When their burden is reduced, they have more reasons to smile.

Make an unexpected phone call.     5     When the person knows someone cares about him/her, he/she can’t help but smile about that.

A．Let them know they are not alone.

B．They may just need someone to talk to.

C．So in such cases, how can we get people to smile?

D．Tell them everyone experiences hard times in life.

E．Perhaps the person you are talking to has nice eyes.

F．Usually, it could make an uneasy situation even worse.

G．It works especially well if you express your concern about them on the phone.

【推荐2】Earlier this year, I removed all Internet services from my home, which was very upsetting at first, but I have lived that way.     1    .

I was not content with the time I was wasting—    2    . If there is something I want to research on the Internet, I write it down and use that list when I have Internet access. Now I’m forced to leave the house to get the Internet. I’ll go to the office, the library, the coffee shop, or some other places with free public Wi-Fi, and work on what I need to do online.

Now the Internet is a tool I use to improve my life.     3    , but I go on the Internet with the intention of doing these things. Whenever I’m on the Internet now, I use it in a deliberate way, a way that benefits me and my life, and a way that adds value.

    4    . I could focus on writing without being disturbed. I have more time to read, to write, to think, to exercise and to walk. Because I’ m out of the house and there are people around. I meet new people. Additionally, I have more time for friends and I feel less stressed and my thoughts are clearer. My mind is more focused on important things.     5     Plus, I no longer long for the Internet like I once did.

It will be upsetting at first, but you will live, and your life will be better without it.

A．Here are some of my tips to use the Internet in a more productive way

B．Since I got rid of the Internet at home, I’ve found so many benefits

C．I don’t have a monthly Internet bill

D．I learnt to think independently

E．It ended up being the most productive and wisest decision I’ve ever made

F．I log on to   watch some videos or laugh at funny pictures

G．I felt I could do more purposeful things than spend it on the Internet

【推荐3】How to keep a journal

Keeping a journal can be a way of giving your feelings an outlet like no other.    1    But it can be helpful to read suggestions for making the most of your journal,as well as some ideas about getting one started.

Find a journal medium that's perfect for you.    2    Both methods have advantages and drawbacks,so you'll need to weigh up what works best for you.For example,a paper based journal can be taken anywhere,never needs electricity.However,typing can be faster and easier in the electronic format.

Decide what kind of journal you'd like to keep.You could simply use your journal to write down all the thoughts that come to you at any particular time,randomly,or you could make your journal more focused on a specific theme to draw out something that you're trying to develop more of in your life.    3    

Find sources of inspiration.It's often easiest to start with your current feelings.    4    There are no rules at all about journal writing and you may find that your starting points vary every time you begin a new entry.Sometimes it is easier to begin with a narrative about something that happened to you during the day.Writing down the facts and events can open up a whole stream of consciousness as you're writing.

    5    Think about what things have become clearer to you from one journal entry to the next,and think about what hopes and dreams once written in your journal have now turned into reality.Use your journal to assess your life's journey.

A．Write down your feelings on paper and see where this takes you next.

B．Reflect over what you've written now and then.

C．Keep in mind that a journal is not about using a fancy book.

D．Decide how you want to keep your journal,either on paper or in electronic form.

E．Journal writing is a personal journey,determined wholly by your own thoughts.

F．It's fun to glue in little things of your life,like pictures you took of a breathtaking sunset.

G．And there is nothing saying that you can't keep both a random and a specific journal at the same time!