【推荐1】If you want to become a fluent English speaker you should take some advice. There are four skills in learning English. They are reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The most important thing you must remember is that if you want to improve your speaking and writing skills, you should first master the skills of reading and listening.

Read as much as you can. But your reading must be active. It means that you must think about the meaning of the sentence, the meaning of the unfamiliar words, etc. There is no need for you to pay much attention to grammars or try to understand all the unfamiliar words you come across, but the fact that you see them for the first time and recognize them whenever you see them, for example, in other passages or books, is enough. It would be better to prepare yourself a notebook so you can write down the important words or sentences in it.

As for listening, there are two choices: besides reading, you can listen every day for about 30 minutes. You can only pay attention to your reading and become skillful at your reading, then you can catch up on your listening. Since you have lots of inputs in your mind, you can easily guess what the speaker is going to say. This never means that you should not practice listening. For listening you can listen to cartoons or some movies that are specially made for children. Their languages are easy. Or if you are good at listening you can listen to VOA or BBC programs every day. Again the thing to remember is being active in listening and preferably taking some notes.

If you follow these pieces of advice, your speaking and writing will improve quickly, and you can be a fluent English speaker one day.

【推荐2】The human brain remembers negative experiences more easily than positive ones. Our brains have developed in this way because threats, like dangerous animal, have a more immediate effect on people's survival compared to positive things like food or shelter. As a result, you clearly know what makes you unhappy, but do you know what makes you happy?

Research suggests that our level of happiness is partly shaped by the choices we make. If you've been chasing wealth, fame, power and some material things, you may be looking for happiness in the wrong places. Psychologists suggest that the following habits can make people happier.

People who own close relationships tend to be happier than those who do not. The number of our friends is not important. What matters is the quality of our relationships. Relationships that bring happiness usually consist of the sharing of feelings, acceptance, mutual respect and trust.

People who exercise regularly can improve both their physical and mental well-being. Some research has shown that exercise can be as effective as some medicine in treating depression.

If we are so interested in an activity, we may lose track of time, and we can be in a state of flow. The activity could be playing the piano, surfing the Internet or playing a game. People who experience flow in their work or life tend to be happier.

People are more likely to be happy if they know what their strengths are and can use them regularly. People are especially happy when they can set goals and use their strengths to achieve them.

People, who think positively by being grateful, mindful and optimistic, are more likely to be happy. Being grateful means being thankful. Being mindful means considering, focusing on, and enjoying the experiences of the present moment. Being optimistic means being hopeful about the future.

【推荐3】When you return to work after a long break, you may feel nervous. When you get back to work the next morning, your heart may be racing. In fact, you are not alone. About 40 million people are struggling with anxiety in the United States, and work is the main stressor. A major cause is that people don't take long breaks when they really need them. The problem can be solved in the following ways, though.

First, recognize your feelings and know that there is nothing wrong with them. The biggest misunderstanding is that anxiety is bad. Everyone has different symptoms(症状), and there are some key signs that you're experiencing anxiety about returning to work. They include feelings of fear, lack of concentration and an increased heart rate when approaching(靠近)the workplace. That doesn't mean you should try to hit back these feelings. By changing your opinion of anxiety, you can change your reaction. You might even smile, laugh, and remember that you know it like an old friend. Anxiety can be released(释放)and can even be a friend.

Adjust(调整)your vacation schedule before returning to work. It helps relax last-minute panic. Putting yoga into your daily activities can also be helpful. Yoga has been shown to reduce anxiety. The night before you start work, adjust your evening schedule so you can rest well. Reading some poems and having a meaningful conversation are good choices, too. Keeping a diary can also help you prepare for the day ahead.

If you are aware of your emotions, adjust your vacation plans and do something to calm yourself the night before, but still feel stressed when you get back to the office, take a simple breathing exercise. It can help relieve your anxiety.

【推荐1】An old man lives with his little grandson. Every day the old man gets up early to read books.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I want to read books as you do. But I always forget what I read. What are the advantages of reading?”

The grandfather didn’t answer him, but said, “Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said, but all the water leaked out before he got back home. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to walk faster next time.”

The next time the boy ran faster, but the basket was still empty before he returned home. The boy said, “See, Grandpa, it’s no use!”

“Is it no use?” the old man said. “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different. It was cleaner, inside and out.

“That’s what happens when you read books. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read them, you will be changed, inside and out.”

【推荐2】For many of us, there's nothing better than burying our head in a good book. Whether it's a gripping crime story or a biography of someone’s amazing life, it's good to read a book to switch off from the distractions of everyday life and help us relax. Maybe that's why some of them are actually being prescribed as a remedy（治疗）to sickness.

It may seem obvious that reading is good for us. It can be educational, and, as some say, it can broaden the mind”. A good novel can make us happy or sad, or make us cry as we empathies with characters. The power of books was recognised a few years ago by the British charity Reading Agency, who published a list of books that doctors could offer to patients, tackling topics from depression to dementia（痴呆）to chronic pain. It called this bibliotherapy（阅读疗法）and it's become so successful that it's about to be extended to children as well.

Professor Philip Davis studies the effects of literature at Liverpool University and is author of a book called Reading for Life. He studies people in reading groups and found that it's reading literature--written work thought to have artistic merit that has the best effect.

Of course, it's easy in our smartphone generation to ditch a good book and fiddle with our phones instead. But opening up a paperback could be a simple way to help boost or maintain our mental health. It's thought they can help you set targets and find focus. And they may allow you to see that awkward situation you've been anxious about for weeks from someone else's perspective.

If you' re not an avid reader（书迷）it can be hard to know where to begin. If the Reading Agency book list doesn't appeal, you could read book reviews, visit a library or bookshop or ask a friend. Once you've found the right text, you 'll be hooked!

【推荐3】The Wonderful Things You Will Be

By Winfield Martin             $14.96

4.9 out of 5 stars             Age Range: 3—7 years

With beautiful and sometimes humorous pictures, this is a book grown-ups will love reading over and over to kids—both young and old. A special stand-out for birthdays and graduation. It has a loving and truthful message that will last for a lifetime.

Peek-a WHO

By Nina Laden             $4.06

4.8 out of 5 stars             Age Range: 1—3 years

With colourful pictures and simple rhyming texts, the guess of who's hiding on the next page, and the bright and attractive pictures will keep children guessing and laughing all the way to the surprise endings.

How to Draw People

By Barbara Soloff Levy             $3.56

4.6 out of 5 stars             Age Range: 5—10 years

By joining circles and other common shapes, even the beginner can easily create 30 different characters—a fireman, a mailman, a cowboy, an astronaut and more. Simple directions, step-by-step illustrations(图解), and blank practice pages make it even easier. You can color the pictures when you are done—it’s a fun-filled way to teach art to young children that enjoy drawing.

Karian Garcia's DIY

By Karina Garcia             $5.78

4.2 out of 5 stars             Age Range: 10-14 years

Get ready to become a slime(黏液) master with these feen DIY projects! Full-color and with step-by-step pictures, this book also includes tips on how to store your slime, all the amazing things you can do with slime, and cool fact about Karina.