【推荐1】5 Ways to improve your outdoor photography

If you’re thinking about entering a photo competition, here are five ways to help inspire the best outdoor photos.

Resist the urge to just point and click—    1     and you will see the rewards in your photos. You will get far better photos if you can predict what the animal you are filming is likely to do next. Also, try to shoot from the perspective of the animal you are filming. This often means getting down low.

Going in close can bring some fascinating rewards in nature photography. Zooming into frost-laden plants, picking up dew drops(露珠) on a spider’s web, or capturing insects larger than life can help show the beauty we might miss in everyday life.

    3     There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to timing. When you’ve found your ideal outdoor location, why not try capturing it during a golden hour sunset, or even in blue hour and see what happens?

Once you’ve found a location, think about where to place your main subject in the picture, what angle to shoot from, and the details you want to capture.     4    

Although the delete button can be your best friend,     5     Keeping the camera stable is key, whether that’s through a solid, firm stance as you stand ready to shoot or using a tripod(三脚架). A self-timer can also be a handy tool for keeping your hands away from dials and settings once you have chosen your shot.

【推荐2】According to Jessica Hagy, author of How to Be Interesting, it’s not difficult to make yourself interesting at a dinner party.

    1    , if you’re out of your comfort zone or if you’re wandering into somebody’s house for the first time. So the main thing is just to show up and be adventurous, trying different foods and talking to strangers.

People love to talk about themselves. If you can start the conversation with a question other than “What do you do for a living?”, you’ll be able to get a lot more interesting conversation out of whomever it is you’re talking to.     2    , it can bring in “I have this old, broken-down vehicle” or “I rode the bus with these crazy people who were laughing at silly jokes in the back.” It just opens up conversation.

    3    ? If you can’t take their wine away, you should certainly try to take away their soapbox (讲台). If you’re the host, you can ask them to help you in the kitchen with something and just remove them from the situation.    4    .

And what about that other dinner-party killer: awkward silence? If you’re faced with an awkward silence at a dinner party, the only thing that always gets everyone talking again is to give the host a compliment (赞扬).     5    . Just quickly turn around and say, “This cake is extremely delicious and you have to tell me all about it.”

So being interesting at a dinner party isn’t that hard.

【推荐3】For some, bad grades and failed exams in college are unavoidable. No matter how hard you study, there may be something during college you fail to understand. College students, especially those who are particularly ambitious, can have a hard time accepting failure, low grades or failed courses.     1     This should not be taken lightly. Therefore, it becomes crucial to help them accept failure and move on.

The first step you should take after receiving a bad grade or failing an exam is to come to terms with what means for your education and career.     2     They are just a part of the numerous ups and downs of the college experience. So the best thing you can do is to accept these situations, and move on from them.

    3     College students tend to be under an immense amount of pressure. and set unrealistic goals for themselves. Because of this, when one gets a bad grade or fails an exam, it makes them discouraged because they were expecting unattainable results.     4    

One of the most important steps you can take after failure is to identify the events that led to such an outcome. It is essential to recognize and evaluate your own mistakes before jumping to conclusions.     5     If you received a bad grade, ask your professor to explain the reasoning, as this will help you address the areas that need improvement. Once you receive the necessary feedback, you now have to work on improving your academic performance.

Next time you are faced with bad grades and failed exams, make sure to follow these steps. Learn to accept the negative outcome, identify weaknesses and set appropriate goals to ensure better outcomes in the future

【推荐2】Bad things sometimes happen to you at school or with a friend. Then who would you like to talk to?     1     You may have a lot of helpful friends in your life. However, you will always have family there for you. Through good and bad times, your family always supports and loves you.

    2     David R. Wommack, a famous expert, thinks family is the tie that links us all so closely together and builds our characters, shared goals, respect and values. You just learn values like love, trust and tradition from your family.

Family is an important part of your everyday life. You can be yourself in front of your family members every day and they will accept you for who you are.     3     Even through difficult times, they will bring happiness into your life. Family is a tie that will last forever.

What are the ways that you can strengthen your family tie? You can make a family fun night each week.     4     This time together will strengthen your relationship for years to come. With a strong family tie, you can always turn to them for help and comfort.

Your family is a team. Do you remember when your family tried to help you deal with a challenge? Are there moments when your family tried to get you out of sadness?     5     You can try family dinners to improve your family tie.