【推荐1】Tips for Learning New Technology

We live in a very exciting time. However, with such a wealth of resources, the options of learning new technology can be very difficult.     1    .

What to learn

The first step, when picking up a new skill, is to determine what to learn.     2    . It's important to have this strong inclination, as it will provide you with the necessary fuel. Once you decide what to learn, reviewing what others have done will give you confidence that you, too, can do it!

    3    

As you explore deeper into the pool of knowledge, you will want to add other forms of in-formation. I encourage you to browse through iTunes U.     4    . You can listen to and watch what you are learning. This is particularly helpful for those who prefer an academic setting. Besides, there are a handful of websites that offer online education these days.

Time for action

    5    . Okay, you've read countless tutorials, watched videos, and have a better understanding of the technology that you've been hoping to learn. What now? Well, it's time to put your knowledge to the test. Eventually, the best way to learn is by doing. Pick a personal project that you can build using this new technology.

A．Learn to share

B．Listen and watch

C．The best way to learn is by doing

D．I suggest you keep away from your phones

E．This could be anything you are interested in

F．It offers complete classes on a variety of topics

G．The following tips can help you start your learning

【推荐2】Living comfortably requires more than just money. Things like jobs and family undoubtedly also play a part in how we handle the world around us, as well as how much we enjoy it. Here are some tips on living our best lives:

    1    

Change is hard. It's also unavoidable. Being able to adapt yourself to difficult situations ensures that you respond to different situations with the most productive behaviors, leaving you more satisfied with the results.

●Consider your purpose

Put simply, living comfortably means being happy. And part of happiness is believing you have a purpose, a reason to exist.     2     Make a commitment to do everything in your power to achieve it. Faith, family, career, politics, social justice: it can be anything that brings meaning to your life and provides a reason for you to wake up each morning with renewed interest in living it.

●Stick to a budget

Of course, to live comfortably, you do have to live within your means. While you don't necessarily need a lot of money, you do need to have enough to provide a way to protect and support yourself. Therefore, manage your money wisely.     3    .

●Be creative

Whether it's your home, your wardrobe, your work or some other area of your life, seek out ways to be creative. Research shows that creativity contributes to improved well-being, renewing energy and lowering stress for people who take the time to experience, work together and create.     4    . Anything that makes use of the imagination is a tool for growth.

●Cultivate relationships

Find people who provide comfort and encouragement and who love you in spite of your faults.     5    . According to lots of research,   friendships enrich your life,   reducing the risk of many health problems and improving your level of contentment so that you truly can live comfortably!

A．Slow down

B．Be flexible

C．Creativity isn't limited to physical art

D．Offer the same to them in return

E．Think about what you want out of life

F．Try to live your life with a healthy body and mind

G．Only in that way can you make sure that you always have enough to survive

【推荐3】How to Be a Better Listener

When you are in a conversation with someone and paying attention to what they’re saying, that’s a sign of care and respect. So it’s important for everyone to learn how to be a better listener.     1    .

Be an active listener

A good listener is attentive. They’re focused and paying attention to what the other person is saying. This is called active listening.     2    . You can assume that if someone keeps looking at their watch or over their shoulder, their focus isn’t on the conversation.

    3    

When someone is talking, they are usually saying something they consider to be meaningful. They want all eyes on them. Eye contact is very powerful. It can convey much information without anything being said. So make it a point the next time you’re in a conversation to maintain eye contact with the speaker.

Ask questions

Asking questions is one of the best ways to show you’re interested. If someone is telling you about their ski trip to Mammoth Mountain, don’t respond with, “That’s nice.” This would show a lack of interest. Instead, you can ask, “How long have you been skiing?” “What was your favorite part of the trip?”     4    .

Avoid interrupting the speaker

Interrupting is a sign of disrespect.     5    . Interrupting a speaker to agree, disagree, argue, etc. also causes the speaker to lose track of what they are saying. Whatever you have to say, wait until the other person finishes his talk.

A．Maintain eye contact

B．Encourage the speaker to continue

C．Active listening involves listening with all your senses

D．When this happens, you take a moment to listen closely

E．Here are some simple things you can do to make that happen

F．When you interrupt the speaker, they feel frustrated and unimportant

G．The person will think more highly of you and consider you a great listener

【推荐1】Some travelers are itching to escape the season’s bitter weather. If you want to find the locale that best suits your winter vacation, use these ideas to start planning your getaway.

Honolulu - Oahu

As temperatures begin to drop in other parts of the world, Hawaii’s capital city remains comfortable thanks to average highs in the low to 80 degrees. Visit Chinatown for festive Chinese New Year celebrations, or marvel at the Honolulu City Lights, a month-long Christmas display at Honolulu’s city hall. Keep in mind that winter is the island’s high season, so make your reservations early and expect to share the sand with lots of other sun-seeking travelers.

Sydney

Sydney’s summer begins in December and lasts through February, making this a popular destination for tourists escaping the Northern Hemisphere’s chilly winter weather. Average daytime temperatures hover between the mid-70s and low 80s. This time of year also features a packed events calendar, with can’t-miss sporting events and celebrations like the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix and Sydney’s famed New Year’s Eve fireworks display. Remember to book your tickets early, as this can be a pricey and popular time to visit Australia.

Galápagos Islands

Winter in the Galápagos Islands is marked by warm weather and ample opportunities to view wildlife, snorkel and scuba dive. Although this is technically the wet season, the sun shines most days and rain showers are brief. Plan on visiting in December to see newly hatched giant tortoises and male marine lizards displaying vivid colors. For a bit more action, arrive in February to celebrate Carnival on Santa Cruz Island. To read more, click here.

1. What do Oahu and Galapagos Islands have in common?

A．International sports events.	B．Warm sunshine.
C．Diverse wildlife.	D．Festive city lights.

2. What should you do if you want to see a spectacular display of New Year’s Eve fireworks?

A．Book your tickets early to Australia.	B．Arrive in Galápagos Islands by February.
C．Visit Chinatown in the city of Honolulu.	D．Make your reservations early to Hawaii.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．An entertainment magazine.	B．A tourist brochure.
C．A travel agency website.	D．A pre-travel checklist.

【推荐2】The tourist trade is booming. With all this coming and going, you’d expect greater understanding to develop between the nations of the world. Not a bit of it! Superb systems of communication by air, sea and land make it possible for us to visit each other’s countries at a moderate cost. What was once the “grand tour”, reserved for only the very rich, is now within everybody’s grasp. Modern travellers enjoy a level of comfort which the lords and ladies on grand tours in the old days couldn’t have dreamed of. But what’s the sense of this mass exchange of populations if the nations of the world remain basically ignorant of each other?

Many tourist organizations are directly responsible for this state of affairs. They set out to protect their clients from too much contact with the local population. The modern tourist lives at international hotels, where he eats his international food and sips his international drink while he gazes at the natives from a distance. Guided tours to places of interest are carefully monitored. The tourist is allowed to see only what the organizers want him to see and no more. A strict schedule makes it impossible for the tourist to wander off on his own; and anyway, language is always a barrier, so he is only too happy to be protected in this way.

The sad thing about this situation is that it leads to the persistence of national stereotypes. We don’t see the people of other nations as they really are, but as we have been brought up to believe they are. You can test this for yourself. Take five nationalities, say, French, German, English, American and Italian. Now in your mind, match them with these five adjectives: musical, amorous, cold, pedantic, native. Far from providing us with any insight into the national characteristics of the peoples just mentioned, these adjectives actually act as barriers. So when you set out on your travels, the only characteristics you notice are those which confirm your previous thoughts. You come away with the highly unoriginal and inaccurate impression that, say, “Anglo-Saxons are hypocrites (伪君子)” or that “Latin peoples shout a lot”. You only have to make a few foreign friends to understand how ridiculous and harmful national stereotypes are. But how can you make foreign friends when the tourist trade does its best to prevent you?

Carried to an extreme, stereotypes can be positively dangerous. They blind us to the basic fact that all people are human. We are all similar to each other and at the same time all unique.

1. The grand tour ________.

A．is only reserved for the very rich

B．was arranged at a moderate cost

C．means the mass exchange of populations across countries

D．is easily accessible in the modern world

2. According to the author, through guided tours, travellers ________.

A．see the people of other nations as they really are

B．get a deeper insight into the national characteristics of the foreign people

C．confirm their original opinion of the nation and its people

D．get a taste of the international food and culture despite the language barrier

3. What is the author’s attitude towards modern tourism?

A．Objective.

B．Negative.

C．Positive.

D．Enthusiastic.

4. The main idea of this passage is that ________.

A．tourism contributes little to increasing understanding between nations

B．tourism provides grand tours inaccessible to people of the old days

C．national stereotypes prevent us from understanding foreign cultures

D．the booming of tourism has its advantages and disadvantages