【推荐1】Being able to communicate effectively (有效地) is perhaps the most important of all life skills. It is what helps us to pass information to other people, and to understand what is said to us. You only have to watch a baby listening to his mother and trying to repeat the sounds that she makes to understand how important the communicating is.

Communication, at its simplest, is the act of transferring information from one place to another. It may be vocal(using voice), written(using printed or digital media such as books, magazines, websites or emails), visual(using logos or maps) or non-verbal(using body language or gestures). In fact, it is often a combination (结合体) of several of these.

Communication skills may take a lifetime to learn. There are, however, many things that you can do easily to improve your communication skills and make sure that you are able to give and receive information effectively.

Good communication skills can improve the way that you deal with your life, smoothing your way in your relationships with others. Poor communication skills, on the other hand, can break relationships from business to personal, and make your life harder.

Some people seem to understand how to communicate without even trying. They are able to change their language, tone and message to their listeners, and get their point across quickly. They are also able to pick up the messages sent to them rapidly, understanding both what is said, and what has not been said.

【推荐2】①Small talk refers to an informal (非正式的), polite conversation that often focuses on unimportant topics. Small talk topics are good conversation starters between people who don’t know each other well. You should know what things to talk about and what to avoid.

②If you are looking for some good conversation starters, here are a few topics to consider.

③The weather is a good topic that everyone can discuss. Practice making small talk about the weather the next time you find yourself in the middle of a silence. It may open up other topics.

④People like to talk about their hobbies and are likely to be interested in yours. If you don’t have any hobbies, consider trying something new. Not only will you have something to talk about, but having a hobby will give you a chance to meet others with similar interests.

⑤People like to hear about vacations. If you travel, be ready to answer questions and give your opinions about the places you have visited. Ask others about their favorite spots and what they recommend. Many people like to help others and will be happy to share their experiences.

⑥Once you know a few good conversation starters, it’s also helpful to recognize what type of small talk topics you’re better off avoiding.

⑦The problem with talking about politics is that you never know who in the crowd may have strong opinions. Stay away from this topic if you don’t want to risk ending up in the middle of a heated conversation.

⑧Death is a heavy topic that should be avoided during small talk. When you are in the company of strangers, do not bring up emotional (情感的) topics.

⑨In addition, avoid questions related to appearance. Do not ask anyone if they have lost weight. You never know the reason for weight gain or loss and, as a result, you could be left in an uncomfortable situation.

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【推荐1】Sea turtles (海龟) live in the sea most of the time. The beaches in Florida are home to sea turtles. Female sea turtles come here from the ocean to lay eggs. Then they return to the ocean. However, the number of some of these turtle species is falling. They are in danger. So people in Florida work together as a community to protect them.

Some volunteers take direct action to help the turtles. They look closely at the sand to find out where the sea turtles lay their eggs. Then they help bury (埋藏) the eggs in order to save them from being destroyed. They also help people who are studying sea turtles.

Florida’s government has passed laws to save the turtles. One of these laws is “Florida’s Marine Turtle Protection Act”. This law prevents anyone from destroying sea turtles nests or eggs. It helps protect the turtles from dying out.

People also work together to save the turtles through organizations (组织) like the Sea Turtle Conservancy. For example, the bright light from buildings near the beach can influence sea turtles. The baby turtles may get lost. Many of them do not make it to the ocean and die. The Sea Turtle Conservancy works with house owners to make the lighting in their buildings sea turtle-friendly. They also advise people to turn off their lights at night if they live close to a beach.

In a word, everyone can do their part to protect sea turtles and their living places. People in Florida can work as volunteers to clean up the beaches and pick up their own litter. Everyone in the community has the power to make a difference!

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【推荐2】It’s reported that exports (出口) of luosifen, a dish known for its strong smell in the southern city of Liuzhou, Guangxi, have seen great growth in the first half of this year.

Around ¥7.5 million worth of luosifen was exported from Liuzhou from January to June this year, eight times the total export value in 2019. Besides the traditional export markets like the United States, Australia and Germany, shipments of the food were also sent to new markets including Singapore and New Zealand.

Mixing the traditional cuisine (烹饪风格) of the Han people with that of the Miao and Dong ethnic groups, luosifen is a dish of rice noodles boiled with pickled (腌泡过的) bamboo shoots dried turnip, fresh vegetables and peanuts in the river snail soup. It gives out a strong smell after being boiled.

Listed as an intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) of Guangxi in 2008, the dish played an important role in the food documentary A Bite of China in 2012. Its special taste has won the hearts of food lovers, and it became one of the best-selling ready-to-serve foods during the COVID-19 epidemic in China.

To make it popular among foreign people, local producers have made some changes to luosifen. “Luosifen is traditionally made from river snail soup, but we have developed a new product that uses the beef bone soup which has the same taste. It is very well received,” said Liu Qingshi, chairman of Liuzhou Luozhuangyuan Food CoLtd., a major luosifen producer.