1 . How to Organize a Music Festival

You love music and you always have. You want to carry out a music festival designed to attract music fans of all ages. Follow the steps and you’ll organize a successful one.

◆Start by making a list of the local bands and artists that you like. You’ve taken this job because you love music, so put your taste to work for you. If you like these musicians, many of the local people will also like them.     1    . You need to have many kinds of music for all age groups.

◆Find a great location that has much open space for outdoor festivals. You need to build a stage so the musicians can be seen from distances.     2    . Not all towns need such license but it is a good idea to check before you start building. For an indoor location, you need to find a theater that is willing to give you enough space.     3    .

◆Hire sound engineers to give the musicians all the help they need.     4    . You can’t expect the musicians to handle these problems because they are playing. Your sound and engineering experts will allow your stars to keep the music playing.

◆    5    . If you are planning your festival for families, the last thing you want is a beer-swilling crowd starting a huge fight. Security people need to be present to make sure that nobody gets the idea that they want to start any kind of ruckus (骚乱).

2 . We’re lucky to live in an age when the sum total of human knowledge is pretty available at the click of a button. We’ ve never had access to so much information.     1    . So here are a few strategies to sharpen your critical thinking.

Watch out for confirmation prejudice(偏见).     2    . In repeated experiments, psychologists have shown we’re much more likely to accept something as evidence if it confirms what we already think we know. And we’re much more likely to ignore information if it is not in line with our views, which will affect our ability to process information.

Acknowledge small differences. In life, most situations are varying and complicated. Admitting that can enrich the way that we view the world. For example, what colour is the sky? Well, the obvious answer is blue. But at sunrise or sunset, it can be red. On a cold misty morning, white or gray.     3    .

Practise intellectual humility (谦逊). One approach to, well, arguing, is to let go of the idea of being “right”. Or at least seriously consider that you might actually be wrong.     4    . Really try to understand where the other person is coming from. Arguing is just to waste somebody’s time.

    5    . It’s more important than ever to know where your information is coming from. That science-looking paragraphs might look very convincing until you dig a little deeper and find it was just posted by someone having no qualifications. That is the case we should not overlook.

Engaging in critical thinking isn’t as fun as picking up a pitchfork, or feeling like you’re fundamentally right. But in the long run, it leads to a more curious, educated and harmonious society, which is the biggest win of all.

4 . Love your parents

Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling （满意的）part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents.

    1     A gentle "good morning" and "I love you" will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world. Without your parents, you might sill wander at an unknown corner in an unknown world.

Respect them more and cherish（珍惜）these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, journal about your feelings, or talk to a friend.     2    

Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes.     3     Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents?

Keep company with them. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them.       4     Listen to their old stories and learn from them. You will find they are your teachers in this way or another.

Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. .    5     Look for help if you are being abused violently. Parents do not have a right to harm you.

5 . I experienced years of loneliness as a child.     1     His friends teased him about babysitting his sister and his interests were far different from mine. With no other kids of my age in the neighborhood, I had to spend hours by myself.

A bright spot for me turned out to be reading. My love of the written word began early as my mother read to me every evening.     2     I started reading books on my own before age 5 and my mother took me to the public library once a week to borrow several books. I quickly graduated from typical children’s books to ones with fewer pictures and longer chapters. Reading opened new worlds to me.     3    

My mother also encouraged me to make what I wanted. I tried making toy cars with cardboard boxes and constructing buildings from leftover cardboard and bits of wood my father gave me. When my mother saw my creations, she told me how creative my designs were.     4     I learned a lot about how to extend the life of objects and transform them into something new and useful. It was a trait(特点) others found helpful, and I soon had friends who wanted to make things with me.

    5    My parents made it a point for their two kids to spend time outside, no matter the weather or season. My brother, of course, raced off to be with his friends, while I had plenty to do myself. There was making leaf houses in autumn, ice skating in winter, and so much more. They’re all memories I treasure today.

6 . What I learned watching dentist at work

I would like to be a dentist in the future.     1     The patient, tender dentist comforted me, a 7-year-old girl at the time, and persuaded me to stop crying and to accept my treatment.

    2     Recently, our teacher gave us the homework of experiencing a kind of job on the weekend. I chose without hesitation to live a day as a dentist at my friend’s older brother’s workplace.

I got to Dr Tan’s clinic at 7:45 am, 15 minutes before office hours began on Saturday. Dr Tan, who has been a dentist for five years, sat in his consulting room with a mask on his face and waited for his patients. I didn’t really understand his diagnoses or treatments, but I could see that Dr Tan was a responsible doctor. He explained conditions and therapies (治疗方案) to patients at length to remove their doubts. He paused operations to let patients rest if the treatment was taking too much time.     3     Dr Tan worked for almost the whole morning without a break. He only made a phone call to his wife to remind her to have an antenatal (产前) examination. Yes, he will be a father in five months, but he still cannot keep his wife company at the weekend.     4       They try to ease others’ pain anytime and anywhere, despite the cost to their own time and life.

As the last patient said goodbye to Dr Tan in the afternoon, my visit came to an end. I now feel that I understand more about doctors.     5    

7 . How to Make Good Conversation

“Conversation is the most sociable of all human activities.” I totally agree with this point. Conversation is the main part of everyone’s daily life.     1     What’s more, good conversation is the most interesting part for us. In my view, you should pay attention to the following three issues to make good conversation.

To start good conversation, we'd better prepare some questions.     2     We can ask some questions to show our politeness and care for others. Like, do you have a good sleep last night? Or what do you do in your spare time? Think twice before you throw a question to others.

    3     We should pay attention to what others said and think in their shoes. Allow the others to do most of the talking. Be patient and hold interest for their comments and make some noise to show you are listening carefully.     4     In this way you will get the credit for being a good conversationalist as well as a good listener and it will help you to make friends with others.

We always said eyes are the windows to the soul. Appropriate eye contact is like a great element of the main dish which makes it more delicious.     5     It will help us to improve mutual (相互的) understanding. Do not hesitate to look into them. But don't stare at them and don't look at them for too long a time. It would make others feel uneasy and unwilling to go on talking.

8 .     1     While these compulsive(无法控制的) actions may appear to be irrational or pointless, and may even result in negative consequences, the individual experiencing the compulsion feels unable to stop him or herself.

The compulsive behavior can be a physical act, like hand washing, or a mental activity, like counting objects. When an otherwise harmless behavior becomes so consuming that it negatively impacts oneself or others, it may be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)(强迫症).

    2    The former is an overwhelming desire to do something, while an addiction is a physical or chemical dependence on a substance or behavior. People with addictions will continue their addictive behavior, even when they understand that doing so is harmful to themselves and others.     3    

Unlike compulsions and addictions, which are acted out uncontrollably, habits are actions that are repeated regularly and automatically.

Habits typically develop over time through a natural process called “habituation,” during which repetitive actions that must be consciously initiated eventually become subconscious and are carried out habitually.

While there are good habits and bad, unhealthy habits, any habit can become a compulsion or even an addiction.     4     For example, the good habit of exercising regularly can become an unhealthy compulsion or addiction when done to excess.

Common habits often develop into addictions when they result in a chemical dependency, as in the cases of smoking. The habit of having a glass of beer with dinner, for example, becomes an addiction when the desire to drink turns into a physical or emotional need to drink.

    5    While we can choose to add good, healthy habits to our routines, we can also choose to break old harmful habits.

9 . Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. But how about for your sleep?     1     Let's learn more about the relationship between exercise and sleep.

How does exercise influence sleep?

People who exercise regularly get better sleep than those who don't.     2    That may lead to a decrease in body temperature at night, allowing people to experience deeper sleep.    3    

For most people, the time when they take exercise doesn't matter. For too much exercise, the late afternoon might be the best. For ongoing training, morning might be preferable. Taking exercise at night, you should gently do stretching （拉伸）after that. This will let your body know it is time to calm down.

Which type of exercise is best for sleep?

The best type of exercise is the one you enjoy enough to stick with and you should make it a regular part of your routine.     4    

How much exercise do you need for better sleep?

    5    However, it's wise to work out about 150 minutes every week, or about 30 minutes each day, five days a week. Little things you do all day long can add up. From taking the stairs to walking instead of driving. Try to spend fewer minutes sitting during the day.

10 . I like my job. It may be my nature that draws me to this kind of job. I work at Izzy's Pizza Bar.

One day an elderly couple came in just after 3p. m. The first thing they said was, **Where is Nan?" Nan is my mother. She was not in that day. It was her day off.

    1     , since they liked to talk with my mom. But when I explained I was her daughter, they were thrilled to meet me. We enjoyed our conversation, comparable to a girl speaking with her grandparents. They are the type of people who understand me and have a positive attitude towards my job.

Later that night, I waited on two men. It took some effort to get them to be friendly. I explained I was waitressing over the summer to make some extra cash for school.     2    , since she was also my coworker. They said they were very surprised at the idea of me and my mother waiting on people at the same restaurant. The two men were quite different.     3    .

Once all the customers had finished eating, I began my closing duties, using the time to reflect on my day, or rather, life. I rushed around getting everything done, thinking about those two men.

    4    . We should treat people with respect, regardless of their occupation. I could have let those two men make me feel ashamed, but I didn't.     5    . I will always have pride in the person I was, am, and aim to be.