1 . If you want to become a professional artist, this guide is a good place to start. We’re digging into how to become an artist so you can pursue a career with the craft you love.

Establish a routine to practice your skills

Learning how to become a better artist takes time and requires a lot of practice. The difference between amateur and professional artists is often the time spent on their craft. Professionals take their craft seriously.     1    

Seek advice from professionals

If you’re an amateur artist, it’s helpful to develop your skills by working with other professional, more established artists.    2     In fact, many artists get started in their industry as interns or assistants. Not sure what to say to spark a relationship with a more established artist? Start with your common ground: your craft.

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Define what purpose you want your art to serve. There isn’t one answer to the “how to become a good artist” question, especially since there are countless different types of artistic styles and techniques that you can explore. You don’t have to ask anybody’s permission to do anything. Try to create something as if no one will limit what you’re doing.

Create your portfolio (作品集)

If you want to become a better artist, you need to be comfortable sharing your work with the world. An artistic portfolio is a gallery featuring your best works.    4     It allows potential clients and future customers to discover what you’re all about.

Market yourself and your work

    5     Start developing your social media by posting on image-driven networks. You can even create behind-the-scenes posts or videos showing how you created your art. Another thing you can do is to start a blog on your site related to art.

A．Explore your style.

B．Imitate a master’s style.

C．It’s an excellent marketing tool.

D．They work with a strict schedule to improve techniques.

E．You may be inspired to try new skills if you see more galleries.

F．They’ll give you constructive criticism and even insightful art tips.

G．An online presence can help you promote your art to grow your reputation.

2 . Discovering your passion is a journey of self-exploration and understanding. It involves delving into your innermost thoughts and feelings to find what truly ignites (点燃) your spark.     1    .

Reflect on your experiences

Look back on your life and identify moments that have brought you joy, fulfillment, or a sense of purpose. Think about the activities, people, or causes that have excited you in the past.     2    .

    3    

Experiment with new hobbies, skills, or activities. Try something that piques (激起) your curiosity or that you’ve always been interested in but never had the chance to explore. This could be anything from learning a new language to taking up a sport or trying an artistic medium.

Listen to your emotions

    4    . What activities or moments make you feel alive, excited, or fulfilled? What causes your heart to race or your eyes to sparkle? These are clues to your passion.

Surround yourself with supportive people

Seek out individuals who are passionate about their lives and who can inspire and encourage you. Surround yourself with a supportive network of friends, family, or mentors who can provide guidance and encouragement on your journey.

Embrace failure and setbacks

Discovering your passion isn’t always a smooth process.     5    . Don’t let these discourage you. Embrace the challenges and learn from them. Use them as opportunities to grow and refine your understanding of what truly ignites your passion.

A．Explore your interests

B．Take an active role in developing your habits

C．You may encounter failure, setbacks, or even doubts

D．Find something that can really piques your curiosity

E．The following are tips to help you discover your passion

F．Pay attention to the emotions you experience throughout your day

G．These experiences can provide clues to what might ignite your passion

3 . Sporting events provide a fruitful ground for many ambitious journalists and writers to practice their craft. Here are four methods to help you get started.

●    1     You may have an editor assigning your topic, or you may be a freelancer (自由职业者) choosing your own. Regardless, be familiar with the most common forms of sports articles and determine which best matches your task. You can leaf through your local newspaper, favorite sports magazine, or go-to sports website and think about what makes certain articles stand out.

●Be familiar with the sport you are covering. When you're starting out, if you have the choice, cover the sport you know best. Sports fans are known for their passion and not necessarily for their patience.     2     If you make mistakes in your report, they will probably tune you out quickly.

●Go to the game, and make the most of being there. Watch closely.     3     Take note of interesting details, such as how the players celebrated at the end or the feel of the crowd that night.     4     You'll find passionate fans, eager participants, and a good environment for covering a sporting event from several angles there.

● Start with a great hook. News article writing relies on an “inverted pyramid” structure, where the most substantial elements are found at the top of the article, and the information becomes less weighty and important as one approaches the bottom. Readers always start but don't always finish an article.     5    

A．They are particular about sports articles.

B．Know the type of article you are writing.

C．Ask permission to record your interviews.

D．So make sure they get your best stuff up front.

E．Keep track of important plays, scores, and statistics.

F．They provide the most essential information of games.

G．Local sporting events are good places for sportswriters.

4 . How to Express Thanks to Loved Ones

You may feel grateful to your family and friends, but it may not always be easy for you to know how to express that. To truly express your gratitude (感激), you have to be kind and open.     1    .

Tell them how much you thank them. You may be taking your family members for granted (想当然) without even realizing it.     2    , remember to tell them that you love them every single day, and to show that you thank them for all of the love, food, help and any other offerings they have given you.

Write “thank-you” cards.     3    . You can give “thank-you” cards to whoever has influenced your life in a positive way. You can write these cards to your best friend, and you don’t need to wait for a special occasion to send one along, either.

    4    . It is good to than k a person in front of other people. Don’t do this in a way that makes the person embarrassed (尴尬的), but make it clear how much the person means to you. Just a few sentences at work or at a small gathering of friends can make a person feel even more special about his or her role in your life.

Do favors for them. Don’t do favors for your friends just because they’ve helped you out recently or because you want something in return.     5    . This can mean picking up coffee or lunch when they’re busy or finding another small way to make a big difference in your friends’ life.

A．Give meaningful gifts

B．Thank the person publicly

C．When they face troubles and need some help

D．It’s one of the easiest ways to show your gratitude

E．Remember that a more grateful life is a happier life

F．To show how much your family members mean to you

G．Instead, help them out just because you care about them

5 . Sometimes, the stress you experience from schooling can affect your overall physical and mental health. The following are some ways to help you better manage stress at school.

Look at things from the right perspective.

To smartly handle stress, the first thing you have to do is change how you look at your situation.    1     Instead, it is an opportunity to help you create a brighter future for yourself.

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Your mind needs to get a picture of every single thing that you should accomplish in a particular period of time, or you’ll spend days and nights blindly worrying about the things that you ought to do. Therefore, a to-do list, visible and written, will get rid of overthinking that leads to anxiety.

Ignore unproductive comments from other people.

Learn to accept blame with an open mind but beware (提防) of worthless remarks from people who don’t even matter. Do not let these people change your focus.    3     Be with the right people and take advice from those who have good intentions.

Never take your physical and mental health for granted.

Sometimes, stress comes from ignoring your health by not eating right or on time; at other times your anxiety may come from a deeper reason such as failing mental health.     4    

Create an effective time management plan.

Set your schedule and find a balance among all aspects of your life.    5    Also, it will give you the feeling that you are in control. You don’t have to waste your time worrying about school-related tasks.

A．Don’t lose control of the situation.

B．Make a list of things you need to do.

C．Doing so will help you better arrange everyday affairs.

D．You don’t even need to listen to them, just stay away from them.

E．Sometimes, stress is caused by your body’s inability to function properly.

F．Thus, you should know when to seek help and what your body truly needs.

G．Being a student is not a tiring role, and studying is not an exhausting responsibility.

6 . Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure, every trip needs a little planning. Travel planning doesn’t have to be stressful, though. Here are some simple steps for you.

Start planning in advance.

    1     International trips can take months to plan. Trips during high seasons, like summer vocations, need to be planned further out than trips during low seasons.

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Before you do anything, you need to know how much money you will have for this travel. It is easy to overspend when you are travelling if you don’t plan ahead. So start your planning by working out how much you want to spend on transportation, food, sightseeing and hotels.

Make reservations.

Booking transportation and accommodations in advance is quite necessary. Things like flights, trains and even car rentals can be quite different depending on when and where you book them. It’s worth considering booking accommodations online. There are many reliable websites for booking hotels.     3    

Make a tour routine.

Make your routine simple and clear. You don’t need to plan out every minute of every day.     4     Researching and planning these before you leave allows you to see and do more of you want.

Pack your essentials.

    5     For example, your ID card and mobile phone charges. Check the night before you depart. Check the weather and pack proper clothing for your trip.

A．Get ready to go.

B．Set a travel budget.

C．See your doctor for health concerns before your trip.

D．The longer you wait, the more expensive these will get.

E．The further away you want to go, the earlier you need to plan.

F．But schedule time for the things you really want to see and do.

G．No matter where you’re going, there are some necessities to take.

7 . If you’re struggling to save money, you’re not alone. Less than half of Americans have enough emergency savings to cover at least three months’ expenses.     1     . Here are several practical ways to help you spend less.

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If you want to determine how to save money, you need to figure out how to spend less of it. Many bank statements include categorized spending reports. These can provide a good sense of where your money has been going and identify opportunities to reduce your costs. If you’re married, making this review process a shared task can help cut expenses and increase savings.

Be a strategic grocery shopper

While you’ll need to keep buying groceries despite higher prices, you can make an effort to avoid throwing away unused food. As you make your grocery list, think about what ended up being thrown away last time. Those who made a shopping list in advance throw away less food.     3    

Break up with brand names

A comparison of ingredients and labels on things like noodles may show affordable alternatives to be just as nutritious and high-quality as the top-shelf ones.     4     . Try to find more affordable alternatives for any such brand-name household items you may be buying.

Challenge yourself to a spending freeze

One way that can be effective in taking control of your finances is a spending freeze, during which you cut all unnecessary spending for a set period.     5     . The extra money you’ll have at the end of the month can be added to savings or used to pay down debt.

A．Review your spending habits

B．Compare other banking options

C．So take extra time to plan out your upcoming meal

D．Saving money isn’t easy these days but it’s not impossible

E．Prices remain high on expenses such as housing, food and transportation

F．This gives you a sense of just how much you’re spending on nonessentials

G．The same concept may apply to non-food items such as paper and hand soap

8 . Can you imagine a civilization without music? Impossible, I would say. In addition, history shows that every culture on this planet has used music all the way.     1    .

Music is good for your heart.

They say that music is good for the soul, but what about the heart?     2    . Heart patients were observed at Massachusetts General Hospital. They were recovering from heart surgery. Some patients listened to Mozart’s piano sonatas for half an hour every day. These patients were the ones who had improved heart rates and lower blood pressure compared with those who never listened to any music at all.

    3    .

Patients suffering from pain have found relief from listening to music. Classical music seems to be the best choice and Mozart and Bach are the most suitable. But heavy metal and other techno sounds can actually excite patients and cause irregular heartbeats, so they are not recommended.

Music may be useful in controlling overweight.

Studies show that simply playing soft and relaxing music while eating can have a controlling effect on how full you feel.     4    .

Music may help with memory and learning.

There was a lot of publicity about the “Mozart Effect” which showed that a group of college students did better at math while they were listening to some classical music.     5    .

A．Let us see how music affects us.

B．The result is that you will eat less.

C．Some students find that music can aid concentration, while others need silence.

D．There are lots of experiments which are more or less impressive on the benefits of music when treating illness.

E．Heavy metal music have no effect on easing pain.

F．Let us look at the actual health benefits now.

G．Music can help with pain relief.

9 . As technology becomes an inseparable part of our daily lives, it is crucial for educators to teach children safe tech habits from a young age.     1    .

Teach the importance of privacy

One fundamental tech habit that every child should learn is the importance of privacy. Educators should teach children to never share personal information, such as their full name, address, or phone number, online or with strangers.     2    

Set time limits on screen time

    3    , children are spending more time in front of screens than ever before. Educators should encourage parents to set time limits on screen time to ensure children are not spending excessive hours online. Balancing screen time with outdoor activities and face-to-face interactions is essential for a child’s overall well-being.

Monitor online activities

Educators should work closely with parents to monitor children’s online activities and set parental controls on devices and apps.     4    , educators can identify any red flags or warning signs of unsafe behavior. Monitoring online activities is crucial in ensuring children’s safety in the digital world.

    5    

Cvberbllying has become a prevalent issue in toddy’s digital age, with children being targeted online through social media platforms and messaging apps. Educators should educate children about the harmful effects of cyberbullying and encourage them to speak up if they witness or experience any form of online harassment.

A．With the popularity of digital devices.

B．Educate children about cyberbullying

C．By keeping children away from digital devices

D．Don’t be afraid when faced with cyberbullying

E．By keeping a close eye on what children are doing online

F．Here are tips for educators to help children develop safe tech habits

G．This will help protect children from potential identity theft or online predators

10 . How to Improve Your Pronunciation

It seems like all rules in English have an exception, doesn’t it?    1    However, learning a few of the exceptions can help make your learning easier! easier! Below are four groups of words that change in pronunciation based on where they are in a sentence or what letters they a replaced beside in a word. Check it out!

Tip One: And, or, for and of

And, or, for and of are called “function words”.    2    They often drop letter sounds so that other more important words in a sentence can be stressed. Function words can also be integrated into words that come before or after them.

Tip Two:    3    

When T or D appear at the end of a word and the next word begins with a consonant(辅音), the sounds these letters make become softer or are dropped altogether. After the end sound of T or D is less stressed, the rest or the first word is generally integrated into the second word.

Tip Three: The suffix-ed

When -ed is placed on the end of a verb, its pronunciation depends on how the rest of the word is spelled. If the verb ends with a D or a T, -ed is pronounced as a whole new syllable. However, if the verb ends with a vowel(元音) sound or L, N, R, B, C, M, Z, S, or V, then-ed is just said like a D sound.    4    .

Tip Four: An, a and the

These article scan change in pronunciation depending on where they are in a sentence. You’ll need to identify if the word that follows them begins with a vowel or consonant.    5    . Additionally, if you’re wanting to stress the word that follows “the”, you should say it with a log vowel sound.

A．End sounds T and D

B．Drop sounds T and D

C．Never stress them in pronunciation

D．That is to say, it doesn’t become an extra syllable

E．This will determine which pronunciation you’ll use

F．Their pronunciations can vary in different manners

G．Given that, no wonder achieving fluency is demanding