4 . With some 750,000 words and strange ways of spelling, English can be one of the most challenging languages to learn—especially if you hope to do so quickly. Though you can learn at your own pace, these tips can help you learn English quickly and effectively.

Taking an online course is a great way to learn English. You can choose the course based on your goal and present level. If you are hoping to learn conversational English for a coming trip, you can find a course that’s suitable for this goal. There are also courses for international business, writing and reading. Depending on your goal, taking a course that meets your goal can set you on the path to success.

Getting as much speaking practice as possible is necessary to quicker learning. If you’re just swiping (刷屏) through a few levels on a language-learning app at night, you’ll be shocked when you finally come face-to-face with an English speaker. Without communicating with others in English, you won’t be able to find your weak spots. Finding a conversation partner will allow you to put your skills to the test. Many people say that speaking English regularly helps it stick in your head far better than reading or writing. After all, what’s the point of learning a new language if not to use it to communicate?

It’s no doubt that there’s no better way to learn English than to live in an English-speaking country. If traveling to a country like the UK, Canada or the US isn’t in the cards at the moment, you can still immerse (使……沉浸) yourself in the language. One way to do this is by following the “two ways every day” method. How can you practise English in two different ways each day? Find TV shows, books, films, videos, apps—anything that is in English will do. When you eventually visit an English-speaking country, you’ll be amazed at how much background knowledge you have about not just the language, but the culture as well.

5 . Every child faces friendship problems at some time, in some way, but generally speaking, there are three main problems that keep children from being part of a group.

    1    

Kids who do too little in social situations could be ignored by the other kids and may have a hard time making friends. They are usually too shy and just wait for other kids to come to them.     2    . Then they can make friends in any social groups. These tricks include how to greet people friendly and show their good will through small acts of kindness.

Doing too much

We see this problem in kids who are always ready to cut in a talk or a game.     3    . If they continue their annoying behavior after a kid asks them to stop, they are likely to be disliked by the group. Therefore, these children need to learn proper ways of stopping, such as saying “sorry”, or sitting on their hands and keeping their mouths shut.

    4    

Some kids have trouble making friends because they behave in ways that set them apart from the other kids in the social groups. For example, they may always try to be funny on purpose, or have strange interests and habits.

Every child is unique, but they have to learn to connect with other kids in natural ways.     5    .

6 . A study published by Whillans and her colleagues found that 48 percent of college freshmen in their second term at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver believed that their friends had made more friends than they had since school began. Thirty-one percent felt the opposite.

“Since social activities, like eating or studying with others, tend to happen in cafes and libraries where they are easily seen, students might overestimate (高估) how much their friends are socializing because they don’t see them eating and studying alone,” says Frances Chen, the study’s senior author and a professor in the UBC psychology department.

A second, smaller study they published at the same time shows that feeling left out made the students pretty unhappy. “This was surprising”, Whillans says, “because many high-achieving people—the ones most likely going to college—believe they’re better equipped than their peers (同龄人) to handle challenges. But when peers appear to be doing better socially, that can contribute to feelings that there’s something wrong with us.”

While this study did not look specially at the influence of social media, other studies have shown that the way people use social tools to present only the good side makes others feel lonely and separated. “Social media always gives us the idea that other people are more social than us,” Whillans says. “We often fail to communicate when we fail, and that might be bad for us and also for our social network.” In the new study, first-year students in the sample of more than 1,000 students reported having 3.63 close friends on average at UBC, but they believed their friends had 4. 15 close friends.

Lots of people online make bowls out of colored pencils. But Burls Art,     1     is a guitar lover, is different. He wants to make something     2     he can actually use and enjoy more than a bowl when it is finished.

"I love playing the guitar, so I want to make it cooler," said Burls. Then he decided to make a     3    （use）and good-looking electric guitar. That would be the first guitar he had ever built.

Burls Art bought     4     number of pencils to form the body of the guitar. It was surprisingly not as difficult as he had imagined. He first cut all the pencils into the same size and then     5    （start）out by filling a large box with the pencils and stuck them by using resin（树脂）.

Step by step, he     6    （final）made the unique guitar successfully. He couldn't put an exact number on the time it took him     7    （make）the guitar. "I worked on it for 4 to 5 weeks and spent 2~4 hours a day probably. It took a long time, but it was enjoyable. I think I could make one much     8    （fast）now because I've already known the way.

He was extremely satisfied with the final guitar because     9     its special and perfect look. Now he still has a lot more ideas about the project and he won't stop     10    （create）new things.

8 . It is not so difficult to make friends after you move to a new neighborhood. As long as you are open and friendly, you will be able to make new friends after you move to a new area.     1    

Smile and say hello to any neighbors you see. Smile to your neighbors from day 1.     2     Being warm and friendly with your neighbors is the first step to getting to know people who may turn into friends.

Go for walks around your new neighborhood.     3     Taking a walk in the morning or the evening is an easy way to meet people and learn more about the neighborhood. If you have a dog, you will be walking anyway. Keep an eye out for other neighbors with dogs and take the chance to say hi.

    4     This will help you get to know the neighborhood so you can find more places to meet your neighbors. For example, you can ask them what the best restaurants are, where to find a good cup of coffee or what parks are nearby.

Throw a housewarming party at your new place. Parties are one of the quickest ways to enlarge your social circle. Have a small gathering at your new apartment and invite your neighbors over to get to know them.     5     Another choice is leaving invitations under their doors or into their mailboxes.