2 . It’s never easy to say no, especially when we’re invited somewhere by someone close to us.    1     Maybe it’s time to learn how to turn down an invitation without hurting people’s feelings.

Put off your response. Avoid immediately responding to a request that you believe you will turn down. A quick “No” will deprive (剥夺)you of time to come up with a kind refusal. Instead, a simple “Let me check my calendar and get back to you” will often work.     2    .

Check your calendar for conflicts. If you are lucky, you may discover a scheduling conflict that enables you to honestly decline due to the previous promise.    3     . When you see your calendar is busy, take a little extra time in advance to think about a kind refusal.

    4     If you already know you want to decline before checking your calendar, you may have a specific reason in mind. Do you dislike the task ? Are you planning to attend the event with someone else? Think about reasons you can give that focus on aspects of the request rather than the person making it.

Remember to respond.    5     You may leave them with the impression that you don’t value them. Therefore, it’s important to reply to requests in a timely manner. When declining, try to emphasize non-personal reasons for doing so.

3 . Why Accepting Change Is Important to Your Professional Success?

Whether you like it or not, change is a necessary part of today’s business climate. Those employees who accept change will succeed, while those fearing change may head for the unemployment line.     1     So how can we make this normal change as positive and beneficial as possible?

What’s wrong with change?

Employers want their workers to change when necessary.     2     The main reason is fear, though none of us agree that we doubt our ability to accept new ideas, use new technology, or adapt to new organizations.

    3    

Employees often view change differently from their supervisors. This is why communication is so vital in many cases. Lack of communication will cause problems in personal relationships. Unfortunately, fear prevents them from expressing their ideas and opinions.

The positive side of change.

    4     One of the most positive aspects of change is that it is never boring. If we want passion back in our work, we must be willing to change. We can learn how to work with a team and take on new responsibilities and change not just your attitude to change but some of your ideas and goals.

Embrace upcoming changes.

Many people are content to live their present safe lives and want no change.     5     Comfort and high position? If those are what you desire, then you will probably soon be out of a job. If, instead, you want challenge and welcome change, you will always be successful and popular in your job.

4 . Now you’re a fool for helping. “I don’t want to get involved” seems to have become a national motto. One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City, California to New Orleans, Louisiana. In the middle of the desert, I passed a young man standing by the roadside. He had his _______ out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time _______ you’d be called a jerk for passing by somebody _______.

Several days later I was still _______ about the hitchhiker（搭便车的人）, about how I didn’t even lift my foot _______ the accelerator（油门）for him. “Does anyone stop any more?” I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBois’s famous line— “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Was that _______ these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey _______ the US without any money, just _______ on the good will of others. What would happen? Would he find food, shelter and support?

The idea intrigued（激起兴趣）me.

The week I_______ 37, I realized that I had never done something truly crazy. ________ I decided to really do it: travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. I would only accept ________ of rides, food and places to sleep. For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states. I was treated kindly ________ I went. I was ________ by people’s readiness to help a stranger.

In Oregon, a house painter named Mike __________ the cold weather and asked if I had a coat. I didn’t, so he gave me a big green army-style jacket. A lumber-mill worker in Michigan named Tim invited me to a __________dinner with his family in their shabby house. Then he offered me a tent. I refused, but Tim insisted, packing it into my bag himself. I found people were generally compassionate. Hearing I had no money and would take none, people bought me food or ________ with them whatever they happened to have. Those who had the ________   to give often gave the most.

I’m __________ to all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter and their gifts. My faith in ordinary folks was ________ . I was proud to live in a country where people were still willing to help. In spite of everything, you can still depend on the __________ of strangers.

5 . How Helping Others Helps You

Volunteering has a positive effect on your community.    1     Volunteering can help you learn more about yourself and even put you on a path to your future career. Learn more about the reasons to volunteer below.

Gain valuable life experiences and skills.

Whether you build houses for the homeless or mail flyers for a local politician, you can experience the real world through hands-on work.     2    

Meet interesting people.

    3    No matter what groups of people you’re working with, you’ll find that they have information and ways of looking at the world that can broaden your horizons.

Get academic credit.

Some high schools offer academic credit for volunteer work through service learning.     4    To find out if your school offers service learning, talk to your school counselor.    5    

It’s eye-opening(令人瞠目的) to realize that doing even small things can have a big impact on others. Rhea, a college sophomore(大二学生), still remembers a visit she made to a senior home with a choir when she was in middle school. “An elderly man in a wheelchair looked up at me and said in a gravelly(粗哑的) voice, “You’ve made my day. This means so much.”She recalls, “No one had ever thanked me in such a way for doing something so small, and a stranger no less!”