Have you heard ________ news？ The price of ________ petrol is going up again!
A．the；the B．/；the C．the；/ D．/；/
The biggest whale is ________ blue whale，which grows to be about 29 meters long—the height of ________ 9story building.
A．the；the B．a；a C．a；the D．the；a
We can never expect ________ bluer sky unless we create ________ less polluted world.
A．a；a B．a；the C．the；a D．the；the
What ________ pity that you couldn't be there to receive ________ prize!
A．a；a B．the；a C．a；the D．the；the
You work hard for your money so why not keep it? Nothing is more disappointing than working hard all week just to have nothing to spend on the weekends or even worse, having to sit at home on vacation. Try these simple tips to help gain back your financial independence.
1．Educate yourself. Write down what you have spent. Look closely at where your money has been going the last few months. Are you spending a lot more money on morning coffee than you want to? Just by adding up what you're spending and where you're spending it each month will help you make better decisions about the purchases you make.
2．Keep your change. Instead of spending your change, make a habit of putting it all in a special jar or “piggy bank” at home. You will be surprised how quickly your change adds up. Want to go on a family vacation next summer but don't think you can afford it? Try having everyone in the family contribute their change to a “vacation jar”. Your family will enjoy pitching in and your children will learn valuable lessons in saving money and enjoying the reward.
3．Be a host! Like to go out with your friends for a good time? Sure, everyone does, but no one likes getting the bill at the end of the night. Going out to eat and have a few drinks can really put the strain on your wallet. Try going to the grocery store and purchasing food and drinks that can be made at home and inviting everyone over. Yes it can be expensive to play the host every time, but if you take turns going to friends, houses you can keep the cost down and still have a good time while enjoying the same food and drinks.
4．Plan your groceries. Grocery shopping can be dangerous in many ways. One way is to go shopping when you are hungry. Think about it, when you are hungry and want something to eat, you are more likely to put everything in your cart that you just don't need. Impulse(冲动)shopping brings us to the next point. Make a list(and check it twice)．Plan out your meals for the coming week and list all the ingredients you need at the store.
Saving money can be easy and even funny when you see how much you are able to save. Start by educating yourself and your family as to where the money goes every month and then set goals. Make games out of saving your change and look forward to the reward.
Title：Save your money | |
Problem | You work hard but end up having no money at last. |
Tips | 1.Educate yourself： ◆Write down your __1.__. ◆Check where your money has been going and you can __2.__more wisely on what to buy. 2.Keep your change. ◆Make a habit. ◆Encourage your __3.__to join in your plan. 3.Be a host： ◆Invite your friends to dinner by making food and drinks by _4.__. ◆Play the host in _5.__. 4.Plan your groceries： ◆Just __6.__impulse shopping. ◆__7.__what you need for your meals. |
Conclusion | ◆Your awareness of your _8.__to save money will make you happy. ◆Keep the tips in mind and set _9.__. ◆Saving money should be seen as a __10.__and be hopeful for the reward. |
When we're learning a foreign language, making sense of what we hear is the first step toward fluency. It sounds obvious, but until recently, we didn't know much about how listening works. New research shows that effective listening involves more than simply hearing the words that float past our ears. Rather, it's an active process of analysing information and making meaning.
Studies of skilled language learners have identified specific listening strategies that lead to excellent comprehension. In addition to that benefit, research has shown that learners who adopt these strategies become better listeners.
So what are listening strategies? Skilled learners go into a listening activity with a sense of what they want to get out of it. They set a goal for their listening, and they make predictions about what the speaker will say. Before the talking begins, they review what they already know about the subject, and form an intention to “listen out for”what's important. Once they begin listening, these learners maintain their focus; if their attention wanders, they bring it back to the words being spoken. They don't allow themselves to be thrown off by confusing or unfamiliar details. Instead, they take note of what they don't understand and later make inferences(推测)about what those things might mean, based on other clues available to them: their previous knowledge of the subject, the identity of the speaker, and so on. All the while, skilled learners are evaluating what they're hearing and their own understanding of it. They're checking their inferences to see if they're correct.
Such strategies are all about thinking, and they produce a variety of benefits. Research indicates that such learners are better at analysing and storing new information, better at finding the best ways to practice what they have learned. Last year, for example, University of Ottawa researcher Larry Vandergrift published his study of 106 undergraduates who were learning French as a second language. Half of the students were taught in a traditional fashion, listening to and practicing texts spoken aloud. The other half, dealing with the same skill level and taught by the same teacher, were given clear instruction on how to listen. In the journal Language Learning, Vandergrift reported the results: The second group “significantly outperformed(胜过)” the first one on a test of comprehension. In a 2006 study by researchers from Singapore, Chinese speakers who were learning English as a second language reported increased motivation and confidence after they were taught metacognitive strategies.
Though listening is often treated as a way to make others feel appreciated, it's also one of the most powerful tools we have to gain information and insight(洞察力).
General idea of paragraphs | Detailed information |
__1.__of effective listening | It includes our hearing the words and _2._of the information to get the meaning. |
The _3.__of specific listening strategies | ★It will lead to excellent comprehension. ★Learners _4._them can become better listeners. |
Listening strategies | ★Review the _5.__fact about the subject. ★Set a goal for listening. ★__6.__the speaker's information. ★Maintain the _7.__on the words being spoken. ★Take note of the confusing details for later inferences. ★Evaluate the information being heard, the understanding of it and its __8.__. |
The results of the experiment | Learners are more __9.__and confident. |
_10.__ | Listening can make others feel appreciated and help the listeners gain information and insight. |
