【U9】
Each nation has its own odd character which distinguishes it from others. But the peoples of the world have more points in which they are all like each other than points in which they are different. One type of person that is common in every country . Who always tries to do as little as he possibly can and to get as much in return as he can. His opposite, the man who is in the habit of doing more than is strictly necessary and who is ready to accept what is offered in return is rare everywhere.
Both these types are usually not aware of their character. The man who avoids effort is always talking about his rights\": he appears to think that society owes him a pleasant, easy life. The man who is always doing more than his share talks of \"duties\": he feels that the individual is in debt to society, and not society to the individual. As a result of their views, neither of these men thinks that he behaves at all strangely.
The man who tries to do as little as he can is always full of excuses. if he had neglected to do something, it was because he had a headache, or the weather was too hot ---or too cold--- or because he was prevented by bad luck. At first, other people, such as his friends and his employer, generously accept his stories. However, soon they realize what kind of person he is. In the long run he deceives only himself. When his friends become cool towards him and he fails to make progress in his job, he is surprised and hurl. He blames everyone and everything except himself He feels that society is failing in its duties towards him, and that he is being unjustly treated. He soon becomes one of the unsatisfied members of the society he lives in.
【U8】
Career planning helps you to shape your career possibilities. It includes gathering information about ourselves as well as about occupations. Estimating the probable results of various courses of action is also part of it. Finally, it includes choosing what we find attractive and possible.
There are some key steps in career planning. The first one is to study yourself. This is the key to career planning. Understanding what you are like, what you value, and what you want to become is the foundation for all career planning. In studying yourself, you examine your strengths and weaknesses, your goals, and the trends in your personal development. The self-understanding that you gain enables you to imagine something important. That is, you realize how certain occupations may best fit your interests, abilities, and goals.
The second step is to write your career goals down. A useful method of organizing ideas about your career is to actually write them down by time blocks in your life, for instance, ages nineteen to twenty-two, twenty-three to thirty, and so on. Writing something down may lead to new ideas about your possibilities and may help you to see relationships, patterns and trends.
The third step is to review your plans and progress periodically with another person. Every so often, take stock of your situation and consider what steps have to be taken next. Planning further steps can help you face the changes that take place in the labor market. Talking over your plans with your parents or friends helps you improve your career plans or make them work.
If you choose a career that does not fit you, you can start over. Today, a growing number of people are changing careers or getting second starts in careers that attract them. Reasons for changing careers are different, but many people move because they feel tired of their jobs. For some, a second start grows out of the awareness that what they want out of life is not what they are doing, and they decide to do those things they enjoy. They believe this is important for their personal development.
【U7】
Here are some secrets of living a successful life:
Have a self you respect. This means having a deep sence of responsibility for your thoughts and actions. It means keeping your words and being faithful to self, family and work. It means believing in what you do and working hard. It means setting your own goals . You shouldn’t compare yourself with others for this. It’s not a question of being better than someone else. Respect demands that you be better than you thought you could be.
Commit yourself to others. Believe in others, and take time to help them realize their dreams. You can build yourself into the lives of your family, friends and colleagues. You can do this by providing encouragement, and spending your time and energy on their development. If a tree is given little nourishment , it will live but not grow. But if nourishment is given over and beyond what is needed for life, the tree will live and grow upward, producing fruits.
Enjoy life’s process, not just life’s reward . We live in a society that wants problems solved now. We want fast food, one hour dry cleaning and instant success. But to live happily , we must live one day at a time. We must realize that life is an endless journey in self-discovery and personal achievement. It means taking time to play with your kids and kiss your wife or husband. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to let the other fellow ahead of you on the highway. And what could be better than this?
【U6】
How important are our clothes? It is interesting to reflect on how much we judge people by the clothes they wear. Long hair and blue jeans with holes? We would think that he might be a student as that is a fashion started by young people. An elegant lady in a beautiful dress? She must be a foreigner, we think. English women of that age don't dress so smartly, and she probably has money, too. And that man with a well-tailored suit walking over there with an umbrella? A businessman, of course, and undoubtedly English. Why English? Well, he is formally dressed. Also, only an Englishman would always carry his treasured umbrella, even when it is not raining.
I once read of a news writer who went into a very expensive department store poorly dressed. She was watched with suspicion from the moment she walked into the store. As she examined the goods, she was watched carefully by security guards in the store. When she finally decided on a small
purchase, she said she had forgotten to bring enough money with her and asked if she could pay by check. The clerk politely told her that checks were not accepted for goods of two dollars or under. The next day she went back , dressed well , smelling of expensive perfume. She chose an even cheaper article, told the same story and her check was accepted without question. It only goes to show how easily we are impressed by clothes.
Some people argue that judging other people by the clothes they wear is unfair. Other people think otherwise. They think that a person's appearance is an expression of who he is. An untidy person may rightly be thought of as a person of low social status, or even low quality. \"Any person with a bit of self-respect can look nice if he wants to. Expensive clothes aren't necessary. And if a person decides not to look presentable, why should I give him respect?\" one person says.
【U5】
There are two ways to spoil a child, that is, “overindulgence” and “oversubmissiveness”. The problem with overindulgent parenting is that it starves the child of the opportunity to think for himself. It also keeps him from making his own decisions and developing his own needs and preferences. An overindulged child never has to struggle to get something for himself. He never has to entertain any idea, chances or possible difficulties. When his parents are busy to prepare everything for him and he’s tired of all his toys, this child is “spoiled” into believing that life will provide him everything without his own effort. And when he grows up he will expect everyone to read his mind and provide for him in this way.
The other kind of spoiling is oversubmissiveness. An oversubmissive parent gives in to all his child’s demands, often because he fears the child won’t love him if he doesn’t. He just isn’t able to give a(n) firm “No”. The parent has no time to himself, can’t get the child to do anything without an argument, and has to listen to whining continuously . When he’s had too much , he explodes in anger. Then he gives in to the child even more because he feels guilty for exploding. Children need to learn that there are firm and consistent limits, and that they won’t be allowed to take advantage of other people.
The child with an oversubmissive parent doesn’t learn to accept a “No” from other people, or to set limits for himself. He learns to get his way by fussing and the ever-present threat: “If you loved me, you’d do what I want.”
The child “spoiled” by oversubmissive parenting grows up into a teenager and adult without limits to his behavior. He also becomes a person who won’t respect other people’s limits and personal boundaries. He makes life miserable for his parents, spouse, and children, infringing on their rights and feelings. He does this without even being aware of the people he hurts. Clearly, this is not good for anybody.
Avoiding these two ways of spoiling is difficult, but well worth the effort.
【U4】
Universities are at their best when they do more than give students knowledge about their subjects. A new science and engineering first degree program is creating a lot of excitement at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It is helping to prepare students to become leaders capable of creating and directing change in local, national, and global communities. Experts believe that much can be expected of this. The details might be of some interest to you.
Three years ago, MIT worked with Leadership, Inc. to create the institute-based Leader Shape Institute. Program leaders call it “a serious and creative response to today’s basic challenges”. They mean to develop students and engineers who are prepared to “lead with integrity” both in technological fields and in society. Central to the effort is helping students to learn to listen to society as it expresses its need for change.
For the past three summers, the Leader Shape Institute has provided 120 MIT science and engineering students with a thorough six-day experience featuring highly interactive teaching and learning methodologies. Throughout the program, students develop skills in problem identification and problem solving. They are also instructed in professional morals, decision-making, dealing with uncertainty, working within a diverse community, and relationship communication. Most discussions and activities take place in assigned small “groups”. These groups provide supportive, safe environments that promote learning. It is meant that students develop new skills and attitudes. Each participant creates an individual plan of action called a “vision”, which is a main element of the Leader Shape curriculum. Each vision must be designed to bring confident change to the institute community. It must be carried out during the following school year.
So what do students think about what they learn from the Leader Shape Institute? Nearly everyone asked about it speaks highly of their experience. One student, Christy Robertson, said that it had changed her life. “I feel that the things I’ve learned here are more important than anything else I’ve ever learned in a university classroom,” she said. “I only wish that I could sign up to take it a second time.” Many other students feel the same way.
【U3】
Choosing your life partner is a decision that requires very careful thought. Getting married is something you do not want to take lightly . Divorce rates around world are increasing every year. And in some countries they are now as high as 50 percent ! If you don’t want to end up divorced and heart-broken, take my advice to help you choose your perfect partner.
First of all, you and your partner should be compatible. You need to know that you share a common purpose in life. You and your partner should have similar goals and ambitions that you can work toward
achieving through your married life. It will be difficult to keep your marriage together if your partner wants to stay at home and raise a large family, but you want to travel the world. You might have difficulty telling him that you want to have a life free from having children.
Next, ask yourself this question: Is my partner a person with whom I can share my deepest thoughts and feelings? In other words, can you be completely honest and open with this person? Or do you sometimes feel shy and uncomfortable telling her how you feel? If your situation is the former, then you have probably found your true love. If, however, it is the latter, take your time before you marry this person.
Marry a person who is polite and kind to others; he will be polite and kind to you. In my experience, you can learn a lot about the true nature of a person by watching how he treats other people. If someone is kind and giving to family and friends, he will do the same to you. Someone who has good manners and is polite and respectful when dealing with others is whom you should be looking for. He will show you the same consideration. Finally, when you enter into a relationship with someone, remember that you should not expect to change that person. Be sure that the person you are getting together with is someone you like exactly the way he is. Otherwise, you are sure to be disappointed.
【U2】
The Olympics were first started by the Greeks and were very religious in nature. The Greeks honored their gods by holding competitions as well as by singing and dancing. When the Games were held, all the cities of Greece stopped their wars to show their respect for the gods.
There were originally four towns in which the Games were held and each town held the Games once in four years. But the Games at Olympia were the most important . The four-year period from the beginning of one Olympic Games to the beginning of the next became known as an “Olympiad”.
Apart from the singing and dancing, the Games were very like the modern Olympics of today. There were foot-races in a stadium over long and short distances. There were jumping events, throwing events, and boxing.
Only men were allowed to compete in or watch these early games. Later women were allowed to watch but they did not compete. The stadium in Greek times was built in a horseshoe shape. Thousands of men, and later women, applauded the greatest athletes in the country as they competed. They looked forward to the Games with much excitement.
The ancient Olympic Games of Greece took place every four years for hundreds of years. But after the fifth century B.C., the Greeks were overpowered by the Romans. Then Greece became part of the Roman Empire. In Roman times the Olympic Games became less of a religious event than it was during
Greek times. The focus changed to the games themselves. Further changes to the Olympic Games have been made since. Even with the changes to the Olympic Games, however, we still remember the place of their birth.
And we are reminded of the original Games even more, because Greece hosted the games very recently. The 2004 Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece. Over 200 countries participated in the Games. Also, for the first time ever, the Olympic flame, now very important to the Olympics, traveled around the world in a relay. The excitement of 2004 and that of the original competitions stays with us as we look forward to future Olympic Games.
【U1】
“You’re going to another country to study? How wonderful! You're really lucky !”
But is it true all the time? Specialists in intercultural studies say that it is not easy to adjust to life in a new culture. They call the feelings which people experience when they come to a new environment culture shock.
According to these specialists, there are three stages of culture shock. In the first stage, the newcomers like their environment. Then, when the newness wears off, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, the apartment, and everything else in the new culture. In the final stage of culture shock, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings. As a result , they enjoy their life more.
Some of the factors in culture shock are obvious . Perhaps the customs are different. Perhaps the public service networks such as the telephone or post office are difficult to understand and you make mistakes. The simplest things seem difficult. The language may be difficult. The food may seem strange to you. You may also miss the familiar smells of the food you are used to in your own country. If you don't look similar to the natives, you may feel strange. You may feel like everyone is watching you. In fact, you are always watching yourself. You are self-conscious . Who experiences culture shock? Everyone does in some form or another. But culture shock comes as a surprise to most people. A lot of the time, the people with the worst culture shock are the people who never had anydifficulties in their own countries. They had hobbies or leisure activities which they enjoyed back in their mother country. When they come to a new country, they do not have the same established positions or hobbies. They find themselves without a role, almost without a(n) identity . They have to build a new self-image. This can take a long time.
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