Further improvement

Task.Read the following passages to your neighbor.Pay attention to your pronunciation and intonation.

Passage 1

How to Set Life Goals

There’s never a good time to sit down and think about what you want to accomplish in life.We have busy lives，and even when we’re not busy，we might just feel more like vegging in front of the TV or checking our feeds than thinking about the rest of our lives.

Do it today，if you haven’t yet.It could take as little as 10 or 20 minutes，and it could make all the difference in the world.And it’s not that hard.You probably already have a good idea of what you want to do，but you may not have it written down.Or maybe you’ve done this exercise before，but you haven’t updated your goals.Now it’s the time to do it.

First，think about what you’d like people to say about you at your funeral.This comes from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People— the habit called“Begin with the end in mind.”It’s also very effective.Imagine you are at the end of your life，looking back.What would you like to have accomplished？What kind of person would you like to have been？

Now that you’ve given that a little thought，jot down some ideas for life goals you’d like to achieve before you die.

They can be in many areas，but here are a few to start with：professional，education，family，spiritual，travel，recreation，hobbies，community，charity.You can probably think of more，and you don’t need to have goals in all of these areas.Just some topics to get you started.

After your initial brainstorm，you may want to trim it down.But you may also want to expand：sometimes it’s fun，and worthwhile，to dream big.

Then take action！I like to take my monthly goals，and make a to-do list for this week.What can I do today to further my goals？And if I can get just one thing done，I’ve done a lot to make those dreams a reality！

Passage 2

Six Ways to Stop Being Perfect and Start Being Happy

1.Stop criticizing and judging.

This，of course，is a HUGE one.If you are able to stop judging yourself and others，you’re a lot less likely to be in perfection mode.Perfection comes from the idea that everything has to be a certain way.But who says it has to be that way？Who says you have to look a certain way or dress a certain way？Who says you have to act this way or that way？Okay，yes，we all live in societies and sub-societies that have certain standards，but we don’t always have to live up to those standards.And we can make our own standards！

2.Learn to go with the flow.

Man，oh，man this is a hard one for me！I’ve never，ever been a go-with-the-flow kinda girl.I like to be in control，holding the reigns，setting the pace.I don’t like to go along for the ride or just sit back and relax.But，when it comes to battling perfectionism，learning to just chill is REALLY important.Life is unpredictable.There are going to be unexpected twists and turns and being able to deal with changes is essential to living a positive life.We can’t control everything and this is something I really，really need to work on reminding myself every day.

3.Know that everything has a reason.

Many of you might not be down with this idea，but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.Even the most horrific，awful things in my life have taught me something，have made me the person I am today.It’s not easy to remember this when dealing with a crisis or heartbreak，but it’s so important to remember that life is what it is.Some things are out of our control and we just have to realize that someday the reason for what happens will be explained.I do my best to learn from every mistake，every bad situation，and all of these little lessons have added up to make me the person I am right now.

4.Look at the big picture of life.

I try to ask myself this every time I’m freaking about something not being as perfect as I would like it to be：Will this matter in five months？Five years？Usually the answers to these questions are“NO！”Most of the things I get myself all worked up about don’t really impact my life in the long run.Emotional wounds always heal with time.Though I might be panicky and worried right now，in a few days，weeks，months，or years，I won’t be worried about it anymore.When I find that I’m stressing about something small（which I do more often than I should），I need to remind myself to look at the big picture and pose the questions：“How important is this？Is it really worth all of the stress and anxiety？”

5.Take time for a time out.

Sometimes the best thing to do when I’m feeling like nothing is going the way I want it to go is to take a time out.Removing myself from a situation can be the best way to get a fresh perspective on it.When I'm working hard to get something perfect—whether it be an outfit for a night out，a blog post，or a serious work-related task—it’s hard for me to step away.I’m in a zone and I’m focused and I don’t want to waste any time.However，whenever I force myself to pull away from what I’m doing，I find that I usually come back with fresh ideas and a new perspective which helps me not to be so perfection-driven.

6.Appreciate what’s working for you.

This goes back to the idea I talk about a lot—loving yourself.You most likely have a lot of great things going on and you don’t even notice these things when you’re focused on making everything perfect.When I’m seeking perfection，I don’t take time to realize what’s good in my life and my level of gratitude seems to be a lot lower.It’s really important to realize what is awesome about your life and to be grateful for all of the things/people/experiences in it.Doing this will make perfection seem a lot less necessary.

Passage 3

School Life in the UK

Going to a British high school for one year was a very enjoyable and experience for me.I was very happy with the school hours in Britain because school starts around 9：00 a.m.and ends about 3：30 p.m.

On the first day，all of the new students attended an assembly in the school hall.I sat next to a girl whose name was Diana.We soon became best friends.During the assembly，the headmaster told us about the rules of the school.He also told us that the best way to earn respect was to devote ourselves to study and achieve high grades.

I had many teachers in the past year.Mr Heywood，my class teacher，was very helpful.My favourite teacher was Miss Burke—I loved the lessons that she gave in English Literature.In our class there were 28 students.This is about the average size for British schools.We had to move to different classrooms for different classes.We also had different students in some classes，so it was a struggle for me to remember all the faces and names.

I found that the homework was a bit challenging for me at first，because all the homework was in English.I felt lucky，as all my teachers gave me much enjoyment and I enjoyed all my subjects：English，History，English Literature，Computer Science，Maths，Science，PE，Art，Cooking and French.

My English improved a lot，as I used English every day and spent an hour each day reading English books in the library.I usually went to the Computer Club during the lunch break，so I could send e-mails to my family and friends back home for free.I also had an extra French class on Tuesday evenings.Cooking was really fun as I learned how to buy，prepare and cook food.At the end of term we held a class party and we all had to cook something.I was glad that all my classmates were fond of the cake that I made.

Students at that school have to study Maths，English and Science，but can stop studying some subjects if they do not like them，for example，History and French.They can choose other subjects like Art and Computer Science，or languages such as Spanish and German.Though it did not look very beautiful when it was finished，I still liked it very much.

I missed Chinese food a lot at lunch.British food is very different.British people like eating dessert at the end of their main meal.After lunch，we usually played on the school field.Sometimes I played football with the boys.Sometimes I just relaxed under a tree or sat on the grass.

I was very lucky to experience this different way of life.I look back on my time in the UK with satisfaction，and I really hope to go back and study in Manchester again.

Passage 4

Cherish Your Life

Tired of sleeping on the floor，a man from Teheran finally bought a real bed with the money he saved for years.Because of the hot weather，he carried the bed on to the roof of his house.Unfortunately，on the third night，he and his bed was swept off the roof into the courtyard by a gust of wind.Although the bed was smashed to pieces，the man went to sleep as soon as he came back home.He acted as if he had never saved up money before.What an optimistic man he was！

Ridiculously，let’s take a look at what we are acting today.

We are better off.Sharing the globalization of the world；we can enjoy ourselves to numerous hi-tech equipments.Needless to say，our children can wear pretty clothes and be a carefree person with the only endeavor to get a cotton candy；our students can get very good education and even grab the opportunity to further our study abroad；our adults can get a decent job and earn money to support the family far more easier than before.However，there are still tens of hundreds of thousands of people make a suicide every day in this world.Life becomes colorful while our minds are getting more and more monotonous.Amazing，right？

Needn’t have I reminded you of the parents who brought you up with every effort.You are the all of their life，of their hope，of their world.Neither have I reminded you of your children who are your apples in your book，they are innocent but miserable without your care.They are doomed to be rangers without any sunshine in their life.Or even neither have I reminded you of this society which offers you a safe and cozy environment for you to grown up.And now，it needs your contribution，it needs your help…But where are you？You take your own life after all.What an irresponsible person you are！

You had no sooner abandoned yourself than the barriers come.I wonder why don’t you leave yourself one more minute to think about whether it’s worth and wise or not.What a pity that you had hardly had time to regret when you went to the other side of the world.

A person can never have too many obstacles in his life.Only be brave and tolerant can you overwhelm and gain what you want.Providing you really want to get something good，enjoy something，you have to pay，true？

Well goes the old saying，if you can change，change it；but if not，just accept it.Believe it or not，lend yourself one minute，you will absolutely change your mind to accept what suffers you.Hope you make every decision in 100 percent sober，and wish you good luck！

Passage 5

American Family Life：The Changing Picture

It’s another evening in an American household.The door swings open at 5：30 sharp“Hi，honey ！I’m home ！”In walks dear old Dad，hungry and tired after a long day at the office.He is greeted by Mom in her apron，three happy children，and the aroma of a delicious pot roast.

After a leisurely meal together，Mom does the dishes.That，after all，is part of her job.The whole family then moves to the living room.There everyone spends the evening playing Scrabble or watching TV.

Then everyone is offer to bed.And the next morning Dad and the kids wake up to the sounds and smells of Mom preparing pancakes and sausages for breakfast.

What？You say that doesn’t sound like life in your house？

Well，you’re not alone.In fact，you’re not probably in the majority.

At one time in America，the above household might have been typical.You can still visit such a home—on television.Just watch reruns of old situation comedies.Leave it to Beaver，for example，shows Mom doing housework in pearls and high heels.Dad keeps his suit and tie on all weekend.But the families that operate like Beaver Cleaver’s are fewer and fewer.They’re disappearing，because three parts of our lives have changed：the way we work，the way we eat，and the way we entertain ourselves.Becoming aware of the effects of those changes may help us improve family life.

Let’s look first at the changes in the way we work.Today the words“Hi，honey ！I’m home ！”might not be spoken by dear old Dad.Dear old Mom is just as likely to be saying them.A generation ago，most household could get along on one paycheck—Dad’s.Mom stayed at home，at least until the children started the school.But today，over half the mothers with young children go to work.An even greater percentage of mothers of old children are in the workforce.And the number of single-parent homes has mushroomed in the last thirty years.

These change in work have affects children as well as parents.When old Dad went out to work，children came home from school to Mom.Today，we’ll find them at an after-school program or a neighbor’s house.Or they may come home to no one at all.In every community，children are cared for themselves until their parents return from work.Are this children missing out on an important part of childhood？Or are they developing a healthy sense of self-reliance？These are question that Mrs Cleaver never had to deal with.

In addition，Dad and Mom now are often gone long from home than ever.Not too long ago，most man work close to home.The office or factory was just downtown.Dad often walked to work or hitched a ride with a friendly neighbor.But no more.

Today’s working men and women are commuters.They travel distances to walk that would have made their parents gasp.Commutes of forty-five minutes or an hour are common.Workers travel on buses，subways，and crowded highways.Many leave their suburban homes at dawn and don’t return until dark.No running home for lunch for today’s commuter.