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Singing is one of those universal actions that everyone can do for fun, regardless of how they sound. According to recent studies (conduct) at Goethe University Frankfurt, singing can be actually helpful to your immune system. The study focused a group of people who sang in a professional choir and discovered that the amount of proteins in the blood that function as antibodies(抗体) was (obvious) higher after singing, so people involved in music could be less likely (get) sick.

Singing actually is the perfect physical exercise for people who are injured, disabled or elderly. Not only (do) singing help increase your lung capacity, but it helps stimulate circulation. This can lead to better results when people hit the gym thanks to the person's increased aerobic(有氧的) capacity and newfound physical or mental strength.

The simple truth is that singing makes you happy. It releases endorphins(内啡肽), a chemical reduces pain and makes you feel (happy) and less stressed. People who sing, especially in choirs and on the stage are known to have better social skills and be loss lonely. (stand) on the stage and performing can be tough, when you do it in a group, it can help improve your sense of self as well as increase your (confident).

Choosing a career is one of those important decisions that can change the course of your life.Ample information and self-examination can help you choose a satisfying career that you will enjoy for years to come. If you feel confused about picking a career, you're not alone. We're here to help!

Evaluate your work style. The right career for you will be suited to your work style. Do you need the discipline of a structured work environment to do your best?There are, of course, other factors that affect your job performance. But, your natural work style plays a big role.

Identify your skills. Every career requires a different skill set. Sales managers need great leadership skills, and teachers need to be able to communicate effectively with both students and parents.List every talent and skill you have, even if it doesn't seem like it will help you get a job.

What do you want out of a career? Do you want to help other people? Do you want to travel? How much money do you want to make? Of course, what you want to achieve often changes over time, and things that were once extremely important become less so.

Remember that things can change. There are a million "Best Careers" lists out there that will say you should have a certain career because you will make a certain amount of money with it. There might be a lot of demand for a job now, but what about in 10years? Don't choose a job just because it's number one on a list somewhere. Things can change over time, and the job that was once number one might end up not even making the list a few years from now.

A. Determine your goals.

B. It deserves considerable time and reflection.

C. Take some time to figure out what you're good at.

D. Ask questions about the advantages and disadvantages of the job.

E. Or do you like setting your own schedule and work independently?

F. However, there's no way to totally guarantee job security and stability.

G. Are you willing and able to put in that time and the money that comes with it?

Improvements to energy efficiency, such as LED lights, are seen by many authorities as a top priority for cutting carbon emissions. Yet a growing body of research suggests that a rebound effect could wipe out more than half of the savings from energy efficiency improvements, making the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change even harder to hit.

A team led by Paul Brockway at the University of Leeds, UK, looked at the existing 33 studies on the impact of the rebound effect. First comes the direct rebound: for instance, when someone buys a more efficient car, they may take advantage of that by driving it further. Then comes the indirect rebound: fuel savings leave the owner with more money to spend elsewhere in the economy, consuming energy.

Although the 33 studies used different methods to model the rebound effect, they produced very consistent estimates of its impact, leading the team to conclude that the effect wipes out, on average, 63 percent of the anticipated energy savings.

"We're not saying energy efficiency doesn't work. What we're saying is rebound needs to be taken more seriously," says Brockway.

The idea that increased efficiency may not deliver the hoped-for savings dates back to the Jevons paradox(悖论), named after the economist William Stanley Jevons, who, in 1865, observed that more efficient coal use led to more demand for coal.

If the rebound effect does prove to be as big as suggested, it means future global energy demand will be higher than expected and the world will need far more wind and solar power and carbon-capture technology than is currently being planned for.

But that doesn't mean nothing can be done to limit the rebound effect. One answer is to double down on energy efficiency and do twice as much to achieve the same effect.

Rachel Hore's fascinating novels move between the past and the present. Her latest The House on Bellevue Gardens is set in London now and in the early 1960s.

Best-selling author Rachel Hore's previous novels include The Glass Painter's Daughter, which was shortlisted(入围) for the 2010 Romantic Novel of the Year award, and A Gathering Storm, which was shortlisted for the 2012 Historical Novel of the Year award.

Here, she shares three books that made an impact on her life.

Orlando

by Virginia Woolf

Reading Orlando for the first time in my late teens gave me a wonderful sense of freedom and the possibilities that a life full of books can offer. Forever youngOrlando possesses "the strength of a man and a woman's grace".

He lives through four centuries and has many disguises; sometimes he even changes his gender.

It was an excellent literary work through history that excited and inspired me.

Flight Behaviour

by Barbara Kingsolver

I've read many of Barbara Kingsolver's novels, including her well-known The Poisonwood Bible, admiring how easily she writes about the power and beauty of the natural world, of which humanity is a dependent part.

I particularly love Flight Behaviour because she engages the reader easily with an ambitious subject for fiction — climate change.

Her story makes us all care about what we are doing to our world.

The Hawk in the Rain

by Ted Hughes

We were given The Thought Fox to read at school and I was so deeply impressed with its central image of the fox in the snow inspiring the poem that I spent that week's money on the book it appears in. I read and re-read it and was amazed!

I loved the writer's technique of description, as well as the energy, the violence and the sensuousness (敏感) of those poems.

Everyone should have their ‘discovery of poetry' moment, and mine was Ted Hughes.

Laura encourages her two kids to make crafts and drawings from old bits of packaging. She began 1 her family's waste when she moved house and decided that she would leave all single-use 2 behind.

"It's cheaper and you know that the item will 3 being used instead of being set aside — so it's just perfect! Each of us play a big 4 in taking care of the environment. It's 5 to try to help rather than just keep complaining about the current situation."

Any glass container is 6 and repurposed for something else. This means that the family only send a piece of 7 to landfill every two weeks on average. She tries not to buy any plastic at all, but when she does, she will get it 8 washed and recycled.

The family also grow their own tomatoes, lettuce, and some other vegetables in the garden, and have orange trees outdoors. Laura has also 9 herself in a community of friends who 10 items with each other that they need, like furniture or plates.

She said, "We tried to use the minimum 11 and take over some toys and baby equipment from friends and relatives. If we really had to 12 anything, first we tried at the 13 market."

To help educate her kids, Laura takes them out on nature walks to the forest where they 14 rubbish as they go. "They enjoy this 15 , because they know it's better for the environment," she said.

There are thousands of coral reefs(珊瑚礁) in the world; Unfortunately, however, they are now in serious danger. More than one-third are in such bad shape that they could die within ten years. Here are the three main causes discovered. 

The first cause is pollution on land. The pollutants run with rainwater into rivers and streams, which carry the poisons into the ocean. So they will be easily infected(感染) with diseases. 

Higher ocean temperatures kill the important food source(来源) for the coral—the algae, the tiny greenish-gold water plants that live on coral. This process has happened more and more frequently in recent years.

The last factor contributing to the disappearance of coral reefs is people. People sometimes crash into reefs with their boats, breaking off large blocks of coral. Moreover, some people even break coral off to collect for souvenirs since it is so colorful and pretty. 

A. Global warming is another reason.

B. Many might not even last that long! 

C. Divers who walk on reefs can also do serious damage.

D. Reefs provide a home for 25% of the fish in the ocean.

E. Chemicals from the poisons kill reefs or make them weak.

F. Steps must be taken now to stop over-fishing and pollution of the oceans.

G. When the algae die, the coral loses its color and it also dies in the end.

The decline in moral standards—which has long concerned social analysts—has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.

The fact the ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation's moral climate, says thisethics (伦理学) professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.

But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that ‘I'm in it for me'has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness," Ms. Elshtain says.

Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today's greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.

In a 1996 poll of Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. and Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that: Data show that Americans are struggling with problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.

The desire for a higher moral standard is not alament (挽歌) for some nonexistent "golden age," Elshtain says, nor is it awishfullonging for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.

Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that cant'be bought."

It was a cold night in Washington, D.C., and I was heading back to the hotel when a man approached me. He asked if I would give him some money so he could get something to eat. I'd read the signs: "Don't give money to beggars as most of them are swindlers." So I shook my head and kept walking. 

I wasn't prepared for a reply, but with no hesitation, he followed me and said, "I really am homeless and I really am hungry! You can come with me and watch me eat!" But I kept on walking. 

The incident kept bothering me for the rest of the week. I had money in my pocket and it wouldn't have killed me to hand over a dollar or two even if he hadn't been a real beggar. On a freezing cold night, no less, I assumed the worst of a fellow human being. 

Flying back to Anchorage, I couldn't help thinking of him. I tried to reason my failure to help by supposing government agencies, churches and charities were there to feed him. Besides, you're not supposed to give money to beggars. 

Somewhere over Seattle, I started to write my weekly garden column for The Anchorage Daily News. Out of the blue, I came up with an idea. Bean's Cafe, a local charity service kitchen, feeds hundreds of hungry local people every day. Why not try to get all my readers to plant one row of vegetables or flowers in their gardens for Bean's? Plant a row for Bean's. It's clean and simple. 

We didn't keep records back then, but the idea began to take off. Folks would fax me or call when they took something in. It's food for the spirit and comfort for my conscience. 

In April 1995, the Garden Writers Association of America(GWAA) held their annual meeting in Anchorage and after learning our program, Plant a Row for Bean'sbecame Plant a Row For The Hungry. The idea then was to have every member write or talk about planting a row for the hungry, which brought the program to national attention. 

As more and more people participated, new variations cropped up. Many companies gave free seeds to customers and displayed the logo for the program. Donations poured in. It was then that I could really stop feeling guilty. 

Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are over concerned with their own appearance and actions. Worrisome thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: what kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?

It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A person's self concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep affect on all areas of their lives. Shy people ,have low self-esteem(自尊),are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need reassurance that they are doing "the right thing". Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior(自卑).They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise .A shy person may respond to praise with a statement like this one:" You're just saying that to make me feel good .I know it's not true." It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful. Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination. It is important for people to accept their weaknesses as well as their strengths, for example, not fair for them to label themselves inferior because they have to be realistic. Living on the impossible leads to absence of inferiority. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and fulfilling life.

For many people today, reading is no longer relaxation. To keep up their work they must read letters, reports, trade publications, interoffice communications, not to mention newspapers and magazines; a never-ending flood of words. In getting a job advancing, the ability to read and comprehend 1 can mean the difference between success and failure. Yet the unfortunate fact is that most of us are 2 readers. Most of us develop poor reading habits at an early age, and never 3 them. The main shortage lies in the actual stuff of language itself – words. Taken individually, words have little4 until they are combined together into phrases, sentences and paragraphs. Unfortunately, 5 , the untrained reader does not read groups of words. He read one word at a time with difficulty, often regressing to 6 words or passages. Regression, namely, the tendency to look back over what you have just read, is a common 7 habit in reading. Another bad habit which 8 the speed of reading is vocalization –sounding each word either 9 or mentally as one reads.

To overcome these bad habits, some reading clinics use a device called an accelerator, which moves a bar (or curtain) down the page at a predetermined speed. The bar is set a slightly 10 rate than the reader finds comfortable, in order to "11 " him. The accelerator forces the reader to read fast, making word-by-word reading, regression and sub-vocalization, practically 12 . At first comprehension is 13 speed. But when you learn to read ideas and concepts, you will not only read faster, but your comprehension will improve. Many people have found their reading skill 14 improved after some training. Take Charles Au, a business manager, for instance, his reading rate was a reasonably good 172 words a minute before the training, now it is an excellent 1,378 words a minute. He is delighted that now he can go through a lot more reading material in a(n)15 period of time.

Hamlet is the most of William Shakespeare's plays. While you read this article, somewhere there is an actor on a stage pouring out his heart to the audience. 

The character of Hamlet has a personal, painful quality that still draws readers and playgoers today as it did 400 years ago. The problems he faces, such as what is and how he should respond to events, are ones we all face in our lives.

Hamlet is the young prince of Denmark. At the beginning, he is sad about his dead father. Everyone else around him is the marriage of his mother Gertrude to her brother-in-law Claudius, the new king. Hamlet thinks that the short time between the death of his father and the marriage of his mother and uncle is .

Hamlet is told that a spirit has been walking around Elsinore castle. He meets it and it says that his father was killed, and by his brother Claudius— it was "murder most horrid (可怕的)"! Now, the ghost instructs him, it is his to avenge (报仇) .

Hamlet is in a terrible position. He does not know whether the ghost is who he says he is, or a being sent by the devil (魔鬼). Matters are because Claudius is suspicious of his nephew. There is a cat-and-mouse game played between the king and Hamlet.

Hamlet has a play performed for the king which stages the way the ghost told him of his father's murder. Claudius reacts with horror, proving to hamlet that he is . But Hamlet misses the opportunity to take his revenge.

He tells Gertrude he hates her to Claudius. During their meeting he kills Polonius, who is the father of his love, Ophelia. Then, Lacerates comes back to the court. He's heard that his father, Polonius, has been killed, so he wants to kill Hamlet.

Cunning (奸诈的) Claudius attempts to play Lacerates and Hamlet against each other, and in the final scene it all goes horribly wrong.

One speech in the play begins "to be or not to be": it is about how Hamlet can't decide whether to get out of his bad situation by killing himself. Hamlet is a thinking man. One who thinks too much in the world where others, like Claudius, show no .

The illegal ivory trade (象牙贸易) has been a major problem in Africa for decades. Poachers (偷猎者) and hunters have killed hundreds of thousands of elephants to obtain this precious material. Now the areas in which they do it are taking action. The International Union for Conservation (保护) of Nature (IUCN）announced on Dec 3 that key states  poaching takes place have made a promise to stop the ivory trade and protect Africa's elephants.

Recently, top officials and experts from 30 states met to discuss how to protect Africa elephants. The conference, (organize) by the IUCN and the government of Botswana, was held in Gaborone, Botswana's capital city.

In 1980s, as many as 1 million elephants across Africa were killed for ivory. The ivory (use) to make jewelry and other items. This continued until 1989, the convention (大会) on International Trade in Species voted to ban all trade in ivory. Then, elephants'population slowly began to increase.

According to the IUCN, 2011 saw the highest levels of poaching and illegal ivory trading in at least 16 years. Around 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa that year. "With an estimated 22,000 elephants illegally (kill) in 2012, we continue to face a critical situation," said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary- General.

At the meeting, key Africa states where elephants make home agreed to develop a "zero-tolerance approach" to poaching. The deal calls for tough sentences for poachers and hunters, and increased cooperation between states where poaching and hunting is a big problem. All participants at the conference agreed to sign the deal. With these states (come) together, there may be hope for elephants.

Despite the popularity of dieting and exercising, more people are bigger than they used to be.

The US is the  (overweight) country in the world. But  many people's surprise, China ranks second, with 46 million obese (肥胖的) adults and 300 million overweight.

So why are so many Chinese getting overweight?

According to The Wall Street Journal, China's weight has grown with its economy. With incomes growing, families afford to eat a lot more food —especially fatty foods like meat. From 1980 to 2013, the average Chinese's meat consumption (increase) from 12.7kg to 60kg per year.

Unhealthy lifestyles also contribute to China's obesity problems. Many Chinese families are eating more deep-fried and junk food while exercising little.

It is also likely  the family planning policy has created a land of little emperors,  are spoiled by their parents and not asked to do any labor at home, commented The Wall Street Journal.

The trend could lead to big problems, as obesity can have severe health consequences. According to the World Health Organization, around 2,8 million adults die each year obesity-related diseases such as diabetes(糖尿病), heart diseases and cancer.

 (encourage) exercise among Chinese, the government is working to increase the nation'public sporting areas to 1.5 square meters per capita by 2015, Xinhua reported. It is also considering adding PE to the national college entrance examination.

The frightening day of our diving test was here. Our parents thought we were lucky to have an Olympic-size swimming pool at the school. My mom stressed that the swimming pool was one of the best in our city. But I didn't feel happy about it at all. Instead, I felt afraid of the swimming pool. It was mainly because I was terribly shy.

I was so shy that I always sat at the back of the room in class so I'd not be called upon to read. As for the present physical education class each Monday morning, I would work my way to the back of the line forming at the diving board so I would not have to practise the dives.

Now, it was another Monday morning — the morning of our diving test. My blood ran cold when the teacher Ms. Robbins announced that we would be graded for our final on the most difficult dive— the jackknife. And she added, "This diving test is important. The one who fails has to spare time in the following Monday mornings to practise diving in this swimming pool and attend this test again."

My body kept shaking with fear as the line to the scary diving board shortened. As I watched, each student seemed to perform the challenging dive effortlessly. And shortly I would have to attempt something that I had never even practised before.

Then I remembered someone telling me that when you picture yourself doing a skill over and over, it's just as effective as physically practicing that skill. So I watched carefully as each classmate jumped at the end of the board once, added a jump for height, folded their body in half to reach for their toes, and finally straightened out like an arrow for going into the water. After carefully watching for a while, I was actually in a state of surprise, because all of a sudden I realized that it was possible for me to perform these four steps of diving.

Eventually all classmates except me finished jumping. The teacher announced that it was my turn.

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Paragraph 1:

With my heart beating wildly, I walked down the diving board towards its end.

Paragraph 2:

Knowing I failed, I climbed out of the pool, embarrassed.