The world is a colorful landscape of different languages, skin colors, and different cultures. It's important to have a good understanding of different cultures in order to become a well-rounded person 【小题1】

One way is to read books written by authors from a particular culture. Reading works by authors who have a close relationship with a particular culture allows people to gain an authentic glimpse into the food, music, language, religion, and way of a life of a particular group of people. 【小题2】

Another way to learn about different cultures is to try to learn a foreign language. 【小题3】 A person can choose a language she has always wanted to learn and locate learning programs to help her master the language. Besides, one can enroll in a foreign language class in order to learn in a more formal setting. One can also try to visit areas of the city to establish social connection with native speakers of the language.

【小题4】 Seek out restaurants that feature authentic food from a variety of countries. Food is an important part of different cultures and allows people to gain deep understanding into a particular cultural group's way of life.

Communicating with people from other countries through email or snail mail is another useful way to become familiar with different cultures. 【小题5】 Various websites offer pen pal services, offering to connect individuals with pen friends around the world.

Over time, habits of negative thinking about ourselves can lower self-esteem (自尊). So if you want to feel better about yourself, try some of these things:

【小题1】 Are you so used to focusing on your problems that they’re all you see? Next time you find yourself trapped in problems or disappointment with yourself or your day, find something positive to deal with it. Each day, write down three good things about yourself, or three things that went smoothly that day because of your action or effort.

Aim for effort rather than perfection. Some people get held back by their own pressure to be perfect. They lose out because they don’t try. Usually, you may think, “I won’t audition (试镜) for the play because I probably won’t get the lead.” 【小题2】

Remind yourself that everyone is good at different things. 【小题3】 Thinking more like this: “She’s a great basketball player — but the truth is, I’m a better musician than athlete. Still, I’ll keep playing because I enjoy it.” It helps you accept yourself and make the best of the situation.

【小题4】 Don’t be afraid to voice them. If someone disagrees, it’s not a judgment on your worth or your intelligence. That person just sees things differently from you.

Set goals. 【小题5】 Then make a plan for how to do it. Stick with your plan, and keep track of your progress.

Homework

Do arithmetic problems 15 through 25. State the different forms of the verbs on page 50 of your French workbook. Read pages 12 through 20 of the Shakespeare play, and don’t forget to fill in the missing chemical symbols on the worksheet.

Sound like a list of your homework for the next few nights — or maybe even just for tonight? 【小题1】 , and that is your teachers’ way of evaluating (评估) how much you know what’s going on in class. And it helps strengthen important concepts.

【小题2】 It’s attractive to start with the easy things to get them out of the way. However, you’ll have the most energy and focus when you begin, so it’s best to use this mental power on the subjects that are most challenging. Later, when you’re more tired, you can focus on the simpler things. If you get stuck on a problem, try to figure it out as well as you can — but don’t spend too much time on it because this can mess up your homework schedule for the rest of the night. 【小题3】 But don’t pick someone whom you’ll be up all night chatting with, or you’ll never get it done!

Most people’s attention spans aren’t very long, so take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people. 【小题4】

Once your homework is done, you can check over it if you have extra time. Be sure to put it safely away in your backpack — there’s nothing worse than having a completed assignment that you can’t find the next morning or that gets ruined by a careless brother or sister. 【小题5】 Now you’re free to hang out.