Traveling teaches you to be independent in the most (9)positive（积极的） way. I know how to depend on myself, go out and meet people, and not let anyone else's expectations (10)dictate（控制、支配）my life. Every day I see my dream and every day it's in a new place. I am 22 years young. I quite agree with Anthony Bourdain, "If you're 22, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them, wherever you go."
2
Unit 5
In a study conducted in the UK, it was found that only four out of every five (1)employees were happy at work. Surprisingly, contrary to popular (2)notion（见解、概念）, friendly, supportive colleagues and a good manager, instead of the salary or the love for the work, have been found to be the (3)primary（主要的） causes of happiness at work. So, how do you keep your spirits up and, at the same time, (4)foster（培养） a sense of joy on the job? Here is one of the tips to help you on your way to finding happiness and complete job satisfaction in the workplace.
Start with a positive outlook. Happiness is a state of mind; it (5)reflects（反映） an attitude, though not many people realize it. Staying happy at work is totally based on your (6)motivations（动机） and on a positive outlook toward your job, not on (7)monetary（货币性）rewards or material gain. Dwelling on the good (8)aspects （方面） of the work rather than rattling on and on about what makes you unhappy is the basic key to happiness. Negativity and (9)gossiping（闲聊）about bad things may be easy, but it is looking at the bright side that makes for the challenging part of a job. As Francesca Reigler puts it, "Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves(10)miserable（痛苦的）, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same."
Unit 6
World War II was a global war that was under way by 1939, and ended in 1945. It involved a vast majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis (轴心国). It was the most (1)appalling（吸引人的）and widespread war in human history, with (2)innumerable（无数的）people serving in military units. In a state of "total war", the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the (3)distinction（区别）between civilian and military resources. Estimates for the total number of (4)casualties（人员伤亡）
of the war vary, because many deaths went (5)unrecorded（未记录的）. Most suggest that some 60 million people died in the war. Many civilians died because of disease, starvation, and (6)massacres（屠杀）.
The war ended with the total victory of the Allies over the Axis in 1945. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world. The United Nations was established to (7)foster（培育） international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the (8)stage（阶段） for the so-called Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of the European great powers started to (9)decline（降低、削弱）, while the decolonization of Asia and Africa began. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved toward economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to (10)stabilize（使稳定）post-war relations.
3
Unit 7
The American economy is built on credit. In the last decade, however, cheap credit made it too easy for people to buy houses based on pure speculation that real estate value would endlessly continue to increase. But the housing (1)slump（暴跌） set off a chain reaction in our economy. Individuals and investors could no longer resell their homes for a quick profit, (2)mortgages（抵押） no longer became affordable for many homeowners, and thousands of mortgages defaulted, leaving investors and financial institutions to face the terrible consequences.
Ironic, isn't it? Yes, it is true that credit got us into this mess, but it is also true that our economy is (3)incredibly（极其）unstable right now, and being that it is built on credit, it needs an inflow of cash or it could come (4)crashing down（萧条）. This is something no one wants to see as it would (5)spread（传播）through our economy and into the world markets in a matter of hours, potentially causing a worldwide recession.
Credit in and of itself is not a bad thing. Credit (6)promotes（保证） growth and jobs. Poor use of credit, however, can be (7)catastrophic（灾难的）, which is what we are on the (8)verge（范围）of seeing now. So long as the rescue plan comes with changes to lending regulations and more (9)oversight（监督） of the industry, there is potential to (10)stabilize（使稳定） the market, which is what everyone wants. Whether or not it works is to be seen, but as it has already been voted on and passed, we should all hope it does.