What do you associate with New Year’s Eve? Fun, champagne and… good intentions? Do you still remember what you resolved to do last year? Learning a new language probably ranked right up there with joining a gym and giving up a nasty habit. Regardless of the reasons you had for making this resolution, the result is – unfortunately – almost always the same. After the first days at “full speed ahead”, by spring the motivation has subsided and you find yourself staring discontentedly at the grammar books you bought with such enthusiasm.

But why? Why does everyone think that it’s so hard to learn a language? And that it requires so much time to practice? Could it be because we all have a few bad habits that we’re not aware of (and therefore can’t get rid of)?

Let’s take a look at the most common mistakes and figure out how we can avoid them.

1. Take it slow

When the adventure of a new language starts, your enthusiasm knows no bounds. On the one hand, that’s something very positive. On the other hand, it’s important not to rely on enthusiasm alone. When the newness and initial excitement has worn off, you might not know where to find the motivation to learn. That’s why it’s necessary to steer your initial exuberance in the right direction, and not let it disappear like a flash in the pan. It’s better to take it slow – tame your enthusiasm and make sure that learning a language becomes a regular daily activity.

Otherwise something like this might happen: You’ll study every day for the first week. Already in the second week you’ll skip a day because you’re too tired. The following week it happens again, and then again the week after that. Soon, you’ll be staring, frustrated, at that pile of language books on your desk.

Our Tip:Steer your initial exuberance in the right direction and make sure that learning a language becomes a regular daily activity. Ten minutes a day is better than full-on for a week and then nothing after that.

2. The benefits of a bad memory

No, we’re not crazy. We’re talking to all those people who think that memorization is the key to everything, to everyone who boasts about their photographic memory, and to everyone who gets stuck on vocabulary lists. Don’t get us wrong: a good memory is definitely helpful, but one should not forget (no pun intended) to use and train it the right way.

Memorizing entire phrases can be helpful in certain, clearly-defined situations (like picking up your luggage at the airport, for example). But it won’t be of any benefit when topics come up in conversation that weren’t in that book you so diligently memorized.

Use your memory and make it your ally. Learn phrases and words with which you can make associations or create mnemonic devices. And when a word doesn’t seem to want to come out, find an alternative or paraphrase what you mean. In this way, you don’t only get your synapses firing, but you can also remember things better and for longer periods of time. Try it for yourself!

Our Tip: Your memory is an important ally if you use it intelligently.

3. Nobody’s perfect

No one is perfect… and you shouldn’t try to be! One of the first obstacles you encounter on the path to “fluent mastery” of a language is the absurd and premature demand you place on yourself to speak with perfect and error-free pronunciation and grammar. Of course, you can and will get there with a lot of practice, but it shouldn’t be the highest priority when you’re getting to know a completely new language.

If you get lost in especially complicated grammar when you’re trying to say something simple, or if you’re only sure of yourself when you don’t make even the smallest pronunciation mistakes, then it’s highly likely that within a few weeks, you’ll give up out of total frustration.

“Until I can speak perfectly, I won’t speak. But if I don’t speak, I’ll never improve and can give up hope of ever being able to speak perfectly”. It’s a Catch 22!

Our Tip: Give yourself a break and don’t be afraid to make mistakes! You’ll soon see the progress that’ll bring you closer to your goal.

4. All work and no play…

It’s exactly you – so tirelessly and steadfastly learning – who we’re speaking to here: Are you finally going to get up out of that chair, or do you want to put down roots right where you’re sitting? You’re diligent and persistent. You’ve used your memory and your desire to learn in the best way possible. You’ve trusted yourself to speak to people because you understand that we all learn from making mistakes. And now? Now it’s time to give yourself a reward!

When you set such a big goal as learning a new language, it’s important now and then to pat yourself on the back and enjoy the success you’ve achieved. You’ve managed to have your first real-life conversation? You’ve got all that difficult pronunciation down? You’ve gotten through the jungle of pronouns? Then you should celebrate it and do something fun! Watch a film, sing a song at the top of your lungs, or listen to the radio… but, of course, in the language you’re learning! When you couple language learning with activities that bring you joy, you’ll learn more effectively and remember what you’ve learned more easily.

Our Tip: You don’t have to learn like a crazy person. There should also be time to combine the enjoyable with the practical, and have fun while learning!

5. The goal is always within sight

Learn the art of always keeping your goal within sight. Of course, anyone could say that learning for learning’s sake is the ideal picture of education… that goes without saying. But if you want to reach the end of the road, it’s important that you’re aware of why you stepped onto the path in the first place.

Why are you learning a new language? For love? To get a raise? Because you want to try your luck in a new country? Because you can’t stand films that are dubbed? Very good. Keep your goal in sight and imagine that with every tiny step forward, the path to your goal gets shorter and the top of the mountain gets closer.

Our Tip: Keeping a goal in sight increases motivation. Before you start, set a goal!

source: www.babbel.com

What can make learning a language easier? Can you fill in the gaps in the tips?

1. Make sure that learning a language becomes a regular (1) ……. activity. (2)………… a day is better than full-on for a week and then nothing after that.

2. Use your memory (3)………… .

3. Don’t be afraid to make (4)………… .

4. Combine the (5)……….. with the (6)………….., and have (7)……. while learning!

5. Before you start, set a (8)……. .

Key:

1. daily

2. Ten minutes

3. intelligently

4. mistakes

5. enjoyable

6. practical

7. fun

8. goal

The test was “elementary” level, and I was confused. I had studied by myself for years, and I had lived for nine months of “full immersion” in my new country. I’d also attended Chinese classes for three hours per week. How could I perform so badly?

When I received the “Not-Passed Diploma”, my confusion turned into frustration. Who was to be blamed for my failure? I had really spent a lot of time studying seriously, with friends, books, music, movies, and language exchange.  What was wrong?

It was not my first language learning experience. By the time I began learning Chinese, I was fluent in two languages besides my mother tongue and had studied other languages at a basic level. But this time, I entered into the adventure of an exotic language from a remote place, and I failed.

After some time, things got better, but it was a long and winding road with many obstacles.

Here’s what I learned…

1. Avoid Shifting Gears Between Languages

A drop of water falling on an uneven surface will follow the direction of the steepest slope. The brain does the same with languages.

In the presence of two messages in two different languages, the brain focuses on the easiest one, often blocking or ignoring the second one.

The brain seems to work at different speeds with different languages. Changing from one language to another implies changing speed, like shifting the gear in a car.

The moment I open a textbook and begin to study, my brain changes gear, which takes a small amount of effort. If I get distracted by a written text or an audio message in my mother tongue, my brain will shift gear again.

Here’s the simple lesson I learned: don’t get distracted by anything in a language different to the one you are learning. This is more difficult at a beginner’s level, because you might need an explanation in a language you can understand, or you need to check the dictionary. But I always try to create, as much as possible, an environment without distractions in other languages.

Try it for yourself. Which language are you learning? French? Find a free day in your schedule. Try not to read, listen or even say anything in a language other than French. Listen to music only in French, read the news in that tongue, and make the effort to think, with simple phrases, in French.

You can be even more radical with this. Remove all material from your desk that is not in French, and set your computer and your phone to French. Try this, even for half a day, and you will notice the difference.

2. Plan Exhaustion Into Your Study Goals

We’ve all had the experience of making a resolution: I will exercise twice a week, I will not lose my temper, I will study Japanese every day. After a beginning full of energy and determination, our motivation fades out and we find ourselves in the same situation: no exercise, losing our temper and not studying Japanese.

The problem might be bad planning, unrealistic goals or lack of motivation. But there is another aspect we can take into consideration: often we make plans and take decisions for the times in which we have a lot of energy. Why not plan instead for those moments in which we will be exhausted?

Ask yourself: How do I rest? Walking in the forest? Reading novels? Listening to music? Watching sports? Doing handicrafts? Painting?

Take your preferred way of relaxing, and add an element of your target language.

Like walking in the park? What about listening to a language podcast while you walk?

Enjoy reading novels? Look for a book adapted to your level.

Love listening to music? Have you tried learning a song in your target language?

Is watching sports your thing? Then watch the same sports matches you usually would, but listen to commentary in your target language.

Is your favourite “hobby” spending time with friends? Make a new friend interested in learning the same language as you. Learn together.

At the beginning, these new ways of relaxing will feel unfamiliar – perhaps even difficult. You will need time to adapt, but after a while it will be as effortless as the way you used to rest before. And most importantly, your brain will work by itself without you noticing, and will store information that it will bring up again when needed.

Make the most of your rest time!

3. Before You Take Your First Step, Decide Where You Want to Go

Each time I decide that I will start learning a language I need to set clear goals. Not only dreams, but clear specific goals, including the time and resources I am willing to spend on learning a new language.

For example, it might be that I am learning Russian because I found a Russian textbook at home. In this case my objective is to enjoy the act of studying. It is a valid objective and studying Russian is just a means to attain that goal.

Perhaps I sing in a choir that performs songs with French, Italian and Latin lyrics. I would like to understand a bit of these languages to make the singing more meaningful. In that case what I need is good pronunciation, together with some basic ideas about grammar and vocabulary.

We can imagine a more demanding situation: I want to apply for a scholarship that requires a certain level in Japanese, or my boss just told me that in order to get promoted I need to be fluent in Finnish.

It is then necessary to set clear goals. Here are some examples of goals:

Within one month acquire vocabulary concerning seafood products.

By 10th August be able to read in a loud voice fluently, without stammering, and clearly, even if I don’t understand what I read.

At the end of the year understand the evening news in my target language.

Survive my trip to Inner Mongolia.

Teach a university course in French next September.

It’s important to connect your big goals with activities that you can do at precise moments of your schedule. If you do this, you’ll reach your goals.

This could be attending Chinese class on Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. Or it might be reading for five minutes in the morning, listening to music while jogging on Thursday afternoons, or watching a video course on Saturdays at 8 a.m.

4. Create Your Own Learning Activities

At the language schools I’ve come across they always want to teach many different things, but very rarely want to teach you how to learn.

In a restaurant this approach would make sense; we go to a restaurant to eat, not to learn to cook. In language learning, it does not make sense.

Creating personal learning activities means you examine yourself and your progress, and find direction in your study that’s relevant to you and your goals.

How can you examine yourself? On a regular basis, ask yourself:

What is my weak point now?

Which area do I want to strengthen?

In which field do I need to acquire vocabulary?

Where do I commit more mistakes?

What am I afraid of?

Then create a simple learning activity to address the issues you discover. Not sure where to start with this? Just create something. Try. Fail. Work. Adjust. Change. Practise. Examine. Fail. Try again.

Some of the things I’ve tried:

Going to a shopping centre and trying to buy 101 different things, even if at the end I didn’t buy anything.

Listening to music while reading the lyrics and singing aloud. Then singing without reading the lyrics.

Creating a database of phrases and vocabulary from a novel, and reviewing the list.

Reading an article every day in my target language.

Keeping a diary in my target language. One or two phrases a day.

These activities work best when you persist at them.

What do I do when I need ideas? I draw inspiration from other learners, by reading blogs and websites.

5. Love Mistakes and Laugh at Yourself

I enjoy my classes I teach. I don’t know if the students always do, but I do. One of the things I like is that we laugh at my mistakes. Often I mispronounce words, I forget terms, or forget the right stroke of a Chinese character. Sometimes my students cannot understand my questions, or I cannot understand their answers. Often they just smile, sometimes they laugh, they imitate my tones, they try to correct me on the spot. There is only one way to survive, and that is to learn how to enjoy failure. This has many advantages. First, we laugh, and it is good to laugh. Second, because I visibly enjoy failure, my students are not ashamed to correct me. Third, I no longer feel afraid of making mistakes.

There is a moment in which it’s particularly useful to laugh at yourself: on really bad days. We are not machines, we are not computers. In theory, once an app is installed on a phone it will work in spite of the weather and the day of the week. Human beings are not like that. It might happen that, for unknown reasons your Spanish is less fluent on Mondays. Don’t get frustrated. Smile!

Even if you make hundreds of embarrassing mistakes in one day, your friends are still your friends.

6. Love Silence

Love silence, speak less. I know this sounds like poor advice. And I profoundly believe in the standard methods of language learning: listen more, speak more, read more, write more. Yes, and at the same time: love silence, and speak less.

After each failure (grammatical mistake, wrong pronunciation), big or small, don’t ignore it so as not to lose motivation. Instead, stop, in silence, and ask yourself: what went wrong? What can I learn from this? Even better, write down your mistakes.

Loving silence, interior silence, enables you to be a better listener. I have seen trillions of learners who attain an intermediate level but don’t progress any further. Even if they are often corrected by others, they don’t notice it because they are too busy listening to themselves.

Loving silence also enables you to think a microsecond before speaking.

7. Don’t Forget Memorisation

Memorisation has bad press. We have heard many times that good education, including language learning, is about understanding, creativity, practising, or many other things, but it’s certainly not about memorisation, as it was in the past.

Memorisation is the ugly duckling of learning. It’s boring, takes much time, and often is useless. These are partly true, but I would still say “train your memory”.

8. Master the Art of Language Exchange

“We are here in front of a cup of coffee for the first time, ready to help each other to learn a language. Now what?” This is a common scenario in the first session of a language exchange.

How do you get past this awkward stage?

After finding a language exchange partner, one of the first things I do is to establish a common goal. If we don’t have a common vision, the language exchange will hardly work.

In my case, language exchange partners come from two sources: friends-of-friends and websites. When you find people on websites, check out their profile to see why they want to learn a language. A person might write that he or she is interested in meeting new people, romance, or cultural experience. I avoid people who want these things. Instead, I search for people who want to learn a language, because that’s my focus.

After we order a cup of coffee or dinner, I introduce myself and explicitly say that my focus is to learn a language. I let my exchange partner know that I have strong motivation. I explain what I expect from them (“Don’t worry if you don’t have experience”, “It’s ok if you aren’t a grammar superhero”). Finally, I outline the rules of the game (one hour for your language, one hour for my language, frequency and time, etc.).

An effective language exchange session requires a clear direction. I try never to arrive at a session without knowing what we will do that day.

Language exchange is something very personal and what works for some might not work for all, but one of the key components of a fruitful exchange is laughing lots and having fun. Show gratitude when you receive help from others.”

source: uk.businessinsider.com

So what is important when learning a language? Let’s summarize the hacks. Can you fill in the gaps?

1. Avoid shifting …… between languages.

2. Plan …… into your study goals.

3. …… you take your first step, …… where you want to go.

4. …… your own learning activities.

5. Love …… and …… at yourself.

6. Love …… .

7. Don’t forget …… .

8. Master the art of …… .

Key

1. gears

2. exhaustion

3. Before, decide

4. Create

5. mistakes, laugh

6. silence

7. memorisation

8. language exchange

Matthew Youlden speaks nine languages fluently and understands more than a dozen more. He can switch from language to language like a chameleon changing colors.

He has the following advice for those who want to pick up a second language. If you believe that you can never become bilingual, take note!

1. KNOW WHY YOU’RE DOING IT

This might sound obvious, but if you don’t have a good reason to learn a language, you are less likely to stay motivated over the long-run. Wanting to impress English-speakers with your French is not a very good reason; wanting to get to know a French person in his or her own language is another matter entirely. No matter your reason, once you’ve decided on a language, it’s crucial to commit:

“OK, I want to learn this and I’m therefore going to do as much as I can in this language, with this language and for this language.”

2. FIND A PARTNER

Matthew learned several languages together with his twin brother Michael (they tackled their first foreign language, Greek, when they were only eight years old!). Matthew and Michael gained their superpowers from good-old, healthy sibling rivalry:

“We were very motivated, and we still are. We push each other to really go for it. So if he realizes that I’m doing more than he is he’ll get a bit jealous and then try and outdo me (maybe because he’s my twin) – and the other way round.”

Even if you can’t get a sibling to join you on your language adventure, having any kind of partner will push both of you to always try just a little bit harder and stay with it:

“I think it’s a really great way of actually going about it. You have someone with whom you can speak, and that’s the idea behind learning a language.”

3. TALK TO YOURSELF

When you have no one else to speak to, there’s nothing wrong with talking to yourself:

“It might sound really weird, but actually speaking to yourself in a language is a great way to practice if you’re not able to use it all the time.”

This can keep new words and phrases fresh in your mind and build up your confidence for the next time you speak with someone.

4. KEEP IT RELEVANT

If you make conversation a goal from the beginning, you are less likely to get lost in textbooks. Talking to people will keep the learning process relevant to you:

“You’re learning a language to be able to use it. You’re not going to speak it to yourself. The creative side is really being able to put the language that you’re learning into a more useful, general, everyday setting – be that through writing songs, generally wanting to speak to people, or using it when you go abroad. You don’t necessarily have to go abroad; you can go to the Greek restaurant down the road and order in Greek.”

5. HAVE FUN WITH IT

Using your new language in any way is a creative act. Matthew and his brother practiced their Greek by writing and recording songs. Think of some fun ways to practice your new language: make a radio play with a friend, draw a comic strip, write a poem, or simply talk to whomever you can. If you can’t find a way to have fun with the new language, chances are you aren’t following step four.

6. ACT LIKE A CHILD

This is not to say you should throw a tantrum or get food in your hair when you go out to a restaurant, but try learning the way kids do. The idea that children are inherently better learners than adults is proving to be a myth. New research cannot find a direct link between age and the ability to learn. The key to learning as quickly as a child may be to simply take on certain childlike attitudes: for instance, lack of self-consciousness, a desire to play in the language and willingness to make mistakes.

We learn by making mistakes. As kids, we are expected to make mistakes, but as adults mistakes become taboo. Think how an adult is more likely to say, “I can’t”, rather than, “I haven’t learned that yet” (I can’t swim, I can’t drive, I can’t speak Spanish). To be seen failing (or merely struggling) is a social taboo that doesn’t burden children. When it comes to learning a language, admitting that you don’t know everything (and being okay with that) is the key to growth and freedom. Let go of your grown-up inhibitions!

7. LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Willingness to make mistakes means being ready to put yourself in potentially embarrassing situations. This can be scary, but it’s the only way to develop and improve. No matter how much you learn, you won’t ever speak a language without putting yourself out there: talk to strangers in the language, ask for directions, order food, try to tell a joke. The more often you do this, the bigger your comfort zone becomes and the more at ease you can be in new situations:

“At the beginning you’re going to encounter difficulties: maybe the pronunciation, maybe the grammar, the syntax, or you don’t really get the sayings. But I think the most important thing is to always develop this feel. Every native speaker has a feel for his or her own language, and that’s basically what makes a native-speaker – whether you can make the language your own.”

8. LISTEN FIRST

You must learn to listen before you can speak. Every language sounds strange the first time you hear it, but the more you expose yourself to it the more familiar it becomes, and the easier it is to speak it properly:

“We’re able to pronounce anything, it’s just we’re not used to doing it. For example the rolled r doesn’t exist in my form of English. When I was learning Spanish there were words with the hard r in them like perro and reunión. For me, the best way to go about mastering that is actually to hear it constantly, to listen to it and to kind of visualize or imagine how that is supposed to be pronounced, because for every sound there is a specific part of the mouth or throat that we use in order to achieve that sound.”

9. WATCH PEOPLE TALK

Different languages make different demands on your tongue,lips and throat. Pronunciation is just as much physical as it is mental:

“One way – it might sound a bit strange – is to really look at someone while they’re saying words that use that sound, and then to try to imitate that sound as much as possible. Believe me, it might be difficult at the beginning, but you will. It’s something that is actually quite easily done; you just need to practice it.”

If you can’t watch and imitate a native-speaker in person, watching foreign-language films and TV is a good substitute.

10. DIVE IN

So you’ve made the pledge. How to proceed? Is there a proper way to go about learning? Matthew recommends the 360° maximalist approach: no matter which learning tools you use, it’s crucial to practice your new language every single day:

“I tend to want to absorb as much as possible right from the start. So if I learn something I really, really go for it and try to use it throughout the day. As the week progresses I try to think in it, try to write in it, try to speak to myself even in that language. For me it’s about actually putting what you’re learning into practice – be that writing an email, speaking to yourself, listening to music, listening to the radio. Surrounding yourself, submerging yourself in the new language culture is extremely important.”

Remember, the best possible outcome of speaking a language is for people to speak back to you. Being able to have a simple conversation is a huge reward in itself. Reaching milestones like that early on will make it easier to stay motivated and keep practicing. And don’t worry, you won’t annoy people by speaking their language poorly. If you preface any interaction with, “I’m learning and I’d like to practice…” most people will be patient, encouraging and happy to oblige. Even though there are approximately a billion non-native English-speakers around the world, most of them would rather speak their own language if given a choice. Taking the initiative to step into someone else’s language world can also put them at ease and promote good feelings all around:

“Sure, you can travel abroad speaking your own language, but you’ll get so much more out of it being able to actually feel at ease in the place you are – being able to communicate, to understand, to interact in every situation you could possibly imagine.”

Source: Babbel.com

To summarize the article can you fill in the gaps in the advice given?

1. ……… why you’re doing it.

2. Find a …….

3. Talk to ………..

4. Keep it ………

5. Have ……. with it.

6. Act like a ……..

7. Leave your ………..

8. ……… first

9. ……. people talk.

10. …….. in.

Key

1. Know

2. partner

3. yourself

4. relevant

5. fun

6. child

7. comfort zone

8. Listen

9. Watch

10. Dive

Here are seven last-minute tips that can help you finish your prep strong and perform at your peak:

1. Do not underestimate the power of proper rest

This piece of advice is listed first because it is one of the most important and most frequently overlooked strategies. Our brains are at their best when they are rested. If you sit for an exam while exhausted, you will have a much harder time recalling the information you need to earn a high score. Tests (especially at college) are designed to assess knowledge and skills that you accumulate over months of study, so frantically reviewing your notes the week before the exam will not help you. You can study an hour or so a day to keep yourself focused and on-topic, but avoid working late into the evening.

2. Rest your hands

The majority of the tests are not yet computer-delivered, and this means that you will be doing quite a bit of writing by hand. It may seem strange to think about, but tired hands are one factor that can affect your performance. However, there are ways to minimize the likelihood of aching fingers. On the day of your exam, bring a stress ball or other stress relief toy that will help your hands relax from their pencil-clutch posture. You can even bring a small tube of moisturizer or Tiger Balm to rub into your fingers.

3. Use your downtime wisely

Part of entering an exam week rested and relaxed is feeling mentally refreshed. Make time, too, for an activity that is fun and relaxing. Go for a walk, play a favourite video game, or invite your friends over. The specifics of what you do matter less than ensuring that you do not spend the week before your exams tense and anxious.

4. Review class content, but do so selectively

As mentioned above, avoid entirely abandoning your test prep. Taking a high-stakes exam “cold” is guaranteed to leave you stressed come test day. Instead of broadly reviewing, however, study several points that are essential to earning your intended score.

5. Practice your editing

As you study for your exams, include a bit of practice with editing essays. Before you take your first exam, locate several essays that you have written for class and edit them for clarity. On test day, you will not have time for extensive rewrites of your free response answers, so it is well worth knowing where to focus your energies. Include this practice in your daily study hour. While you cannot add much information to your store of knowledge at this point, you can improve your test-taking process.

6. Rest between back-to-back exams

Many students who take tests report feeling worn out after just one – let alone back-to-back exams! Unfortunately, because the exam schedules are usually fixed, you may face this very situation. If you must complete back-to-back tests, plan ahead to ensure that you will have some quality rest time between exams. For example, bring music to listen to, and eat a healthy meal (one including complex carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables to nourish your brain).

7. Schedule recovery time

If you have multiple tests on multiple days, do your best to clear your schedule in the evenings. You will need to relax and sleep in order for your brain to recharge, and a busy night can interfere with this process. Do indulge in light exercise (you will be amazed at how effectively it can reset your mind) or a favourite activity. Continue to eat well, and – as has been mentioned many times – get your rest! You will be well on your way to success if you do.

A waiter found himself completely transformed after a generous tip.

For years, Brian Maixner, a waiter at the Doo-Dah Diner in Wichita, Kansas, had several missing teeth as well as tooth decay. However, the single father was unable to afford care. This all changed when customer Fred Boettcher, who was struck by Maixner’s upbeat attitude, approached the diner’s owner with a request to leave the waiter an incredible tip – dental care valued at thousands of dollars.

“I was in shock. I was trying to wait on their table, but I was crying a bit,” Maixner said of his initial reaction to the news.

For the last two months, Maixner has received dental work paid for by Boettcher, and last Wednesday, he unveiled his new smile to his friends and customers.

“My friends on Facebook went through the roof.” Maixner said about his new flashy grin. “I’ve been getting a lot of people stopping me in public.”

The friendly waiter has dealt with dental problems since childhood, and has been working to eventually pay for dental insurance. But even with severe tooth problems, Maixner sported a big smile at work — a quality that Boettcher appreciated.

“I took one look at this young man and knew he was something special,” Boettcher said. “He carried himself with such kindness and confidence with a mouth that looked painful. I was struck by that.”

Boettcher, who also experienced dental problems in his younger years, sent the waiter to his own dentist who treated Maixner andpulled his remaining teeth. He was then fitted for dentures. Though Maixner isn’t finished with his procedures and has to wait a few more months before he can get dental implants, he says that he already feels like a changed man.

It’s a transformation, he says, that wouldn’t be possible without Boettcher’s sense of compassion.

“This man doesn’t know me and this is something I could never afford to do for myself. It touched me so much that he cared” said Maixner.

Read the short version of Brian’s story and fill in the missing words from the text.

Brian’s had several teeth decayed or …………… (1). Still, he had a very …………… (2) attitude at work. One day a …………… (3) in the restaurant where he worked left him a generous …………… (4). He paid for all the dental …………… (5) that Brian needed but could never …………… (6) to have. The dentist …………… (7) Brian’s remaining teeth and gave him …………… (8). Finally, he will get dental …………… (9). His friends went through the …………… (10) when they saw his new smile.

Key:

1. missing

2. upbeat

3. customer

4. tip

5. care / work

6. afford

7. pulled

8. dentures

9. implants

10. roof

Few experiences are as maddening as a restless night. Sleep should, in theory, be the most natural and effortless activity in the world, yet insomnia is common to many of us. To add to the frustration, it is now becoming clear that the hours you spend in bed are just as important to your physical and mental health as those spent walking, talking and eating. A good night’s rest can help regulate your mood, sharpen your attention, and boost your memory, while ailments from heart disease to diabetes have been linked to those struggling to get sufficient sleep.

Don’t… drink caffeine after dark

Avoiding caffeine is obvious advice, but it’s worth repeating. The good news is that you may not need to be as strict as once thought. If you have your last coffee in the early afternoon, most of the caffeine will have been flushed out of your body by 11pm.

Do… keep a sleep diary

Cutting down on alcohol, taking regular exercise, avoiding daytime naps and following a rigid bedtime schedule can also improve your “sleep hygiene” and set you up for deeper slumbers. And it should go without saying that you should avoid doing anything strenuous or stressful within a few hours of sleep time – a habit that is easier said than remembered. For this reason, some studies suggest keeping a sleep diary of your activity before bed, which helps to ensure you avoid the worst triggers. 

Don’t… curl up with your favourite reading device

Although the act of reading may be soporific, changes in the way we consume literature could be sending your bodily rhythms into disarray. Many e-readers are backlit with blue frequencies of light – which can fool the brain into thinking that it’s still daytime. Perhaps for this reason, a recent study found that reading on these devices for a few hours before bed seems to suppress melatonin (the sleep hormone) and therefore makes it harder to doze off, compared to a traditional paperback. The same goes for tablets, MP3 players and smartphones.

Do… sleep in a new position (or learn the didgeridoo)

Many restless nights can be linked to sleep apnoea – a condition linked to snoring, in which the airways become constricted when you are unconscious. Often, the sleeper doesn’t even realise what has woken them up with a start – despite the fact that it can happen many times in one night. There are several causes, but some cases may be easily solved by switching from lying on your back, to sleeping on your front or side. Another, more left-field suggestion is to learn the didgeridoo; perhaps because it strengthens muscles in the respiratory system. A small study in the British Medical Journal found that learning the instrument gave some sufferers a smoother sleep with fewer interruptions. Certainly not a solution for everyone – particularly those with close neighbours trying to get some sleep themselves.