Not too long ago, a young man asked me a question: how do you make study more fun? You can improve your study habits and make your process more enjoyable. It's a matter of many things.

    Manage your time

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} All it takes is sitting down with a calendar, and just mapping out everything you need to do and the time you need to do it: projects, tests, part-time work, homework, parties, doctor appointments.

    Set the mood

    First, choose a good study area. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Your spot may be in your dorm/bedroom or the library. If you prefer to lie on your bed or sit in a corner of the library, develop a study routine that will allow you to focus. Clean spaces are said to improve productivity. To help you focus, turn off your phone! And while you're at it, limit your access to the Internet.

    Make it a game

    Are you the competitive type? Try competing against yourself. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Or try joining or starting a study group with fiends and take bets on who can get the most right answers when doing homework.

    Take breaks

    In that hour or two you've scheduled for studying, make sure you also give yourself enough breaks. Set a timer-even a short one, like 25 minutes-and work during that time. When the timer goes off, give yourself a few minutes to relax, drink some water, etc. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Reward yourself Sweet treats and other snacks often come to mind as a “reward”, and that might work for you, but it's also probably not a great idea to eat a bag of potato chips after every 25-minute study session. Rewards can be as simple as allowing yourself to watch some interesting videos. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. And we mean a specific, unique spot.

B. it's important to realize and make peace with the fact that studying isn't always going to be “fun”.

C. You can learn how to learn more effectively.

D. Then set another timer and dive back into your studying.

E. Or you can set goals, and then buy yourself something fun when you meet them.

F. Time management may be the secret weapon to succeeding at everything!

G. See if you can improve your reading speed to get yourself under a certain number of pages in five minutes.

    Ancient Rome was one of the world's most powerful empires more than 2,000 years ago. The Romans' Ideas about roads, laws, government and buildings still influence us today. Italy is shaped like a boot.

    The Colosseum (角斗场)in Rome was built during the time of the Roman Empire, in the first century A.D. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is a popular tourist attraction today.

    Italy is well-known for its designers, who create cars, handbags, clothes, shoes and other items that are in demand for their style and fine workmanship.

    Today, the economy of Italy is stronger than in the past. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Today, manufacturing and tourism are the main sources of income. There are some big companies, but Italy has many smaller companies, too. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The southern part does not offer as many manufacturing jobs, so it is not as prosperous.

    Italy is a member of the European Union, a group of countries that join together for better trade. The currency, or money, they use is called the “euro”.

    Food and eating good meals are important to Italians. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Popular foods include pasta, risotto, minestrone and pizza. McDonald's is also popular there.

    Many families still eat their main meal in the middle of the day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Families spend a lot of time together.

A. The family is very important to the Italian way of life.

B. The country used to depend on agriculture.

C. Mountains cover about three-fourths of the country.

D. It could seat about 50,000 people, who went to see fights between animals and people.

E. While there are some supermarkets, many people shop at small, neighborhood markets.

F. Italy has several islands off the coast.

G. The northern part of the country is the main manufacturing center.

    It is important that you teach your baby to read as young as possible. Why? Because there is simply no better time in a child's life for learning than when they are between 3 months old and their 5th birthday.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    As a result, they are sponges(海绵)for knowledge. Moreover, being able to read is the basis for any successful education, so the earlier they start, the better. All too often, parents leave educating their children up to schools, which probably explains why the United States is currently ranked 18th in its rate of reading and writing.

    Teaching your baby to read provides brain exercise during the very time when his or her brain is developing. It has also been shown to increase the baby's IQ. The sooner they begin to read, the sooner they can begin to learn other subjects. This way, by the time your children begin school, they will already know what's being taught, and will be put on the fast track. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    One of the cases that really began to bring the fact that babies can learn to read to the public's attention was 17-month-old Elizabeth Barrett. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    She was given a series of words and even sentences that she could read quite well. Her parents had been reading to her since she was born and had provided her with a very early education.

    Reading is the most important thing to teach babies at a young age. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Learning can be fun at such an early age, and it can be accomplished so easily that they won't have to struggle in order to learn. In fact, when you use the proper materials, they will look forward to learning.

    If you're interested in teaching your baby to read, the best way to start is by spending just a few minutes a day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Simply show your baby matching pictures on the opposite side. There are also videos that help to teach babies to read.

    There is no better time to teach your baby to read than the present. Begin by looking for learning materials that your baby might enjoy.

A. Flash cards are an effective tool.

B. She appeared on the Today show.

C. Maybe they will even skip a grade down the road.

D. During this time, their brains are developing rapidly.

E. What's more, your child will be able to read so successfully.

F. It doesn't have to be stressful or difficult for your child though.

G. Parents talk about the pride that their children can read at an early age.

    Movies have documented America for more than one hundred years. Since Thomas Edison introduced the movie camera in 1893  amateur and professional movie-makers have used moving pictures to tell stories and explain the work of business and government. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} By preserving these movies, we will save a century of history.

    Unfortunately, movies are not made to last. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Already the losses are high. Only 20% of US feature films from the 1910s to 1920s survive. Of the American features produced before 1950, about half exist. For independently produced works, we have no way of knowing how much has been lost.

    For many libraries and museums, the hardest step in preserving movie collections is getting started. The Movie Preservation Guide is designed for these organizations. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} These institutions have collections of moving pictures but lack information about how to take care of them. The guide contains basic facts for "beginners"—professionals trained in history but unschooled in this technical area.

    The guide grew from user workshops at Duke University. At the sessions, beginners talked with technical experts about what they needed to know to preserve and make available their movie collections. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Following the advice, the guide describes methods for handling and storing moving pictures that are practical for research institutions with limited resources. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The guide has been translated into Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

A. "Keep it simple!" was the advice of the discussions.

B. They'll be damaged within years if not properly stored.

C. These organizations are the first to save American movies.

D. It is organized in chapters and includes case studies and charts.

E. It introduces movie preservation to nonprofit and public institutions.

F. They show how generations of Americans have lived, worked and dreamed.

G. They store the original movies and new ones under cool-and-dry conditions.

    We all have days, or even weeks, on the job when our productivity declines. But if your output has been steadily decreasing, it could be because you're wasting time rather than focusing on key tasks at hand. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Turn off your cellphone

    If you're eager to stop wasting time at the office, silence your cellphone. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Turn on your phone only during breaks.

    Organize your calendar

    It's easy to waste time when you don't have a preset schedule outlining your days at work. But if you're guilty of not maximizing your time at the office, it'll help to create a daily calendar with blocks of time for various tasks.

    Organize your space

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your desk is in a mess, carve out some time to get it organized. Throw away papers you don't need, file essential documents in some sort of order, and make your supplies more accessible.

    Build in breaks

    Sometimes we waste time at work by talking to colleagues, checking text messages, or surfing the internet because our minds need a break from the constant work. If that sounds like you, then you'd better schedule some breaks during the day but powering through otherwise. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The more time you waste at work, the more your manager and peers are likely to take notice– and that's a good way to hurt your reputation and put your job at risk. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Doing so might save you from a busy night.