How do you get a good night's sleep?

    You may put your pillow (枕头) at the proper height, drink a glass of hot milk or maybe listen to some light music before bedtime. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}When World Sleeping Day falls on March 21, it will be a good time to explore a long-ignored fact that may make you feel tired after you wake up. Scientists have discovered that the position of your spine (脊椎) is very important when you sleep.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Let's have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each position.

On your back

    Sleeping on your back is the ideal (理想的) position to be in. First of all, your spine is in the best position.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The downside is the greater likelihood of snoring (打鼾) and sleep apnea (窒息).

Lying on belly

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Dr Vaclav Vojta, a US child development specialist, said this is bad for your back because it takes away the natural curve (曲线) of your lumbar (腰部的) spine. But he also noted that this helps to prevent some snoring and sleep apnea.

On your side

    Sleeping on our sides happened naturally while we were in the womb (子宫).{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Plus, sleeping on your side (the left side in particular) has been reported to reduce troublesome digestive problems like heartburn. The downside is the “dead arm” and finger numbness (麻木) from this position.

A. Lying face down with your legs straight and your arms right by your sides is a bad idea.

B. Sleeping on your side can be a quick fix for snoring and can help to improve breathing.

C. Do you and your friends ever talk about your sleeping position with each other?

D. And a new study suggests that the sleeping position has something to do with it.

E. Of the three sleeping positions, which one do you usually go for?

F. You are also less likely to have digestive (消化的) problems.

G. But one thing you may tend to ignore is sleeping positions.

The Winner's Guide to Success

    Do you know what makes people successful? To find out the answers, an American reporter recently visited some of the most successful people around the world.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Be responsible for yourself

    Sometimes you may want to blame others for your failure to get ahead. In fact, when you say someone or something outside of yourself is stopping you from making success, you're giving away your own power.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Write a plan.

    It's very difficult to try to get what you want without a good plan. It's just like trying to drive through strange roads to a city far away.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Without this “map”, you may waste your time, money and also your energy; while with the “map”, you will enjoy the “trip” and get what you want in the shortest possible time.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Nothing great is easy to get. So you must be ready to work hard—even harder than you have ever done. If you are not willing to pay the price, you won't get anything valuable.

Never give up.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}When you are doing something, you must tell yourself again and again: Giving up is worse than failure because failure can be the mother of success, but giving up means the death of hope.

A. A good plan is like a map to you.

B. It seems to us that everyone knows this, but it is easier said than done.

C. Some people achieve success much later in life because they don't work hard earlier.

D. You're saying, "You have more control over my life than I do."

E. Someone else's opinions of you don't have to become your reality.

F. Be willing to pay the price.

G. Here are some keys to success that they give.

    A peer is a person who is about the same age as you. Peers affect your life, whether you know it or not, just by spending time with you.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in solar system. Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book and now everyone's reading it. However, sometimes peers affect one another in another way{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Maybe a kid in the neighborhood wanted you to steal with him.

    Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked, to fit in, or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don't go along with the group.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} The idea that “everyone's doing it” may influence some kids to leave their better judgments or their common senses behind.

    Peer pressure can be extremely strong and hard to get rid of. Experiments have shown how peer pressure can influence someone to change her/his mind from what she/he knows for sure is a correct answer to the incorrect answer-just because everyone else gives the incorrect answer!{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do. Inner strength and self-confidence can help you stand firm, walk away and resist doing something when you know better.

A. Peers can have a good effect on one another.

B. Peer pressure is the direct influence on people by peers.

C. Good peers may give you a hand when you are in trouble.

D. That holds true for people of any age in peer pressure situations.

E. Maybe one kid in school tried to get another to cut class with him.

F. It can be hard to walk away from peer pressure, but it can be done.

G. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing.

Cowboys in the US

    Cowboys played an important role in the settling of the west. Ranching (牧场经营)was a big industry and cowboys helped to run the ranches.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

The Roundup

    Each spring and fall the cowboys would work on the “roundup”{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Cattle would walk freely much of the year and then the cowboys would need to bring them in. In order to tell what cattle belonged to their ranch, the cattle would have a special mark burned into them called a “ brand “.

Horse and Saddle (马鞍）

    The most important item of any cowboy was his horse and saddle. The saddles were often custom-made (定制的) and, next to his horse, probably the most valuable item a cowboy owned.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Clothing

    Cowboys wore special clothing that helped them with their jobs. They wore large 10-gallon hats to protect them from the sun and the rain. They wore special cowboy boots that helped them to get in and out of the stirrups (马镫）when riding a horse{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Many cowboys wore chaps on the outsides of their legs to help protect them from sharp bushes that their horse may rub up against.

Cowboy Code

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The code included such rules as being polite and respectful, always saying “howdy”, not waving at a man on a horse (you should nod) , never riding another man's horse without his permission,always helping someone in need, and never putting on another man's hat.

A. They herded cattle, repaired buildings, and took care of the horses.

B. The cowboys of the Old West had an unwritten code that they lived by.

C. This when the cowboys would bring in all the cattle from the open ranch.

D. Horses were so important that anyone caught stealing a horse was usually hanged!

E. Their clothing grew out of practical need and the environment in which they worked.

F. This was especially important if they fell, so they wouldn't get dragged by their horse.

G. They have deep historic roots dating back to the earliest European settlers of America.

    Shaking hands, American style

    People often shake hands in the United States. American men shake hands with other men. American women often shake hands with men, and sometimes they shake hands with other women. Adults shake hands with children. And some people even teach their dogs to shake hands! {#blank#}1{#/blank#} How do they shake hands just long enough? Just hard enough? Here are four little rules to remember.

    ⒈Use your right hand.

    ⒉Use good eye contact(眼神交流). Look at the person in the eye while you are shaking hands.

    ⒊Don't shake too long. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Then let go and pull your hand back toward you.

    ⒋{#blank#}3{#/blank#} When a handshake is weak, Americans think the person may not be a hard worker or a good leader. When a handshake is too strong, Americans think the person is too rough(粗鲁) or has bad manners.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They shake hands when they meet for the first time. They shake hands to say congratulations. They shake hands when they meet after not seeing each other for a while. And they often shake hands when they say good-bye. In business, shaking hands shows agreement and honesty.

    Handshakes are good everywhere. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} So make sure to shake plenty of hands.

A. Offer you hand first.

B. Shake for no more than three seconds.

C. How do people shake hands correctly?

D. Don't shake too strongly or too weakly.

E. It is not polite to refuse a person's hand.

F. When do people in the United States shake hands?

G. Make sure your hands aren't sweaty when you do this.

Gardening 380 Kilometers above Earth Astronauts have to go through physical, psychological, and technical training. They also go through training in how to care for plants. These "astronaut gardeners" share their work and living space with plants.

Taking seeds and plants along on a trip isn't a new idea. As space trips become longer, it will be necessary to grow food in space. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Because of this, it's not practical to send everything needed for a long journey, only to be used once and thrown away.

Plants can serve many uses on a space journey. They can provide more fresh things. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Also, plants can help to make air quality better because they produce oxygen. They can improve the quality of the air inside the spacecraft—the only air the astronauts can breathe.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Due to the lack of gravity in space, the oxygen that the plants produce stays around the plants. This can actually kill them, so fans are needed to circulate the air. Without gravity, roots don't "know" to grow down, leaves don't "know" to grow up, and water doesn't easily travel up the roots to the leaves. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Besides, soil is too heavy to send to space, and special liquid gels (胶) are used to help plant growth.

Scientists are also working on the plants themselves. They are trying to make plants grow more rapidly and grow with less water and light in space, and they are looking for ways to make plants more resistant to disease. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Imagine that deserts may one day provide lots of fresh food for local people, saving transportation costs. Similarly, plants that are resistant to disease could provide an important food supply. With the world's population now at seven billion (十亿) people, our astronaut gardeners may help discover ways to feed those billions.

A. Every plant grown in space must have several uses.

B. However, there are challenges with growing plants in space.

C. Such methods may result in improvements back here on Earth.

D. The cost of taking anything into space is about $22,000 per kilogram.

E. Specialized containers are being developed to help the plants grow correctly.

F. Astronauts will welcome the addition of fruits and vegetables to their diet of dry foods.

G. Currently all oxygen is taken aboard in tanks and then caught again so it can be reused.