Americans use the term “college students” to mean students either in colleges or universities. Not only that, Americans almost never say “going off to university” or “when I was in university.” That sounds British.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Both offer undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences, for example. And both can help prepare young people to earn a living.

    But many colleges do not offer graduate studies. Another difference is that universities are generally bigger.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Another place of higher education, especially in technical areas, is an institute, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yet even an institute of technology can offer a wide choice of programs and activities.

    Modern universities developed from those of Europe in the Middle Ages. The word “university” came from the Latin universities, describing a group of people organized for a common purpose.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} In England, colleges were formed to provide students with places to live. Usually each group was studying the same thing. So college came to mean an area of study.

    The first American universities divided their studies into a number of areas and called each one a college. This is still true.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, Harvard College is the undergraduate part of Harvard University.

A. A college can also be a part of a university.

B. They offer more programs and do more research.

C. There are more universities than colleges in the USA.

D. Colleges and universities have many things in common.

E. Universities and colleges offer students different opportunities.

F. Instead, they say “going off to college” or “when I was in college.”

G. “College” came from collegium, a Latin word with a similar meaning.

Things to Remember When You're Having a Bad Day

    Even the hardest days contain lessons that will help you be a better person. Feeling down? Consider these things to remember when you're having a bad day.

    No one promised life would be perfect.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Don't base your happiness on meeting every expectation you set for yourself. It is good to be ambitious, but you'll never be perfect. If you expect otherwise, your life will be filled with disappointments.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit. Don't kid yourself into thinking success will come quickly. It isn't easy to be patient, but anything worth doing requires time{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Without hard times, you wouldn't appreciate the good ones.

    Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to give up, that is strength{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is hard to find much to smile about when you fail, but how else would you improve yourself? If you look at failures as a part of your growing process, you'll stay positive and follow your goals for as long as it takes.

    It's OK to cry sometimes.

    Do not apologize for crying. Without this feeling, we are only robots. Don't be afraid of crying{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Instead, it is an acceptable way to let go of your depressed feelings. If you let those feelings build up without release, you'll have a much harder time dealing with them later.

A.Don't get sad if you lose.

B.It isn't a sign of weakness.

C.Success doesn't happen overnight.

D.It's not OK to worry now and then.

E.Don't compare your life with others'.

F.Remember: Rome was not built in a day.

G.If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.

    Communicating with elderly parents is an important part of making sure they're doing okay.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It's important to set aside time every week to call up or drop by and see how your parents are doing.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Also listen for the things they're not telling you, such as health problems or money worries.

    Your parents might be slower and less active than before.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It's important to respect this. Don't think that your elderly parents can't take care of their needs unless there are clear signs that this is the case. Remember, your elderly parents always care about being treated as someone who matters.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Also you must keep your words simple and often ask your elderly parents whether they've really understood. If you realize your parents need to make a major change, like moving to a nursing home, talk about such future issues early in small steps. Ask them about their plans for the future and what they hope. When you get a feel for what they prefer, you can slowly mention the topic of starting to make such changes.

    Accepting the generation gap (代沟) is also important.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}For most people, making changes to their lifestyles, their opinions and their beliefs gets much harder as they age. Your views might differ a lot, but it's best to agree to disagree.

A. Bring happiness into your parents' life.

B. Be clear when you explain anything to your parents.

C. However, they're still able to make their own decisions.

D. Know their daily happenings and ask them what they're doing.

E. Though life is busy, remember to stay in touch with your parents.

F. Your parents have been doing things a certain way for a long time.

G. Be prepared to find suitable advisers that your parents might need.

Your friends have one, maybe even two or three. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Does it seem that everyone has one but you? No, it is not the latest video game, but something much more fun—a family pet.

    Dogs and hamsters(仓鼠) are both fun to hold and pet, but they relate to people in different ways. For example, dogs enjoy human contact. They love to play with their owners. They also like to show affection(喜爱) and love licking(舔) their owners' faces. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They need fresh food and water every day, and they need exercise. They also need someone to take care of them when their owners go out of town.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Having contact with people is not important to them. They like to sleep when people want to play. Unlike dogs, hamsters do not like being petted. Many will hide when their owners want to pick them up. Hamsters are also very independent. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Hamsters may be low on affection, but they need less daily care than dogs do. An owner usually fills up the food and water dishes only once a week. Hamsters need exercise too, but they get their exercise by running on wheels in their “houses”. If their owners go out of town, hamsters can be left alone.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The choice is yours.

A. Dogs like to be petted.

B. Your neighbors have one.

C. Hamsters are very different from dogs.

D. They like to spend their time exploring.

E. They need food and water just as dogs do.

F. However, dogs need a lot of daily care, too.

G. Dogs and hamsters both make good family pets.

    Although many Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good, most would admit that their spoken English is poor. Whenever I speak to a Chinese student, they always say, “My spoken English is poor.” {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.

    First, they fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}However, you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if you choose a positive attitude. Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous. Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY. Your aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly. However, in speaking your aim is fluency. You want to get your message across, to talk to someone in English, as quickly and as well as you can, even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense, but it doesn't matter. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The third reason is that not enough attention is paid to listening. You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing is necessary for you to start speaking.

    Fourth, most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive(主动的) language learners. Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. The person you are speaking to will understand you and make allowances for any mistakes he hears.

B. Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary.

C. They may try to avoid making similar mistakes next time.

D. If you have this proactive outlook, then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.

E. Second, they are afraid of making mistakes.

F. However, their spoken English does not have to remain “poor”!

G. The second reason lies in the reluctance of using what has just been learned.

    "You are what you eat," goes an English saying. But actually, you are what you drink. Why? Because 75% of your body is water! {#blank#}1{#/blank#} When we don't give our bodies enough water, our organs cannot work properly. We are also easier to catch a disease. When we are sick, drinking plenty of water should be one of the first things we do. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Is your body asking for more water?

    If you experience headaches, sleepiness, allergies or dizziness (头昏眼花), your body might be telling you to drink more water. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Even problems such as nervousness or forgetfulness can be caused by lack of water. In addition, the medicines that treat these illnesses can sometimes dry out your body further. The more water you are lacking in, the worse your health will be-no matter how much medicine you take. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    How much water is enough for you?

    Most experts suggest drinking at least 8-ounce glasses of water every day. However, if you weigh more than 128 pounds, you need even more water. Drink an extra glass of water for every 15 pounds of body weight.

    Drink more water in the hot summer months and when you exercise to replenish (补充) the water loss through sweating. Caffeine makes your body lose water very quickly. So drink extra water if you drink beverages such as coffee, tea and soda.

    Helpful tips

    Try these tips to help yourself drink more water.

    Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Plan to have enough water.

    Carry a bottle of pure water with you wherever you go.

    Don't hesitate by frequent trips to the toilet.

    Drinking plenty of water can take as much time as you need and prevent serious illness in the future. So pour yourself a glass of water and drink up!

A. Drink water occasionally.

B. All kinds of drink will contribute to your health.

C. If you're thirsty, you're already lack of water.

D. Instead, we usually depend on drugs to make us well.

E. Lack of water may be the real reason for your sickness.

F. Therefore, it is important to listen to your body when it asks for a drink!

G. With this in mind, it's no surprise that drinking enough water is crucial for good health.