Learning English is challenging because of the various rules and exceptions to the rules. The best way to learn English is to hear it spoken and repeat the words as you hear them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You will learn how to make English a daily part of your life in order to learn to speak it quickly.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ask a friend to help you write letters of English alphabet on index cards. You should write a letter on each card. Practise the letters by mixing up the cards and saying the letters. You can ask your friend to help you pronounce the letters and quiz you on your knowledge.

    Make your own videos in English. If you have a video camera, you can tape yourself speaking English and practice along with your own video. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Watch your videos daily, and repeat what is being said.

    Get a private tutor. A professional English instructor can give you one-on-one instruction that will help you understand the rules of English. Your instructor can teach you how to write and speak English.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also inquire at your local community college.

    Watch movies with English subtitles. When watching a movie in your native language, use the English subtitles so you will understand the connection between your language and English.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will make mistakes, and that is OK. You need to practice English as much as possible in order to quickly learn to speak the language fluently.

    For many high school students, it seems that there is never enough time. There are several steps you can take to organize your time better.

    ⒈Make a to-do list every day. It makes it easy to plan any activities or meetings you may have in addition to homework. Be sure to set priorities (优先的事物).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒉Use spare time wisely. Do you have a study hall? Instead of wasting that time, read a book or do homework.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If a friend asks you to do something and you have homework to do, realize which is more important and see your friend later.

    ⒊Decide on the time that is good for you to do certain things. If you are more of a morning person, try getting up an hour earlier and do schoolwork before school. Review your notes every day.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you spend a few minutes at the end of every day going over what you learned, it will mean less time studying when it is time for the exam.

    ⒋{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Studies have shown that getting enough rest helps your memory. When you are tired, everything seems more difficult. It is best to stay on a regular sleeping cycle as much as possible.

    ⒌Tell your friends and family about your work timetable. Explain that you will be working at certain times and ask them not to disturb you.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} you can call your friends later.

A. Set goals for yourself.

B. Get a good night's sleep.

C. Do the most important tasks first.

D. And also, do not be afraid to say “no”.

E. You should finish your homework on time.

F. Don't wait until just before a test to remember everything.

G. Don't take phone calls during the time you set aside or work.

    If you've ever had a nightmare (噩梦), you're not alone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} A nightmare is a bad dream. It can make you feel scared, anxious or upset.

    Why do I get nightmares?

    Stressful things that happen during the day can turn dreams into nightmares. Nightmares may be a way to reduce the pressures of the day. Sometimes major changes can cause stress that leads to nightmares. Another thing that may cause nightmares is watching scary movies or reading scary books, especially before you go to bed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    How can I prevent nightmares?

    Although it is normal to have a nightmare once in a while, there are some methods you can try to get nightmares under control.

    Get into a healthy sleep routine (习惯).{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Avoid eating or exercising just before bedtime. Avoid scary books or movies before bedtime.

    Use a nightlight. With a nightlight, if you awake from a nightmare, you'll be able to see familiar things and remember where you are.

    Keep your door open. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you are scared, get up and find someone for reassurance (安心). You're never too old for a hug!

    What if the nightmares don't go away?

    Most of the time, nightmares are not a big problem. It often helps to tell a trusted adult about your bad dreams. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Sometimes it helps to keep a dream journal, a notebook in which you describe the dreams you can remember. If you have frequent nightmares, you and your parents might want to see a doctor to help you deal with your bad dreams.

A. You can go to bed about the same time and wake up at the same time every day.

B. Nightmares are not real and they cannot hurt you.

C. But sometimes you might have a nightmare for no reason at all.

D. This will help you remember that your family is close by.

E. The amount of sleep a person needs depends a lot on his or her age.

F. Just talking about what happened might make you feel better.

G. Almost everyone gets them once in a while --adults, as well as kids.

    If you're a gamer who's constantly glued to your phone, it could be time to ask for medical help.

On June 18, 2018, the World Health Organization（WHO）officially listed "gaming disorder" as a mental health condition. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

"Video gaming is like a non-financial kind of gambling（赌博）from a psychological point of view," Mark Griffiths, a professor from Nottingham Trent University in the UK, told the Associated Press（AP）. "Gamblers use money as a way of keeping score, while gamers use points."

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}"People need to understand this doesn't mean every child who spends hours in their room playing games is an addict, otherwise doctors are going to be flooded with requests for help," Joan Harvey, a spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society, told AP.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, a 21-year-old Chinese woman surnamed Wu in Guangdong province went blind in one eye after playing the mobile game King of Glory for a whole day. "On days when I have no work, I usually get up at 6 am, eat breakfast and play until 4 pm," she told the South China Morning Post. "Then I'll eat something, have a nap（小睡）and play until 1 am."

    Wu isn't alone. According to a study published by China Youth Daily, about one in five young Chinese people play online video games for at least four to five hours per day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In April, the Ministry of Education issued a notice asking Chinese schools and parents to prevent students from becoming addicted to the Internet and games.

    Other countries have also taken action. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Meanwhile, in Japan, some mobile phones have a special mode for children that lets their parents control what games they can download and how long they can play.

A. This means it's now on the same list as other mental illnesses.

B. Thankfully, measures have been taken to deal with the problem.

C. We often see people around us playing games on their mobile phones.

D. In South Korea, children are forbidden to play video games after midnight.

E. WHO's main work is to improve the mental health of individuals and society.

F. But if you lose control over your gaming habits, you'll face serious problems.

G. However, it doesn't matter if you play your favorite game now and then.

How Laughing at Yourself Makes You Attractive

    Have you ever embarrassed yourself in public and got laughed at for it？{#blank#}1{#/blank#} And it's okay — we should even have a laugh about them.

    Laughing at yourself means accepting who you really are. You may feel bad about yourself because of past misfortune. However, it's normal to be imperfect. What's important is that you should be honest with yourself about who you are. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You won't be able to laugh at yourself without self-acceptance.

    Laughing at yourself helps increase your confidence. When you're able to stay optimistic and laugh at yourself, you are likely to be more successful in life. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} More importantly, it helps you realize your own weaknesses, so you know which areas to do better in.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Laughing at someone else may hurt their feelings even if you didn't intend to, while laughing at yourself does not. You might even bring a smile to their faces. Don't worry about losing respect from others, because people actually appreciate it when you laugh at yourself. Laughing at yourself shows that you have the courage to do so and you're being real about your imperfections, making people think you are likeable.

    Just remember that humans all make mistakes. So instead of blaming yourself, try to think of your mistakes, in a positive way and accept yourself just as you are. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Laughing at yourself makes you popular.

B. Accept yourself despite your imperfections.

C. You should try to understand yourself better.

D. Chances are that we all have these kinds of experiences.

E. Laughing at yourself changes an ideal image of yourself.

F. Learn to laugh at yourself and you will be more attractive.

G. This is because laughing at yourself helps lift your mood in face of difficulties.

    Rivers play an important role on the earth, and we can't imagine what the earth would be like without rivers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    With a length of 6, 650 kilometers, the Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile River has been the source of human civilization since ancient times. The Nile has two main branches—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts from the Great Lakes region of East and Central Africa through Lake Victoria.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The Blue Nile carries with it a lot of fertile soil which turns out to be very important to farming in Egypt.

    The Amazon River is the world's largest river with a width of about 40 kilometers during the rainy seasons but about 10 kilometers wide when it is not flooded. The Amazon River has such a big water volume that it accounts for(占.....比例) more than 20% of all the world's fresh water—far more than any other river. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The main Amazon River flows mostly through Brazil and Peru but its tributaries can also be found in many other countries.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It has a depth of about 250 meters. Its length is 4, 700 kilometers. The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains in the Eastern Africa Rift Valley. It's the second largest river in terms of water volume. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The Congo River basin(盆地) is the catchments(流域，集水区) area of the Congo River. It lies in both north and south of the Equator, making its flow very stable as there are always some tributaries experiencing a rainy season at any time.

A. Some of them are worth mentioning.

B. The Congo River is the world's deepest river.

C. Do you know which is the deepest river in the world?

D. The Blue Nile originates from(发源于)Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

E. Without rivers, there would be no living life in and along them.

F. And it flows through the second largest rain-forests in the world.

G. Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are its sources.