A. Come in with something to say.

B. Prepare general comments.

C. Bring materials with you.

D. Don't make them wait.

E. Have no fear.

F. Go it alone.

One of the best things you can do any time in the semester is go see the professor. So hoof on over to an office hour and have some one-on-one face time with someone who'll help you master the material and improve your grade, to boot. But how should you have this conversation with the professor? Here are five insider tips about how to make that office hour really count:

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} No need to get all bent out of shape about going to see the professor. The professor would actually like to see you and answer your questions. Believe it or not, he or she is on your side and is eager to see you do well. And besides, he or she has seen many students stupider than you, so nothing you're gong to ask will set the record for stupidity.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Even though you might feel more comfortable going with a friend or partner, the office hour will go better if it's just you and the professor. You'll get in more questions, the discussion will be tailored to what you need most help on, and two-party communication is almost always more productive than committee work. You friend can wait outside for the discussion.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you can't make the official office hours, most professors are willing to make individual, appoin tments to help you out. If you're lucky enough to land such an accommodation, though, be sure you're 100 percent on time. There's nothing that ticks off a professor more than making him-or herself available for a custom office hour only to find that you don't care enough to come on time. And besides, the professor might leave after ten minutes, which would make your trip a total loss.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you're meeting with the professor to go over a paper or test, or to ask questions about a particular lecture or reading, make sure you bring that paper or test, or your lecture notes or a copy of the article. The professor doesn't remember the comments he or she wrote on your individual piece of work—though he or she will be able to recall them after just a brief glance at your work. And if you have your lecture notes or the article in hand, you and the professor will be able to examine specific points that are confusing to you, rather than just talking in a general way about the contents.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Office hours almost always go better if you bring a few specific questions to the meeting. It's almost never good to start a meeting with general comments such as: “I didn't understand what you said about [main topic of the course]”or “I couldn't understand any of your lectures last week.” Much better is to come in with two or three conversation-starters, about a specific concept, point, or problem you didn't understand. Keep in mind that in a fifteen-minute office hour (which is how long these things usually last), two or three questions are usually the most you'll have time to discuss.

    The loss of handwriting in our high-tech world saddens me. People of all ages openly admit their handwriting is becoming worse as keyboards replace pen and paper. Increasingly, schoolchildren deal with assignments on computer and struggle to write, having had little practice. I am of the generation that learnt to write with a dip pen in kindergarten and a fountain pen in high school; by the time I reached university, like everyone else, I used a functional ballpoint. Handwriting has filled every aspect of my life since I was first taught to shape letters on the lined pages of my exercise books.

    From the age of 12, I have kept a handwritten journal, recording my thoughts and feelings regarding both the significant and boring aspects of my life. Through this daily practice I connected with myself, explored experiences and found a way to interpret and make sense of my relationships. Although I rarely reread my written material, the process of writing has remained with me as a means of processing my feelings and filtering（过滤)）my experiences.

    Yet today, handwritten letters are as rare as a red panda. Few of us write letters any longer, even to those to whom we are close. We communicate differently when we e-mail or text, both methods characterised by speed and informality. The deep thinking, which accompanied a handwritten letter, is almost entirely absent. We may be communicating more frequently and with more people, but the depth and quality of our communication has reduced.

    Sadly, modern technology tends to be temporary. Few of us keep old e-mails or even print them out, so a sense of history and memory is lost. Archivists（档案管理者）report that more information has been lost in the past decade than in the previous 150 years. It is too easy to press the delete button.

    In many other areas of records, material is now in the digital format. Yet saving material in a digital format only is extremely unstable. How it will survive the future remains a problem.

    In this digital world of text, e-mails and instant messaging, the perceived value of writing is no longer obvious and the case for retaining the practice of writing needs to be made. Should we save the humble pen and paper when laptops and mobiles are functional, universal and unstoppable? Should children continue to be taught to write with a pen and paper?

    With its passing, a good mode of self-expression is being lost. I invite readers to engage with handwriting and become aware of this special skill that has created civilization for centuries.

Paragraph outline

Detailed information

The current{#blank#}1{#/blank#} of handwriting   

▲    Students {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to computers to complete their homework.

▲    With little practice, students have{#blank#}3{#/blank#} writing.

▲    We seldom write letters even to people we are close to.

The author's link with handwriting

▲    The author{#blank#}4{#/blank#} himself to handwriting from kindergarten to university.

▲    The author kept {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of his thoughts and feelings by keeping writing journals.

▲    The author also takes {#blank#}6{#/blank#} of writing to process his feelings and filtering his experiences. The {#blank#}7{#/blank#} with modern communication methods

▲    There is an{#blank#}8{#/blank#} of depth and quality in e-mails and texts.

▲    The temporariness of modern technology tends to give {#blank#}9{#/blank#} to the loss of some history and memory.

▲    Saving materials only in a digital format is not very stable.

▲    A style of self-expression is being lost.

The author's {#blank#}10{#/blank#} to people for handwriting  

Write as much as possible and realize the importance of this special art.

    At times, our worries and anxieties can defeat us.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here is a brief list of techniques that you can use to help gain a better viewpoint on things during the anxious moments.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off the problem. A person could get some fresh air, listen to some music, or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

    Remember that our fearful thoughts are made to seem worse and can make the problem worse.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} When unexpectedly having thoughts that make you fearful or anxious, challenge these thoughts by asking yourself positive questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense.

    Be smart in how you deal with fears and anxieties. Do not try to deal with everything all at once. When facing a current or upcoming task that makes you anxious, break the task into small ones.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Remember that all the worrying in the world will not change anything. Most of what you worry about never comes true. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you should leave everything else in the hands of God.

    It is not easy to deal with all the fears and worries. When your fears and anxieties have the best of you, try to calm down and then get the facts of the situation. The key is to take it slow. All you can do is doing your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it easy. Take it one step at a time and things will work out well at last.

A. When feeling anxious, stop what you are doing and try to do something relaxing.

B. This will give you the confidence to manage your anxiety.

C. Instead of worrying about something that probably won't happen, concentrate on what you are able to do.

D. The next time you fell depressed, review your list and think about the good things that you have in your life.

E. A good way to manage your worry is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking.

F. In addition, our worries can change our understanding of what is reality and what is not.

G. Completing these smaller tasks once at a time will make the stress more manageable and increase your chances of success.

    There is a woman named Tao Porchon-Lynch. She was born in India in 1918. So, if you do the math, she's 99. And at the age of 99, she has been recognized as the oldest yoga teacher in the world. She has been teaching yoga in a gym in her hometown, full-time, since 1967.

    But that's not all she's done. She has also been a model, actress and dancer. She became a model after she graduated from high school. She acted in more than ten fields. She won a lot of medals as a dancer in many competitions. She once said, “If you try your best and never give up, nothing is impossible.” And she is a firm believer in positive thinking. She dreams the impossible dreams, and she is also well known as a thinker.

    Tao Porchon-Lynch is not the person who talks the talk; she is the person who walks the walk. When she makes up her mind to do something, she takes action to do it without delay. At the age of 85, she learned how to dance and even won several dance competitions. She offers this piece of advice to others, “Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Don't delay. Tomorrow never comes.”

    So, what about retirement? At 98, she is well past the age when many people make retirement plans. Retiring, it turns out, is not Tao's style. “A little girl, who is only 6 years old and is now learning yoga with me, once asked me, ‘Dear granny, what are you going to do when you retire?'” Tao Porchon-Lynch told the little girl that she had no plans to retire but instead would continue to teach yoga and dance her way to next planet.

                                                                                                      Ways to save time

    We all wish we had just a bit more time. Just think what you could do with an extra hour or two each day: you could finally stick to an exercise routine, or spring­clean the house, or write your novel, or learn the guitar and so on.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But I can help you find more hours in your day for the things that really matter.

    Get Out of Bed Earlier

    If you normally get up at 7：30 am, try getting up at 7：00 am. That half­hour might not sound like much, but it could be time that you use to exercise, to read that book you've been meaning to finish.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Do the Important Tasks First

    Once you get to work, get the important ones done first (not the easy ones, or even the urgent ones). You can afford to spend at least an hour working on big, important tasks rather than on all those little urgent ones.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The urgent tasks will still get done, and you won't miss the important ones.

    Reduce Interruptions

    If colleagues have a habit of hanging around your desk to chat, or if the phone is constantly ringing, you might find that it takes you half the day to finish a simple task like writing a letter. Constant interruptions don't just eat up time, they also break your concentration.When you've got a big task to focus on, let your calls go to voicemail.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Wearing headphones makes it less likely that people will try to strike up a conversation.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A few minutes chatting, browsing the web, and so on, can easily turn into hours of wasted time over the course of a day.

    When you're working, work. If your concentration is slipping, take a proper break, go and get a glass of water, or stretch your legs a bit. And if you're facing a difficult task, try breaking it into small steps or stages so that it's easier to deal with.

A. Or simply to get your day off to a calm and organized start.

B. I can't magically make all your days 25 hours long.

C. Would you want me to make your day longer?

D. Take Breaks When Necessary

E. If you have an office door, close it.

F. If you work like this, you'll usually save time.

G. Stay Focused on Your Work

    Most people have some regret that they just can't seem to get rid of. But holding on to regret about the past that can't be changed can have a bad impact on the possibility of a happy future. Regret is a waste of time, emotion and energy. To make sure that your life is a successful one, you need to take action to live in a way that you have no regret holding you back.

    Some people make very big decisions with very little consideration at all, and as a result they often regret their decisions. Before choosing a college major, getting married or accepting a job, you must think about all conditions carefully and make a conscious decision rather than a careless one. Big decisions aren't the only ones that require forethought, though. Before you become angry and say something you will regret later, think about what you're going to say.

    Some of things will be easy to do and some will be hard, but keep your eyes on the prize of living a successful life without regret, and you'll find that achieving your goals might be easier than you think. But don't just daydream about those goals—make an actual list, written down in black and white, and refer to it now and then to see what you have left to do.

    When you're feeling happy and full of energy, taking care of yourself isn't a problem. But in those days when you feel like crawling beneath the bed and never coming out again, you still must take care of yourself. You can do what you want and don't get angry with yourself about your shortcomings. On the contrary, you just admit them and try to change them and move on. Improving your mental health is just as important as taking care of yourself physically.

    Keep those who are important to you very close and be sure to let them know how important they are to you. Family, friends, co-workers and people who are as close as your families are your lifelines that you can depend on whenever you need them to help you remember what's important in life. You should make sure of repairing your relationships with your friends if something bad happens.

    Last but not least, learn to give yourself some relaxation and not to waste your time regretting things you cannot change. Treat those things properly and move on. Life is hard, but it is precious. Don't waste time regretting the past, or your future will get here before you know it.