Most people hope to have a memory which helps them succeed in study, work and life. Can memory be improved? Luckily, hundreds of studies in the past 50 years have already given us a definite answer a healthy lifestyle keeps your brain memory sharp. First of all, it is necessary to have a healthy diet. Eating more food rich in Vitamin B and Vitamin E, such as vegetables and lean meat, helps you have a better memory. Doing exercise can keep your brain alive too. Proper exercise provides much needed oxygen for the brain. Running, riding a bike swimming and even walking two or three times a week are helpful. Moreover, getting enough sleep is important. Only when your brain gets a good rest, can it work well. The healthier your lifestyle is, the better your memory will become, but don't expect a sudden change-it takes a long time to make a difference.

    Memory skills help you remember things better. The following three are the most widely used. Chunking is a way of remembering a piece of information by cutting it into smaller ones. For example, to memorize a ten-digit telephone number 2127983630, you can divide the digits into three groups: firstly 212, then 798, and lastly 3630. This method is far more effective(有效的) than remembering a string of 10 digits. Organization means organizing information into groups of the same kind.

For example, trees, grass and flowers are plants; tigers, pandas, horses and cows are animals. Imagery is remembering newly learnt information by using your imagination and connecting it with something that you are familiar with.

    However, memory skills will hardly work if you don't understand the information. What's more, only a regular review can make the memory last long. That is why students are always advised to go over what they have learnt after one day and then after three days, and then use it as regularly as possible.

    Human beings, brains are like muscles that need nutrition and exercise to become stronger. If you make a few lifestyle changes and try some memory skills, you can certainly improve your memory.

    The population of the world is still going up and scientists are worried that there will not enough food for us in the middle of the century. One plant from Madagascar, the Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi, may help. It takes in carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) at night and it needs 10 times less water than food plants like rice. This means it can grow in the desert(沙漠).

    It is dangerous to eat this plant, but scientists can study two things about it: how it takes in carbon dioxide at night when other plants only do this during the day, and why it is so good at living in the desert. There will be less good land for growing food in the future because deserts are increase in size. There, growing plants will be more and more important.

    There is a possible way to take this research. To grow a desert plant to eat will be difficult, but it may be possible to use the genes(基因) from this plant and put them into food plants like beans or potatoes. And the food plants with the genes can grow in the desert. We hope the plant could be an answer to our future food.

① Animal behavior is an interesting and attractive study. Scientists research the ways animals use to look for food. They study how animals protect themselves from their predators, and which animals kill other animals for food. All of this helps us understand how useful animals can be.

② Each country or culture raises some animals for food. In the United States, people mainly eat meat from cows, chickens and pigs. In some other countries, people might raise sheep or buffalo for meat. These differences come in part from weather and other environmental conditions (状况). People around the world eat al kinds of fish and shellfish from oceans and rivers. In some countries, people don't always choose some animal groups, such as dogs, for food while in other countries such animals may become people's favorite food.

③ In West Africa, animals provide humans with more than food. They have been helping people do daily work for thousands of years. Horses, oxen, and other work animals pull heavy things. Elephants, camels and other animals carry people and things from place to place. Carrier pigeons (信鸽) have been used to send messages.

④ People also receive health benefits (利益) from animals. For example, dogs and cats can help calm people down. This is helpful for people fighting illnesses. Animals can also reduce stress, helping people to draw their attention to learning new information, such as reading. When people are walking their dogs or horses, it encourages exercise.

⑤ Animals and humans share space on Earth, so keeping a healthy relationship with animals around us is in our best interest.

    Jane has a lot of good habits. She {#blank#}1{#/blank#} exercises in the morning. She often eats vegetables and fruit. She {#blank#}2{#/blank#} ever eats sweet food. Her teeth are good and she never needs to go to see the {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, she has some bad habits, too. She often watches TV for {#blank#}5{#/blank#} than two hours a day. And she spends {#blank#}6{#/blank#} all the weekend time reading {#blank#}7{#/blank#} for fun and doesn't do her homework. {#blank#}8{#/blank#} of her family are happy with her because the results of her tests are often less {#blank#}9{#/blank#} 60 {#blank#}10{#/blank#}. Jane decides to change(改变) from now on.

Popsicles

Popsicles were invented by 11-year-old Frank Epperson in 1905. He forgot a drink of juice and left it with a stir（搅拌） stick in it outside on a cold night. The next day it was ice. Because of this he couldn't drink it any more, but he could eat it. It tasted good! These ice sticks became popular among kids at school in summer because they were delicious and helped them stay cool.

More than a hundred years later, popsicles are sill one of the best summer treats!

Crayon Holdans

When 11-year-old Cssidss Coldstein needed crayons for a school project, she had a hard time because, there were so many small or broken ones. She found some small clear plastic tubes（管子）at home. Although the tiny tube were usually filled with water to keep flowers fresh, she found that they fit tightly （紧紧地） around the crayons. She was now able to hold them easily. This is how she invented Caryon Holders.

Wristies

When snow gets in kids' gloves and their hands get wet, they feel uncomfortable. 10﹣year﹣old Kathryn Gregoary decided to do something about it. She created the wristies as she wanted to keep her wrists（手腕）warm and dry. Wristies are long gloves with no fingers and they are worn under your coat. They help you when you work in the cold because your hands stay warm while you use your fingers. With her parents' help, Kathryn also opened a small shop where she sold her wristie. And she still runs it today.

All these inventions have one thing in common—the kids were trying to solve problems in their lives. When you meet problems, what would you do？ If the kids can do it , you can do it, too!

Someone says learning new words is the most difficult part in language learning. Maybe everyone has trouble in 1 new words. It is not easy to remember and use them correctly. The following 2 will help you a lot.

It can be a good idea to divide the new words 3 groups according to the meanings. Thinking about the connections between words may help you to remember them. The more you practice, the 4 you will use them. You can also write a list of some new words. Express your ideas with them and discuss the uses of these words as 5 as possible. However, there is one more thing you should 6 attention to. Don't try to learn too many words at one time. Choose several important 7 to you. Repeat their pronunciations, spellings as well as their meanings in your mind. Learn a little every day and you will learn a lot 8 a few months. What's more, be confident. You'll surely meet many difficulties while learning new words. Face them bravely and be9 with yourself. The secret to success is sticking to learning. 

It is the skills that can help you know more words quickly. The skills 10 can make you learn new words easily are helpful.