Homework is a major part of going to school: It's your teachers' way of evaluating(评价) how much you understand of what's going on in class. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Luckily, you can do a few things to make homework less work.

    Be sure you understand the homework.

    Write your homework down in your notebook or day planner if you need to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's much easier to take a minute to ask the teacher during or after class than to struggle to remember later that night!

    Use any extra time in school.

    Many schools have study halls that are specifically designed to allow students to study. It's tempting (诱惑) to hang out with friends during study periods or unstructured (松散的) time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  

    Take a break.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without stretching or relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people.

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    If you don't finish your homework during school, think about how much you have left and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most high-school students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it's a heavy homework day and it seems like you've got an assignment in every subject but gym and lunch, you'll need to devote more time to homework. It's a good idea to come up with some kind of homework schedule, especially if you are involved in sports or activities or have an after-school job.

A. Pace yourself.

B. Settle down to do homework.

C. And it helps digest important concepts (概念).

D. Most people's attention spans (注意力持续时间) aren't very long.

E. Don't be afraid to ask questions about what's expected.

F. Once your homework is done, you can check over it if you have extra time.

G. But the more work you can get done in school, the less you'll have to do that night.

    It is reported that although our genes and environment play an important role, how happy we are largely depends on our choices and activities. The following are just several areas that tend to make a big difference to people's happiness.

    Take a positive attitude

    Positive emotions―like joy, gratitude, satisfaction, inspiration and pride― don't just feel good when we experience them.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} So although we need to be realistic about life's ups and downs, it helps to focus on the good aspects of any situation―the glass half full rather than the glass half empty.

    Accept who you are and what you are

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Learning to accept ourselves and being kinder to ourselves when things go wrong will increase our enjoyment of life. It also helps us accept others as they are. Ask a trusted friend or colleague to tell you what they think your real strengths are.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

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    Caring about others is fundamental to our happiness. Helping other people is not only good for them; it's good for us too. It makes us happier and can help to improve our health. Giving also creates stronger connections between people and helps to build a happier society.

    Take part in something bigger

    People who have meaning and purpose in their lives are happier. They also experience less stress, anxiety and depression.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} It might come from doing a job that makes a difference, or spiritual beliefs, or our family. The answers may be different for each of us but they all involve being connected to something bigger than ourselves.

A. Our broader social networks bring a sense of belonging.

B. Nobody is perfect.

C. Give them a call or offer your support.

D. Try to make more use of these.

E. They also help us perform better, and improve our physical health.

F. But where do we find meaning and purpose?

G. Do things for others.

    Living a more simple life can improve how we think, feel and move around in the world. Here are ways to simplify your life while creating space for happiness.

    Give up your negative thoughts. As humans, we spend a lot of our time being caught up in negative thoughts that brings nothing good into our lives. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They can grow rapidly and cause unhappiness and do nothing to improve our quality of life.

    Reduce the amount of screen time.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}While watching TV and endless YouTube videos or playing computer games can be a nice way to relax, too much can have a negative influence on your lives.

    Cut down on social media.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}They say they feel less confident after comparing their lives against those of their online friends. So simplify your life by cutting down on social media-not only for your own health of mind but to stop the endless checking every several minutes.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} in the effort to make yourselves better people and improve yourselves, you often set goals but having too many goals can prevent you from achieving them.

    Eat Fewer Unhealthy Foods.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Cutting down on bad foods will not only help you feel much better and give you more energy.

A. Reduce the number of your goals.

B. Negative thoughts are much dangerous.

C. Many people feel their lives are worsened by it.

D. You can make your own healthy food and tasty meals.

E. Learn to choose to think and see the positives in life.

F. Make an effort to remove some unhealthy foods from your diet.

G. We spend so much time either staring at a computer or the TV.

    Some people lie all the time. However, it can be difficult to determine when they are lying to you.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Make false eye contact

    A person who is lying to you won't make eye contact with you or they make too much eye contact. If a person is lying he may feel you are watching him and he will look down at the floor or away from your eyes. Some people try to stare at you in the face in a deliberate way.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Avoid using contractions (缩略语)

    The liars will say “I did NOT notice your money”, instead of “I didn't notice your money”. This is an attempt by the liars to be absolutely clear what they mean.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

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    Liars often feel uneasy, turn away from the person to whom they are speaking, blink rapidly, smile less and have pitch changes in their tone of voice. They may cross their arms which is a sign of being “closed” or trying not to reveal too much information. They could touch parts of their face, an ear or a nose or play with keys or another item that they have in their hand.

    Provide additional information without being asked for it

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. The result is the more complicated the story is, the less believable it will be. You will have the feeling that nothing could be further from the truth.

A. Usually, it ends up making the story a lot less believable.

B. Luckily there are always some indications that can help you recognize liars.

C. Use unusual body language.

D. Behave abruptly.

E. Liars seem to think that by telling their story in detail, you will find it more believable.

F. Liars try to talk the story with their own words using imagination.

G. In this way, they feel like making eye contact will make what they are saying more believable.

    Several days ago, a 28-year-old Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The contest was held by a local radio show and its organizers promised a free Wii video game machine to the contestant who drank the most water.

    It was estimated that the woman who died drank approximately two gallons of water during the contest. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This information is particularly important for parents to pass on to their children. Foolish water-drinking contests are not uncommon among high school and university students, especially while playing cards.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The answer to this question depends on your unique circumstances, including your diet, exercise habits, and environment. If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables and fruits, you may not need to drink very much water at all. If you do not use much salt, your need for drinking water goes down even further.

    Regardless of what your diet looks like, if you sweat on a regular basis because of exercise or a warm climate, you will need to supply your body with more water (through foods and/or liquids) than someone who does not sweat regularly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}However, some people don't believe that it is a reliable indicator of how much water you need, as many people suffer with symptoms related to dehydration (脱水) and don't seem to feel a need to drink water on a regular basis.

    The main idea that I wish to share through this article is that it is not wise to drink several glasses of water per day without considering your diet, exercise habits, climate, and sense of thirst. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Remember, don't drink too much water in a short period of time.

A. Then why do we need water in our daily life?

B. It shows us that drinking too much water can be very dangerous.

C. Then how much water should you think to best support your health?

D. Ultimately, the best guidance I can provide on this issue is to follow your sense of thirst.

E. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a water-drinking contest.

F. And when you find yourself in need of water, you can get it from liquids and/or foods.

G. If you ask people if they would like a glass of water, they will almost always realize they are indeed thirsty.

There comes a time when every parent struggles with how best to discipline their child. Whether dealing with a screaming child or an angry teen, it can be hard to control your temper. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}And the bottom line is that shouting and physical violence never help.

Thankfully, there are other, more effective ways and one of them is positive discipline. We consulted Lucie Cluver, a professor at Oxford University, to explore how it can help parents build positive relationships with their children. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Why positive discipline? The evidence is clear: shouting and hitting simply do not work and can do more harm than good in the long run.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The "toxic (有毒的) stress" it creates can lead to a host of negative outcomes. "Parentsshout or hit their kids because they're stressed and don'tsee another way," says Professor Cluver.

The good news for every parent is the positive discipline approach works and here's how you can start putting it into practice.

As parents we often focus on our children's bad behaviour and call it out. Children may read this as a way to get your attention, continuing poor conduct rather than putting a stop to it. Actually, children are eager for praise. It makes them feel loved and special. "Watch out for when they're doing something good and praise them," recommends Professor Cluver. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Part of growing up is learning that if you do something, something can happen as a result. Defining this for your child is a simple process that encourages better behaviour while teaching them about responsibility. Give your child a chance to do the right thing by explaining the consequences of their bad behaviour. Being consistent is a key factor in positive parenting, which is why following through with the consequences is important.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}"You can take a teenager's phone away for an hour but taking it away for a week might be difficult to follow through on."

A. And so is making them realistic.

B. What's really important is to focus on your child.

C. No parent wants to find themselves in such a situation.

D. Calm consequences have been shown to be effective for kids.

E. This can encourage good behaviour and reduce the need for discipline.

F. Repeated shouting and hitting can even negatively impact a child's entire life.

G. And hopefully it can also teach skills like responsibility, cooperation and self-discipline.