Having a roommate can be one of the best experiences in college or, easily, one of the worst.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Follow these tips to avoid the common mistakes that turn good roommate relations bad.

Talk things out.

    Communication is key. If something happens, sit down with your roommate and have a face-to-face conversation. I've seen roommate relations fall apart because something happens and, instead of talking to each other, the two start complaining about their roommates behind their backs.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Don't expect to be best friends.

    Some roommates become the best of friends, and some don't. Don't put pressure (压力) on yourself or your roommate, especially when you first meet.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} And if your roommate doesn't end up being your best friend, don't worry.

    Ask before you take.

    This applies (适用) to food, clothes and anything else. If you want to keep a relation going, show your roommate that you have respect for what is his or hers by asking first.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Clean up.

    This should do without saying. Don't be lazy. Or, at least, don't bury your roommate in your clothes and garbage.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} But being considerate with where you put your things will help you avoid conflict.

A. This creates nothing but terrible situations and unhappiness.

B. Even if you both agree to share everything, you should still ask.

C. So you need to think twice before you help your roommates out.

D. Sometime you get stuck with someone who has tons of bad energy.

E. You don't have all the time to clean your room and keep it organized.

F. It all starts with you to have a good relation with your roommate.

G. Remember, you're trying to make a new friend, not to frighten your roommate away.

    It's not easy to talk with teens about their relationship with screens.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Open with a discussion of young children's tech use

    Rather than asking teens to put down iPads, introduce a discussion on babies' tech use. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When I had my eighth graders read an article about banning iPads for children under two, the class were interested.

    Admit your tech problems

    One of my students wrote that she would like to prevent the whole family from using tech facilities. Clearly, someone in her home was having some tech use problems. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}We can't tell kids to put down their devices if we continue to use them.

Keep a balanced opinion

    We adults wouldn't be able to live in today's society without screens, so we shouldn't expect teenagers to do so either. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It's improved our lives in many ways. Before we start talking about its challenges, we need to realize its opportunities, too.

    Deal with the topic like you would nutrition (营养)

    If children weren't making good food choices, we would never take their lunches away and make them stay hungry. We would teach them how to eat healthy and help them learn to set new habits: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Instead of taking their devices away, we should help them keep a balance with technology.

A. The same should go for technology.

B. Technology isn't a bad habit to be got out of.

C. This will invite teens to talk about the subject.

D. Teens need face-to-face communication with adults.

E. One of teens' fears is that we'll take their devices away.

F. So we need to be open about our own tech habits as well.

G. Here are a few ways that will make the discussion easier and more productive.

I used to roll my eyes many times before I could get up. Recently, things have changed after I read stories like this one, "Getting up early changed my life". Here are the benefits I've seen so far from changing my workout routine.

    I have more energy

    As I said, I've been a sleepy person while I still love sleeping. I now have an extra burst of energy. I'm less weak in the office, and my brain is more attentive and ready to work. Once, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, not even coffee could get me ready for the day. But now a good workout can.

I have more confidence

    The enough energy rolled into more confidence. I feel better after a workout. Also, after getting especially sweaty, I have to take time to shower, of course. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Getting up earlier and using my energy earlier make me so unbelievably ready for bed by the end of the day. My old routine would consist of getting up at the last possible minute before work and being absolutely exhausted to try to fall asleep. Have you ever felt so tired that you can't fall asleep? {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    I have more time

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Now that I've shifted my schedule, I have a little more time after work to take care of myself, whether that's spending time with friends, cooking a healthier meal, reading and studying, or even just watching a movie.

A. I sleep better

B. I'm more consistent

C. It sound ridiculous, but it happens

D. I'd have to skip my workout -in favor of a social life

E. I had a hard time to try to wake up physically and mentally

F. Speaking of that old routine, my days used to consist of work and sleep

G. This means I go through my full morning routine instead of just rolling out of bed

    How to become a better reader?

    Language and literacy(读写能力) are among mankind's greatest inventions. Evolving and even dying over the course of human history, languages are a reflection of our cultural and societal attitudes. Most humans acquire language in early childhood and speak fluently when they are about three years old, but our continued relationship with language gives shape and meaning to our lives. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒈Take it slow

    Many readers feel that they read too slowly, especially compared with others but the truth is that the faster you read, the less likely you are to comprehend fully what you're reading. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Reading is a lifelong process; learning to read closely and slowly will help you become faster over time without missing anything.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    When humans first began reading written words, it was unusual to read in silence. Though general inappropriate for commuters or for late-night adventurers, reading out loud is one of the best ways to improve your reading ability. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If so, you will begin to read more accurately and with better vocal expression. Try listening to the author reading their own work-you'll be surprised to find how clearly it comes through on the page.

    ⒊Write

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} How and what you read affects how and what you write, and the best readers often make the best writers. But while much can be learned from close, repeated readings, there are many secretive pleasures to language that can only be experienced through the practice of writing.

A. Read aloud.

B. Get into the rhythm of the authors voice.

C. Here are 3 ways to become a better reader.

D. Writing and reading go hand -in-hand.

E. Try writing every day for a month; you will never read the same again.

F. The ability to read is important to form an identity and express one's feelings.

G. In that case, do not hesitate to re-read the passage.

    To an outsider, any culture can seem confusing. And the UK's got a thing or two that raises a few eyebrows. However, understand the why and things might be less puzzling. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    In a world where 61％of nations drive on the right, Brits drive on the left. Why? Most people think it goes back to Medieval, maybe even Roman times. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} when you remember that right-handed people wear a sword on their left hip. Travelling on the left allowed you to keep your weapon arm toward your opponent, who would be on your right. This practice continued until the 18th century when a law was passed requiring all traffic crossing London Bridge to keep to the left.

    Visitors to the UK that have just washed their hands in an old-fashioned sink might be wondering why one tap is only for hot water, the other cold. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. So, why this oddity? It relates to a time when hot and cold water were kept separate to prevent pollution. Drinkable cold water came from a mains supply, but hot water came from attic tanks and was not considered suitable for consumption. So they were kept apart.

    Millions of people drink tea worldwide, but the odd Brits put milk in theirs. Why? This mysterious practice relates to the quality of china cup used in the 18th century when tea was first imposed. For the majority of Brits, the cups available couldn't stand the heat of the boiling water and would break, so milk was added first. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. And this practical tweak soon became a national habit.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. As you can see, these odd Brits have perfectly clear reasons for left-hand driving, two-tap sinks and tea with milk. Even if they still seem strange, at least now you're in the know.

A. This makes it difficult to improve

B. There is a method to the madness

C. This unusual behavior makes sense

D. You can know the origins of the practices

E. Either can make washing very uncomfortable

F. This cooled the cup enough to resist the boiling water

G. Here are the reasons for three of Britain's more puzzling practices

    Whether they're for a teenager or not, all great stories have certain elements: they have interesting characters we enjoy reading about; they show these characters in a world we can recognize and understand.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The main character faces a problem, usually quite a serious one. The thing that most draws us to reading the story is the way the character deals with the problem—whether the character gets the better of it, or it gets the better of the character.

    Characters in a book for young adults are generally young adults themselves. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} On the one hand, they're not children anymore. They're growing up and want to stretch their wings. On the other hand, they're not yet adults. They can't do certain things, as they're not yet able to do them or because the world tells them that they can't.

    To make things even more complicated, almost all young adults feel at some point that the whole growing－up process is happening too quickly. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    This year, TEENS has selected seven of the ten books, nominated (提名) for the US 2017 National Book Awards in the categories of Young People's Literature.

    Some stories are specifically written for teenagers or young adults, meaning that their authors are very sensitive to the "in－between" nature of teenage life. They're about problems that appear for young people because of tensions between them and their parents and teachers, their siblings (兄弟姐妹)，or wider society. Often, these problems are presented very seriously by writers. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    At the same time, fiction isn't supposed to be just about the challenges people face in life, but also about how people overcome those problems. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They discover something about themselves that they never knew before, and which enables them to succeed. And the solution that they find opens the future up to them, setting them on the path to adulthood.

A. They want to hold back a little and remain a child a little longer.

B. But that's what young adults want in fiction; to be taken seriously.

C. When closing a good book, we feel we've learned something about ourselves.

D. These are stories that someone of any age could pick up and enjoy.

E. And they are in a challenging period of life.

F. But most importantly, great stories have a central drama.

G. To some degree, challenges bring out the best in characters.