In classes, your teachers will talk about the topic that you are studying. The information they provide will be important for you to know when you take tests. So you must be able to take good written notes from what your teachers say.

    Here are three stages(阶段) of taking notes and what you should do during each stage.

    1） Before Class   Review your notes you have taken before you come to class. This will be good for remembering what was covered. Get you ready to understand new information your teacher will provide.

    2） During Class   Pay your attention to what your teacher is saying and "the signal words" that tell you what your teacher is going to say. It is important to write them down in your notes. Examples of signal words are "The important point……" and "Remember that……", and so on. Be sure to write in your notes the information that your teacher repeats or writes on the blackboard. Write quickly so that you can include all the important information in your notes. Do this by writing abbreviations(缩写） such as "med" for medicine, using symbols such as "%" for percent, and writing short sentences.

    3） After Class   Rewrite your notes to make them more complete and accurate (准确的) by changing abbreviations into whole words, symbols into words, and shortened sentences into longer sentences. Use them to answer your questions. If necessary, ask your teacher for help.

Information Card

    Reading is a very important skill. 阅读也是一种提高你的英语的好方法。However, to make sure what you read isn't too difficult, it's important to know what makes texts difficult and how you can improve your understanding of them. Here are some suggestions.

    ①Understand the purpose of your reading. The way you read depends on the purpose of your reading. The kind of reading you do in class or for your homework is different from how you read a novel for pleasure in the summer holidays.

    ② Find background information. Find something out about the topic you are going to read.

    The more background information you have, the easier it'll be to understand the text.

    ③Increase your vocabulary（词汇）. The more vocabulary you have, the easier your reading will be.

    ④ Use your dictionary correctly. A common mistake is to read everything very slowly and carefully, looking up each unknown word. Sometimes this is necessary, for example, when reading exam questions. However, it takes a long time and can be very boring; it can even make understanding more difficult!

    If you've followed the above advice and still can't understand a text, then it's simply too hard for you. Stop reading and ask someone to help you. 没有人想要放弃。However, you'll just be wasting your time if you continue to work at a text that's beyond you.

    The way we spend our time can be. divided into three groups，or jars(罐子).These would be the necessary tasks jar, the voluntary tasks jar and the happiness jar.

    Every day，we spend time filling the necessary tasks jar. We fill this jar with useful things，like making money，doing housework，buying food and paying bills. We then fill another jar with voluntary tasks like taking children to activities and cooking family meals. Those jars are very important，but we may not enjoy them. If we don't fill them each day，our family won't run properly.

    However, we often forget to fill the third jar—the happiness jar. This is the jar that we fill with activities that make us happy. Is your happiness jar sometimes empty at the end of the day? We all have days like that. Between doing all the necessary, and voluntary tasks，time flies by on some days，and before we know it，it is time for bed.

    That is why each day we try to fill our happiness jar. Most days，I fill mine by going to the ballroom dance(社交舞)class. Playing music is another way that I fill my happiness jar. This week，I was happy to take part in an orchestra(管弦乐队)practice at my church(教堂).At the end of the evening, my happiness jar was full.

    Consider how your time is spent. Try to find ways to achieve a balance. At the end of the day，hopefully we've done all we can to make sure that our happiness jar is filled.

    There are four students talking about their favourite {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Michael likes {#blank#}2{#/blank#} because it's important and interesting. Lisa likes English and her English teacher is {#blank#}3{#/blank#} {#blank#}4{#/blank#} likes history and he has two history classes every week. Amelia loves art because of {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Hi! I am Mike. I have a sister and two brothers. We live in a happy family. Nancy is my sister. She is the oldest. She is a kind girl. She is beautiful. She likes learning. She studies very hard. She gets up early and finishes her breakfast quickly. Then she goes to school by bike. David is my brother. He is older than me. But he is a little lazy. He gets up late and then washes his face, brushes his teeth in a hurry. Then he goes to the bus stop without breakfast. He usually plays basketball after school. In the evening, he seldom does homework. He goes to bed late. Jack is our little brother. He is a lovely boy. He gets up very slowly and then he usually takes a shower before breakfast. He goes to school in his father's car. He likes watching TV in the evening.

    Should parents ask their children to do chores? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They think that children are too young to cook or clean for themselves or their parents. But many people believe that children can learn a lot from doing regular chores. Parents should help children learn to do the housework that they will have to do when they live on their own. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Most experts(专家)do agree. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Parents shouldn't, of course, ask a schoolboy to cook when he is doing his homework. If the child has activities after school, the time left to do chores may be short.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When a child does what his parents ask him to do happily, he will probably have the feeling of growing up. Chores can be useful. They are a teaching tool(工具). Parents use the tool to teach children, so that they can care for themselves some day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If parents keep a clean house, children won't find any reason to do chores.

A. And they also give children a sense of responsibility, importance and confidence.

B. Parents must make children understand how hard they work.

C. However, the chores should suit (适合于)children.

D. Doing chores can help children get better grades.

E. Some believe that children should not do chores.

F. Perhaps more chores on weekends can be helpful.