Learning English is challenging because of the various rules and exceptions to the rules. The best way to learn English is to hear it spoken and repeat the words as you hear them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You will learn how to make English a daily part of your life in order to learn to speak it quickly.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ask a friend to help you write letters of English alphabet on index cards. You should write a letter on each card. Practise the letters by mixing up the cards and saying the letters. You can ask your friend to help you pronounce the letters and quiz you on your knowledge.

    Make your own videos in English. If you have a video camera, you can tape yourself speaking English and practice along with your own video. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Watch your videos daily, and repeat what is being said.

    Get a private tutor. A professional English instructor can give you one-on-one instruction that will help you understand the rules of English. Your instructor can teach you how to write and speak English.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also inquire at your local community college.

    Watch movies with English subtitles. When watching a movie in your native language, use the English subtitles so you will understand the connection between your language and English.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will make mistakes, and that is OK. You need to practice English as much as possible in order to quickly learn to speak the language fluently.

    Test anxiety can be a real problem if you're so stressed out over a test that you can't get past the nervousness to focus on the test questions and do your best work. Feeling ready to meet the challenge can keep test anxiety at a manageable level.

    Be prepared. Some students think that going to class is all it takes to do well on tests. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You will find your test anxiety eases when toy start to study more regularly. The reason is that the more you know the material, the more confident you'; feel. Having confidence going into a test means you expect to do well.

    Watch what you're thinking. If expecting to do well on a test can help you relax, what about if you expect you won't do well? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They can contribute to your anxiety. If you find yourself having these thoughts, replace them with positive ones. Not unrealistic positive messages, of course, but ones that are practical and true.

    Accept mistakes. Another thing you can do is to learn to keep mistakes in view-especially if you are a perfectionist or you tend to be hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and you may have heard teachers refer to mistakes as learning opportunities. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If sitting for a test gets you so stressed out that your mind goes blank and causes you to miss answers that you know, then your level of test anxiety probably needs some attention. Your teacher or your school guidance counselor（顾问）can be good people to talk to.

    Take care of yourself. For some people, this might mean learning a simple breathing exercise. Practise breathing exercise regularly when you feel stressed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can calm yourself down and get centered.

A. Ask for help.

B. Learn to praise yourself.

C. This helps your body receive a signal to relax.

D. But good study habits and skills are more important.

E. So it's time to regard small failures as valuable experiences.

F. Then you will become more interested in asking questions.

G. You may send yourself some negative messages about the test.

    Stress is a major problem in the modern world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is common among office workers. Managing it is necessary for people in order to create a work-life balance. So, how can you go about removing stress through the ancient art of gardening?

    Surround yourself with nature. Trees, birds and scent of the outdoors are great ways to help relax. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So, in order to remove stress through gardening, you need to grow lots of plants.

    Make it comfortable. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} After all, what's the point of making it beautiful if you can't sit or watch your flowers grow afterwards? A good-quality set of garden furniture is the only way to make sure your garden is as comfortable as possible in order to remove your stress.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} To really appreciate garden space for what it is, you need to leave all of the stresses of modern life behind, which means keeping your phone indoors. Yes, it may be hard at first. But, after a while, it will begin to feel normal and even good. Sometimes not knowing what is happening in the outside world is the only way to enjoy the tranquility (宁静) of your garden.

    Invite family and friends. Do you want to get the best way to truly remove stress through your gardening efforts? Share it with your family and friends. A good barbecue as we move into the warmer months is the best port of call. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} After a while, your garden space should become a relaxation and stress-free zone.

Benefits of Sports

    Doing sports is a physical, mental and social adventure. It's a great way for children to take a break from academics and release extra energy. It also helps them lead fuller and happier lives as regular sports have proven to improve overall well-being.

    The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious. Regardless of your fitness level when you start playing sports, you'll notice an increase in your overall fitness once you're involved. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Basketball players focus on strength training; football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs. The training process helps promote physical fitness and performances in competitions.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Playing sports contributes to mental health, helping to increase confidence and self-worth. A pat on the back, high-five from a teammate, or handshake after a match really boosts a child's confidence. Words of praise and encouragement from the coach, parents and other players raise the self-worth. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So after a game, it's a better idea to ask "Did you enjoy the game?" rather than "Did you win?"

    Children who participate in sports might also benefit from the social aspect, feeling part of a group, building up accountability and leadership. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Teamwork involves both being dependable as a teammate and learning to rely on your teammates to achieve a positive outcome. Teamwork breeds accountability and challenges you to be responsible for your actions. Being part of a team gives you an opportunity to be a leader.

    Discipline is another social advantage. Most organized sports require a strict training and practice schedule. As a student-athlete, you need to balance academics and athletics. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to get involved in. Are you ready to go? Pick one and get moving!

A. It's not just your body that benefits from sports.

B. Therefore, playing sports is going to make you more fit.

C. But remember, a child's self-worth should not be distinguished by victory or loss.

D. If you play group sports, you'll be part of a team that takes direction from a coach.

E. Nearly every sport requires physical activity and the skills needed to be competitive.

F. Among these, learning how to function as part of a team is the most important advantage.

G. Only with strict discipline can you be successful both in the classroom and in the sports field.

    If You Can't Fall Asleep When Your Head Hits the Pillow. Here's What to Do Schedule Worry Time

    Just as you schedule time to see friends or get a massage do the same with your worries,{#blank#}1{#/blank#}In addition to writing down what's worrying you, create at least one action item you can do to help deal with the issue. Thinking through those potential stressors earlier in the day should help ease how much you worry about those things when your head hi is the pillow.

    Create a Routine to Power Down Your Brain

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Not true. Modern busy living has created so much stimulation (刺激) in the day that brains now operate at super-fast speed. If you don't give them time to rest; they'll continue going at that speed at bedtime. At least 30 minutes before you go to bed, start your probed preparations and then do something relaxing. Keep it consistent, and you'll train your body to expect sleep after that relaxation period.

    Keep a Gratitude List

    Now that you've thrown away your worries, replace the void (空白) where those negative thoughts once lived with positive ones by starting a gratitude journal. The impact of I hose positive thoughts is greater when you write them down,{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Practice 4-7-8 Breathing

    Deep breathing is so effective for sleep. In order to get to sleep，your heart rate needs to slow down.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Practice 4-7-8 breathing before you go to bed: Inhale (吸气) for a count of four, hold for seven counts，and then blow out for eight counts.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    As you lie in bed, relax all of your muscles one by one, starting at your toes and ending at your head. Not only is this incredibly relaxing，as the name implies, it also forces you to think about the physical parts of your body, directing your attention away from whatever is stressing you.

A. Exercise Right Before Bed

B. Do Progressive Muscle Relaxation

C. Consider the relaxing effects of positive thoughts on your mind.

D. Schedule a consistent time every day to write down those worries on paper.

E. Most people assume that sleep is like breathing your body will just do it.

F. And breathing techniques are one of the most effective ways to achieve his goal.

G. So try spending a few minutes each night listing several things you're grateful for.

Five steps to better handwriting

Some kids love handwriting, but others hate when it's time to put their pen to paper. Maybe they are worried about their handwriting. Are you one of them? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are five steps that really work!

Get a great grasp

Try this — hold your pencil at the top and try to write your name. Pretty hard? But when you hold your pencil the correct way, writing is much easier. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Hold it in place with your thumb, and your index (食指) and middle fingers.

Let the lines be your guide

Lined paper is your friend! Those lines can help you create letters that are the right size and proportion (均衡). {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Also be sure to fill up the lined space completely. Those capital letters should be from the bottom line to the top one.

Slow down

If your writing is hard to read, try slowing down a little. If you rush, it's hard to control where you stop and start your letters.

Lower the pressure

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} That makes it harder to make the smooth lines. Try easing up and don't hold the pencil too tightly.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Lots of games require you to write or draw pictures. So even though it's not schoolwork, you're still using the skills you need to control your pen better.

A. Play games

B. Ask for more advice

C. So "a" should be half the height of a capital "A".

D. You've been writing since you were a little kid.

E. Some kids press down really hard when they write.

F. The good news is that just about everyone can improve their handwriting.

G. The best way to hold a pen or pencil is to let it rest next to the base of your thumb.