A. Come in with something to say.

B. Prepare general comments.

C. Bring materials with you.

D. Don't make them wait.

E. Have no fear.

F. Go it alone.

    One of the best things you can do any time in the semester is go see the professor. So hoof on over to an office hour and have some one-on-one face time with someone who'll help you master the material and improve your grade, to boot. But how should you have this conversation with the professor? Here are five insider tips about how to make that office hour really count:

     {#blank#}1{#/blank#} No need to get all bent out of shape about going to see the professor. The professor would actually like to see you and answer your questions. Believe it or not, he or she is on your side and is eager to see you do well. And besides, he or she has seen many students stupider than you, so nothing you're gong to ask will set the record for stupidity.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Even though you might feel more comfortable going with a friend or partner, the office hour will go better if it's just you and the professor. You'll get in more questions, the discussion will be tailored to what you need most help on, and two-party communication is almost always more productive than committee work. You friend can wait outside for the discussion.

     {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you can't make the official office hours, most professors are willing to make individual, appointments to help you out. If you're lucky enough to land such an accommodation, though, be sure you're 100 percent on time. There's nothing that ticks off a professor more than making him-or herself available for a custom office hour only to find that you don't care enough to come on time. And besides, the professor might leave after ten minutes, which would make your trip a total loss.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you're meeting with the professor to go over a paper or test, or to ask questions about a particular lecture or reading, make sure you bring that paper or test, or your lecture notes or a copy of the article. The professor doesn't remember the comments he or she wrote on your individual piece of work—though he or she will be able to recall them after just a brief glance at your work. And if you have your lecture notes or the article in hand, you and the professor will be able to examine specific points that are confusing to you, rather than just talking in a general way about the contents.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Office hours almost always go better if you bring a few specific questions to the meeting. It's almost never good to start a meeting with general comments such as: “I didn't understand what you said about [main topic of the course]”or “I couldn't understand any of your lectures last week.” Much better is to come in with two or three conversation-starters, about a specific concept, point, or problem you didn't understand. Keep in mind that in a fifteen-minute office hour (which is how long these things usually last), two or three questions are usually the most you'll have time to discuss.

The Value of Tears

    Tears can ruin make-up, bring conversation to a stop, and give you a runny nose. Tears leave you embarrassed and without energy. Still, crying is a fact of life, and your tears are very useful. Even when you're not crying, they make a film over the eye's surface. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    When tears fall, they reduce stress. But we tend to fight them for all sorts of reasons. “People worry about showing their emotions（情绪）, afraid that once they lose control they'll never get it back.” {#blank#}2{#/blank#} After we cry, the feelings that caused the tears often disappear.

    Sometimes people become much stressed and can't cry. Whatever emotion they are feeling – shock, anger, fear, or sadness—is being held back.

    But everyone has the need to cry. Psychologist Vera Diamond explains that her treatment often consist of giving people permission to cry. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Patients practice crying just to become used to expressing emotions. She suggests safe, private places to cry, like under the bedcovers or in the car. Crying is a way of ease tension, but people don't like it when others cry because it makes them tense. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}And they'll do just about anything to make you stop.

    In certain situations, such as at work, tears are not appropriate. It's good not to cry during a tense business discussion.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You should also act out the whole situation again and be as noisy and angry as you like. It will help you feel better. “And,” she adds, “Once your tears have taken away the stress, you can begin to think calmly of ways to deal with the problem.”

    Tears are a sign of our ability to feel. If you find yourself near someone crying, deal with it. And never be afraid to cry yourself.

A. They too may be holding back a need to cry.

B. They cry for different reasons.

C. She gives crying exercises.

D. It contains a chemical against infection.

E. The fact is no emotion lasts forever.

F. It forms in response to the stress on the surface of the eye.

G. But once you're safely behind closed doors, don't just cry.

4 Study Habits You Should Be Practising

    With exams, essays, projects, and many deadlines for different things, effective（有效的）study habits are necessary. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you are in need of a bit of an improvement, keep reading for the top four study habits that you should be practicing.

    ⒈Make and use flashcards.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} By using flashcards with a question on one side and the answer on the other, you will force your brain to recall he necessary information. Even if you struggle a bit with a card, you will still be actively revising the necessary material.

    ⒉Revise（复习）, revise, revise!

    Many students put off studying until just before the exam, with the more hardworking students giving themselves a week or two before a test. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It's best to revise the information a little bit every day, so that you are not upset when a test comes around.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    One of the most effective—and the most fun—methods of studying is to watch related lectures and videos in order to get more material. Watch documentaries or videos on YouTube and educational websites. You may be surprised at how much you can learn from videos, and just how much information is available online.

    ⒋Re-write your notes.

    Studies have shown that writing information out by hand increases your ability to remember the material. This makes the recall go h and-in-hand with muscle memory. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    These are the four most effective study habits, and something all successful students do. Make sure you are on top of your game by following these study methods!

A. Watch related lectures and videos.

B. One method of revising is to make a mind-map.

C. Use these graded tests to create a new practice test.

D. Having these great study habits can make things easier.

E. However, it's actually an ineffective method of preparing and studying.

F. Flashcards are designed to improve active memory recall of information.

G. You will be able to picture your written notes when you are taking the exam.

    When I was young, my friends and I often played baseball in an alley(小巷) behind our home. A woman named Mrs Shinas owned a tiny house nearby, and she used to watch us play from her window.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} we all thought that she was mean.

    She had a big trained dog and whenever one of our baseballs rolled in its direction, Mrs Shinas would send the dog to catch it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} soon we ran out of balls.

    In those days, I used to water our lawn each day. One day as I stood watering our small lawn, I noticed that Mrs Shinas' lawn looked a little dry. It took only a few more minutes to water it, so I did it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    When autumn came that year, I also helped gather up the leaves on Mrs. Shinas' yard. As I was doing this one day, she invited me to sit in her living room. She gave me a cookie and a glass of milk. As I sat there eating the cookie, she showed me her collection of paintings. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}that surprised me a lot. It was the first conversation I had ever had with her.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} She went into her kitchen and returned with a box. In it were all the balls that her dog had taken. She handed me the box, said "thank you" and smiled. I realized she had a kind heart. I also learned that when we serve others, we are showing them that we love them.

A. We wanted to buy a new ball.

B. But the dog wouldn't return the ball to us.

C. Her next action even changed my opinion of her.

D. Then she thanked me for taking care of her lawn.

E. Soon I found myself watering her lawn each day.

F. She rarely came out of her house and never smiled.

G. What delighted me most was that she was a great painter.

    We all have days, or even weeks, on the job when our productivity declines. But if your output has been steadily decreasing, it could be because you're wasting time rather than focusing on key tasks at hand. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Turn off your cellphone

    If you're eager to stop wasting time at the office, silence your cellphone. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Turn on your phone only during breaks.

    Organize your calendar

    It's easy to waste time when you don't have a preset schedule outlining your days at work. But if you're guilty of not maximizing your time at the office, it'll help to create a daily calendar with blocks of time for various tasks.

    Organize your space

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your desk is in a mess, carve out some time to get it organized. Throw away papers you don't need, file essential documents in some sort of order, and make your supplies more accessible.

    Build in breaks

    Sometimes we waste time at work by talking to colleagues, checking text messages, or surfing the internet because our minds need a break from the constant work. If that sounds like you, then you'd better schedule some breaks during the day but powering through otherwise. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The more time you waste at work, the more your manager and peers are likely to take notice– and that's a good way to hurt your reputation and put your job at risk. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Doing so might save you from a busy night.

    Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a batter student in several ways. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The following methods may work best for you.

    ●Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

    ●Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

    ●Write your notes in your own words.

    ●{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ●Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

    As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand (速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}