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.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    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.

Ways to say “Happy birthday to me”

    Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm at an age when not everyone looks forward to cakes and presents.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It always makes me feel excited to be alive and grateful for my life and my family. So I think even if your birthday is a regular old day at work or home, there are some easy ways to raise it to the special occasion.

    Give a gift to someone else.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}While everyone loves to open a birthday present, there is a lot of joy and goodness to be gained from being generous with others. Making a birthday donation(捐赠)to a charity that means something to you.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Try something new. Today is new to us. Why not enjoy the newness of the moment? Dip your tones into some new waters, sign up for an adult education class, go for a new-to-you park or plan a new trip.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Whether or not you have the opportunity to share a meal, outing or party with friends and family, please take time on your birthday to connect with people who are important to your life. if you use social media like phones, you are likely filled with well-wishes from loved ones. Use these as a jumping-off point to start new conversations and reconnect with people who lift your spirits and support in your journey towards being your best self.

A. Connect with people who matter to you.

B. Freshen up yourself with countless opportunities.

C. It's better to give than to receive

D. This year my birthday is on a Saturday.

E. I love my birthday, though.

F. Download an app to learn a new language is also a good choice.

G. One choice is to donate a dollar amount to match your age.

    Ways to build strong friendships

    Be loyal to a friend. Part of being a friend is being prepared to devote your time and energy to helping out your friends. If a friend needs help with an unpleasant thing, or if he or she just needs a shoulder to cry on, be there for them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This is a good way to attract the kind of friends you want in your life.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you say you'll do something, do it. When your friend tells you a secret, keep it secret from others. Be someone that people know that they can rely on. If you show this quality to your friends, they will appreciate it and will be reliable in return.

    Be a good listener. Many people think they have to appear very interesting.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Listen carefully to what people say, remember important details about them, ask questions about their interests, and take the time to learn more about them.

    Stress your good qualities. Show others what makes you stand apart from the crowd. Talk about your interests and hobbies. Everyone has interesting stories to tell – don't be afraid to share yours.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  People love to be around someone who makes them laugh.

    Choose your friends wisely. As you make friends with more people, you may find that some are hard to get along with. Sometimes you may even realize that certain friendships are unhealthy.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Cherish those friends who are a positive influence in your life, and do your best to be a positive influence in theirs.

A. Be a reliable friend.

B. Keep your promise to your friend.

C. Be respectful of their decisions and share yours with him.

D. Besides, a little humor always keeps a conversation light and happy.

E. In this case, walk your way out of the friendship as gracefully as possible.

F. Being a loyal friend will attract other people to you who value this quality.

G. Far more important than that, however, is the ability to show that you're interested in others.

    After Steve Jobs died, his friend Larry Ellison said something like this. “There will never be another Steve Jobs.” {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Larry wrote this list of Steve's life lessons to remind us all.

    ⒈Love what you do.

Sure Steve became a billionaire when he brought Apple back. Apple was his calling — even after he got fired from the company. We all have bad jobs at one point in our lives. But the question is: am I in the right job? Have I found the right company? Life doesn't go on forever. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ⒉Don't do it all by yourself.

    Steve learned a great leader can't do it all by himself. He needs people. They must be talented. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They must be given the opportunity to succeed and fail. In short, we have to learn to be a great leader if we want to see our great ideas and hard work truly have an influence on the world.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Apple was always the best at creating a new product that meets the exact needs of users. It's empathy (同理心) that helps Apple achieve this. Whenever the user has the first touch with a new Apple product, he says “Wow, it's just what I need.” Remember: you're King in the business world if you know exactly what consumers (消费者) desire.

    ⒋Don't mess around with your health.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}That's the most important lesson from Steve's life. It's great to learn from him but, the fact is that he should still be here if he had treated his cancer properly. Instead, Steve chose a naturopathic (自然疗法) solution that wasn't effective. When he finally decided to take his doctor's original advice, it was too late.

A. They must be inspired.

B. Be the best in your field.

C. Take your health seriously.

D. Get on our right path now.

E. Will this lead to a successful career?

F. Put yourself in the other person's shoes.

G. What are the key things that we could learn from him?

Not all English is the same

    To many learners of English, it's easy to think that all native speakers have no trouble communicating with one another.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Well, it turns out that being a native English speaker from one country doesn't mean that you're able to perfectly understand a native English speaker from another country, and vice versa (反之亦然)

    Take the UK and the US for example.

    As a Briton, I grew up hearing American accents alongside British ones – on TV shows, movies and in songs.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} and how they would eat “cookies” instead of “biscuits”.  And it took me a while to figure out that the “trunk” (n. 后备箱) of a car is what us Britons call its “boot”.

    The confusion didn't stop at just vocabulary –{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, when talking about shopping malls, Americans pronounce it “mawl” instead of “mal”. And for some reason that's hard for Britons to understand, Americans remove the “H” sound from “herb”, pronouncing it “erb”.

    These small differences may not change much in a day-to-day conversation between a Briton and an American.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Recently, for example, an American friend told me that she liked my pants. “You can see them?” I asked, shocked. Pants means “underpants” to most British people, which explains my horror.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In the US, for example, a “bum” is a homeless person, while the same word in the UK is used to describe one's backside（n.臀部）.

    And, more amusingly, “trump” was only ever really used as a verb in the UK – meaning “to pass gas” – until the US' current president came into the spotlight.

But as long as you can speak one version of English, it's easy enough to understand any other – and any confusion just makes your day more interesting.

A. English is changing as it spreads around the world.

B. After all, English is English, isn't it?

C. I soon noticed how Americans would put “gas” in their cars instead of “petrol” .

D. However, confusion can still happen every now and then.

E. There are different words that mean the difficult thing.

F. Some words can even be offensive (adj.无礼的) without you realizing it.

G. I discovered that many words are even pronounced differently.

    Imagine a child standing on a diving board four feet high and asking himself the question: "Should I jump?" This is what motivation or the lack of it can do. Motivation and goal setting are the two sides of same coin. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Like the child on the diving board, you will stay undecided.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} More than that, how should you stay motivated to achieve the goal? First, you need to evaluate yourself, your values, your strengths, your weaknesses, your achievements, your desires, etc. Only then should you set your goals.

    You also need to judge the quality and depth of your motivation. This is quite important, because it is directly related to your commitment. There are times when your heart is not in your work. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So, slow down and think what you really want to do at that moment. Clarity(清晰) of thoughts can help you move forward.

    Another way of setting realistic goals is to analyze your short and long term objectives, keeping in mind your beliefs, values and strengths. Remember that goals are flexible. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They also need to be measurable. You must keep these points in mind while setting your goals.

    Your personal circumstances are equally important. For example, you may want to be a pilot but can't become one because your eyesight is not good enough. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You should reassess your goals, and motivate yourself to set a fresh goal.

    You will surely need to overcome some difficulties, some planned, but most unplanned. You cannot overcome them without ample motivation. Make sure that you plan for these difficulties at the time of setting your goals.

A. This can affect your work.

B. So how should you motivate yourself?

C. However, this should not discourage you.

D. So why should we try to set specific goals?

E. They can change according to circumstances.

F. Motivation is what you need most to do a good job.

G. Without motivation, you can neither set a goal nor reach it.