Why Don't Students Like School?

    Most of the teachers I know entered the job because they loved school as children.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, they are understandably discouraged when they find that some of their students don't like school much, and that they, the teachers, have great difficulty inspiring them. Why is it difficult to make school enjoyable for students?

    As a matter of fact , the brain is not designed for thinking. It's designed to ask you not to have to think, because the brain is actually not very good at thinking. Thinking is slow and unreliable.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}People like to solve problems, but they do not like to work on problems that cannot be solved. If schoolwork is always just a bit too difficult for a student, it should be no surprise that he doesn't like school much.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    What is the nature of being human?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Many people would answer that it is our ability to reason that makes us different—birds can fly, fish can swim, and humans can think . (By thinking I mean solving problems, reasoning, reading something complex, or doing any mental work that requires some effort.)  Shakespeare thought highly of our cognitive(认知) ability in Hamlet: “What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason!” Some three hundred years later, however, Henry Ford came up with a quite different opinion, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few people are interested in it.” They both had a point of view. Humans are good at certain types of reasoning, especially compared to other animals, but we hardly often exercise those abilities.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Thinking is not only painful, as Ford noted, it's also slow and unreliable.

A. A cognitive scientist would add another point of view, “Humans don't think very often because our brains are designed not for thought but for escaping from thought.”

B. What sets us apart from other species?

C. Of course you could make each decision with care and thought.

D. However, people enjoy thinking if it is successful.

E. Therefore, teachers should reconsider how they encourage their students to think, in order to make thinking enjoyable enough for students to go after.

F. If we are all so bad at thinking, how does anyone get through the day?

G. They want to help their students feel the same excitement and passion for learning that they felt.

    What will you do if you can't eat everything bought in the canteen?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}According to a survey, what students waste every year could feed over 10 million people.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}According to Xinhua News Agency, the food wasted by Chinese people is about 50 million tons of grain every year, which could feed 200 million people.

    Food waste, which has become a global issue, serves as a mirror that reflects various cultural and social issues in different countries. In the West, for instance, consumerism, the belief that it's good to use a lot of goods and services, is often to blame for food waste.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Chinese people are well known for being hospitable and generous. Many even feel that they lose face if their guests have eaten all the food. On campus, a generation of single children is less aware of the food waste issue. Students nowadays are well protected by their families and hardly have any concept of how much toil others go through in order to provide them with the food they eat.

   {#blank#}4{#/blank#}There are 925 million hungry people in the world. They don't have enough food to eat. And farmers work very hard to grow the crops.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It's also important that everyone thinks about how they can do their bit to reduce food waste. Recently a campaign against food waste launched on line in China might make you think twice about being so wasteful.

A. Students waste is extremely serious,

B. To reduce food waste is a big task, and it needs time.

C. China, in turn, features its own eating culture.

D. But canteen waste is merely the tip of the iceberg.

E. So we shouldn't waste our food.

F. Students can never realize the serious food waste situation.

G. Most of us would simply throw away any leftover food.

    Reasons why you should travel while you're young

    I have been very lucky to travel around the world while still young. According to my experiences, I advise every young person to get out of his hometown and see what's out there. Here are three ways that traveling has changed me forever.

    Traveling changes the way you connect with the world

    I grew up in a small town.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. When you travel to other countries and see the amazing beauty of sunsets over seas, monkeys swinging through rainforests, you realize the world is-full of more beauty than you are able to see in a lifetime. But, you still want to try.

    Traveling changes the way you connect with others

    Everyone in my hometown looked and acted basically the same.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. I realized that my life could be enriched by developing friendships with people who didn't look or act like me. Far from my hometown, I developed friendships with people who were nothing like me, but were exactly what I needed.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Traveling helps develop your interest in education

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Just reading the stories in books seemed so boring to me. However, when I visited the Palace of Versailles in France and walked in the halls of the Louvre. I couldn't help but have interest in history.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Traveling taught me, not to fear.

B. Traveling makes history come alive.

C. Sadly, I never liked history in school.

D. When I traveled, I learned a lot about other cultures.

E. It also taught me the importance of communication skills.

F. The older I become, the more 1 realize I actually know very little about life.

G. If I hadn't the chance to travel, I would have a different time imagining much else outside my hometown.

M: Remember Paul from our old school?

W: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

M: I met him at the checkout in the supermarket the other day, and he was queuing right in front of me.

W: {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

M: Well, he started out as a manager in charge of sales. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} He teaches commercial English there.

W: Why did he get this new job? {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

M: Yes. It is tiring, though. After all, he has got a family to take care of.

W: I see. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

M: Exactly!

A. Isn't he working in a company as a sales manager?

B. Then he transferred to work for an international giant.

C. Of course I do.

D. But he ended up getting a job at the local university.

E. Isn't it interesting to travel around as a sales manager?

F. That's a good point.

G. Sometimes it is a painful choice, career or family.

    What will you do if you can't eat everything bought in the canteen? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} According to a survey, what students waste every year could feed over 10 million people.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} According to Xinhua News Agency, the food wasted by Chinese people is about 50 million tons of grain every year, which could feed 200 million people.

    Food waste, which has become a global issue, serves as a mirror that reflects various cultural and social issues in different countries. In the West, for instance, consumerism, the belief that it's a good thing to use a lot of goods and services, is often to blame for food waste. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Chinese people are well known for being hospitable and generous. Many even feel that they lose face if their guests have eaten all the food. On campus, a generation of single children is less aware of the food waste issue. Students nowadays are well protected by their families and hardly have any concept of how much toil others go through in order to provide them with the food they eat.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} There are over 925 million hungry people in the world, most of whom live in underdeveloped countries and areas. They don't have enough food to eat. Many children die for lack of nutrition each year in some African countries. And farmers work very hard to grow the crops. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It's also important that everyone should think about how they can do their bit to reduce food waste.

A. Students' waste is extremely serious.

B. China, in turn, features its own eating culture.

C. But canteen waste is extremely the tip of the iceberg.

D. Students can never realize the serious food crisis.

E. Compared with them, some live in a different world.

F. So there's no excuse that we should waste our food.

G. Most of us would simply throw away any leftover food.

    Being content with what you do and your life can be troublesome these days. However, you can start being satisfied with what you have with some steps.

    There are times when some friends simply get too busy and with the passage of time visits and meet-up become less frequent. If there is anything that can help you be more content with your life, social media is certainly not the answer. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} That is simply so much better than letting your time just fly by in front of electronic devices.

    Finishing reading a book is also a good idea. We all know reading excites the mind. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It can also improve your focus, concentration and communication skills. The reason we did not ask you to start reading a book is that finishing reading a book is far more satisfying than simply reading halfway through it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    If you are stuck in a 9-to-5 job, then you need to seriously reconsider your physical activity. As time flies by, we all get older. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}So, exercise or join a sports club if you can. Exercising will not only improve your overall ability but also make you look good and know your true strength.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}However, simply giving your change to a homeless person wouldn't cut it. You need to find a cause that you deeply care about and then commit to it wholeheartedly. This will give you an opportunity to see how your small acts of kindness can bring out the best in you and the society.

A. Being selfless brings you more satisfaction.

B. You'd better start reading an interesting book.

C. Instead, you need to connect with an old friend.

D. So, pick up a nice book now and make it into a habit.

E. It is a great way to channel your energy in the right direction.

F. It works well in reducing stress and increasing your knowledge.

G. What you do with your body today can help you stay healthy in the future.