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.

    I like travelling very much.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}They are wonderful adventures filled with new sights and experiences. And my wife and I have another trip in the planning stages．

    We're home now and have settled back into our daily routine of life.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} I find that when I am at home, particularly for a while when we have just returned from a trip, I feel very comfortable. Perhaps it is because everything around me is familiar and the daily routine is so much the same and I can move through it almost without thinking.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Perhaps it is because we can have meals at home instead of always being in restaurants, although it's nice to let someone else do the cooking, and because I can sleep in my own bed. There are times I think it would be nice to simply stop travelling and stay home．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Yet I guess I am probably a restless soul because I know that after I have been home for a while I will start to think about other places we might go and other things we want to see.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} We will travel again and we feel fortunate to be able to do so. Still, one of the best things about travelling for me is coming home. I'm very comfortable here at home even if it is difficult to say exactly why．

A. I enjoy local food while travelling．

B. I like being home，for whatever reason．

C. Perhaps it is because our friends are here．

D. And I enjoy my daily life at home so much．

E. It's lucky that my wife and I both love travelling.

F. The world is filled with people who are travelholic．

G. I have been fortunate enough to make trips to many countries.

The benefits of keeping a journal (日志)

    If you want to grow, one important thing you should do is keeping a journal. I t may seem simple, but it can make a big difference in your life. I have been keeping journals for years. Writing all the lessons I learn and all the ideas I get has become a habit for me.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some benefits you will get by keeping a journal.

    It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever gotten an idea only to lose it later because you didn't write it down? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that came into my mind as soon as possible. If I'm away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.

    It helps you review all the lessons you've learned. By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you've learned and the ideas you've gotten. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You can use the ideas to propel (鞭策) yourself forward.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you've gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past might have been realized today.

    It helps you expand your ideas. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} In the end, you will expand your ideas.

A. I often experienced that myself.

B. It trains you to express your thoughts.

C. It allows you to see your progress over time.

D. Just use whatever tool you feel comfortable with.

E. Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea.

F. And to be honest, I can't imagine what my life would be like without it.

G. Then you can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

    A lot of parents help their kids do homework and study for school. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    A photographer in India's Bihar state took a photo of dozens of parents risking their lives to help their 10th-graders cheat on tests. The parents climbed the walls of a four-story school to throw cheat sheets through the window for their children.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} About 600 students were expelled (开除) from the school. And police have detained (拘留) more than 1, 000 people connected with the scandal (丑闻).

    The tests the Bihar students were taking are called board exams. These exams help determine who will be considered the top students in each class. India's best university will take only students with a 95 percent score or better. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Students who make it into India's top universities have a much better chance of getting well-paid jobs. They can help their families by becoming doctors or engineers. Many of the students who don't pursue (追求) these kinds of careers have a much more difficult time making money.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} About 30 percent of its citizens are considered poor. In many parts of the country, a family of five might struggle to survive on as little as $80 a month. For students who do well, the exams can be a life-changing event for their families.

    Few believe the Bihar incident will stop people from cheating on exams. Many students think that because others are cheating, they also have to cheat to keep up. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Officials believe that new laws and policies will help only so much. To stop cheating, they say, people need to change their attitudes toward it.

    If you're planning to organize a summer camp, you need to have a good plan of action. First of all, you should have a theme. For example, if you're planning a lot of games, you could call it "the adventure land" or something like that. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    If the summer camp is going to be an overnight program, then you have to keep the kids busy with different activities. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Games act as one of the best ways for kids to relax. They also help kids get along well with each other and develop the ability to work in a team.

    Kids at the summer camp need to be on their own for some time. Make sure your plan has some free time for them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You could even encourage them to write down their thoughts about the summer camp. Be careful not to force them to do some things; let them be on their own.

    Your summer camp program can have a special day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} During this day, children can show their culture as well as learn about others. Also you can have a gift day, which means every child has to show their gifts, like dancing, singing or painting.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Let children do certain experiments or go around the campsite and ask them to find the scientific names of trees. Make sure you make this activity fun and interesting, so that the kids don't complain about it being a study activity.

A. You'll have a wonderful summer camp.

B. For example, you can have a culture day.

C. This time may be used to make new friends.

D. And an art camp can have a theme like "paint the world".

E. This may develop confidence in them to enjoy these sports.

F. You can devote a day or two to science and nature activities.

G. So plan interesting games like English corners, races and so on.

    Next time your plane lands, listen to the sound of the tyres hitting the ground. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The tyres of cars, motorbikes and trucks are also often made of the same stuff.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Workers cut the trunks of the trees and collect a white liquid called latex（乳胶）. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, huge numbers of rubber trees were planted in countries including Malaysia, Burma and Brazil. Nearly half the rubber which is produced each year is natural rubber and there is always a need for more.

    Rubber trees are not easy to grow. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some trees survive while others die and it is all decided by their genes. British scientists have been working together to look at rubber trees. They have now discovered the "genome" (基因组) of the rubber tree. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The genome contains all the information the plant or animal needs to grow. The genome for a plant such as a rubber tree is smaller than a human genome but it is still very long, which is why it has been so difficult to find. Scientists say the work has been like putting a picture puzzle together where all the pieces show blue sea and blue sky.

    Now scientists can use the rubber tree genome to produce stronger trees. By understanding the genome, they can change the DNA in rubber trees in useful ways. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Natural rubber comes from trees.

B. Regretfully, many forests are being severely destroyed.

C. This is the way genes fit together in very long chains of DNA

D. Stronger trees have played a more important role in producing tyres.

E. They are affected by changes in temperature, rainfalls, winds and diseases.

F. The reason why the tyres don't explode is that they are made of natural rubber.
G. In the future, it will be possible to grow trees which survive climate change and disease.