Ways to make a great first impression

    You've heard it a million times already, but it really does take but a few seconds to make that all-important first impression (印象). Here are some easy ways for you to impress your classmates or teachers.

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Before you shake hands with somebody, make sure that your hands are clean. The handshake should not be too strong or weak. Most people use their right hands, unless they have a reason to use the left.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Be on time

    When meeting someone for the first time, arriving on time is as important as breathing. You may have an excuse, but that will leave the person who hardly knows you with a bad impression.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It's better to be hanging around the place than be stuck in traffic.

    Introduce yourself and ask for names

    Make sure you properly introduce yourself. Ask for their name in a polite way.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}This will increase the chances of their remembering your name in the future. Always remember to stand up when greeting someone and be sure to introduce them to anyone you're with.

    Make good conversation

To get the most out of your discussion, try to find something common between the two of you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}A person will feel more comfortable with someone they can relate to (产生共鸣).

A. Use body language

B. Have a proper handshake

C. Repeat the name and use it later in conversation.

D. As a general rule, plan to arrive about 30 minutes early.

E. It could be a similar taste in clothes or a common hobby.

F. You'll be in serious trouble if you leave them with a bad impression.

G. However, don't have your left hand in your pocket because this appears impolite.

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.

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    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.

    If you need to interview someone for an article but you have never interviewed before, it can be frightening. Here are some tips for preparing for and conducting a successful interview.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If the person is a known author or speaker, take the time to read or listened to his/her work, or at least get familiar with his/her most recent or most important work. If the interview will cover events, review whatever is known publicly about those events.

    Prepare a recording device(录音设备). You can use your phone or an audio recorder. In this way you needn't struggle to write things down. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And this will make it easier to include direct quotes when you start writing.

    Remember to make it a conversation rather than a list of questions. Prepared questions are just a guideline. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can also try to ask your interviewee about his/her personal thoughts and reactions to events and people they deal with.

    Appropriate feedback(反馈) is also important. Feel free to say words that show you are listening, like "yeah" and "Mmmm". {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also give more facial feedback like smiling.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If the interviewee changes suddenly from one line of thought to another, lead them back to the area you are focusing on. Guide the interview but don't keep interrupting with many questions.

A. Politely ask if you can interview them.

B. Do your homework before you pick up the phone.

C. Then you can focus all your attention on the interview.

D. Consider how all the questions can be asked in a short time.

E. Nodding your head can be an encouragement to the interviewee.

F. In order to get the information you need, you should guide the interview.

G. You can try to ask questions based on what they have said to you in previous responses.

    Today's students are surrounded by information. The ability to figure out exactly why authors write ­ and not accept every opinion as fact ­ is a key skill. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following strategies teach them how to figure out why authors really write.

    Start with why. "Why did the author write this piece?" is the key question asked to identify author's purpose. To help students expand their understanding of "why," post various types of nonfiction (an advertisement, opinion article, news article, etc.) around your classroom and have students quickly identify a purpose for each. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Talk about structure. Authors use different structures for different purposes. For example, one author may use time order to explain an event, while another author uses compare and contrast to put that event into context.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Often when authors write, they're trying to get readers to feel a certain way. Perhaps the author of an article about whale conservation wants readers to feel sad about the difficult situation of whales. Or the author of a letter may want to make the recipient feel better about a situation. After students read a text, stop and ask: How do you feel? And how did the author get you to feel this way?

    Connect it to students' own writing. It doesn't have to be said that writing and reading go hand in hand. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When students are asked to write about a topic that they think everyone should know about, to explain a procedure or to share a personal memory, they'll become more conscious of how authors approach writing.

    Observe how purpose changes within a text. Author's purpose is often studied through the text as a whole, but authors have different reasons for writing within texts as well. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then, they may launch into a list of facts that make the reader feel discouraged about the situation. And finally, they may conclude with an appeal. Take a short article and break it apart, identifying the different purposes so that students see how author's purpose changes as they read.

A. Get to the heart.

B. Identify the topic.

C. The readers may get more advanced in their work with informational text.

D. For example, an author may include a funny anecdote (轶事) to draw the reader in.

E. In particular, they'll need to figure out author's purpose and draw their own conclusions.

F. Expand students' awareness of why people write by having them write for different purposes.

G. Or keep a running Author's Purpose board with a list of the various reasons that authors write.

    If you seriously and honestly take a look at how you think, act and respond to life, you will quickly realize that in most cases your actions and responses are from fear rather than from love and joy.

    Why is it so? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Humans, unlike animals or plants, are able to image hundreds of different possibilities about our future. But we cannot decide which will really take place and therefore we often feel confused and worried about our future. However, if we were certain about one outcome, we could get rid of any anxiety or anger. This is possible, only when we move from fear based living to love and joy based living. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The only way out is to be aware of our fears. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Then we can try taking baby steps and move up the uncertainty. When faced with any situation next time, try to change the habit of being you and try to act out of love. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} One step at a time, and try to change your habitual responses.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They can be in a parent, a teacher or in yourself. Once you are able to develop unshakable faith in the process of life, you won't bother about the outcome of most things. Instead, you will let go of your fears and learn to enjoy the process of life.

A. And see how things change for better.

B. The best way to lose your fear is to develop love and faith.

C. Only after we have the awareness can we accept our current position and uncertainty.

D. But how can we go from fear to love?

E. The main reason for this is that the future is unpredictable.

F. So it is from the fearful unknowing background that we act.

G. The amount of uncertainty we can think up about the future is unimaginable.

Evaluating Sources (来源) of health Information

    Making good choices about your own health requires reasonable evaluation. A key first step in bettering your evaluation ability is to look carefully at your sources of healthy information. Reasonable evaluation includes knowing where and how to fins relevant information, how to separate fact from opinions, how to recognize poor reasoning, and how to analyze information and the reliability of sources.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    Go to the original source. Media reports often simplify the results of medical research. Find out for yourself what a study really reported, and determine whether it was based on good science. Think about the type of study. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    Watch for misleading language. Some studies will find that a behavior "contributes to" or is "associated with" an outcome; this does not mean that a certain course must lead to a certain result.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Carefully read or listen to information in order to fully understand it.

    Use your common sense. If a report seems too good to be true, probably it is. Be especially careful of information contained in advertisements.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Evaluate "scientific" statements carefully, and be aware of quackery(江湖骗术).

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Friends and family members can be a great source of ideas and inspiration, but each of us needs to find a healthy lifestyle that works for us. Developing the ability to evaluate reasonably and independently about the health problems will serve you well throughout your life.

A. Make choice that are right for you.

B. The goal of an ad is to sell you something.

C. Be sure to work through the critical questions.

D. And examine the findings of the original research.

E. Distinguish between research reports and public health advice.

F. Be aware that information may also be incorrectly explained by an author's point of view.

G. The following suggestions can help you sort through the health information you receive from common sources.