For those of us who are studying at school, the time of exams is very stressful (紧张的) and difficult. Some people find exam times so bad that they become ill, because they are afraid of failing; they are afraid of letting their parents and family down. If exams are really making you ill or worried, don't hide your feelings. Talk to someone about it. Maybe you can speak to a friend, or someone in your family, or teachers at your place of study. If one person doesn't help you, ask someone else.

      How to get through exams? Here is some advice:

      Ask a teacher or tutor about how to review your lessons, and exam skills—how to work when you are in an exam. Take short rests during your time of work. If your mind is tired, it will not remember well. Plan your work: study at times when you know you will work at your best. Get enough sleep, and eat healthy food. You need exercise to work well. Walk, run, play sports — whatever you enjoy. Stop thinking about the future and failing.

If you feel ill, talk to someone about your worries. But don't be too relaxed! Some stress over exams makes you work hard for them.

If it upsets(使某人不安) you to talk to your friends about an exam when it is finished, don't do it! In fact, don't even think about the exam you have finished. What is done is done. You cannot change what you have written!

      To this advice, we could add: If you are studying in the evening, don't go straight to bed. Your mind will still be “going round and round”—thinking too much. Do something else, maybe walk or get exercise. Choose something that will relax you, and make you think of other things.

    Rose was born on February 29th, 2004. By 2010, her parents had 6 birthday parties for her. But most(大多数) of them were on February 28th. One day, she knew that only February 29th was her real (真实的) birthday. It comes every four years, so she didn;t want to have birthday parties on February 28th any more. After that, she had only one party. That was in the year 2012. On that day her grandparents, all her uncles, aunts and cousins came to her home to celebrate her birthday. She got so many presents. She thinks it's much more interesting to have a birthday party every four years.

    John: I'm 15 years old and I love football. I also like reading, especially(尤其是) stories about people from other countries. I don't enjoy singing or playing computers. I think that rock music is terrible.

    Ann: Hi, I'm Ann. I'm 16 and I like dancing and computers. I also like rock music. I hate hiking and I'm not interested in classical music. I don't enjoy reading too much.

    Steve: I'm 14 years old and I love skiing. Other favorite hobbies are reading and singing. I don't like hiking. I think that rock music is too noisy and I think that football is boring.

    Peter: I'm from Australia. I'm 15 and I am fond of singing. I sing a lot, and when I'm not singing, I listen to rock music or use my computer. I don't like football and I think that classical music is terrible. I hate dancing!

    Sarah：My name is Sarah and I'm 14 years old. My interests are reading novels, playing football and singing songs. I think that rock music is terrible, and I don't like dancing. I don't enjoy computers, either.

    Joe：Hi, I'm Joe. I really like computers. I surf the Internet all the time and I like playing computer games. I don't enjoy football and I hate hiking. Rock music is OK, and so is skiing.

    People in different countries speak different languages. But is there a lanuage that can be understood by everyone in the world ? Emojis might be the first truly universal (通用的) language.

    Emojis are a kind of special language. Pictures are used to put meaning across, A group called the Unicode Consortium is in charge of choosing official (官方的) emojis. It has added new emojis every year since 2014. These new emojis do not come out of nowhere. They come from what people think about, like and care about.

    Emojis can be used to represent (代表) different groups of people. In 2015, emoji faces with different skin tones (肤色) were added. In 2016, different jobs were added, such as doctor, police officer and painter along with female versions of these jobs, This year, emojis of disabled people were added, including emojis of blind people and people in wheel chairs.

    But there is also more to emojis. They can also refer to pop culture and new cultural trends. New emojis in 2019 have included several animals, such as sloths (树懒) and flamingos (火烈鸟). These animals are not very common, but are known to many people. For example, sloths have become popular thanks to the 2016 film Zootopia (《疯狂动物城》). Many fashion designers have included flamingos in their designs in recent years. This animal makes people feel like they're on a tropical (热带) vacation.

    It seems that emojis are a mirror of the world we live in. It will be interesting to see how they change and grow in the years to come.

    Everyone wants to become perfect. Unluckily, being perfect may not happen. Here's some useful advice about how to refuse perfection.

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    Compared(比较) with others, you may feel that you are not perfect. The solution? End your comparison.

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    When perfection is your goal, mistakes mean failure. Your fear of criticism(批评) may keep you from taking risks or trying new things. Nobody is perfect. Take it easy. You needn't take others' words seriously.

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    Part of beating perfection is accepting that mistakes are part of human beings. If you don't give up, you will be successful one day. You shouldn't prevent you from asking for help.

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    Find a trusted friend, family member or teacher who is not a perfectionist- someone who can take criticism and has learned from his or her mistakes. Share your goals and achievements with him or her, no matter how small they are.

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    Cut out the words like never, always and should from your self-talk. Carry a notebook and take notes whenever you want to say these words. Realizing this means you're well on your way to changing them. The more confidence(自信) you develop, the less you'll feel the need to be perfect. And when you give up perfection, happiness can begin right now.

   Eileen Collins is the first woman ever chosen to be a spaceship pilot. She is also the first woman to be a leader in a spaceship. Today she has flown for more than 5,000 hours in more than 30 kinds of airplanes.

   Talking about high school, she said, "I began reading all kinds of books about famous women pilots. These women went and flew into dangerous places. Their stories encouraged me." In 1977 Eileen got a pilot's license (证件) and the following year she finished her university. She went into space in 1999 at the age of 43. She took the hopes with her and dreams of a nation of young people on the earth.

   Eileen is not only an astronaut, but also a wife and the mother of a young daughter. She has short curly hair and friendly brown eyes. She met her husband, Pat, while they were together in the air force (空军).

   When she was named as the First Woman Spaceship Commander (指挥官) in 1998, Eileen smiled and said, "When I was a child, I dreamed about space. It was only a dream that I would be one of the astronauts some day. I hope all children will be encouraged to reach for their dreams, when they see I go into space. I believe dreams do come true!"