Having a roommate can be one of the best experiences in college or, easily, one of the worst.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Follow these tips to avoid the common mistakes that turn good roommate relations bad.

Talk things out.

    Communication is key. If something happens, sit down with your roommate and have a face-to-face conversation. I've seen roommate relations fall apart because something happens and, instead of talking to each other, the two start complaining about their roommates behind their backs.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Don't expect to be best friends.

    Some roommates become the best of friends, and some don't. Don't put pressure (压力) on yourself or your roommate, especially when you first meet.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} And if your roommate doesn't end up being your best friend, don't worry.

    Ask before you take.

    This applies (适用) to food, clothes and anything else. If you want to keep a relation going, show your roommate that you have respect for what is his or hers by asking first.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Clean up.

    This should do without saying. Don't be lazy. Or, at least, don't bury your roommate in your clothes and garbage.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} But being considerate with where you put your things will help you avoid conflict.

A. This creates nothing but terrible situations and unhappiness.

B. Even if you both agree to share everything, you should still ask.

C. So you need to think twice before you help your roommates out.

D. Sometime you get stuck with someone who has tons of bad energy.

E. You don't have all the time to clean your room and keep it organized.

F. It all starts with you to have a good relation with your roommate.

G. Remember, you're trying to make a new friend, not to frighten your roommate away.

    We all have to make decisions all the time, and we have an abundance of choices, ranging from tiny issues to vital ones. Unfortunately, people often find it hard to make decisions{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you would like to improve your skill of decision making, here are four suggestions for you. Don't expect to have it all.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can't order every delicious dish on the menu. And there will be paths not taken, careers not chosen, to name a few. You can imagine some “what if' situations if you must, but do not let them take up too much space in your brain.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    It's often good to think through your decisions. But don't overdo it. Research can reach a point where returns begin to reduce, which makes it confusing more than clarifying. Many good decisions can be made based as much on intuition (直觉) as on careful assessment of endless data.

    Don't delay making decisions.

    Yes, there is a time to put off making a decision. Perhaps you need more information{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Or it's likely that you wait for a less stressful time. Just don't wait so long that the decision is made by your own indecisiveness.

    Don't be hard on yourself.

    You decide to go on a voyage. You choose an expensive liner. Everything should work out just right. Only you didn't expect a bug that ran around on the ship, making you and your family sick for five days{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But please remember it is unavoidable sometimes.

A. Don't spend too much time thinking.

B. It is an important source of information.

C. Don't count on emotion to make decisions.

D. Maybe you wish to consult with your advisor.

E. You may regret making such a stupid decision.

F. That means the skill of good decision-making counts a lot.

G. Decisions force us to close the door on other possibilities.

    Life is filled with regrets. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}When we look back, we always wish that we had made better choices. Then what can we do to avoid future regrets？

    Make better plans.

    If you start to do something, you need to make a plan before doing it. The earlier, the better. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}You'll also know what you should do and what you shouldn't do.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    You can go around more often. More outdoor activities can keep you relaxed and active. You also need to be kind. "Thank you" can bring a smile to someone's face. Learn to say "sorry" and don't be angry with others.

    Find the right friend.

    A friend may make your life and can break your life as well. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Good friends will always better your ideas.

    Never fear failure.

    Everybody fails. Even the greatest person failed. We should not fear failure, because failure is not the end of the road. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Life is good. We don't have to live in our past, but we do hope that we can plan better, live better and work better when we have the chance to do so.

A. Live a more active life.

B. Almost all of us have no difficulty telling our regrets.

C. We should take failure as a chance and improve ourselves.

D. We had many dreams when we were young children.

E. So you have to think twice when you choose a friend.

F. Build up your confidence.

G. You will know what comes first and what comes last.

Five steps to make a difference to the oceans

    The oceans are being seriously polluted now. Plastics are harming the marine (海产的) life. Carbon pollution is warming the oceans and increasing their acidity(酸度). Waters are being overfished. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some steps we can take to help make a difference.

    ⒈Bring our own bags. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try carrying a reusable bag at all times, including while traveling, and bringing our own things to work to avoid relying on plastic items.

    ⒉Talk about it now. We should carry that conversation into public places. Talk to our friends and family about why the ocean is important and why we take steps to help it, and challenge them to do the same.

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#} A good way to make a difference is to organize a garbage cleanup now. Whether it's an inland cleanup or one near the coast, plan one in our community.

    ⒋Throw away our cars. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When we hang out, we should reduce our carbon footprint, which may help slow global warming and ocean acidification as well as conserve energy

    ⒌Recycle, obviously. Experts say recycling is an obvious action to take. Check on what can be recycled in our community, and make sure you're separating out your plastic.

    In summary, think about it more and act on it more. The more someone thinks about plastics and plastics pollution, the environment and the consequences of our actions, the more likely they are to act on it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Plan a cleanup.

B. Choose public transportation over driving our cars.

C. Driving cars is not a good way to protect the oceans.

D. However, experts say there's still hope to make a difference.

E. However, marine life plays a very important role in the oceans.

F. If everyone can contribute to the oceans, the oceans will be well preserved.

G. Whenever we put something, we should bring our own bag, but not a plastic one.

How to Build a Better Breakfast

    We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that may actually be true. A study found that breakfast eaters were more likely to lose weight than those who didn't eat a morning meal. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But it's not just when you eat; it's what you eat. These tips will help you really rise and shine:

    ⒈Eat even if you're not hungry.

    Although you might not feel like eating first thing in the morning, it's a good idea to get something into your system. Eating within 90 minutes of waking up will jump­start your metabolism（新陈代谢）and keep you from getting hungry later. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ⒉Be boring.

    Changing what you eat is a good idea in theory, but if you are watching your weight, you might want to stick with the same old menu. People who allowed their breakfast calories to change have larger waists（腰围）and a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome（代谢综合征）than folks who keep their morning calorie intake constant, no matter how much they eat the rest of the day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⒊Add peanuts or peanut butter.

    By eating peanuts or peanut butter, the carbohydrates(碳水化合物）are taken in more slowly and blood sugar does not rise as high. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So they are less likely to snack later.

    ⒋{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    There's an old saying that advises "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper." It's worth following. Those who eat a balanced 700­calorie breakfast over a 12­week period lower their blood sugar and blood pressure twice more than people who eat a 200­calorie meal. They also lose an average of 19.2 pounds and have lower levels of ghrelin, the "hunger hormone（激素）.

A. Go big.

B. Pile on the produce.

C. Other studies link skipping breakfast with a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes（糖尿病）.

D. So it's worth making the effort to hold it steady.

E. It could set you up for overeating throughout the day.

F. Just a banana will do the trick.

G. Plus women feel fuller for up to 12 hours after eating the peanut butter or peanuts.

    Whether they're for a teenager or not, all great stories have certain elements: they have interesting characters we enjoy reading about; they show these characters in a world we can recognize and understand.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The main character faces a problem, usually quite a serious one. The thing that most draws us to reading the story is the way the character deals with the problem—whether the character gets the better of it, or it gets the better of the character.

    Characters in a book for young adults are generally young adults themselves. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} On the one hand, they're not children anymore. They're growing up and want to stretch their wings. On the other hand, they're not yet adults. They can't do certain things, as they're not yet able to do them or because the world tells them that they can't.

    To make things even more complicated, almost all young adults feel at some point that the whole growing－up process is happening too quickly. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    This year, TEENS has selected seven of the ten books, nominated (提名) for the US 2017 National Book Awards in the categories of Young People's Literature.

    Some stories are specifically written for teenagers or young adults, meaning that their authors are very sensitive to the "in－between" nature of teenage life. They're about problems that appear for young people because of tensions between them and their parents and teachers, their siblings (兄弟姐妹)，or wider society. Often, these problems are presented very seriously by writers. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    At the same time, fiction isn't supposed to be just about the challenges people face in life, but also about how people overcome those problems. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They discover something about themselves that they never knew before, and which enables them to succeed. And the solution that they find opens the future up to them, setting them on the path to adulthood.

A. They want to hold back a little and remain a child a little longer.

B. But that's what young adults want in fiction; to be taken seriously.

C. When closing a good book, we feel we've learned something about ourselves.

D. These are stories that someone of any age could pick up and enjoy.

E. And they are in a challenging period of life.

F. But most importantly, great stories have a central drama.

G. To some degree, challenges bring out the best in characters.