Thomas Edison was one of the most successful inventors the world has ever seen.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Bui people found that although Edison was good at inventing new things, he was a poor fisherman. He used to spend an hour almost every day sitting at the side of a river and fish. He always fished all alone by himself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    People asked Edison, “Why are you so crazy about fishing when you are so bad at it?” His answer was, “I really never caught ant fish because I have never used any bait (诱饵).” Another question followed, “Why would you fish without bait?” Edison answered, “Because when you fish without bait, people don't disturb you and neither do the fish.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}”

    Sometimes the world's best inventor was the world's worst fisherman. In fact, because Edison was the world's worst fisherman, he could become the world's greatest inventor.

    Are you setting aside some time for yourself to think?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Here are some ideas for you:

    Slowing down and taking long showers is a good idea.

     {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Long walks are good too.

    Afternoon naps have been proved to improve creativity.

A. But he never caught any fish.

B. It provides me my best time to think.

C. So is listening to some soft classical music.

D. In all, Edison has thousands of inventions.

E. He was asked the reason behind him being a fisherman.

F. To make your brain work better, you need to take a rest.

G. Set aside 15-20 minutes per day so that you can do nothing.

    Learning English online is a good way to improve your English. But with any kind of learning you need to be prepared. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Make sure everything is ready.

    You should prepare everything before learning English online. A computer, a good Internet connection and a headset are what you will need to take classes online. A web camera is also pretty important. Make sure that your computer is turned on, that everything is ready and that you have tested the connection. Doing this before the class means that you will be ready when the lesson starts.

    Take the classes somewhere quiet.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Trying to listen and join in English classes is very difficult when there is noise around you. So find a quiet room and make sure that no one troubles you while you are taking your lesson.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    When grammar or anything else is being taught, make sure that you understand it. You won't need to practice it at this time; just make sure that everything is clear. If you don't understand what is being taught, ask your teacher to explain it again. Your teacher will be very happy to deal with whatever puzzles you.

    Practice speaking English.

    Every class is a chance to practice your English with a native and good teacher. Try to allow the conversation to flow by listening and talking in a natural way. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The teacher should note the mistakes and correct them at a later time.

    Relax.

    Come to class feeling relaxed and excited. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Come into the class excited about learning English. You will be able to get more out of the class this way.

A. Ask for help from your parents.

B. Understand what is being taught.

C. Get away from everything that may be going on in your home.

D. Language learning should be enjoyable especially in online classes.

E. You will meet many problems when you are learning English online.

F. This passage will give you advice on how to make full use of your online lessons.

G. This is your chance to speak English without worrying about too many mistakes.

Ways to Worry Less

    Do you want to worry less? Of course you do. That's like asking if I can send you free bacon. Worry is like black mold—it appears in damp conditions and spreads uncontrollably. And very often we don't realize it's there until it's killing us. We must get rid of worry before it destroys us. But how should we do it? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Do what you need to do.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You ought not to avoid tough projects or hard conversations. If you don't do what you should be doing, you will end up spending the rest of the time worrying about the must-do things. Believe it or not, the anxiety that comes from the worry is much worse than the task we're worried about.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    I think many of us act like we're puppets (木偶) in a play and we're waiting for something or someone to put us in the right place. We just react to whatever is going on. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} We need to live purposefully. Nothing can cause more worry than purposelessness.

    Make plans.

    You can't succeed without making plans. Making plans will enable you to achieve your aims more smoothly. However, your plans aren't set in stone. You can adjust your plans flexibly. Accept changes. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    There are other ways to lessen worry. As long as you are determined to take action, you will live a worry-free life.

Helpful tips for college-bound seniors

    Researching a college is one of the most time-consuming tasks that you'll encounter.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}For example, what classes and facilities the college has to offer, and what sports it offers. After narrowing your choices to a group of colleges, you'll have to start to research these in depth.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}He or she may be able to help you find things about the colleges that you could not get yourself.

    Knowing what you want to study is another key to looking for a college.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}By knowing what I want to do, I can then look at colleges that I've been thinking about applying to and narrow my choices down. If a college doesn't have the courses I need, then it's definitely out of the picture.

    Another key thing to look for is the college's testing requirements.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Some colleges also require an SAT II test in certain areas, for example English or Math. Remember to look at a college's GPA requirements, too. You may find a college where there's everything you want, but your GPA isn't high enough to be considered. In this case you may need to attend a junior college for one or two years.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}At this point you may want to have a long discussion with your parents, and find out how much they're willing and able to spend on college. If it isn't enough to cover your full tuition, then you may want to apply for financial aid or a scholarship. And your final option maybe looking for a college that doesn't cost as much.

A. All colleges require an SAT or an ACT test.

B. And lastly, but definitely not the least, is tuition.

C. Look for a college now if you plan on attending one.

D. You need to find out many basics about possible colleges.

E. If you will be a senior in the near future, this article is for you.

F. I plan to major in business management and minor in computer applications.

G. If you have a college counselor at your school, this would be a good time to ask for advice.

    You have probably heard the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Lemons are considered not tasty while lemonade is considered sweet. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    But when something bad happens, it's common for most people to complain about life, " Why me?" That's like getting a bag of lemons and thinking, "Lemons taste bad! I just want chocolate!" {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But what if you did something with them? What if you made lemonade? Isn't it possible to do something similar in a bad situation?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Let's say you're about to go to the movies, but you discover you have a flat tire(瘪了的轮胎). You consider this a terrible thing. After all, you're really looking forward to spending some time with your favorite film stars. Now you're very worried, hating the tire, the car, and your life. But what if you called AAA(美国汽车协会) to get your tire fixed or caught up on things that you' d been meaning to do? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A bad experience can be turned into something good. Almost everything can work itself out into something better. You can't change what has happened, right? So make the best of it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The easy thing to do is to be disappointed about what has happened and not consider what it could be turned into.

    Next time when some bad things happen, stop and think, "How can I turn this around? How can I make it a positive experience?"

    Words have great power. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Many of us have been offended by words and know how badly words hurt. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Trust me if you are not careful in this area, your emotions will soon be controlled by the words of the people around you.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    If someone tells you "You are a fool.", don't believe it in your mind. People who hurt you can never really harm you unless you allow yourself to be defined by these words. You are a child of God. You are very valuable in the sight of God, so never allow yourself to feel inferior just by the words of other people.

    Turn those words into positive thoughts within you.

    If there is something wrong with your actions, and others are trying to correct you, it can sometimes hurt your feelings if their words are hurtful. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Think like this in your mind, "Yes, I'm wrong, but I'll find out ways to improve. Now I have hope because I know I can change."

    Respond softly.

    If someone speaks in a hurtful way, take a deep breath first and try to speak softly and kindly in response. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. On the contrary, an angry answer is like a sword, which will bring harm instead of healing.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It's none of your business. We need not respond to every personal comment from people. It's not your problem that they keep on hurting you on purpose. So simply leave it

A. A soft answer turns away anger

B. Don't worry about what others say

C. It is wise to correct others' mistake by soft words

D. Never let negative words of others define who you are

E. In that case change those words into positive thoughts

F. If someone is purposefully hurting you for no reason, simply be silent and ignore it

G. Today I will share a few tips on how to handle the effect of negative words spoken to you