Is it difficult for you to remember things? I`d like to tell you some ways to improve your memory, so you shouldn't feel upset.

  My first advice is that if you want to remember something well, you have to review it regularly(有规律地). You might review the material two days after you learn it, then a week later, then two weeks later, and then a month later. After a month you will find that you can easily remember the material.

My second advice is to use a colored pen to highlight （标注）the important parts on your book. This will help you in two days. First, it will help you pay attention to the most important parts when you learn the language. It is always easier to remember only the key points. Second, this will make reviewing easier. When you open your book, the colored parts will show you the most important things quickly. In this way, you don't have to review all the material again.

  Another piece of advice is to use the proper time well. First, review all the information in your mind right before you go to sleep. Your brain is working while you are sleeping. If you think about the information before you go to sleep, you might be able to remember it better. Another good time for memorizing information is in the morning because you have just rested and your brain is fresh and clear. So you might also try to review the important information in the morning.

 Robert was a clever boy and got on well with his classmates. After he left the middle school, one of his legs was hurt in a traffic accident. He had to go back to his village and help his father to manage the farm. He read a lot of books on farming and did well in it. He got much money and bought a few farms.

 Ten years later, he became the richest farmer in his village. One day, Robert met several friends in London. He asked them to visit his farm. They saw a beautiful house with a big garden when his friends got there. They found he had a lot of sheep, pigs and cows. It was so large that they couldn't see the other end.

  "It'll take you two days to reach the other end of my farm by car!" Robert said happily.

   "Are you kidding? I think something is wrong with your car!" One of the guests said with a smile.

 Fill in the blanks according to the passage .Only one word for each blank.

 Robert was a clever and friendly boy. After he finished middle school, he hurt one of his legs in a traffic accident. He had to {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  to his village and helped his father on the farm. He was {#blank#}2{#/blank#}    at farming. He made a lot of money and bought some farms. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}    ten years, he was very rich. One day, he invited some friends to visit his farm. The farm was  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}   large to see the other end. Robert said, "You'll   {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  two days reaching the other end by car." His friend laughed at him.

Stories and Art of Chinese Fans

    You may think you cannot live through summer without air conditioners. But in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only ones to help people keep cool.

    Chinese people started to use hand fans over 2,000 years ago. The fans came in different shapes, such as round and square. They were also made from a11 kinds of materials. Palm leaf fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather fans(羽毛扇) showed the owner's high status. Sandalwood(檀香)fans could send out a sweet smell.

    Later, hand fans became far more than just something that could cool you down. They developed into art works, in which tuanshan (round fans)and zheshan(folded fans)were the most common.

    In the shape of a full moon, tuanshan was usually made of silk. They had beautiful birds and flowers on them. Women especially those in the imperial palace(皇宫),liked to use them. Meanwhile, men, especially the literati(文人), used zheshan. The literati liked them because zheshan were usually made of paper and they could paint and write poems on them. It was a way for them to show off their ability in literature, painting and handwriting. Almost anything can be painted on zheshan.

    Today, Chinese people still use these fans, only not many people write or paint on them any more. Next time when you are waving a fan, you may think of the stories behind it.