In classes, your teachers will talk about topic that you are studying. The information they provide will be important for you to know when you take tests. So you must be able to take good written notes from what your teachers say.

Here are the three stages(阶段) of taking notes and what you should do during each stage.

1. Before Class Review your notes you have taken before you come to class. This will be good for remembering what was covered. Get you ready to understand new information your teacher will provide.

2. During Class Keep your attention on what your teacher is saying and „the signal words that tell you what your teacher is going to say and it is important to write in your notes. Examples of signal words are „The most important point…and „Remember that… Be sure to include in your notes information that your teacher repeats or writes on the blackboard. Write quickly so that you can include all the important information in your notes. Do this by writing abbreviations(缩写） such as med for medicine, using symbols such as % for percent, and writing short sentences.

3. After Class Rewrite your notes to make them more complete and accurate (准确的) by changing abbreviations into whole words, symbols into words, and shortened sentences into longer sentences. Use them to answer your questions. If necessary, ask your teacher for help.

A

    Last Wednesday, when school children were travelling home by bus from Yucai Middle School,a car hit their bus.Luckily,no one was hurt.

    The accident happened because the driver of a red car,Mr.Zhang,68,became ill and fell down on the steering(方向盘)while driving.His car then hit a white car.And the white car hit the school bus. Luckily, nobody was driving fast. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The driver of the bus, Mr. Li, stopped the bus at once. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And then he got out to see if he could help anyone.

    Mr. Wang, the driver of the white car, was not hurt and was trying to push his car to the side of the road.No cars could pass because of the accident. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Mr. Li tried to help Mr.Zhang. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So Mr. Li called an ambulance(救护车). {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It was difficult for the ambulance to reach there. With the help of the police, the traffic could move again. Soon the ambulance(救护车) took Mr. Zhang to the hospital .

    When you are learning a language, listening, speaking and writing are important, but reading can also be very helpful. When you read, you can not only learn some new words, but also learn how to use them. When you read a passage, it gives you a good example for writing.

    Here are some good reading tips.

    Firstly, try to read at the right level (水平). Read something that you can understand. If it is too hard for you, it is not interesting.

    Secondly, try to understand the new words. If there are four or five new words on a page, don't use a dictionary. Instead, try to guess their meanings as you read. Mark (作标记) them with a pencil. Then look them up in a dictionary when you finish reading, and write them in your own vocabulary book. Try to remember them.

    Thirdly, try to read for a short time once a day. Fifteen minutes or half an hour every day is better than two hours every Sunday. For example, you can read before you go to bed, or after you get up or at lunchtime.

    Lastly, read something that interests you. Choose a newspaper, a book or a magazine about a subject that you like. It will be easy enough for you to understand. There is something interesting in it.