I didn't just read a book in print, on an e-reader or even on a mobile phone. Instead, I read a book on dozens of devices. I was not trying to set a Guinness World Record. I wanted to answer a question I often hear: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}? So I set out to try them all, reading a chapter on each: the Amazon Kindle, the first and second generation Apple iPads and mobile phones. To be fair, I also read a chapter in that old-fashioned; form—a print book.

    The book I chose was The Alienist. For the first chapter, I turned to an Amazon Kindle. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. The kinder is light. Its six-inch screen is the perfect size for reading, and reading on its black-and-white-E-Ink display doesn't harm your eyes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, and on average you charge the device only once a month. My only complaint with the Kindle design was the placement of the keyboard at the bottom of the device.

    Despite the small screen on a mobile phone, I found reading on one to be simple and satisfactory. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, but all of the phones on which I read chapters felt somewhat similar.

    If I had wanted to, I could have bought my book through dozens of e-book apps in the Apple App Store. Most are free and offer access to thousands of free e-books or paid versions. Both iPads 1&2 offer an immersive(身临其境的)reading experience. I found myself jumping back and forth between my book and the web, looking up old facts and pictures of New York City. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    For the last chapters of the book, I read the print one, which is still my favourite choice.

    Since we are comparing devices. So I guess I need to choose one. In the end it might come down to Kindle. But if money is tight, go for print. My used print book cost only $4 from Amazon.

A. Battery life is outstanding

B. Which e-reader is the best for reading books

C. Shopping on Amazon for the Kindle is simple

D. Should students make use of the devices to read

E. No wonder a lot of readers also speak highly of it

F. Reading on the Amazon Kindle is a joy in many aspects

G. The brightness and size of the mobile phone's screen did vary

    Most people have practiced some form of hobby at a point in their lives, whether it is some form of sports, playing a musical instrument, creating art, cooking or something else. There are many different reasons and skills for taking up a hobby.

    Realize you have more time than you think.

    This is probably the one thing that keeps most people back from practicing a hobby. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But we waste so much time on social media, television commercials and worrying about life which we could have used to practice a hobby. Schedule some time for a hobby into your day. Plan ahead and just do it.

    Involve other people.

    Why? Well, have you ever noticed that you stick to something longer when you feel that you cannot let another person down? So, get someone to jog with you, or make music with you, or share recipes with you. Plus, you will inspire them to keep on practicing their hobby.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Put your money where your mouth is.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So give out a bit of your budget lo your hobby of choice so that you cannot blame a lack of “materials” for not doing anything.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    For me, this has been the most important step in going out and doing a hobby. If you jog, decide which races you want to do this year. If you practice music, organize a concert.

    Find the pleasure in what you do.

    As with most things, starting of getting something ready to start can be difficult. But don't give up.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It is a total win-win.

B. Work towards something.

C. Think of a hobby that might interest you.

D. Others' help will definitely do you good.

E. You think that you don't have enough time to even start.

F. The fact is that people spend money where their heart is.

G. Once you have started you'll find the beauty and relaxation in it.

    Find a quiet location. Keep a routine. Focus on one subject at a time. It all seems like sound advice for students who need to hit the books, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} . Here's a list of tips from Carey, a scientist, for getting the most out of your study time.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Doing practice quizzes can help you retrieve（检索）information on test day. “Tests have a very bad reputation as a measurement tool,” Carey says. But psychologists have found self-tests slow down the forgetting of material you've studied. “If you study something once, and then you test yourself on it,” Carey says, “you do better than if you study it twice over.”

    Move around

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} . “If you move around and study the same material in several places,” he says, “you may be forming multiple associations for the same material. So it's better anchored in your brain, and you can pull it out easier.”

    Mix it up

    Think about a football who does strength training, speed training and drills. Carey says alternating between different facets facts of a subject in a single sitting can “leave a deeper impression on the brain”. For example, when studying French, do some verbs, some speaking and some reading. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} .

    Space it out

    Information learned in a hurry is lost just as fast. So if you really want to learn, space out shorter, hour-long study sessions. “There's no doubt that you can cram for（突击备考）an exam.” Carey says, “{#blank#}5{#/blank#} . And once it's gone, “it's gone. You're not getting it back.”

A. Test yourself

B. Study it and practice more

C. and it turns out that some of them are in great help

D. but recent studies indicate the conventional wisdom is wrong

E. The problem is that it's so easy to forget what you just crammed

F. Changing up where you study can help you keep more information

G. Spending your time in deep concentration on just verbs isn't effective

How to persuade people

    Convincing people that your way is the best way is often very difficult —especially when you're not quite sure why they're saying no. The trick is to get them wondering why they're saying no.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Understand how timing is everything. Knowing how to persuade people isn't just in words and body language — it's also in knowing the right time to talk to them.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, you will most likely achieve faster, better results.

    Get to know them. A large part of whether or not persuasion is effective is based on the general relationship between you and your client/son/friend/employee. If you don't know the person well, it's vital to start building this relationship immediately — find common ground as soon as possible. Humans, in general, are more fond of people that are similar to them.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. People are more persuaded by a fast, confident talker than accuracy. The faster you talk, the less time your listener has to process what you've said and question it. You may create the feeling that you truly grasp the subject by running through the facts at warp speed, confident of them all.

    Create urgency. In order to get people to act in the moment, you have to be able to create a sense of urgency.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, it's unlikely they'll change their minds in the future. You must persuade people in the present; it's all that matters.

A. Talk fast

B. Communicate with others

C. If someone is aware of this

D. And with the right tricks, you can do it

E. So find parallels and make them known

F. If they're not motivated enough to want whatever you have right now

G. If you approach people when they are more relaxed and open to discussion

    Florence Nightingale was named after her birthplace, Florence, Italy. When she was almost a year old, she returned with her family to England.

    Florence often helped her mother deliver(运送) food to the poor and sick.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Her family was shocked because nursing was not a respected profession.

    But Florence was determined. She studied books on medicine. Later, she visited hospitals in France, Germany and Ireland and learned everything she could.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

In 1854, Britain was at war with Russia. Florence went to the British hospital in Scutari (now Üsküdar in Istanbul) and she was shocked. The hospital left men lying on the floor, and rats were running everywhere.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Many soldiers died before receiving help.

    The doctors wouldn't listen to Florence because they didn't like the idea of women in army hospitals—until one day 500 unexpected casualties(伤亡者) arrived. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Florence made changes, making sure the men were washed and their injuries were cared for. Every night she would check the patients with her lamp.

    When she returned home after the war, a fund had been set up in her honor. Many of the soldiers she had nursed had made contributions(捐款).Now she could set up the Nightingale Training School in London.

    After years of hard work, Florence Nightingale saw cleaner and more cheerful hospitals.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} All of this was because of the "lady with the lamp".

A.Nursing became an honored profession.

B.There was no running water and no heat.

C.She knew she had much to learn about nursing.

D.Florence saw the soldiers' health had improved.

E.As she grew older, she decided to become a nurse.

F.They soon realized that Florence knew what she was doing.

G.Upon returning home, she was an expert on hospital management.

A Few Universal Truths to Transform Your Life

    Life is growth. If you are not reaching the kind of success, the following Universal Truths are just the ones that help to change your life for the better, regardless of where you are, where you've been, or what challenges you are facing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The best way to achieve your desires is to set a goal. Sometimes we find ourselves "spinning our wheel", struggling through a day-to-day routine that isn't getting us anywhere because we don't know where we want to go. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whatever the case is, figuring out what your goals are and whether your current actions are helping to achieve them is important.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Setting goals is important but isn't enough to drive you to the finishing line; it's important, too, to be able to imagine yourself as the achiever of your goals. How will you feel? Why is it worthwhile to follow these goals and not some other ones? If goals are the final result of a journey, your vision(愿景) is the fuel to get you there.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Whether you regard yourself as a towering tree or a blade of grass, or whether you think you are a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature that has its own reason of existence. If you truly admire yourself, you'll be courageous.

    There is no better time to begin than now. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But the truth is that your time is now. No matter what dream or desire you have, you are likely not to have more time in your life to make it happen.

A. Having a vision is undoubtedly necessary.

B. Self-appreciation gets you to be positive to move you towards success.

C. Try to understand and let it be the guide to your life as follows.

D. Be sure that you are more powerful than you know.

E. Read and allow them to change your life in beautiful ways.

F. Sometimes we simply do what is expected of us without considering what we want to achieve.

G. You can make a bunch of excuses that you'll start when more experienced or richer.