In the age of the keyboard,some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out.

    Steve Graham, a literacy professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, has been hearing about the death of handwriting for the past fifteen years. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He said, "If the results of a survey we have published this year are accurate,it is being taught by about ninety percent of teachers in grades one to three."

    Ninety percent of teachers also say their are required to teach handwriting. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Professor Graham says one study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}others teach it for sixty to seventy minutes a day.

    Many adults remember learning that way—by copying letters over and over again. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Many experts also think handwriting should not be taught by itself. Instead ,they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Teachers commonly report that about one-fourth of their students have poor handwriting.Some people might think handwriting is not important anymore because of computers and voice recognition（辨认）programs.

A.After all,that is why we write.

B.Nowadays teachers pay more and more attention to their students' writing.

C.So is it still being taught?

D.But who cares if people know how to write well?

E.But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it.

F.Today's thinking is that short periods of practice are better.

G.He says some teachers teach handwriting for ten or fifteen minutes a day.

    As a teenager, you may listen to stories often. But have you ever been a storyteller?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The following are some tips:

    Who will listen?

    Will you tell your story to children of your own age? Will they are friends or young people you haven't met before? Perhaps you will tell it to younger children. Or, well it be an audience of adults?{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Why are you telling it?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Knowing why you are telling it may be the most helpful reason for choosing a story for a particular audience. Many storytellers choose tales just to entertain(娱乐). They tell jokes or silly stories. Others want to teach something, such as how to be kinder to animals, the environment, or other people.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Some babysitters tell stories to help children feel not afraid of thunder, lightning or scary shadows in their rooms. Others want to make people think or to help people remember. Some like to tighten other audiences with ghost stories.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    How you tell your story and what story helpers you use depend on where you will be speaking. Will you be taking at an evening party, in your classroom, in a library storytelling program, at a family dinner, at a museum, at a storytelling festival, or during a religious program?

A. One storyteller likes to encourage his listeners to try new things.

B. Will it be just a few people, a small group, or a large audience?

C. Generally, a story should be interesting.

D. Where will you speak?

E. When will you speak?

F. There are many reasons for telling a story

G. And do you know how to tell a story?

    Does your mood change with the seasons?

    Some people find that when the temperature goes down, so do their spirits.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}They eat more and gain weight. They have trouble sleeping. They can't think clearly. Here are some ways you can beat the winter blues：

    Get out in the sun. Some experts say that winter blues happen because we get less sunlight in the winter than we do in other seasons. Some say that the decrease in sunlight can make us feel sad{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Get some exercise. A walk or other exercise will make chemicals called endorphins (内啡肽）flow through your body. Endorphins are natural “feel good” chemicals.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Avoid having too much sugar. If you crave sugary foods (like cookies or candy), it may be a sign that you need more protein (蛋白质), like meat, chicken, or fish.

    Avoid holiday stress. Cut back if you have too many things to do. Make sure you have some quiet time to yourself{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Get some rest. Studies show that most teens need about nine hours of sleep each night. The average teen, though, gets only about six or seven hours of sleep per night.

    Get help. Be cautious if you feel sad all the time and the feeling won't go away.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Talk to an adult who you trust or get help from a doctor.

A. Eat more healthful foods.

B. Choose different foods in season.

C. Don't be so busy that you get run-down.

D. Those people sometimes feel sad for no reason.

E. You may have a bigger problem than the winter blues.

F. Getting extra sunlight each day can help brighten your mood.

G. A regular pattern of sleep is the most important thing to maintain.

    Some students bring good luck charms（幸运符）to school on test days. They might keep a four-leaf clover in their pocket or wear a pair of lucky underwear. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  there are better ways of doing well on a test.

    When you get the test, don't forget to put your name on it. Then, take a quick look at each page. A long test may have different sections. Notice how many marks each section is worth. Like a runner, you will want to be careful about your pace. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} you will want to leave yourself enough time for the sections that are worth the most marks.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Read the instructions and questions very carefully. Make sure you understand what you are being asked to do. If you do not understand a question, ask your instructor. If you feel nervous, you may want to build your confidence by starting with the questions that arc easiest for you.

    During a reading test, it can help to do a quick pre-reading exercise you have been taught, even if it is not part of the instructions. For example, try scanning the text to figure out the topic before you rend the whole thing more carefully. Then think about what you already know about the topic. Predict the details that might be in the reading. For a writing test, pre-writing is a very important first step, Brainstorm your ideas and organize them before you start writing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

     Before you hand in your test, review your answers. Check your grammar and spelling. Make sure your instructor will be able to read your handwriting. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Follow these tips and, if your lucky underwear doesn't work, you will have a solid back-up plan in place.

A. While these things can't hurt,

B. Whenever you finish your test,

C. Be sure that you answered every question.

D. You can answer your questions one by one.

E. Now you are ready to begin answering the questions.

F. If you have a limited amount of time to complete the test,

G. These activities warm up your brain so that it will work more efficiently.

    New rules for middle school students came out in March. Middle schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The following are some of the new rules.

    Tell the truth. Have you ever cheated in an exam? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}That's not something honest students should do.

    Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate it? You should join! {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought people could live on the moon? Maybe you'll find another earth in space in the future. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Protect yourself. Has a thief ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know.

    Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your study.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But some things on the Internet aren't for children, so try to look at the good web pages.

A. Don't do it again!

B. Everyone's new ideas are important

C. Students must only work and play alone.

D. Students should not disagree with the teachers.

E. The best students won't only have high marks.

F. You can use the web pages for fun or homework.

G. In that way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them.

    Air pollution is a killer. The World Health Organization says it kills an estimated seven million people around the world each year.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} , it can make us very sick.

    However, breathing dirty air may do more than hurt your body.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} .A new study shows that air pollution can cause a “huge” reduction in our intelligence. The researchers reposed that long-time exposure to air pollution can affect a person's mental abilities in two areas: language and mathematics.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} .Between 2010 and 2014, these Chinese men, women and children were given language and math tests. Then they compared the test results with measurements of pollution in the air, namely nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, and found that breathing polluted air can reduce a person's education level by about one year.

    It has found that the effect generally is worse for those over 64 years of age, for men and for those with little or no education.

    “{#blank#}4{#/blank#} .And we find, quite interestingly, males are more affected than females. And people working outdoors are more affected than people working indoors, ”one of researchers said.

    He noted that the youngest people in the study were 10 years old, while the oldest was 90.They came from 25 of China'S 33 provinces.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    The researchers also noted that the effect of pollution on verbal ability is even more serious as people age, especially among men and the less educated.

A. Even if polluted air does not kill us

B. The elderly people are more affected

C. Therefore, some measures should be taken

D. Air pollution is one of the major problems of China

E. It can also affect your brain and your ability to think

F. The researchers studied about 25, 000 people across China

G. This range of ages and locations provided a “good representative sample”