How to Enjoy Life As a Teen

    The "best years of your life"? Maybe not, but you can learn to make the most of your high school days.

    Learn to appreciate small things. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on, family that loves you, having a decent education or simply being born in this world, value it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Be happy, and life will reward you. Remember that these are the last few years you will be able to enjoy yourself without having to worry about the responsibility of an adult, but make sure you prepare yourself for when you do become one. When you actually become an adult, you'll learn to love that responsibility and you probably never want to go back.

    Choose your friends wisely. Unlike what many articles state, you don't have to be popular and have a gazillion friends to be happy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try to have friends that like you who you are, not just because you are wearing a certain brand of shoes or something like that. These are people who shop at the same store as you; not someone who will sympathize with you when your dog dies.

    Keep your grades up. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This also sets you up to get into a college you want to go to, which in turn prepares you for a career you will enjoy, improving your quality of life in the future. You'll get cheap car insurance as well if you have at least a B or A average.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Participating in clubs, activities, and sports increases your chances of meeting new friends. While you only need 4 or 5 close friends, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to meet new people. Participating gives you something to do instead of sitting bored at home and wallowing in self-pity.

    Work at a job you can enjoy. Working is a great way co gain experience and to meet other people. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This will look great on your resume. If you can't find work, especially in this hard economic time, volunteer or make your own job.

A. Be sociable.

B. Remember the point of life is for you to enjoy it.

C. Find a hobby that is meaningful or practical.

D. In fact, many of the "friends" you have when you are popular are not true friends.

E. When you do get out of college, interviewing companies will look at your previous work experience.

F. Even though you want to enjoy your teen life as best as possible, don't idle away your time in school.

G. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off in the form of A's and B's (but mainly A's).

Common public speaking problems

    The use of “I feel”, “I think” and “maybe”

    In the question-and-answer session of the speaking competition, many contestants began their answers with uncertain expressions like “I feel”, “I guess”, “I hear”, “maybe” and “perhaps”. These words show that the person is only speaking from his or her point of view{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Work on keeping your answers brief and to the point{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead of the empty-sounding “I guess”, using facts, together with a clear conclusion based on those facts, is far more likely to be popular with an audience.

Using only one speaking style

    “Don't stick to the same tone{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, when they spoke about their dreams some sounded romatic. Others used humor. Very few used several different styles together. Try mixing more than one style, rather than just sticking with the same one.

    Irresponsible answers

    Public speaking is different from personal conversations. You're responsible for your words{#blank#}4{#/blank#}So you should think twice before you talk. Don't belike the student who, when asked about his opinion on book piracy（盗版）, started by saying he supported it.

    Talking around the topic rather than directly answering it

    You should focus on one point and give a clear solution. The key is to work out what question is being asked. Is it asking you to discuss a certain topic or to present your own point of view?

    Use one or two arguments together and give a strong conclusion{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It can be boring. Try to mix it up.

B. Also work on delivering them with calmness and confidence.

C. Even though you want to answer quickly, you don't want to sound foolish.

D. This lacks the support of facts and seems not to be reliable for the judges and audience.

E. Remember that judges are not judging you on whether they agree, but on your ability to say what you think clearly.

F. Confidence is extremely important in public speaking as it lets a speaker sound more convincing.

G. Deliberate gestures and affected（做作的）expressions of feelings are improper in a successful speech.

How to improve your sleep cycle

    Try to sleep at the same time every day

    Your body's internal clock will become accustomed to going to sleep and waking up at the same lime every day. Going to sleep at 10 pm and waking up at 6 am is a good method of getting enough sleep. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Get the right mattress（床垫）

    Having the right bed and mattress is very important for getting a good sleep. Having an uncomfortable place to sleep at will cause you to wake up during the night. This will have a negative effect on your sleep cycle. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} These beds can be customized for what you need.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    In the modem age, it is too easy to get distracted by technology. Many people have television. In their bedrooms and use their smart phones when they should be sleeping. If someone previously has difficulty in getting to sleep. It is likely that he will give up and watch a show instead. He tells himself that it will help him to get to sleep. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Exercise regularly

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The afternoon or the evening is a pretty popular time for people to work out. It can sometimes be difficult if you have a full-time job, but things can usually be rearranged a bit.

    Once there was a very poor villager. He found it difficult even to support his family. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He walked about in the streets, but he did not get a job. One day, he met a rich businessman, who gave him the job of cleaning the office. The villager began his work and he even started reading and writing in his spare time.

    One day, the businessman saw that the villager was writing something. He said, "You can also read and write! Your handwriting is very good." {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The villager began to do this job as best as he could.

    Later, the businessman learnt that the villager was good at accounting（记账）, and he made him his shop accountant（会计）. The other accountants were very jealous （嫉妒）of the villager's abilities. They told the businessman that the villager had a small room where he hid the money stolen from him. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    One day, they had their chance. They saw the villager going into 'that' room. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When they came back and opened the door, there was nothing in that room except an ordinary box.

    The villager was ordered to open the box with his own hands. And there was only a pair of dirty shoes and some old clothes.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} At the same time, he was so angry with the jealous accountants that he fired them at once. The villager was made the only accountant for his office.

A. He came to a big city hoping to find a job.

B. They closed the door behind him and ran to the businessman.

C. So the businessman decided to give the villager a good lesson.

D. Seeing this, the businessman was moved by what he had seen.

E. So the villager was given the work of writing business letters for him.

F. The villager wished that some kind people might give him a good job.

G. But the businessman refused to believe them unless he had seen it with his own eyes.

    Even accomplished public speakers worry about whether or not their presentation is effective. Fortunately, improving your effectiveness as a public speaker is very simple! Here are some ways.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. This includes the expected size of the audience, as well as their age and educational background. It's also important to know their level of knowledge about the topic you're presenting. Finally, consider how the audience view you and what they will likely expect to gain from your presentation.

    Determine the appropriate tone(语调) for your speech. You can think about the tone of your speech as the feeling of the speech. It will be determined by the audience, place, topic and purpose of your speech. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}， as you'll want to use a tone that's natural for you.

    Conduct research if necessary. If you're already an expert on your topic, then you may be able to write your speech from memory or from your own notes. However, it's important to do research if there are any gaps(空白) in your knowledge. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Also, audience members may appreciate statistics and facts that support your points.

    Outline your speech if desired. Many people find that outlining helps them organize their thoughts and create a good speech. First, write your purpose at the top of the page. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Finally, write the conclusion that you want the audience to draw.

    Add anecdotes or jokes. Although the audience want to hear your speech, people lose attention quickly. Stories, particularly personal ones, and jokes help hold their attention and make your speech more enjoyable. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Just be sure not to say anything inappropriate.

A. Know your audience

B. Make friends with your audience

C. Otherwise, there might be some weaknesses

D. You'll also want to consider your character

E. Then, write out your main supporting points

F. Additionally, they help people be related to you

G. The audience may notice those gaps and ask questions

    Every animal sleeps, but the reason for this has remained foggy. When lab rats are not allowed to sleep, they die within a month. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One idea is that sleep helps us strengthen new memories. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}We know that, while awake, fresh memories are recorded by reinforcing (加强) connections between brain cells, but the memory processes that take place while we sleep have been unclear.

    Support is growing for a theory that sleep evolved（进化） so that connections between neurons (神经元) in the brain can be weakened overnight, making room for fresh memories to form the next day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Now we have the most direct evidence yet that he is right. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The synapses （神经突触）in the mice taken at the end of a period of sleep were 18 percent smaller than those taken before sleep, showing that the connections between neurons weaken while sleeping .

If Tononi's theory is right, it would explain why, when we miss a night's sleep, we find it harder the next day to concentrate and learn new information--our brains may have smaller room for new experiences.

    Their research also suggests how we may build lasting memories over time even though the synapses become thinner. The team discovered that some synapses seem to be protected and stayed the same size. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} “You keep what matters,”Tononi says.

A. We should also try to sleep well the night before.

B. It's as if the brain is preserving(保存) its most important memories.

C. Similarly, when people go for a few days without sleeping, they get sick.

D. The processes take place to stop our brains becoming loaded(装载) with memories.

E. That's why students do better in tests if they get a chance to sleep after learning.

F. “Sleep is the price we pay for learning,” says Giulio Tononi, who developed the idea.

G. Tononi's team measured the size of these connections, or synapses, in the brains of 12 mice.