Right now you are reading English. That means that you are using your brain in a very active way. Reading is a very active process. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} When you read a text, you have to do some or all of these:

    Imagine a scene in your head

    Understand clearly what the writer is trying to say

    Agree or disagree with the writer

    There are also many advantages associated with reading, including:

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    You will usually meet with new words when you read. If there are too many new words for you, then the level is too high and you should read something simpler. But if there are, say, a maximum of five new words per page, you will learn this vocabulary easily. You may not even need to use a pocket dictionary because you can guess the meaning from the rest of the text. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    A model for writing

    When you read, it gives you a good example for writing. Texts that you read show you structures and expressions that you can use when you write.

    Seeing “correctly structured” English

    When people write, they usually use “correct” English with a proper grammatical structure. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So, by reading you see and learn grammatical English naturally.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    You can read as fast or as slowly as you like. You can read ten pages in 30 minutes, or take one hour to explore just one page. It doesn't matter. The choice is yours. You can not easily do this when speaking or listening. This is one of the big advantages of reading because different people work at different speeds.

A. Working at your own speed

B. Learning vocabulary in context (语境)

C. This is not always true when people speak

D. Focusing on exactly what you want to learn

E. you should write down unknown vocabulary in whole sentences

F. Not only do you learn new words, but you see them being used naturally

G. It is true that the writer does a lot of work, but the reader also has to work hard

    “Helicopter parenting” describes a style of raising children where parents are overprotective and do too much. It describes parents who watch over their kids at home and on the playground like a helicopter. Today, modern technology allows these helicopter parents to watch over from even far away.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Julie Lythcott wrote a book titled Break Free of the Over Parenting Trap and Prepare Your Kids for Success. In her book, she gives readers a closer look at this parenting style.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Julie Lythcott says she experienced the effects of helicopter parenting firsthand when she worked as dean of first year college students.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} But many were unable to take care of themselves. They were turning to parents constantly for guidance, for problem solving, to have them make the choice about something.

So as a parent, what can you do if you want to break the over-parenting “helicopter” cycle?{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Stop saying “we” when you mean your son or your daughter. All too often a parent would say “we are on the travel soccer team.” Well, no, your son is or your daughter is.

    Stop arguing with all of the adults in our kids' lives. You need to teach your kids to stand for themselves.

    Stop doing your kids' homework.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Teach them to cross the street, make a meal, and remember to put their own items in their backpacks, which becomes a briefcase one day. When kids have all the skills to take care of themselves, they will be prepared for adulthood.

A. The following are some ways to stop over-protecting your children.

B. She also explains why parents should stop it.

C. Your kids have to do the things they can all by himself.

D. They can give their children directions at any moment from anywhere.

E. Build your kids' skills.

F. The freshmen were very smart and did well in their paper work.

G. Your kid is eager for more freedom, but should you give it to him?

    Music education is the learning of all aspects of music as a separate field altogether. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The main components of music education is everything from the history of music, musicians who have reached a respectable level, basic notes of music, different types of music, and many other things about music.

    Music education is very important in schools. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} As the child starts learning music from an early age, he would turn out to be a skilled musician. And then he can use his talent for many purposes, such as being a music teacher and teaching other students, or using his musical talent to earn his living.

    According to a survey conducted by elementary schools and high schools, students who were taught music and had a good interest in it academically performed far better than those who were not into music learning. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} While learning music, students learned to count, to multiply and to divide. At the same time, science helped them discover what sounded good together and what didn't. It is also a proven fact that students who have the knowledge of and interest in music tend to plan and organize actions efficiently in their personal lives. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They do not get aggressive very soon. Furthermore, children learning music are found to be fun-loving and are great at communicating with others.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} A majority of students are satisfied and happy about learning music or playing a musical instrument. Students with good music education do have a sense of personal achievement. A notable benefit of music education is that it is used as a stress reliever, considering a student's study routine.

A. Music education makes one much more honorable.

B. It helps children develop the skill at a very early age.

C. They tend to do well in subjects like math and science.

D. Music education in schools also benefits the students emotionally.

E. It consists of theoretical knowledge as well as practical experiences.

F. And it is commonly believed that musicians are peace-loving people.

G. While learning music, much of the culture and tradition is absorbed.

    Did you make financial decisions last New Year's Eve? Did they fall by the wayside? If so, you are not alone.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Make a smart budget

    Did you plan to make a budget and fail to do so? This is a perfect time to start, as you are heading into the new year. You may be able to stop yourself from overspending if you realize how overextended you are. If you've taken no other financial steps this year, start by setting a realistic budget.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Control your spending

    Even if you had a budget, were you able to stick to it?{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Use it as a psychological advantage－you have less to spend so you need to shop harder for bargains and research prices. Impulse buying (即兴购买) will be less likely to attract you and your spending should be more focused as a result.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    You had a savings goal, didn't you? If you didn't have a specific goal, it may be why your savings effort failed. Set a smaller savings goal now, and use that to build a larger savings goal for the upcoming year. Make sure that you equate（使等同）your savings with a specific goal.

    Reduce your debt

    Debt reduction is an important goal, especially in the case of high-interest debt such as credit cards. It's easy to get into an unrecoverable increase of debt if you have no plan to keep debt in check. It is a longer-term goal, but one you need to start right away.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. That may be a tall task, which is all the more reason to start immediately.

A. Increase your savings

B. Have a clear goal for your debt

C. You will go on with your new decisions

D. Most other financial improvements will follow

E. Start small by setting a spending budget for your shopping

F. But this year, you can make some progress on your financial goals

G. Attack the debt with the highest interest rate, and control your spending

Helpful tips for college-bound seniors

    Researching a college is one of the most time-consuming tasks that you'll encounter.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}For example, what classes and facilities the college has to offer, and what sports it offers. After narrowing your choices to a group of colleges, you'll have to start to research these in depth.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}He or she may be able to help you find things about the colleges that you could not get yourself.

    Knowing what you want to study is another key to looking for a college.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}By knowing what I want to do, I can then look at colleges that I've been thinking about applying to and narrow my choices down. If a college doesn't have the courses I need, then it's definitely out of the picture.

    Another key thing to look for is the college's testing requirements.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Some colleges also require an SAT II test in certain areas, for example English or Math. Remember to look at a college's GPA requirements, too. You may find a college where there's everything you want, but your GPA isn't high enough to be considered. In this case you may need to attend a junior college for one or two years.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}At this point you may want to have a long discussion with your parents, and find out how much they're willing and able to spend on college. If it isn't enough to cover your full tuition, then you may want to apply for financial aid or a scholarship. And your final option maybe looking for a college that doesn't cost as much.

A. All colleges require an SAT or an ACT test.

B. And lastly, but definitely not the least, is tuition.

C. Look for a college now if you plan on attending one.

D. You need to find out many basics about possible colleges.

E. If you will be a senior in the near future, this article is for you.

F. I plan to major in business management and minor in computer applications.

G. If you have a college counselor at your school, this would be a good time to ask for advice.

About 5% of all children experience anxiety over school. Not only can this affect their education, but it can also be difficult for you, especially if you have to take time off work because your child won't go to school. Luckily, there are tips that can help you.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Speak with your child to find out why he is anxious. Your child may have a clear-cut reason for not wanting to attend school and knowing what it is that may help you to ease his anxiety. If your child cannot or will not explain the issue, talk with his teacher, who may also be able to help you develop a solution. What also deserves your attention is any recent change at home that may be causing anxiety. Common changes can be such as moving, the loss of a pet, or a divorce. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Encourage your child to return to school

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}He may lack the courage to go back to school. So, when you intend to encourage your child, don't ask your child how he feel or place emphasis on his anxiety. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Wake your child up at the same time each morning, and encourage him to do the same things in the same order each day. If your child refuses to go to school one day, it's important to avoid anything that makes him want to do it again.

Promote self-confidence

This can be achieved in several ways. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Try to get him involved in a club or activity that he can do outside of school hours, or at least arrange a few play dates for your child to help him see that being with other kids is fun. So, your child gets the confidence in joining others. Apart from that, teach your child self-comfort techniques so he may benefit from knowing how to calm himself down. All these do help him build self-confidence.

A. They may have affected your child

B. Identify the cause of your child's anxiety

C. Make him forget about what makes him anxious

D. Instead, develop a routine to make your child feel safe

E. Encourage your child to participate in more social activities

F. As your child is not grown-up, he may have been trying to escape from it

G. When the cause of anxiety is found, you may consider inspiring your child