Writing an article for your school newspaper can be exciting and rewarding, especially when you proudly see your name in print.

    Decide on a topic. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you plan to write a news article for a monthly newspaper, you will need to take into consideration whether the topic will be relevant before printing. To get ideas for stories, listen to your fellow students and find out what has them talking. Follow developments within your school and community to get information on what would interest your readers.

    Do your research. There is an old saying in law that a good lawyer never asks a question that they don't know the answer to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} To sum up, the more, the better.

    Attract the readers with a lead. As the beginning of a newspaper story, a lead has to be direct, but it does not mean you don't need to entertain the reader as well. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Your lead must be short, but it must also state as many of the essential parts of you story as possible.

    Consider the 5 Ws and H. These are the meat and potatoes of your news articles. You article must answer all of these questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Once you have answered these things, you can feel confident. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Write, edit, rewrite and repeat as necessary. So, much about having a successful final product is about being willing to spend time and effort in editing and reviewing process. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} After that, make changes as a result. Having taken some useful suggestions, you are to make your article readable not only for their content, but also for their quality.

A. Think about what is happening on campus.

B. You have effectively informed your readers.

C. Get them interested with an interesting beginning.

D. Do not be afraid to accept positive comments.

E. News articles are suitable for the date of publication.

F. Take note of anything particularly unusual.

G. Try to find out as much as you can on the subject.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”—Lao Tzu

If you are in a city where everyone rushes, realize that you don't have to be like everyone else. You can be different. You can walk instead of driving in rush hour traffic. You can be on your iPhone or Blackberry less, and disconnected sometimes. Your environment doesn't control your life—you do. I'm not going to tell you how to give you a step-by-step guide to moving slower.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒈Do less.

Cut back on your projects, on your task list, on how much you try to do each day. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Pick 2-3 important things— or even just one important thing— and work on those first. Save smaller, routine tasks for later in the day, but give yourself time to focus.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Meeting are usually a “big waste of time”. And they eat into your day, forcing you to squeeze the things you really need to do into small windows, and making you rush.

    ⒊Start to put off or cancel the unnecessary.

    When you do the important things with focus, without rush, there will be things that get pushed back, and that don't get done. And you need to ask yourself:{#blank#}4{#/blank#}What would happen if I stopped doing them?

    ⒋Practice mindfulness.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Don't care so much about future or the past. When you eat, fully appreciate your food. When you are with someone, be with them fully. When you are walking, appreciate your surroundings, no matter where you are.

    Try these things out. Life is better when unrushed. Remember the quote: if nature can get everything done without rushing, so can you.

A. Have fewer meetings.

B. How necessary are these things?

C. Simply learn to live in the present.

D. Focus not on quantity but on quality

E. Give yourself more time to get ready and get there.

F. The world likely won't end if you don't pass one of the examinations.

G. But here are some things to consider and perhaps adopt, if they work for your life.

    If you want to learn English well, enlarging your vocabulary is important. Here are some helpful ways to help you to have a larger vocabulary.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}A good dictionary should be up-to-date and easy to understand. Make sure the definitions (定义) are written in clear English. I strongly recommend Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English as there is good coverage of spoken and written English, British and American English, as well as clear example sentences.

    Make notes of new words. But before you write them down on you notebook, you should look them up in the dictionary and make sure you are aware of any grammatical information.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When you write down the new word in your notebook, try to include an example sentence in English.

    Organize your notes into themes. Some people find it very helpful to do so. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}For example, you can have one page containing words which have something to do with houses, while another page containing words relating to jobs, and so on.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The next time you have spare time, skip through your notebook. Choose a page where you have already stored a number of words and expressions, cover the page and try to remember what you wrote. Then look at the page and see how many words you have remembered.

    When you find a new word, check to see if you can use it in other ways. English is a flexible language—nouns, verbs and adjectives often share the same root. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Review the words in your notebook.

B. Have good English dictionaries.

C. Read books that contain some new words.

D. Look up new words and phrases in your dictionary.

E. For example, love, lovely, beloved and loveless all share one root.

F. For example, if you are looking up a verb, check to see if it can be used in a passive form.

G. So rather than have a list of words without any obvious connection, you can divide your notes into themes.

Reader's Travel Photography Competition

    This month's images include some original and brilliant shots. The overall 2018 winner will receive a $200 holiday ticket and go on a 16-night wildlife holiday.

    Robot are about to enter our lives. From doing housework, entertaining and educating our children, to looking after the elderly, scientists say we will soon be welcoming robots into our homes and workplaces.

    Researchers believe we are on the cusp (过渡点) of a robot revolution that will mirror the quick growth of the computer revolution. They are developing new laws for robot behavior, and designing new ways for humans and robots to communicate.

    “I think robots will change who we are, just as eyeglasses and fire changed who we were before, says Rodney Brooks, a director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

    Some ideas and technologies may sound like science fiction, but they are fast becoming science fact. Robots scientists invented are already beginning to perform everyday tasks like cleaning our floors. The latest types from Japan are able to help the elderly to get out of bed or get up after a fall. They can also remind them when to take medication (药物), or even help wash their hair.

    “Robot now are not human-like. For example they are things like automatic (自动的) beds and wheelchairs,” says Prof Hiroshi Ishiguro at Osaka University, Japan. He believes the time is coming when robots start looking less like machines, and more like us. “In the near future we are going to use more human-like robots. I really think so, says Prof Ishiguro.

    Prof Maja Mataric at the University of Southern California agrees. “I'm very excited about the fact that today we are trying to make robots that look like human beings,” she says.

    “I believe we love robots because they're reflections (反映) of ourselves,” says Ken Goldberg, director of the Berkeley Center for New Media at the University of California at Berkeley.

    “Robots could be used in education, learning, and healthcare, where social support is important,” says Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, director of the Personal Robots Group at MIT.

How to Make Friends

    Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

    ⒈Associate with others.

    The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

    ⒉Start a conversation.

    Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.

    ⒋Let it grow.

    It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

    ⒌Enjoy your friendship.

    The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

A. Be cheerful.

B. Do things together.

C. Do not wait to be spoken to.

D. Try not to find fault with your friends.

E. For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.

F. So you will need to give your friend time to react to you.

G. Making new friends comes easy for some people.