Your Teen Is Falling Asleep in Class

    Teens have a busy morning schedule as they need to wake up and get moving very early in order to catch a bus and get to school by the required time. This means teens need to get their rest the night before or they will be too tired to learn anything at school.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}．

    When a teen falls asleep in class, two things happen: he/she misses what is being taught and he/she loses the respect of the teacher. He/She may also receive a consequence (后果) from the school, depending on the classroom discipline (纪律) policy.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}．

    To prevent your teen from being sleepy in class, try these three tips：

    Set a time for “lights out” on school nights. This is never be any later than 10 p.m. and preferably 9 p.m.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Soft music can be on and used to help calm your teen.

    Help your teen develop a night­time routine that involves activities that slow them down for the end of the day.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Turning off the computer and disconnecting from friends and the excitement of the day an hour before bedtime will also help your teen relax.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This will reinforce (增强) what it feels like to be rested and capable of achieving what he/she wants.

A. What's worse, they may even fall asleep in class.

B. Taking a bath and reading are two activities that work well.

C. Set a good example and show him/her your love for learning.

D. Point out the positives after your teen has had a good night's rest.

E. “Lights out” means the computer, television, lights and cell phone should be off.

F. All of these things affect your teen's academic success and can be avoided.

G. While your teen keeps his/her goals in line with your expectations, he/she may have his/her own goals.

Things You Can for the Ocean

    The ocean supports a global underwater circulation system of currents, which affects temperature and nutrient distribution{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's time for you to do something for the ocean. Be the best citizen of the ocean you can be by taking these simple today.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The Monterey Bay Aquarium has made it easy to choose ocean-friendly seafood wherever you live or travel. You can visit their site to determine the pocket guide. And try to carry a reusable cup when travelling. More than 200 billion pounds of plastic is produced in the world every year and about 10% of it ends up in the ocean!{#blank#}3{#/blank#}You can also make your efforts to reduce the plastic waste by travelling with your own cup.

    Leave it better than you found it and reduce water pollution.

Leave natural areas and beaches better than you found them{#blank#}4{#/blank#} or get together with like-minded members of your community by participating in a local beach clean-up. Reducing water pollution is also beneficial protecting the ocean. There are simple things you can do to reduce water pollution locally and impact water quality globally.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.You should correctly deal with dangerous materials. Moreover, you should use native plants and natural fertilizers, and be mindful when washing your vehicle.

A. And this in turn affects ultimately human life

B. The ocean pollution has been a serious problem

C. Eat sustainable seafood and carry a reusable cup

D. Bring a small bag and pick the rubbish along the way

E. You should not eat at the restaurants selling wild animals

F. You should use poisonless household products whenever possible

G. Refusing bottled water is an effective way to reduce the waste stream of plastic

    As is often the case, you are trying hard to keep your eyes open in class after a late night doing piles and piles of homework, "{#blank#}1{#/blank#}" You are probably thinking, " This weekend I'll make up for all the sleep I have lost."

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Most people think the same way-if you stay in bed longer on Saturdays or Sundays, you will recover your missed sleep during the week.

    However, this is not correct.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Actually, researchers have just discovered that sleeping during the weekend will not do you any good, but rather make you feel more tired on Monday morning.

    Our body keeps a clock inside. It tells us when to wake up in the morning and when to feel sleepy at night. But the time on our body clock can be changed once we start taking on different sleeping habits.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may mean on Monday morning we sometimes struggle to get out of bed.

    If we decide to get up only 20 minutes or half an hour later, it won't matter. This is because our body clock can accommodate(顺应) a delay of up to an hour, which means that a short lie-in at weekends is unlikely to have any big effect, we needn't worry about it at all.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    So, what should we do to balance and make up for all the sleep we've missed? Scientists say that simply eight hours of sleep would do the trick, not any longer.

A. You are not alone.

B. I need more sleep!

C. Sleep is important for everyone.

D. Sleeping is nothing like paying back money.

E. However, if we sleep longer our sleep becomes less efficient.

F. But delays of up to two hours or more can throw our body out of order.

G. This is why staying in bed for longer than usual might confuse our body clock.

    Sometimes we fall in love with something at once and sometimes it takes time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If were lucky, we come across a poem that immediately attracts us. But usually we need to spend a little time or make a little effort to truly understand a poem. Today I'd like to share some tips for reading poetry in ways that make the experience better with the goal of improving your own poetry writing.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Sometimes a poem that seems boring on first reading becomes clear with more readings. A poem that feels meaningless becomes deeper and more meaningful. And sometimes you're just not in the right mood the first time you read a poem, but later it touches your heart. Keep a dictionary and a poetry reference book at hand when you are reading poetry. Poets are fond of using unusual words. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Read aloud and listen to the poem. Some poems have unclear structures and hearing a poet's reading will make the poem's rhythm clear. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    After you finish reading a poem, take a few moments to consider what it is saying. Sometimes its meaning are better understood through repeated readings. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

It is hard to say that there's a right and wrong way to read poetry, but there is an argument to be made for reading practices that will enrich your experience, increase your enjoyment, and deepen your understanding of any poem.

A. Besides, a poet's reading can even help understand the poem's meaning.

B. Keep a record to track the poets you've studied and the poems you've read.

C. Other times they are grasped through reflection on a poem.

D. The same is true with poetry.

E. Reading a poem repeatedly will deepen your understanding of it.

F. Study the poet's life and read some of his other works to gain deeper understanding.

G. Instead of skipping over these words or trying to guess their meanings, look them up.

Spreading smiles at Birchwood

    When Ava McCarver was in kindergarten, her class visited a nursing home (疗养院). Ava learned that many of the residents (住户) there receive few visitors. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}"I asked my mom if I could visit them," she says. Soon, Ava and her mom became volunteers at Birchwood Health Care Center.

    That was six years ago. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}She enjoys hanging out with Mary, Shirley and other residents during her twice-monthly visits. "I paint their nails, and I talk to a lot of them," she says. Sometimes she helps lead craft (手工艺) projects. Other times they play card games. "It's good for the residents to see little kids," Ava says. "That makes them really happy."

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}She has raised money for the nursing home by making refrigerator decorations and selling them at a craft fair. She has also collected used puzzles from garage sales and donated them to Birchwood.

    Ava wrote a book called The Squirrel Family. In the book, two squirrels raise a family and eventually move into a place called Birchwood where they live happily. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Ten stores in her city agreed to display the books, along with a can to collect money. Ava's project raised about $750. Birchwood used that money to buy furniture for the residents.

    Ava says she enjoyed the look of "pure joy" on a resident's face after a hug from her. That's why she started visiting Birchwood — to bring happiness to others.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}"It's really fun," she says. "They have good stories, and I enjoy my time there."

A. She decided to take action.

B. But she has gained happiness for herself, too.

C. Since then, Ava has made many friends at Birchwood.

D. Ava used her book to raise money for the nursing home.

E. Birchwood needs more volunteers for its craft project.

F. Ava has found some creative ways to help her friends at Birchwood.

G. Ava's book has achieved a great success and earned a large amount of money for her.

    It's reported that a male waiter recently poured boiling water over a female customer at a hot pot restaurant after the woman was caught complaining about the waiter's bad service online. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The female victim, surnamed Lin, reportedly got into an argument with the waiter, surnamed Zhu, when Zhu refused her repeated request for additional soup for her pot. Lin was rushed to hospital and was diagnosed with severe bums on up to 40% of her body. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Many netizens criticized the waiter for being too impulsive and ignoring the possible consequences, but some also accused Lin of being too picky. Meanwhile, some came up with a question worthy of discussion: {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Many tragedies are caused by arguments and if the victim can control his or her anger and try to reach a compromise, the tragedies could possibly be avoided. Sometimes so­called "cowardliness" can be a form of self­protection, especially when you are faced with strangers and you know little about their personalities.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When they calm down afterwards, they would regret their "ridiculous" behavior and have to pay the price for the consequences.

    In May, a male driver in the southwestern city of Chengdu was captured on film intercepting a woman's car and dragging her out of her seat, throwing her on the ground, before cruelly kicking her several times on the head, simply because the woman suddenly changed lanes in front of his car.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Forgive others' mistakes and avoid fueling others' anger. Accordingly, you may be less likely to suffer from unexpected troubles.

A. Will the situation be out of control because of your anger?

B. Intolerance has contributed to lots of violent incidents.

C. How to keep ourselves safe when we argue with others?

D. The waiter has been arrested for further investigation and trial.

E. This incident caused an outcry among netizens and opinion leaders.

F. But it is difficult to control our anger when we have conflict with others.

G. So next time you deal with conflict, it is mere advisable to control your temper and say "sorry" with a smile.