We all wish we had just a bit more time. Just think what you could do with an extra hour or two each day: you could finally stick to an exercise routine, or spring-clean the house, or write your novel, or learn the guitar and so on. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But I can help you find more hours in your day for the things that really matter.

1）. Get Out of Bed Earlier

If you normally get up at 7: 30 a. m. , try getting up at 7: 00 a. m. That half-hour might not sound like much, but it could be time that you use to exercise, to read that book you've been meaning to finish. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

2）. Do the Important Tasks First

    Once you get to work, get the important ones done first (not the easy ones, or even the urgent ones). You can afford to spend at least an hour working on big, important tasks rather than on all those little urgent ones. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The urgent tasks will still get done, and you won't miss the important ones.

3）. Reduce Interruptions

    If colleagues have a habit of hanging around your desk to chat, or if the phone is constantly ringing, you might find that it takes you half the day to finish a simple task like writing a letter. Constant interruptions don't just eat up time, they also break your concentration.

    When you've got a big task to focus on, let your calls go to voicemail. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Wearing headphones makes it less likely that people will try to strike up a conversation.

4）. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A few minutes chatting, browsing the web, and so on, can easily turn into hours of wasted time over the course of a day. When you're working, work. If your concentration is slipping, take a proper break: go and get a glass of water, or stretch your legs a bit. And if you're facing a difficult task, try breaking it into small steps or stages so that it's easier to deal with.

A. Or simply to get your day off to a calm and organized start.

B. I can't magically make all your days 25 hours long.

C. Would you want me to make your day longer?

D. Take Breaks When Necessary

E. If you have an office door, close it.

F. If you work like this, you'll usually save time.

G. Stay Focused on Your Work

    People have been making and flying kites for about 2,000 years. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Some historians believe it the ancient Chinese may have started kite flying 2000 years ago. It is still a popular hobby in China, Japan and Korea and in other countries of the Far East where beautifully decorated appear in different colors.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Simple kites are made by crossing two sticks and covering them with paper or cloth. Then you attach a string at the end. More expensive kites have frames made of fiberglass, plastic or aluminum. The name comes from a graceful bird called kite.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}A flat kite is the oldest and simplest type of kite.  It flies because air flows over and under the kite's wing. The pressure under the wing helps the kite lift into the air.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Early scientists sent kites up into the air to measure temperature at different heights. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove that lightning was a form of electricity. He attached a metal key to the string of a kite. When lightning hit the kite, electricity passed down the string and Franklin got an electric shock. It was a very dangerous experiment that you shouldn't copy.

    Kites were also used to develop airplanes. The Wright Brothers experimented with kites before they flew the first airplane. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In World War I the Germans developed a large kite that could transport people to a submarine. Kites were also used to carry radio signals over long distances.

    Today most people fly kites as a hobby. Kite festivals are organized in many cities in all parts of the world.

A. Kites are made in many different sizes, colors and shapes.

B. flying kites is great fun and it is easy if you know some secrets.

C. Kites have also been used in experiments.

D. No one knows for sure who invented the kite.

E. In Japan families fly fish kites on Children's Day, May5th.

F. Stories of kites were brought to Europe till the end of the 13^th century.

G. In the past, kites were sometimes used to take pictures in wars.

    Any exercise is good exercise, but when it comes to losing weight, it's hard to beat running. After all, running is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories and get fit without having to restrict your diet. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you're not a runner yet but interested in losing weight, here are four reasons running can be the best exercise for weight loss.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When comparing running with walking the same distance, studies find that running will lead to greater weight loss, most likely because your resting energy expenditure stays elevated(高的) after you run. In a long-term comparison study of runners and walkers, calories burned through running led to 90% more weight loss than calories burned through walking.

    Running is time-efficient. Even if the myth that running a mile and walking a mile burn the same number of calories were true, running is a considerably faster way to burn those calories.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    Running is convenient. Though many of us have accumulated a vast arsenal（武器，装备） of GPS gadgets and tech tees over the years, little is actually required to go running. You can do it alone. You can do it almost anywhere. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For this reason alone, running is the best workout for weight loss because it's cheap and accessible, and there are fewer barriers to maintaining a routine, even while traveling.

    Two words: runner's high. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Fortunately, studies support what many runners have experienced on an anecdotal level—running can actually get you high. Scientists have found links between moderate to intense exercise and morphine-like brain chemicals, which explains the occasional flood of thrill that rushes over you during a hard run. That happy sensation you had after your last race makes you want to go for another run, right?

A. Cultivate the good habit of running.

B. Running works even when you're at rest.

C. You will never stick to a habit if you don't like it.

D. The first rule of exercising for weight loss is that if you don't enjoy it, you won't stick with it.

E. You don't need any equipment beyond a pair of running shoes.

F. If you're already a runner, keep on.

G. Most people can run two or three times as far as they can walk in a given amount of time.

    Hollywood movies are regularly filled with sex and violence. They can be exciting films but sometimes all you want is a little light-hearted entertainment.

    Have you heard of Bollywood? All singing, all dancing and unrealistic, it is the perfect alternative to normal Hollywood movies. Bollywood is the Indian film industry, based in Mumbai, formerly known Bombay. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Yet Bollywood is the largest producer of films in the world. This year the Indian Filmgare Awards, Bollywood's Oscars, turn 50 years old.

    The typical Bollywood movie usually has the following ingredients: a cup of romance, a tea-spoon of comedy, a dash of international sight-seeing, served with a huge slice of singing and dancing. There will also be one brave hero, one beautiful heroine and one baddie. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Bollywood films are full of ideal things and free of daily worries. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The actors change clothes and locations within a single song. But the audience don't mind. To Indian movie lovers, especially the poor, such films are a gateway to heaven and the stars are their gods. The films take them to a magical world away from their everyday troubles. The films tell them the impossible is possible and that true love conquers all.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Behind the beautiful scenes, Bollywood still emphasizes traditional family values. In most films, if two lovers want to break an arranged marriage, they can't just run away. They must win over their parents.

    Bollywood is a decent refreshing replacement for those over-stimulating Hollywood films. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They will take you to a brighter, cheerier and more colorful world, where it's still cool to dance around a tree and sing a love song.

A．Bollywood has gradually won its reputation on the world stage.

B．There is never any mention of politics, poverty or war.

C．Most Chinese school kids have probably never seen an Indian film.

D．Bollywood films are mostly comic romances with light-hearted incidental music.

E.  Bollywood pays great attention to traditional values.

F．The result is a fun-filled musical.

G．So if you're tired of all that Hollywood actions, check out the following Bollywood films.

    Do you know how to pick a good book you'll really like? Here are some tips.

    Start with Your Interest. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  You can pick something that you love to read, not for school. They can be ancient martial arts(武术), computers, or fashion design. You name it, there are books about it.

    What's Your Type? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction (or both)? Fiction books, like novels, can transport you to another world or help you imagine something beyond your own experience. Nonfiction books give you the who, what, when, and why of something. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}  Many of them read like novels from start to finish.

    Read the Description. The reviews and quotes(引语) on the back and inside covers of many books give you an idea of what the book is about. They can also help you pick future books, too. If you find a book you really like, take a minute to read the quotes and see which authors praised the book. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    Find a Family Favorite. Which book did your mother love best when she was at your age?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Find out and give them a read — then you can share your thoughts about the book.

    Finally, you'll probably enjoy what you're reading a lot more if you find a quiet place and make time for the book. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can put on some good music, get yourself some tea and let yourself be carried away by the book. You'll see that time does fly when you're reading something you love!

A. How about your brothers and sisters?

B. They tell stories using facts — but that doesn't mean they're boring.

C. Reading is a good way to improve your English.

D. Most reading is best enjoyed when you can concentrate on it.

E. Often, they'll have similar styles and you might find books you like by those authors, too.

F. So you should read as much as possible when you are free.

G. Reading on your own isn't like reading for school.

Rich and Famous

    Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today's situation is quite different. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Instead they most commonly say they want to be a sports star, a pop star, or an actor-in other words, they hope to become a celebrity.

    According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Let's take athletes and singers as an example. Their careers are short-lived. Many athletes' best time only lasts a few years and singers can have a very limited career. The field that was once the focus of their lives becomes something they have little or no involvement in. As a result, they'll have a feeling of worthlessness and a lack of control. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The truth is quite simple: they have been so far removed from it for so long.

    In spite of these disadvantages, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living-they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They unrealistically believe that this lifestyle is easily obtained and leads to great satisfaction.

    While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} That means they ignore the simple fact that great effort is needed before success. As a result, many people won't realize their childhood dreams, which could have a negative effect on their happiness.