Homework is a major part of going to school: It's your teachers' way of evaluating(评价)how much you understand of what's going on in class. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Luckily, you can do a few things to make homework less work.

    Be sure you understand the homework.

    Write your homework down in your notebook or day planner if you need to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's much easier to take a minute to ask the teacher during or after class than to struggle to remember later that night!

    Use any extra time in school.

    Many schools have study halls that are specifically designed to allow students to study. It's tempting(诱惑)to hang out with friends during study periods or unstructured(松散的) time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Take a break.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}So take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without stretching or relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15minute break every hour is a good idea for most people.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If you don't finish your homework during school, think about how much you have left and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most highschool students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it's a heavy homework day and it seems like you've got an assignment in every subject but gym and lunch, you'll need to devote more time to homework. It's a good idea to come up with some kind of homework schedule（日程）, especially if you are involved in sports or activities or have an afterschool job.

A.Pace yourself.

B.Settle down to do homework.

C.And it helps digest important concepts(概念).

D.Most people's attention spans(注意力持续时间)aren't very long.

E.Don't be afraid to ask questions about what's expected.

F.Once your homework is done, you can check over it if you have extra time.

G.But the more work you can get done in school, the less you'll have to do that night.

    My husband, my four-month-old daughter and I set out on a five-day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because our little child needed to stretch from the car seat.

    One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing at one side. He was clearly untidy, without shoes and wearing worn clothing. We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door. Then something told me to go back.

    Holding my daughter, I turned around and said to the gentleman, “Sir. Are you hungry?” He said, “Yes.” I then asked, “May we buy you something to eat?” He responded with, “Sure, I can order something myself.”

    My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager of the restaurant came over quite quickly and looked frightened. I spoke before he had an opportunity to say anything. “This gentleman will have lunch with us today,” I said. “Please add his order to our bill.” The manager said with a frown(皱眉), “Okay.” We turned to our table and the gentleman said, loudly and quickly, “Thank You!” We were seated and upon completing our meal we were handed our bill. I asked my husband what the gentleman had ordered. One fresh orange juice, one coffee, one breakfast combination with a side of hash browns.

    When we left the restaurant I looked for the gentleman but didn't see him, but that very small act just made my day. I hope in some small way we were able to add some joy to his life, even if only for a few minutes.

    Below is a web page from http://www.parents.com.

    Kid of the Year Photo Contest

    Enter your kid's photo today and win! We're giving away 52 weekly $250 prizes from Readers' Choice votes. PLUS our editors will select one entry(参赛作品) to win our grand prize of $7,000.

    Official Contest Rules

    No purchase necessary to enter or win. The Kid of the Year Photo Contest entry period begins at 12:00 a.m. January 23, 2014, and ends January 21, 2016( the “Entry Period”). Entries must be arrived by 9:00 p.m. on January 21, 2016 (“Entry Deadline”). Entries will not be acknowledged or returned.

    SPONSOR: Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa.

    ENTRY: There will be two methods of entry.

    Share My Entry:

    Visit http://www.parents.com/photos/photo-contests-l/kid-of-the-year/and click the button to enter. Then complete the registration form and follow the instructions to upload one album of up to six photos of your child aged three months to eight years. Photos must be taken by entrant, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image formats(格式) and cannot exceed 3 MB.

    Facebook Entry:

    Visit http://www.Facebook.com / Parents Magazine and click the Kid of 2015 tab. Fill out the registration form and upload one album of up to six photos of your child aged three months to eight years. You may provide one description and one album title that will be applied to all photos. Photos must be taken by entrants, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image formats and cannot exceed 3 MB.

    This promotion is in no way sponsored, supported or run by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to Parents Magazine and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used to run the promotion and register for Parents.com.

    Photos must not contain material that infringes the rights of another, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright violation. Photos must not contain brand names or trademarks.

    LIMIT: One entry per household, per eligible(有资格的) child, per week. One weekly prize per child. For entries of more than one eligible child in the household, the entry process must be completed separately for each child. No group entries.

    Do you still remember your favorite poem from high school or some other important periods in your life？Why is it that decades later it still stands out in your mind？Probably the main reason is that some aspect of that poem resonates (引起共鸣) with you. In the same way, you too as a school leader can touch the hearts of your teachers and students.

    Poetry allows us to experience strong spiritual connections to things around us and to the past. The power that poetry has displayed over time and across cultures actually satisfies this common need of the human heart and soul.

    As one of the oldest art forms, poetry has successfully connected various parts of humanity (人性) from one generation to another. Referring to poetry, Hillyer makes a simple yet meaningful statement, “With this key mankind unlocked his heart.”

    School leaders can find and make use of the value of poetry for themselves, their students and their teachers. Beyond the simple use of poetry, techniques of poetry such as repetitions can be used to take advantage of the power of language to transform communication, create meaning and a culture of care and attention.

    Since schools are mainly about people and relationships, school leaders, like poets, are required to inspire and encourage the human heart. The use of poetry—or even of some techniques of poetry—in school leadership not only helps to improve communication, but also serves to meet the human need for inspiration.

British Museum

    Located in Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, the British Museum houses a vast collection of world art and artifacts and is free to all visitors. The British Museum's remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture, and it has more than 7 million objects, so it would probably take a week to see everything.

    Over 6 million visitors every year experience the collection, including world-famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.

    Admission and opening times

    Free, open daily 10:00 to 17:30.

    Open until 20:30 on Fridays, except Good Friday.

    Closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January.

    Large luggage, suitcases and cabin baggage

    For everyone's safety, all bags, packages and personal items may be searched before entry. Wheeled cases and large items of luggage are not allowed on British Museum for safety and security reasons. Storage for luggage is available at major rail stations, including Euston, King's Cross and Charing Cross.

    Membership

    Membership allows you to discover 2 million years of human history with free unlimited entry to special exhibitions, an exclusive discount offer on magazine subscription and many more benefits.

    Individual membership: £74

    Under 26 membership: £54

    Young friends (ages 8-15): £25

    Shops

    The Museum has four shops where you can buy books, souvenirs, and family gifts.

    In the book The Best Little Girl in the World, Kessa has a serious eating disorder (进食障碍) called anorexia nervosa. But she is not alone. Many people have this eating disorder.

    In the beginning of her story, Kessa is a normal 15-year-old girl. She is good at many things, especially dancing. She has danced for many years and loves it. One day her dance teacher tells her to continue eating right, but maybe lose a few pounds. Once Kessa hears this, she takes things too far. Instead of cutting down on snacks and junk food, she decides not to eat at all. She does not eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. She begins losing weight and becomes slimmer (更加苗条的) and slimmer. But she loses weight to a point where she is unhealthy.

    As her poor eating habits continue, her parents start getting as much help as possible to cure (治疗) their beautiful daughter. But it is just as hard for Kessa's parents to deal with her disorder as it is for her.

    Every day she exercises to lose more pounds and plans what and when she will eat. Her parents try everything, but Kessa decides not to have any fat on her body.

    Kessa's doctor and parents finally take her to the hospital. She is now so thin that she can hardly walk. There, she is given good care.

    In the rest of the book, Kessa goes through a lot of trouble in order to cure her eating disorder. This book, I think, can help to prevent people from doing this to themselves. It shows the trouble that people go through just to be slimmer, and all the terrible things they must experience to be cured. It is a book I think every teenager should read.