If you're a high school student，you may tend to measure your self－worth based on your popularity and status.You may feel dejected or disappointed if you have a difficult time fitting in or if you lack the confidence to talk to others.If you want others to like you，you'll need to have a healthy understanding of how people think，what appeals to them and how you can gain their approval.There are four tips on how to be popular in high school.And if you are popular with your classmates，you can get many benefits from it.

    You must be yourself in order to gain any real popularity in high school.While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery(奉承)，copying another's style and personality will have a negative effect on your popularity.If you're not comfortable enough to be yourself 100 percent of the time，others won't feel comfortable around you.If you establish your own style and finesse and stay true to yourself，popularity will soon follow.

    Make yourself approachable to appeal to others and be popular in high school.People love to be around others who are confident and ready to have a good time.Hold your head up high，keep your shoulders back，and smile as you walk with an air of confidence to instantly attract others and boost your popularity.

    Be friendly and kind to everyone you meet.It's not enough to gain the approval of the other popular students in your school.In order to gain real popularity，you'll need to be kind and polite to everyone you meet.Make an effort to talk to your classmates regardless of their popularity or economic status and try to develop friendships with them.The more people you appeal to，the more popular you'll become.

    Involve yourself in school activities that interest you.You can be popular in high school if you play an active role in your school's extracurricular activities(课外活动)．The more you participate in group activities，the more popular you'll become.

    Shakespeare's Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare's World. Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and where he grew up. The property(房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare's family until 1806. The House has welcomed visitors travelling from all over the world，for over 250 years.

◆Enter through the Visitors' Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare's World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.

◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.

◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from Shakespeare's period.

◆Enjoy the traditional(传统的) English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet's works.

    The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map；nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes' walk)．

The House may present difficulties but the Visitors' Centre, its exhibition, and the garden are accessible(可进入的) to wheelchair users.

    The Shakespeare Coffee House(opposite the Birthplace).

    We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don't do a very good job. This article gives some suggestions on how to give an effective speech.

    So, you have to give a speech and you are terrified. You get nervous, you forget what you want to say, you stumble over words, you talk too long, and you bore your audience. Later you think, “Thank Goodness, it's over. I'm just not good at public speaking. I hope I never have to do that again.”

    Cheep up! It doesn't have to be that bad. Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making. Ask yourself the purpose of your speech. What is the occasion? Why are you speaking? Then, gather as many facts as you can on your subject. Spend plenty of your time doing your research. Then spend plenty of your time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible, and use pictures, charts, and graphs if they help you make your points more clearly. Never forget your audience. Don't talk over their heads, and don't talk down to them. Treat your audience with respect. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

    Just remember: Be prepared. Know your subject, your audience, and the occasion. Be brief. Say what you have to say and then stop. And be yourself. Let your personality come through so that you make person-to-person contact with your audience.

    If you follow these simple steps, you will see that you don't have to be afraid of public speaking. In fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches! You're not convinced yet? Give it a try and see what happens.

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    Nowadays, parents worry a lot because their children spend hours and hours in front of the TV screen. Because this doesn't happen to only one specific family, many experts warn us that there can be some serious effects of children watching violence on television.

    Children who become addicted(上瘾的) to TV sit down and turn on the TV as soon as they get home. Although they have lots of homework, they become absorbed in TV programs.

    Since they spend tons of time watching TV, they have less time to enjoy real life activities such as playing with friends, playing outdoor sports, or enjoying other kinds of entertainment.

    There are too many violent scenes on TV. Some experts say there are 25 acts of violence per hour on TV. In addition, there are many experiments by psychologists which show how TV violence influences children. Finally, people worry that children tend to imitate what they watch on TV and may start to behave more violently.

    What should be done? First of all, the government should regulate TV violence. It should also encourage people to invent and develop new technology which can block violent scenes from the programs children watch. For example, with a rating system(分级制度) and the V-chip, unfit scenes of violence and sex can be blocked out. Second, parents should monitor what their children watch. At the same time, they should make their children interested in real life activities. Then when the children start to spend more time playing with friends or reading books, parents can stop their monitoring.

    It is a fact that there is more violence on TV today than there was ten years ago. Moreover, violent incidents occur more frequently in real life. It's time to realize how harmful watching TV violence is, and it's time to keep our children from watching violence.

    Traditionally, robots have been hard, made of metal and other rigid material. But a team of scientists at Harvard University in the US has managed to build an entirely soft robot-one that draws inspiration from an octopus (章鱼).

    Described in science journal Nature, the "Octobot" could pave the way for more effective autonomous robots that could be used in search，rescue and exploration. "The Octobot is minimal system which may serve as a foundation for a new generation of completely soft, autonomous robots" the study's authors wrote.

Robots built for precise, repetitive movements in a controlled environment don't do so well on rough terrains (地形) or in unpredictable conditions. And they aren't especially safe around humans, because they're made out of hard and heavy parts that could be potentially dangerous to their users.

    So researchers have been working on building soft robots for decades. They're taken inspiration from nature, looking to animals from jellyfish to cockroaches, which are often made up of more flexible matter.

    But creating a completely soft robot remains a challenge. Even if engineers build a silicone (硅酮) body, it's still a grand challenge to construct flexible versions of essential parts, such as a source of power.

    "Although soft robotics is still in its early stage, it holds great promise for several applications, such as search-rescue operations and exploration," Barbara Mazzolai and Virgilio Mattoli of the Italian Institute of Technology' Center for Micro-BioRobotics, wrote in a comment. "Soft robots might also open up new approaches to improving wellness and quality of life."

    To an outsider, any culture can seem confusing. And the UK's got a thing or two that raises a few eyebrows. However, understand the why and things might be less puzzling. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    In a world where 61％of nations drive on the right, Brits drive on the left. Why? Most people think it goes back to Medieval, maybe even Roman times. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} when you remember that right-handed people wear a sword on their left hip. Travelling on the left allowed you to keep your weapon arm toward your opponent, who would be on your right. This practice continued until the 18th century when a law was passed requiring all traffic crossing London Bridge to keep to the left.

    Visitors to the UK that have just washed their hands in an old-fashioned sink might be wondering why one tap is only for hot water, the other cold. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. So, why this oddity? It relates to a time when hot and cold water were kept separate to prevent pollution. Drinkable cold water came from a mains supply, but hot water came from attic tanks and was not considered suitable for consumption. So they were kept apart.

    Millions of people drink tea worldwide, but the odd Brits put milk in theirs. Why? This mysterious practice relates to the quality of china cup used in the 18th century when tea was first imposed. For the majority of Brits, the cups available couldn't stand the heat of the boiling water and would break, so milk was added first. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. And this practical tweak soon became a national habit.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. As you can see, these odd Brits have perfectly clear reasons for left-hand driving, two-tap sinks and tea with milk. Even if they still seem strange, at least now you're in the know.

A. This makes it difficult to improve

B. There is a method to the madness

C. This unusual behavior makes sense

D. You can know the origins of the practices

E. Either can make washing very uncomfortable

F. This cooled the cup enough to resist the boiling water

G. Here are the reasons for three of Britain's more puzzling practices