How to Improve Your English

    One of the most important questions that every student asks is how to improve your English. There are probably as many answers to this question as there are people {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Let's begin with the three most important rules to help guide you. You'll find further ideas below.

Rule 1:{#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    The most important rule to remember is that learning English is a process. It takes time, and it takes lots of patience! If you are patient, you will improve your English.

Rule 2:Make a Plan

    The most important thing to do is to create a plan and follow that plan.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Patience is key to improving your English, so go slowly and focus on your foals. You'll speak English well soon if you keep to the plan.

Rule 3:{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    It's absolutely necessary that learning English becomes a habit. In other words, you should work on your English every day. It's not necessary to study grammar every day. However, you should listen, watch read or speak English every day even if it's for a short period of time.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When you truly understand and master these three rules, then you will find your English level is really great.

    Have you ever wondered what an American high school is really like?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    A typical American high school has several large buildings and enough space for about 1,500 students.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When students first arrive at school, they go straight to their lockers to put away or get their textbooks and to hang up their outdoor clothes. As American textbooks are expensive, students would rather rent than buy them.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    American students have different types of school transport. They usually take a yellow school bus or walk to school if they live close enough.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When they turn 16 years of age, most take a free driving class at school for one term. If students earn passing grades in the class and also pass their state driver's exam, they can begin driving themselves to school.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}They must take science, math, English and social studies. They can choose art, homemaking, fashion design and other classes. In some schools students are required to take one or more of the following special classes: health education, physical education or foreign language studies. Students move to different classrooms for each subject. This is because each teacher has their own classroom. There is a five-minute break between classes, to give the students the time to hurry to their next class.

    The regular school day usually ends early in the afternoon. After school more than half of the students are involved in after-school activities. These activities include sports-especially football, basketball, baseball and soccer or clubs, such as yearbook, speech, school newspaper, photograph or student government.

A. Every student is given a locker.

B. Each day, students take six or seven classes.

C. Sometimes their parents drive them to school.

D. Students must pay back if they lost any of them.

E. This is because each teacher has their own classroom.

F. The regular school day usually ends early in the afternoon.

G. This article will describe a typical American high school and its students.

    Having a roommate can be one of the best experiences in college or, easily, one of the worst.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Follow these tips to avoid the common mistakes that turn good roommate relations bad.

Talk things out.

    Communication is key. If something happens, sit down with your roommate and have a face-to-face conversation. I've seen roommate relations fall apart because something happens and, instead of talking to each other, the two start complaining about their roommates behind their backs.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Don't expect to be best friends.

    Some roommates become the best of friends, and some don't. Don't put pressure (压力) on yourself or your roommate, especially when you first meet.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} And if your roommate doesn't end up being your best friend, don't worry.

    Ask before you take.

    This applies (适用) to food, clothes and anything else. If you want to keep a relation going, show your roommate that you have respect for what is his or hers by asking first.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Clean up.

    This should do without saying. Don't be lazy. Or, at least, don't bury your roommate in your clothes and garbage.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} But being considerate with where you put your things will help you avoid conflict.

A. This creates nothing but terrible situations and unhappiness.

B. Even if you both agree to share everything, you should still ask.

C. So you need to think twice before you help your roommates out.

D. Sometime you get stuck with someone who has tons of bad energy.

E. You don't have all the time to clean your room and keep it organized.

F. It all starts with you to have a good relation with your roommate.

G. Remember, you're trying to make a new friend, not to frighten your roommate away.

    Lots of people give you advice on overcoming fear. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, I want to tell you that a world without fear would be more dangerous, less rewarding. So we want to treat fear as a friend? Here are three reasons.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Think about it. Do you get more nervous when you meet the girl (or guy) of your dreams? Which is more fearful, talking to the boss of your company or to some of your friends? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you didn't have fear to guide you, you might not know that! Not so bad, right?

    Next, fear encourages us to take action. Fear is a call to action. In the past, our ancestors didn't run away in fear when they saw a tiger running toward them but tried to kill it for food. Now, most of us don't face serious danger like hungry tigers every day, but we do face serious bosses or public speaking. So, what can we do? {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Lastly, fear lets you know you are alive. Why do we like roller coasters? {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Same for horror movies.

    So fear can guide you towards what's important for you and encourage you to take action to improve. Don't we all need that kind of friend?

A. The first is that fear is an excellent guide to opportunity.

B. They frighten us in a mostly safe way.

C. Imagine what life would be like without fear.

D. Let fear provide us with the energy to do what needs to be done.

E. Fear is showing you what is important and what matters to you.

F. Don't fear to be wrong.

G. They say if you can overcome fear, you will be successful.

Children's Games in Ancient China

    Unlike the children nowadays, the children during ancient times didn't have smart phone, iPad or computer to entertain(娱乐) themselves. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Let's take a look.

    Flying kites

    Kites have quite a long history. The earliest kites were made of wood, instead of paper. Nowadays, the three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, Tianjin kite and Weifang kite. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} For example, the swallow-shaped kite is a well-known Beijing style.

    Playing hide-and-seek

    Hide-and-seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the nation. Even nowadays, many children like playing it. There are two ways to play. One way is covering a child's eyes while other kids run around to tease(戏弄) him. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The closest thing to watching a film or television for entertainment during ancient times was going to see a shadow play. Folk artists manipulate puppets behind the screen, narrating stories and accompanied by music.

    Setting off firecrackers(鞭炮)

    Firecrackers have a history of more than 2,000 years. It is said that there was a beast (野兽)named Nian in ancient China. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} After gunpowder was invented, it gradually replaced the bamboo joint cracker. Crackers are still set off during Spring Festival to symbolize auspiciousness(吉利).

A. Watching shadow plays

B. Each of them has special features.

C. Different materials are used to make the kite.

D. Shadow plays were the popular entertaining form in ancient times.

E. And to scare off the beast, people burnt bamboo joints to make it blast.

F. More commonly, participants hide and one child must try to find them.

G. Instead, they came up with(想出) interesting games to play in their childhood.

Every time you're online. you are bombarded by pictures, articles, links and videos trying to tell their stories.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Sometimes they want you to click on another story or advertisement at their own site, other times they want to upset people for political reasons. Experts in media studies and online psychology have been examining the fake news phenomenon. Read these tips, and don't get fooled!

Check the source. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Fake news websites often use addresses that sound like real newspapers, but don't have many real newspapers, but don't have many real stories about other topics. If you aren't sure, click on the "About" page and look for a clear description of the organization.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Look to see if the story you are reading is on other news sites that you know and trust. If you do find it on many other sites, then it probably isn't fake, as many big news organizations try to check their sources before they publish a story.

There are other techniques that fake news uses. These include using ALL CAPS and lots of ads that pop up when you click on a link. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If the news story makes you angry, it's probably designed to make you angry.

If you know these things about online news, and can apply them in your everyday life, then you have the control over what to read, what to believe and most importantly what to share. If you find a news story that you know is fake, the most important advice is: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Don't share it.

B. Read about it in print media.

C. Check the story in other places.

D. Unfortunately, not all of these stories are true.

E. Also, think about how the story makes you feel.

F. Look at the website where the story comes from.

G. However, the rash of fake news is a relatively new problem.