Sarah Hutchins has won a prize from Amazon.com in a competition for young inventors. She invented “camoculars”! Now what are “camoculars”?  Camoculars are binoculars(双筒望远镜) and a camera combined. Amazon.com, a web company, organized a competition for young inventors. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Sarah was at a concert when she thought of her invention. “I was sitting a long way from the stage and I was watching the band through my binoculars. While I was watching, I thought,' {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 'Then I got an idea. Why not have binoculars with a camera inside them?”

    When she got home, she took some plastic binoculars and a cheap camera and put them together. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So Sarah sent her idea to Amazon.com and two months later, she got a surprise. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They didn't give her the top prize in the competition, but she won $1,000 and a trip to New York.

    People are already asking Sarah what she is going to invent next. “I don't know,” says Sarah. “If you just sit there and think, you won't invent anything, because you get ideas at strange moments. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Sarah likes music very much.

B. I'd love to be able to take a picture of this!

C. Amazon.com phoned to say that she was a winner.

D. I have always dreamed of travelling around New York.

E. The only thing you can do is keep your eyes and ears open!

F. Her sister was watching her and told her about the competition.

G. Sarah was one of thousands of young people who took part in this competition.

    It's always important to use the right tools for any job. Success in school is no different. If you need to vary your time management tool box, consider these less traditional tools. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} .

    Daily Task List

    A daily task list is nothing more than a notepad that you use to list your daily goals. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} . Cross them off as you finish them. At the end of each day, simply carry over any job that you didn't finish to the next day's list. It works wonders!

    Big Well Calendar

    Simply place the big wall calendar in a prominent place near your regular study space. Then come up with a color code for your classes(like green for math and yellow for history). When you have a big due date or a test date, place the appropriate colored sticker on that date. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} , so it works as a constant reminder. This trick is simple, cheap, and so effective!

    Sticky Note Flags

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} , whether you're putting together a big research project or you're simply reading a book. Whenever you need to remember to take a certain object or assignment to school, place a sticky flag on the door knob, bathroom mirror, or the cereal box the night before. It works like an alarm!

    Bedside Notepad

    You can keep a notepad beside your bed to write down any items or tasks you have to remember for the next day. As you settle in for the night, take a few moments to think about the things you need to do tomorrow. Then write them down and tear off the sheet in the morning. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} !

A. Remember to pack it in your schoolbag.

B. Keep your homework and your life in order

C. Two heads are better than one when it comes to projecting due dates

D. You could also use the calendar feature to alert you when projects are due

E. These little paper banners are lifesavers when it comes to getting organized

F. Carry a small pad around and write down every task you need to complete

G. The sticker will be something you can see every time you enter the room.

    We've all heard about the power of our attitude, and it's our attitude that determines how much we succeed in life.

    All the things that you have been through, all the people you have met and interacted with can have an impact on your attitude. If you think that all these factors have molded you into a person with a poor attitude towards life, there is no need to worry.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

1).Identify and understand what you want to change.

    The first step towards change is clearly understanding what needs to be changed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When it comes to changing your attitude, you need to do an honest and in-depth self-evaluation so you could point out exactly which of your traits need to be improved or totally changed.

2).{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Find someone who has the kind of attitude that you want to have, and let his or her life give you inspiration and encouragement to move beyond your temporary failures in your journey towards becoming a better person.

3). Choose the right company.

    As they say, “Bad company corrupts good character.” You don't expect yourself to be able to change if you go on surrounding yourself with people who possess all the negative traits that you want to change. Consider befriending new people, especially those who are optimistic and have a healthy attitude towards life.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

4). Believe that you are able to change.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you don't believe in yourself or believe that you or your life can change, it just won't happen—you will either never start, or give up quickly that you won't have even given yourself the opportunity to succeed.

A. Your effort to change will be easier with these people as friends.

B. Setting clear goals is the key to success in any endeavor.

C. The greatest obstacle is our inability to trust in what we can do.

D. Look for a role model.

E. Think about how your attitude change will affect your life.

F. There is always an opportunity for change.

G. Fix your mind on the things that would come as a result of your attitude change.

    You are one of the most familiar faces in class, not because you are funny or have great note-taking abilities but because you ask the most number of questions.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is important to have a good way to ask questions. Here are a few tips for improving your questioning skills:

    Be clear about what you want to know.

    Be clear about what you want to know and frame your question accordingly.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you beat around the bush, your teachers won't be entirely sure what it is that you haven't understood, or need an explanation for.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you are uncertain about a particular subject, make it clear when it is being discussed. If you put your question in context (语境), you can be sure of it. Because questions often open up new avenues within a subject, doing this would benefit the whole class.

    Don't hesitate to talk to your teacher after class.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Therefore, if you feel uncomfortable about asking a question in front of your classmates, wait till the class is over. This will probably put you more at ease.

    Write down your questions.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They may appear when you're studying, reading or taking notes. Note them down on a piece of paper so that you won't forget to ask them later. This can also make sure that you don't have any unanswered questions when the exam approaches.

A. Don't ask more questions once a time.

B. Questions may appear at any time.

C. Being curious is not a bad quality.

D. You may think it is good to ask no questions.

E. Ask questions related to the context.

F. A question needs to be easy to be understood and to the point.

G. One-to-one interactions (互动) are always much better than one-to-many.

I know just how you feel

    Do you feel sad? Happy? Angry? You may think that the way you show these emotions is unique. Well, think again. Even the expression of the most personal feelings can be classified, according to Mind Reading, a DVD exhibiting every possible human emotion. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    In the mid 1800s, Darwin divided the emotions into six types—anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise and enjoyment. More complex expressions of emotion were probably learned and therefore more specific to each culture. But now it is believed that many more facial expressions are shared worldwide. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The Mind Reading DVD is a systematic visual record of these expressions.

    The project was designed by a Cambridge professor. His research team first had to define an "emotion". {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Using this definition, 412 emotion terms were identified and discussed, from "afraid" to "wanting".

    Then each expression is acted out by six different actors. "It was really clear when the actors had got it right," says Cathy Collis, who directed the DVD. "Although they were given some direction, the actors were not told which facial muscles they should move. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}"

    Someone who has tried to set such rules is the American, Professor Paul Ekman, who built database of how the face moves for every emotion. The face can make 43 distinct muscle movements. Ekman has also found that it may not be possible for people to reproduce them artificially. The most difficult expression to reproduce is the smile. It isn't only about stretching the lips, but tightening the tiny muscles around the eye. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If we learnt to recognize whether someone was using their eye muscle when they smiled, we would be able to distinguish true enjoyment from false.

Diet Myths — Get the facts, or your diet may fail!

    Dieting is hard work, and there are plenty of "helpful" diet tricks that can make weight loss even harder. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Carbs(含碳水化合物的食物) are bad for you. Carbohydrates are actually an important source of energy. There are good carbs and bad carbs. Some foods, like white bread or white rice, are example of bad carbs. Good carbs include whole wheat bread and brown rice. They're rich in fiber and really good for you!

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} On the contrary, studies show that people who eat breakfast will eat fewer calories throughout the day. And if you know you're going to be eating a big meal later, don't starve yourself in order to save you calories. You'll just eat more during the meal because you're so hungry! Instead, eat smaller meals a couple days before and after, and exercise more.

    You can control where your body loses weight. Bad news – if you want a flatter stomach, just exercising your stomach won't work. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Cardio(有氧运动) exercises will help burn fat, while weight training helps build muscles. Your "trouble areas" might not be the first to slim down, but keep exercising!

    Your weight depends on your genes. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} While a "fat gene" does exist, its influence on your size is small. Smart eating and exercise have a much greater effect than your genes. Only 25 percent of your weight is controlled by genes – the rest is up to you.

    Say "no" to junk food. Many people think that the key to losing weight is cutting out all bad foods. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To lose weight and keep it off, eat great 80 percent of the time, but allow yourself in a treat or two the other 20 percent.

A. You can't target where you lose weight.

B. But the more strict your diet is, the more likely you are to break it – and in a big way.

C. Here are some common myths about losing weight and the truth behind them.

D. Skipping meals helps you lose more weight.

E. If you and your family have problems with obesity, you're not sure to be fat.

F. Don't miss meals but exercise.

G. Instead of choosing a difficult diet, find one you can manage and stick to it every day.