Camels are large animals living in dry areas. There are two species of camels; the Arabian camel with a single hump(驼背) from the dry desert areas of West Asia, and the Bactrian camel with two humps from Central and East Asia. Camels are over 7 feet tall and weigh over 1,600 pounds. They will live up to 40 to 50 years. Most camels are domesticated(驯化) and fed by people. Camels are plant-eaters．

    Camels are very strong animals with wide, padded feet. They have thick leathery pads on their knees and chest. Camels have nostrils(鼻孔)that can open and close, protecting them from the desert environment. Bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes protect their eyes from sand. Their mouth is extremely tough, allowing camels to eat thorny(带刺的)desert plants. Their widened feet help them move without sinking into the sand. Their thick coats reflect sunlight, and also protect them from the intense heat from desert sand. Their long legs help by keeping them further from the hot ground．

    Camels can go without food and water for 3 to 4 days. They do not store water in their humps as is commonly believed．The humps are actually a container of fat. Camels are incredibly well-adapted to their environment. When conditions heat up, camels can increase their own body temperature, which prevents sweating and therefore water loss. They may not sweat at all during the day．

    Camels are sometimes called“ships of the desert”because people ride them around the hot, dry deserts of the world．However, the number of camels is becoming smaller for various reasons．

    Social media and the mobile web have given rise to a strange phenomenon called the selfie(自拍). It refers to a picture of yourself, usually shared on any social networking website.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Some selfies are extreme close-ups(特写镜头), and others show part of an arm held straight outward. A few of them even feature the subject standing in front of a bathroom mirror.

    Everyone takes selfies, but the younger crowd seems to be especially involved in the trend. Young people are relatively heavier digital users. They are interested in staying connected to their friends.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    There are also kinds of psychological factors driving people to take a selfie and upload it to a social networking site.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} A quick and easy way to attract other's attention is to get "likes" and comments from friends. Secondly, it's human nature to show off your own great achievements. When you feel good about yourself or look good, it's far too easy to take out your phone and document it all through one or several selfies.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}That's right. Sometimes people are bored at work, bored at school, bored at home and even bored on the toilet. Last but not least, social media is about being social! If that means uploading as many selfies as possible, then so be it. It's fun, and it's a cool way to sort of document your own life.

    Finally, there are things to be mindful of when you're posting. It's easy to think you're sharing a photo with a few people.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}So don't post anything online, selfie especially.

A. There are lots of selfie styles.

B. The rise of selfies has become universal.

C. Social media, to some extent, is the driving force of their selfie activity.

D. The desire to take, post and get "likes" on selfies goes back to a biological behavior.

E. But the whole world of social media is public and every individual can get access to it.

F. There are also people who will take selfies because they have nothing else better to do.

G. The leading factor is that people want to get attention from as many people as possible.

    For some people, choosing which sports to play throughout high school is hard because they have never really played an organized sport before and aren't sure what they'll enjoy most.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you're great at basketball but would rather play football because you think it's more fun, then give it a go (just make sure it's coot with morn and dad).

    Sports are meant to be fun.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} What's the worst that can happen? If you get cut, you can always try another sport. And sports like track don't typically cut participants from the team. You can still participate even if you're not in the team for the competition.

    Some sports, like basketball or baseball, require every person on the field to be working well together.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Sports like tennis, track and field, swimming, gymnastics, and wrestling are all sports where individual performances are tallied(计分)into team scores.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, for the most part it's possible to win a solo event in these sports and still have your team lose or vice-versa(反之亦然).

    No one knows you better than you do. Maybe you enjoy the spotlight. Maybe you get annoyed by the way teammates act. Luckily, there are many individualized sports to choose from.

A．Many people are attracted to team sports.

B．Besides swimming, try fishing, sailing, skiing, and surfing.

C．Of course there are exceptions, like relays in track and swimming.

D．For others it's tough because their friends don't like to play the same sports.

E．No matter what your problem is, you have to make the decision that is best for you.

F．If there is a sport you really enjoy but you aren't sure if you can make the team, try out anyway.

G．Sure, certain people perform much better than others, but superstars don't necessarily make a good team!

How to Turn Your Goals into Habits

    First we make our habits, then our habits make us. It's such a simple concept, yet it's something we don't always do.

    I believe that having ONE goal to focus on is much more powerful than having many goals. By putting the belief into practice, I have achieved a lot of personal goals over time.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. My answer takes a little explaining. I try to turn my goals into habits, and in doing so! I put my goals on autopilot (自动化). Turning a goal into a habit means really focusing on it for at least a month. The more you can focus, the more it'll be on autopilot.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. You'll still do it, but you only have to use minimal force to maintain it, and you can focus on your next goal or habit.

    Take my marathon goal as an example. I was just starting running and had the brilliant idea to run a marathon within a year. So that was my goal.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. First, I had to make running a daily habit. Second, I had to report to people in order to have accountability (负责) so that I could not quit easily. I focused on the daily running habit for about a month, and didn't have any other goals or habits. When the running habit stuck, I started reporting to people I knew and blogging about my running every day.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. I could focus on new goals without having to worry about the marathon. I still had to do the running, of course, but it didn't require constant focus. And eventually, I ran the first marathon in my life. I was able to achieve this because, all year long, I had daily running and accountability habits.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, so instead of struggling with it daily for an entire year, I focused on it for one month and was able to accomplish it while focusing on new habits and goals.

A. I put my marathon goal on autopilot

B. At the beginning, it was very difficult for me to achieve this goal

C. But in order to achieve it, I broke it down into two habits

D. With this accountability, there's no way I could stop running

E. Once you put it on autopilot, you don't have to focus on it much

F. My readers asked me how I was able to achieve them while working on different projects

G. Once those two habits were established, my marathon goal was pretty much on autopilot

    More students than ever before are taking a gap year（间隔年） before going to university. It used to be the "year off" between school and university. The gap﹣year phenomenon originated（起源） with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.

    This year, 25310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service （UCAS）.

    That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. "Students who take a well﹣planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible, "he said.

    But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students （NUS）, argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship﹣young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. "New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to￡15, 000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods," he said.

Volunteering is a great way to support an organization and make a difference in your community. It can also be an opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}And what should we plan for? Here's a guide for beginners.

Step 1: {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Do you want to help the world, or your community? Do you want to build your own skills, make new friends, and learn? Do you love what you do? Do you want to share your gifts with others or give something back? Think about these kinds of questions. That can help you to choose the right direction for your volunteer work.

Step 2: Choose an organization that is meaningful to you.

If you feel strongly about literacy (读写), for instance, volunteer at your local library or find out if there is an organization of volunteer tutors in your area. There are organizations doing all sorts of work. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Step 3: Start small.

If you already have a busy school life, volunteer your time for an hour or two a week, or perhaps one day a month. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Then, if you find you enjoy the work and have more time to do it, take on more time by time.

Step 4: Get training.

If there is a training course, attend it. If not, talk to the group leaders and other volunteers about their experiences. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Step 5: Try not to give up.

Volunteer work sometimes involves unpleasant tasks, difficult fellow workers, busy days, or bad management. If you find your work difficult, however, try to work through it before you decide to quit.

A. Do you love to work with people?

B. But how do we go about volunteering?

C. Get to know others in the organization.

D. It is important that you choose something that you like.

E. Think about why you want to volunteer.

F. You'll pick up some good tips to make your work there more productive.

G. You might be surprised by how much you can do in even a little bit of time.