You walk into the classroom, look at that white piece of paper in front of you and are told you've got an hour and a half to do it. That can make anyone nervous, but here is the guide to stay calm.

    Get a good night's sleep the night before the test, and eat a healthy breakfast next day. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you're too tired, you won't remember what you learnt the night before.

    Get to class a little earlier. If you get there early, you'll make sure to get your favorite seat. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Breathe. Before the test, breathe in through your nose deeply and slowly. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Repeat this several times. If you experience a sudden panic during the test, perform the exercise again.

    Skip questions if necessary. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you come across a difficult question, skip the question and move on. You can come back to it at the end of the test if you have time, and later questions may help you get the answer(s) to the one(s) you skipped.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't panic if you notice other students writing very quickly or handing in their tests early. Tell yourself it's just a test. Really, it is. No matter what happens, everything will be OK.

    Study Links Video Game Use to Problems in School

    A new study warns that too much time spent playing computer games could affect a child's performance at school.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} They show that too many hours spent playing games can reduce students changes of success in school.

    More than 600 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 16 took part in research project.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is said to be the first ever long-term study of information technology on school test results in Northern Ireland.

    The study found that teenagers who played computer games less than once a week were more successful in school than those who played them twice a day or more. 41% of the students who used gaming devices two or more times a day received passing grades on school exams{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    The study found that social media use did not affect school performance. Celine McStravick is the director of the National Children's Bureau Northern Ireland (NCBNI). She says “{#blank#}4{#/blank#}— I think that's more because social media is part of every child's life. It's the way they communicate. It's the way they keep in touch with their friends.”

    Many parents say their children are becoming increasingly dependent on computer games. Some have compared gaming to a drug addiction.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} It suggested that computer games can cause children to stay awake late at night. Less sleep makes children tired and unable to pay attention in school the next day.

A. However, the study did not explore addiction.

B. The new games are much different from older ones.

C. The study showed no connection between social media and test results.

D. It took place over a period of three years from 2013 to 2015.

E. Thai compared with 77% of those who rarely played the games.

F. Drug addiction does great harm to their health and performance at school.

G. Britain's National Children's Bureau Northern Ireland reported the results of the study.

    It's nice being nice to others; it's also great to give people a hand. However, if you start to hurt yourself by doing so, then this is not so healthy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you fear that you might fall into this category, the following tips will help you to stand up for yourself and regain your self-confidence.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Although you may often stay silent if something is wrong or bothers you, it is better to speak your mind right away. You don't have to be rude, but you do have to be firm and direct. Don't do things for others if you don't really want to. Speak up, and soon others will be seeing you in a whole new light.

    Start small.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This will allow you to practice being brave and self-confident. Tell a person who has cut in line in front of you to move to the back of the line, or tell a salesperson to do that. Before long, you will be confident enough to stand up to your friends and family members.

    Judge well.

    When dealing with others, you have to exercise good judgment. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If a colleague isn't doing his part, you should rightfully demand that he start doing so. However, if a taxi cuts you off in traffic, just let it go.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Rome wasn't built in a day. If you want to get back again after having been a pushover(耳软心活的人), it's best to take one step at a time.

A. Express yourself.

B. Regain your confidence.

C. Start by speaking up for yourself with strangers.

D. Everyone has the right to live without being judged.

E. If you slip back into the pushover mode every once in a while, don't blame yourself.

F. Sadly, some people are so easily pushed around that they come to be seen as pushovers.

G. It's one thing to be confident, but quite another to forcefully say no to an unreasonable request.

    It's not easy to talk with teens about their relationship with screens.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Open with a discussion of young children's tech use

    Rather than asking teens to put down iPads, introduce a discussion on babies' tech use. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When I had my eighth graders read an article about banning iPads for children under two, the class were interested.

    Admit your tech problems

    One of my students wrote that she would like to prevent the whole family from using tech facilities. Clearly, someone in her home was having some tech use problems. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}We can't tell kids to put down their devices if we continue to use them.

Keep a balanced opinion

    We adults wouldn't be able to live in today's society without screens, so we shouldn't expect teenagers to do so either. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It's improved our lives in many ways. Before we start talking about its challenges, we need to realize its opportunities, too.

    Deal with the topic like you would nutrition (营养)

    If children weren't making good food choices, we would never take their lunches away and make them stay hungry. We would teach them how to eat healthy and help them learn to set new habits: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Instead of taking their devices away, we should help them keep a balance with technology.

A. The same should go for technology.

B. Technology isn't a bad habit to be got out of.

C. This will invite teens to talk about the subject.

D. Teens need face-to-face communication with adults.

E. One of teens' fears is that we'll take their devices away.

F. So we need to be open about our own tech habits as well.

G. Here are a few ways that will make the discussion easier and more productive.

    Traffic Regulation and Accident Prevention

    We live in a remarkable time, and many of the once fatal diseases can now be cured with modern medicine and surgery. It is almost certain that one day a cure will be found for the rest of the diseases. Expectations of life have greatly increased. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible killing of men, women and children on the roads. Man fights against the motor-car. It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Nothing can seriously increase your risk of potentially fatal car accidents other than speeding and failing to pay due attention to weather conditions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man's very worst qualities. Usually quiet and pleasant people, when they are behind the steering wheel, will become unrecognizable. They are impolite, aggressive, self-willed like two-year-old, completely selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments, and jealousy seem to be caused by driving.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It's all for his own convenience. Due to a serious tragedy, the city is almost uninhabitable and the huge parking lot makes the town ugly. The destruction of rural areas and the annual mass killings are just a statistic, easily forgotten. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are not strict and even the strictest are not strict enough.

    Traffic rules are for everyone to follow under any circumstances, and no one can make an exception unless you make a joke of your own life. Universally accepted standards can only have a significant beneficial on the incidence of accidents. Governments should develop safety codes for manufacturers. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} These measures may sound cruel. However, if these measures result in a reduction in the loss of life every year, they should certainly not be considered serious. After all, the world belongs to humans, not cars.

A. There are five reason for the accident and you are guilty.

B. Every year thousands of people are horribly killed, and we sit still and let it happen.

C. Surprisingly, society should smile at the driver and forgive him.

D. Someone has rightly said that when a person is sitting behind the steering wheel, his car becomes an extension of his personality.

E. All advertisements that emphasize power and performance should be banned.

F. It is time to develop a universal norm to reduce this senseless waste of human life.

Fighting the curse of presenteeism

    "It's true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?" Beyond a certain level, extra effort seems to be self­defeating. Studies suggest that, after 10 hours a week, employee productivity falls sharply.

    But that doesn't stop some managers from demanding that workers stay chained to their desk for long periods. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, recently applauded the "996" model, where employees work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, as a huge blessing". However, to modern office workers presenteeism is a curse.

    There will be days when you do not have much to do, just waiting for someone else to respond to a request. As the clock ticks past 5pm, there may be no purpose in staying at your desk. But you can see your boss hard at work and, more important, they can see you. So you make an effort to look busy.

    If bosses do not like to go home before their underlings (下属)and underlings fear leaving before their bosses, everyone is trapped. Staff may feel that they will not get a pay rise, or a promotion, if they are not seen to be putting in maximum effort. This is easily confused with long hours. Managers, who are often no good at judging employees5 performance, use time in the office as a measurement.

    But presenteeism has more serious consequences. As well as reducing productivity, this can increase medical expenses for the employer. According to a study, these costs can be six time: higher for employers than the costs of absenteeism among workers. To take one example, research found that Japanese employees with lower­back pain were three times more likely to turn up for work than in Britain. As a result, those workers were more likely to experience greater pain and to suffer from depression. What could be more discouraging than being in pain while feeling trapped at work?

    "None of this is to say that employers are not entitled to expect workers to be in the office for a small amount of time. Unavoidably there will be a need for some (preferably short)meetings. Dealing with colleagues face-­to­-face develops friendships, allows for a useful exchange of ideas and enables workers to have a better sense of their common needs.

    With portable smart phones and laptops, we can work at home as easily as in the office. Turning an office into a prison does nothing for the creativity that is increasingly demanded of office workers as routine tasks are automatic. To be productive you need presence of mind, not being present in the flesh.