Have you ever heard of homecoming? It's a tradition celebrated every year in the US. At homecoming, a school or university welcomes back former students or alumni(校友).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It means, “coming home.”

    This is a time when everyone can get together.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}There are events that encourage school spirit all throughout homecoming week, which leads to the big day on Friday.

    A major activity that most students will take part in is choosing the homecoming king and queen.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} This is a group of boys and girls who represent (代表) school spirit. At the end of the week, students vote for a boy and a girl to be the king and the queen.

    Then it's time for the football game, the main event of homecoming week! {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Almost everyone from school goes to the game: students, parents, teachers, and alumni visitors. If they win, everyone is very happy.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Students dress up, and some might even bring a date to go with them. After the dance, homecoming is officially over, and everyone can't wait for next year!

A. The last event is the homecoming dance.

B. That is where the name comes from.

C. Students get to pick who will be on homecoming court early in the week.

D. The tradition began more than 100 years ago in the United States.

E. The football team faces a lot of pressure to do well for the big crowd.

F. Homecoming usually lasts a week and happens in the fall.

G. Homecoming week was not just about fun, but also a chance to try out new things.

    Everyone can benefit a lot from reading books. The following is about various benefits of reading books.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Whenever you read something, you learn information that you wouldn't have known. If you want to learn new words, reading books is a great way to enlarge your vocabulary.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Similar to solving puzzles, reading books allows your mind to practice its processing skills. Going without books for too long will turn your mind into mess.

    One of the primary benefits of reading books is its ability to develop your thinking skills.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Wherever you are faced with a similar problem in real life, your mind is able to put its mystery solving skills to a test.

    The information in books can be referred to over and over again. For example, reading a cookbook allows you the chance to review the cooking steps whenever you need to.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't even think about writing the information down because you may lose the paper sooner or later.

    These are just some of the wonderful benefits of reading books.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you can't even go outside, you can download free e­books online and read them on your computer. That way, you can see how useful reading can be for yourself.

A. You can improve your memory by reading.

B. Reading keeps your mind in good condition.

C. Reading books can make you become confident.

D. Reading books provides you with new knowledge.

E. Reading mystery novels, for example, trains your mind.

F. Following the steps from a cooking video will be difficult.

G. Why don't you drop into a bookstore and pick a book up?

    Do you ever wonder if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing with your life?What if you have potential talents that could lead you to a new path and change everything for the better?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The following tips will help you discover your potential strength.

    ●Do what you love.

    One sure way to get yourself moving in the right direction is to do more of the things that make you feel good.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}That might lead to writing a book or a movie or a career in writing.If baking treats for friends and neighbors gives you great pleasure,take it one step further.Upgrade your packaging and look into selling your goodies at a local market.

    ●Complete some assessment activities.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}While none of them is perfect,each of them can help you realize the types of your strengths.

    ●{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    It's not always easy to self-identify what we're good at.So go and ask your friends what they think your strengths are.You might be surprised at what they have to say.Are you creative,organized,or socially outgoing?Sometimes your friends are more aware of your strengths than you.

    ●Find a guide.

    If you have an idea of where your potential strengths lie,it may help to find a person who has achieved success in a related area.Chances are that your guide would be happy to share tips and motivations to help you.Use this relationship to get hands-on experience.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Ask the owner of a shop you admire if you can work part time or volunteer in order to learn the business and see if it suits you.

A. Ask your friends.

B. Turn to your teachers for help.

C. Stop wondering and start doing.

D. If you love to write, start blog now.

E. Setting a goal helps you identify a potential strength.

F. There are many free self-evaluation tools on the Internet.

G. Do you think you might want to open a bookstore or cafe?

    How to test best

    It's back to school, which means it's back to tests, which might also means it's back to being majorly stressed out.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some simple ways to prepare thoroughly for tests.

    Schedule study time.

Trying to do all studying the night before a test makes it impossible to master all the materials.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead, prepare for a test by scheduling study time each day for several days before.

    Use your time wisely.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Also, make sure you have all the supplies（用具）you need to study so you don't lose focus. While studying, be sure to make regular short breaks. Get a snack, take a bathroom break or play a quick computer game when it feels as if your brain is about to explode.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Studying with a parent or friends can help you understand the material better and to learn from one another. Have every person or pair take a part of the material, and come up with questions to quiz the group. Keep the group small. Have everyone take turns as the group leader, who will assign the material, and make sure that conversation stays on what is being studied.

    Don't forget last-minute preparation.

Have your sharpened pencils and other things in your bag ready the night before the test. It's important to get a good night's sleep and then eating a healthy breakfast the next morning.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Also, studying all the way up until test time can only create more anxiety. Stop studying an hour beforehand.

A. Form a study group.

B. Stay cool before the test.

C. It doesn't have to be this way.

D. This will help you store important information.

E. This way, both your mind and body are fully prepared.

F. Before studying, clear your desk so you can concentrate.

G. It will also make you tired and stressed on the day of the test.

    One of the big challenges that students face in applying to universities abroad is writing the application essay.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Admissions officers(招生负责人) attempt to get at what type of person you are, what motivates you, and what you feel passion for. In a single 500-word piece of writing, they attempt to gather all about you. So your task is to put the stamp of your personality on the essay and make yourself special.

    You can try and guess what the admissions officers like. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The essay will sound empty and become another dull piece of writing, which admissions officers get thousands of each year.

    It is true that admissions officers aren't exactly looking for anything.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If they ask for someone who has inspired you, it could be anyone. It could be a grandmother, a teacher, or even a character from a movie. A lot of people will say their dad. But since you really feel it, you'll have a lot to write about.

    There are some important things to remember. These admissions officers want good writers. You don't have to be Ernest Hemingway, but you have to be able to form an interesting story. That means revision and editing, cutting out stupid grammar mistakes, reading it over several times, leaving it for a few days and looking at it again.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Also, you should use exciting language and really make the reader feel the same passion as you do. It also means finding something unique about your point of view, something that other people might not think of. For example, if you want to write about your dad, you can focus on a specific anecdote(趣闻) about him.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. The essays you are required to write differ from university to university.

B. The answer is just as open-ended as the question itself.

C. Admissions officers love personal stories that ring true.

D. The essay topics all have something in common.

E. You can turn to famous writers to polish your essay.

F. Whatever you do, make sure the essay is as good as possible.

G. But that won't work.

    Having good study habits is key to success in college. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} To begin making the change, you need to get organized to study.

    Create a fixed study space. Find a quiet space in your room or somewhere on campus where you can focus. Studying in the same place every day makes your brain combine a certain environment with work. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Find a regular time for studying. If you study at the same time each day, your brain will be prepared for learning when you sit down. Review your schedule and see when you have free time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can study during gaps between classes or in the evening after your classes are done for the day.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Make sure you have everything you need to study at your study space. If you're studying in a place in your home, keep things like your books, pencils, pens, and paper in that area. If you go out to study, you can take a book bag and keep all your studying materials stored there.

    Avoid distractions (干扰). When you prepare your study space, it's important to keep it away from distractions. Remove any technologies that will take your mind off your work, like your iPad. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Besides, keep other distracting materials such as outside reading, away from your study area.