A. Come in with something to say.

B. Prepare general comments.

C. Bring materials with you.

D. Don't make them wait.

E. Have no fear.

F. Go it alone.

    One of the best things you can do any time in the semester is go see the professor. So hoof on over to an office hour and have some one-on-one face time with someone who'll help you master the material and improve your grade, to boot. But how should you have this conversation with the professor? Here are five insider tips about how to make that office hour really count:

     {#blank#}1{#/blank#} No need to get all bent out of shape about going to see the professor. The professor would actually like to see you and answer your questions. Believe it or not, he or she is on your side and is eager to see you do well. And besides, he or she has seen many students stupider than you, so nothing you're gong to ask will set the record for stupidity.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Even though you might feel more comfortable going with a friend or partner, the office hour will go better if it's just you and the professor. You'll get in more questions, the discussion will be tailored to what you need most help on, and two-party communication is almost always more productive than committee work. You friend can wait outside for the discussion.

     {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you can't make the official office hours, most professors are willing to make individual, appointments to help you out. If you're lucky enough to land such an accommodation, though, be sure you're 100 percent on time. There's nothing that ticks off a professor more than making him-or herself available for a custom office hour only to find that you don't care enough to come on time. And besides, the professor might leave after ten minutes, which would make your trip a total loss.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you're meeting with the professor to go over a paper or test, or to ask questions about a particular lecture or reading, make sure you bring that paper or test, or your lecture notes or a copy of the article. The professor doesn't remember the comments he or she wrote on your individual piece of work—though he or she will be able to recall them after just a brief glance at your work. And if you have your lecture notes or the article in hand, you and the professor will be able to examine specific points that are confusing to you, rather than just talking in a general way about the contents.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Office hours almost always go better if you bring a few specific questions to the meeting. It's almost never good to start a meeting with general comments such as: “I didn't understand what you said about [main topic of the course]”or “I couldn't understand any of your lectures last week.” Much better is to come in with two or three conversation-starters, about a specific concept, point, or problem you didn't understand. Keep in mind that in a fifteen-minute office hour (which is how long these things usually last), two or three questions are usually the most you'll have time to discuss.

    Swim-with-dolphins

    Humans have always been fascinated by dolphins and there has been a long history of association between the two.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. The “swim-with-dolphins” tourist industry is becoming more popular every year. The chance to see dolphins in the wild is often a lifetime dream for many people and tour operators are always on the lookout to give their tourist swimmers the best experience they can. After all, it can cost a large amount of money to have this kind of holiday experience. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Research has shown that while dolphins can move away if they do not want to interact with human swimmers, they do not like it at all if the swimmers slip into the water directly on top of them or if humans are in their path of travel. However, if swimmers enter the water to one side of them, the dolphins do not avoid the swimmers to the same extent.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    In all cases, the dolphins seem to have become more sensitive to the presence of the swimmers. For dolphins, swimming with humans is not necessarily a high priority(优先权). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is a new and unusual experience for them.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The advice is that dolphins should be given adequate periods of time throughout the day when they are not exposed to tourism. Humans' lifelong dreams of swimming with dolphins in the wild have severely affected them, leaving not enough time for them to rest and take care of their own babies.

    If we are to enjoy these remarkable animals and not just use them for our entertainment, then we must carefully monitor the “swim-with-dolphins” industry worldwide.

A. They cannot fulfill their lifelong dreams.

B. This possibly seems like less threatening behavior to them.

C. In the long term there could be harmful effects on the dolphin's well-being.

D. It is frequently asked whether “swim-with-dolphins” tourism should be stopped.

E. So tour operators try to place eager swimmers as near as possible to the dolphins.

F. Over time this has turned into a worldwide tourist activity--swimming with dolphins.

G. In fact, only some baby dolphins will be relatively willing to participate in the interaction.

    Porridge doesn't have a very tasty name, does it? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. I'm here to try and convince you that porridge can be a delicious, convenient and very healthy way to start the day.

    Porridge is a type of food served for breakfast, usually a type of grain with either milk or water. It is thicker than liquid, but not solid. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, so it's a very good option for people who are ill, and it provides long-lasting energy for the day.

    Porridge preparation, such as the amount of materials and cooking time depends on what you choose to use as your porridge base. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, I put a very big handful of oats (麦片) in a pot, add a little bit of water and about 200ml of milk, and let the mixture boil. It takes about five minutes to cook.

    Once it's cooked, the fun part is adding the flavors (味道). Porridge alone doesn't have a very strong flavour. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, I think this is what makes porridge exciting! It is like a blank piece of paper-you can add almost anything you want to the porridge base. Seeds, nuts and dried fruits are very healthy options to add and can give you energy for the day. But if you don't like these, or you're allergic, then sugar and chocolate are also very tasty options.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Either oats or corn or both are "staple foods" for most people on the earth. You can usually buy big bags of either, then add local materials to make your porridge interesting-whatever is cheap and convenient to find, wherever you are.

Hopefully porridge sounds a lot tastier now!

A．If you've never eaten it

B．If I'm cooking for myself

C．The porridge base is very easy to digest

D．It doesn't have a very tasty reputation, either

E．It is often heated up but lacks all kinds of nutrition

F．You can make porridge almost anywhere in the world

G．Although some people think this makes porridge boring

    Every animal sleeps, but the reason for this has remained foggy. When lab rats are not allowed to sleep, they die within a month. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One idea is that sleep helps us strengthen new memories. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}We know that, while awake, fresh memories are recorded by reinforcing (加强) connections between brain cells, but the memory processes that take place while we sleep have been unclear.

    Support is growing for a theory that sleep evolved（进化） so that connections between neurons (神经元) in the brain can be weakened overnight, making room for fresh memories to form the next day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Now we have the most direct evidence yet that he is right. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The synapses （神经突触）in the mice taken at the end of a period of sleep were 18 percent smaller than those taken before sleep, showing that the connections between neurons weaken while sleeping .

If Tononi's theory is right, it would explain why, when we miss a night's sleep, we find it harder the next day to concentrate and learn new information--our brains may have smaller room for new experiences.

    Their research also suggests how we may build lasting memories over time even though the synapses become thinner. The team discovered that some synapses seem to be protected and stayed the same size. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} “You keep what matters,”Tononi says.

A. We should also try to sleep well the night before.

B. It's as if the brain is preserving(保存) its most important memories.

C. Similarly, when people go for a few days without sleeping, they get sick.

D. The processes take place to stop our brains becoming loaded(装载) with memories.

E. That's why students do better in tests if they get a chance to sleep after learning.

F. “Sleep is the price we pay for learning,” says Giulio Tononi, who developed the idea.

G. Tononi's team measured the size of these connections, or synapses, in the brains of 12 mice.

A: Excuse me, Madam. You can't park in front of the shop.

B: I'm so sorry. It's my first time to drive alone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

A: {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I think you can park there.

B: {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

A: About two kilometers.

B: Thanks. Can you tell me the way there?

A: You can use the guide map in your car. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

B: But I don't know how to use it! Can you help me?

A: {#blank#}5{#/blank#} All right, it's OK now.

B: It's very kind of you. Thank you so much!

A: You are welcome.

Dangerous Driving Habits

Approximately 1. 3 million people around the world die in road accidents every year, making it one of the top ten causes of deaths. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}To prevent these consequences, here are some dangerous driving habits you should avoid.

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

Were you actually surprised by this one? Here's the truth — you're 23 times more likely to crash if you text while driving. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Disturbingly, 77 percent of young adult drivers say they can safely drive while texting. Actually, distracted driving accidents, including those caused by the use of handheld devices, form the No. 1 killer of teens, according to the NHTSA and others.

Drive when you're tired.

Avoid driving when you're tired, since you will have slower reaction times and you are very likely to fall asleep at the wheel. If you're exhausted and your body needs sleep, it is going to get it, one way or another. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you're already in the car, pull over and take a nap and then continue when you've woken up. Having someone with you in the car can help prevent accidents, since you are more likely to be alert if you have company.

Keep an eye on the kids.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, passengers are ranked by drivers as among the most frequent causes of distraction（分心）. Young children are four times as distracting as adults, while infants can be eight times more distracting, the AAA Foundation reports. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Talk on the phone.

B. Text and update social media.

C. Therefore, keep an eye on the kids if you drive fast.

D. It takes about five seconds of attention to send a brief text.

E. If you're very tired, avoid driving home and take a cab instead.

F. So think twice before glancing at your little one at the backseat.

G. Another 20-50 million people are injured due to road accidents every year.