Homework is a major part of going to school: It's your teachers' way of evaluating(评价) how much you understand of what's going on in class. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Luckily, you can do a few things to make homework less work.

    Be sure you understand the homework.

    Write your homework down in your notebook or day planner if you need to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's much easier to take a minute to ask the teacher during or after class than to struggle to remember later that night!

    Use any extra time in school.

    Many schools have study halls that are specifically designed to allow students to study. It's tempting (诱惑) to hang out with friends during study periods or unstructured (松散的) time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  

    Take a break.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without stretching or relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If you don't finish your homework during school, think about how much you have left and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most high-school students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it's a heavy homework day and it seems like you've got an assignment in every subject but gym and lunch, you'll need to devote more time to homework. It's a good idea to come up with some kind of homework schedule, especially if you are involved in sports or activities or have an after-school job.

A. Pace yourself.

B. Settle down to do homework.

C. And it helps digest important concepts (概念).

D. Most people's attention spans (注意力持续时间) aren't very long.

E. Don't be afraid to ask questions about what's expected.

F. Once your homework is done, you can check over it if you have extra time.

G. But the more work you can get done in school, the less you'll have to do that night.

Study Habits You Should Be Practising

    With exams, essays, projects, and many deadlines for different things, effective（有效的）study habits are necessary. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you are in need of a bit of an improvement, keep reading for the top four study habits that you should be practicing.

    ⒈Make and use flashcards.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} By using flashcards with a question on one side and the answer on the other, you will force your brain to recall he necessary information. Even if you struggle a bit with a card, you will still be actively revising the necessary material.

    ⒉Revise, revise, revise!

    Many students put off studying until just before the exam, with the more hardworking students giving themselves a week or two before a test. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It's best to revise the information a little bit every day, so that you are not upset when a test comes around.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    One of the most effective—and the most fun—methods of studying is to watch related lectures and videos in order to get more material. Watch documentaries or videos on YouTube and educational websites. You may be surprised at how much you can learn from videos, and just how much information is available online.

    ⒋Re-write your notes.

    Studies have shown that writing information out by hand increases your ability to remember the material. This makes the recall go hand-in-hand with muscle memory.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    These are the four most effective study habits, and something all successful students do. Make sure you are on top of your game by following these study methods!

Tips to stay safe and make smart choices

    Even if you're a genius (天才) at school, you still might be lost when it comes to getting from point A to point B. Don't get caught in a strange place without these basic safety tips.

    Know where you're going.

    Before you set out in an unfamiliar area, go to Google Maps to plan your journey and print it out. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Make sure that the location services are turned on your phone, just in case you get lost.

    Know where your stuff is.

    Never leave your backpack or shopping bags out of your sight. Carry your wallet in your front pocket or keep it close to your body. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A fun day out can turn into the worst headache ever if you realize you've left something behind.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    If you have the choice between a busy street and a deserted one, always pick the busy one. You are more likely to be attacked on dark, empty sidewalks than on ones with a crowd.

    Travel in packs.

    Don't go anywhere — especially an unfamiliar place — without a friend or two. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Don't let your music drown you out.

    There's nothing wrong with listening to your iPod as you walk around town, but keep it at a low enough volume (音量) so you can still hear passing cars. Losing concentration puts you at risk from accidents, attacks and getting lost. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't do it. Keep your head up and pay attention to the people and things going on around you.

A. Pick your streets smart.

B. Always choose your own ways.

C. Be sure you've got everything at all times.

D. Take out your phone and call the police.

E. This also goes for texting while walking.

F. You can also use your phone's GPS to map the route.

G. If you must go out alone, be sure to tell someone where you're going.

    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.

Keeping Safe in your House During a Fire

    Though you may not think you'll ever fall victim to a house fire, it's better to be prepared to avoid panicking. To increase your chances of survival, just follow these steps.

    ⒈React as soon as you hear your smoke alarm goes off. On hearing your smoke detector or alarm going off and seeing a fire, exit your home as safely as possible. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒉Safely exit through doors. If you don't see smoke at the door, open it slowly and pass through it after making sure the door feels cool. If there is a fire preventing you from exiting the room, close the door.

    ⒊Protect yourself from smoke inhalation（吸入）. Get low to the floor and crouch or crawl on your hands and knees to avoid the smoke. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Cover your nose and mouth if you have to walk by or through a heavily smoke-filled room.

    ⒋{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your clothes catch fire, immediately stop what you're doing, drop flat to the ground, and roll around until you put the fire out.

    ⒌Prevent the smoke if you can't get out. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Close your door and cover all vents（通风口）and cracks（缝隙）around it with cloth or tape to keep the smoke out.

    ⒍Call for help from a second story window.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can take a sheet or something else—white preferably—and hang it out of the window to signify that you need help when the first res-ponders get there.

A. If you can't escape your home, don't panic.

B. Stop, drop, and roll if your clothes catch fire.

C. You are probably a lot safer by closing doors.

D. Escape from a second story window if you can.

E. Smoke inhalation causes people to become unconscious.

F. Do not try to get your phone, valuables, or your other important possessions.

G. If you are trapped in your second story room, get to an area where people can find you.

One of the healthiest Foods on the planet

    There is probably no flower more hated, or misunderstood, than the bright yellow dandelion (蒲公英). {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In an effort to have the perfect green grass lawn, people try their best to kill all dandelions with chemical products. Or they dig them out at the roots—only to see them grow right back.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They are a great source of vitamin K and also are a good source of vitamins A and C. They also have vitamin E, folate and small amounts of other B vitamins. Also, they provide lots of iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

    Besides nutrition, another great thing about dandelions is that you can eat every part of them—from the bottom of the roots to the top of the flower. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Do not eat ones that have been treated with dangerous chemicals or are growing near high traffic areas.

    Dandelions are said to provide several possible health benefits such as helping in digestion and improving some skin conditions. They may also reduce inflammation (炎症).

    Children in many parts of the world have had the simple pleasure of blowing the soft, white dandelion tops. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In fact, there is a game children play with dandelions that have gone to seed. Pick the white top, make a wish, close your eyes and blow! If you blow all of the seeds off in one breath, your wish will come true! {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Well, that is what many children believe.

B. They watch the seeds float easily in the air.

C. At least the seeds have traveled far and wide.

D. Just make sure to take care when picking wild dandelions.

E. You can let more of this nutritious food source continue to grow.

F. Dandelions are actually one of the most nutritious foods in the world.

G. In the United States, they are considered "weeds", the name for any unwanted plant.