How to Protect Your Ears

    You and your friends are leaving a concert on a Friday night. When you get outside, your ears are ringing. You have to shout to be heard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So no harm done…right?

    Not quite. Temporary buzzing may be easy to ignore, but repeated exposure to loud noise will eventually cause serious— and irreversible(无法治愈的)—hearing loss. A new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston shows that one in five people between the ages of 12 and 19 are experiencing slight hearing loss, and one in 20 have mild hearing loss. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    But the good news is that there plenty of ways you can protect your ears from further damage — and still listen to the music you love:

    Ask around. Put your earbuds in or your headphones on, and then ask a friend next to you whether or not he or she can hear what you're listening to. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Turn it down.

    Buy noise-canceling headphones. A pair of earbuds or headphones that fits comfortably will limit outside noise so that you can hear your music better at lower volumes.

    Take breaks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So when listening to music, take your headphones off for 15 or 20 minutes and let your ears enjoy the quiet.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can buy a cheap pair at any drugstore as an easy way to lower volume at concerts — or while playing or practicing your own music — without changing the quality of the sound.

A. Use earplugs.

B. Keep the volume below 70 percent.

C. If the answer is yes, your music is too loud.

D. Like every other part of your body, your ears need rest.

E. But by morning, your hearing is totally back to normal.

F. Unfortunately, there's no way to get back hearing you've already lost.

G. The exposure to noise is louder and longer than in any previous generation.

Problem-solving skills

    We face problems in our everyday life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Don't worry. The following tips may help you to solve problems.

    ⒈Know the problem

    First of all, it is important to know and understand the problem clearly.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Following questions like why, what, how, when, where and who will take you to the root cause of the problem.

    ⒉Analyze the problem

    Analyzing the problem will give you time to think of a proper solution. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It can be a diagram, a flow chart or a list, etc.

    ⒊Plan a strategy(策略)

    Planning a strategy will help you waste less energy and time in trying all the solutions. This step includes knowing the advantages and disadvantages of a solution. In this way you can rule out the strategy that you don't find worthy to apply.

    ⒋{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Leave out the information that is not required for the solving of the problem. You need to be accurate with the details. Keeping the irrelevant(不相关的) information usually won't simplify the problem as we tend to overlook the relevant information.

    ⒌Carry out the solution

    Carrying out the solution in a correct way to get the expected result is important while solving a problem. You need to be creative while carrying out a solution just in case some other problem arises while applying the solution.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Solving a problem is easy if you understand the problem in the first place. By analyzing the problem, planning a strategy, using the best solution, and carrying out the solution in the best method, you will solve your problem smoothly.

A. Make a wise decision.

B. Delete irrelevant information

C. You can use various tools to analyze the problem.

D. Knowing the problem means solving half the problem itself.

E. It can be social problems, relationship problems, or problems at work.

F. Sometimes we can take wrong decisions for solving the problems in haste.

G. Being ready with other choices is also important in case a solution works only half way.

                                  5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About High School

    As a teenager,you get a lot of things shouted at you from all different directions and it's often overwhelming.

⒈High school is never like it is in the movies.

    As a freshman,everything is so new and you're dealing with the constant feeling of apathy all while caring way too much.It's a delicate balance that I think only teenagers alone ever understand fully.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Expect change,but don't try so hard to fantasize it.

⒉Make friends with your teachers.

    Not all of the teachers will be fair,or even tolerable,and while that may inspire you to want to take your first dignified stand against today's education system,it won't prevent you from failing.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Pay attention in class because no,you're not "too cool for school."

⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    You're going to meet people who are dealing with all kinds of problems.Maybe you'll be the one experiencing these things,and in that case,what would you want your friend to do for you?Sometimes you won't feel like being there,maybe you'll be too tired to listen,but it'll be worth it in the end if you really just make yourself reliable.

⒋Do not sink in self-pity

    Of course,feeling sorry for yourself is okay,it's even healthy!But when you're the person who's always complaining about yourself and your life and questioning all the bad things that happen to you,no one is going to want to talk to you.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

⒌You are beautiful,intelligent,and worth it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You're surrounded by hundreds of other people who are even better at the things you thought you were best at.Stop comparing yourself.You're not stupid because you failed a history test.You are yourself and that's all you ever will be.

A.Respect your teachers.

B.Lower your expectations.

C.Have a pity on your friends.

D.Nobody is going to feel sorry for you.

E.Most teenagers experience low self-esteem.

F.Many teens often show emotional moods.

G Be the kind of friend you would want.

                                                                                  Money Matters

    Parents should help their children understand money. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So you may start talking about money when your child shows an interest in buying things, candy or toys, for example.

    ⒈The basic function of money

    Being explaining the basic function of money by showing how people trade money for goods or services. It is important to show your child how money is traded for the thing he wants to have. If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier（收银员）. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When your child grows a bit older and understands the basic function of money, you can start explaining more complex ways of using money.

    ⒉Money lessons

    Approach money lessons with openness and honesty. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you must say no to a child's request to spend money, explain, ”You have enough toy trucks for now.” Or, if the request is for many different things, say. “You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy.”

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Begin at the grocery store. Pick out two similar brands of a product—a name brand butter and a generic(无商标产品), for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If he chooses the cheaper brand, allow him to make another purchase with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for other purchases.

A. Wise decisions.

B. The value of money.

C. Permit the child to choose between them.

D. Tell your child why he can or cannot have certain things.

E. Ask yourself what things that cost money are most important to you.

F. Talk about how the money bought the thing after you leave the toy store.

G. The best time to teach a child anything about money is when he shows an interest.

    If something that you're doing doesn't challenge you, then it doesn't change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} So challenge the following limits:

    ⒈Figure out what you're scared of and do it continuously.

    If you're a salesman, and you're scared of talking to people personally or over the phone now, instead of being scared and thinking you'll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But don't stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eye and say, “Go on. I'm not scared!”

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on. Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.

    ⒊Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight, but also make you feel better about yourself.

    ⒋Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.

Don't just limit yourself to your fellow travelers—-try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they're going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You should do it continuously.

B. Someone may hang up on you.

C. You don't need to go to the gym.

D. Running in the gym may be a better choice.

E. Start to travel now and learn to challenge yourself.

F. Take a class for a hobby you've been wanting to develop.

G. You can never see any improvement if you stick to your comfort zone.

Maybe in the near future, driverless cars may become common on the roads. Driverless cars have already been test-driven thousands of miles. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For instance, it helps reduce the number of accidents and traffic jams.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}That is because there are many issues that must be solved before the widespread use of them. One problem is that a driverless car cannot predict problems far down the road like a driver can. The driverless cars react to an emergency only when it actually occurs. For instance, a driver starts to slow down when he sees a child riding her skateboard directly into the road 0.2 km away. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Driverless cars are not suitable for extreme weather conditions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They don't predict or "feel" that the roads have become icy like an experienced driver would. For instance, when a road is icy, a human driver would step on the brakes more gently than when the roads are clean and dry.

Another issue is that driverless cars have maps programmed into their memory, but these maps aren't always updated and accurate. New roads are built, and old roads are closed down. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Perhaps one day, driverless cars will be everywhere, but we are not ready for that just yet.

A. The safety problems have almost been addressed.

B. However, they are not yet available for the public.

C. Many advantages can be associated to the driverless cars.

D. Driverless vehicles also have trouble adjusting to new roads.

E. They may become confused by fog, heavy rain, or heavy snow.

F. Due to this, a driverless car may get passenger to the wrong destination.

G. But the driverless car only takes action when the child is in its immediate path.