Although many Chinese students say their knowledge of English grammar is good, most would admit that their spoken English is poor. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, their spoken English does not have to remain poor. I would suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.

    First, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary. However, you can speak, with a limited vocabulary if your attitude is positive. Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.

    Second, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous. Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY. You want to get your message across, to talk to someone in English, as quickly and as well as you can, even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense, but it doesn't matter because the person you are speaking to will understand you and make allowance for any mistakes he hears.

    Third, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing is necessary for you to start speaking.

    Fourth, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English, they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their spoken English always remains poor. If you have this proactive outlook，then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.

A. not enough attention is paid to listening.

B. they fail to find suitable words to express themselves because of limited vocabulary.

C. most Chinese students are not active language learners.

D. They are so stupid that they cannot finish their necessary homework in time.

E. Whenever I speak to Chinese students they always say, “My spoken English is poor.”

F. it is no use crying over spilt milk.

G. they are afraid of making mistake.

    Eating healthy 100% of the time can seem like a near impossible goal. But along with consistent exercise, healthy eating will make you feel better, give you more energy, and help you perform better in your workouts. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Here are some tricks to make healthy eating easy:

    ● {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Protein is what keeps you full, fuels your muscles, and helps you keep a strong and slim figure. Starting your day out with around 30 grams of protein will not only help get you through the morning without feeling hunger pains, it will also help you get less desires for sugar and carbs(碳水化合物)later in the day.

    ●Make veggies a main part of every meal

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You'll find that you might actually start to like vegetables, and your body will start to want them because of how good they make you feel after eating them.

    ●Eat whole foods whenever possible

    Simply focus on avoiding processed foods and include as many whole foods as possible in your diet. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But once you discover how food is supposed to taste, eating healthy will become much more natural to you.

    ●Don't deny yourself your favorite foods

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Because it'll cause you to feel bitter, more often leading to a binge(大吃)eating session. So if you're working out and keeping active on a regular basis, allowing yourself a few small treats every once in a while will not only make you happier, it will also make it more likely that you'll stick with healthy eating in the long run.

A. So want exactly are whole foods?

B. It may take a little to get used to

C. And it doesn't have to be that difficult

D. Limit them, but don't cut them out altogether

E. There are so many good ones to choose from

F. Eat a protein-packed breakfast every morning

G. Make them a main part of every meal, at least two thirds of your plate as often as possible

    If you are interested to find a part time job or learn something different during your spare time, you can have a look at the following jobs offered by the DC Public Library.

Teens of Distinction Program

    The DC Public Library offers part time jobs for teens through the Teens of Distinction Program. Teens work 10-12 hours per week all year long, helping the library with important tasks and projects. The Teens of Distinction Program is now hiring! To apply, you have to：

● be a DC resident

● have and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average

● be 16 to 18 years old

● be able to work 10-12 hours per week

● be able to work for DCPL for at least 9 months

Oh, and of course you have to impress us with your wonderful personality!

Teen Volunteer Opportunities

    If you want to earn community service hours for school, Youth202 is a good choice.

    Youth202 is a radio program created by youth and for youth. You can learn radio production skills, interview people around you, and help keep other teens to learn news, events, and anything else you think is important.

Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)

    Every summer, teens can work here to help library customers organize books and learn lots of new skills, such as program planning, writing and media production.

    On Friday, January 25 at 12:15 pm, the application for the 2014 SYEP will be open to teens between the ages of 14 and 21.

    Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Space is limited this year, so teens are encouraged to apply early, and remember not to miss the deadline, Saturday, February 16.

    Steven Spielberg's 2002 science-fiction thriller Minority Report produced a world where computers could read minds and predict the future. It seemed fanciful at the time, but fantasy is edging closer to fact.

    On Jan 31, a team of scientists at UC Berkeley, led by Robert Knight programmed computers to decode (破译) brain waves and replay them as words. Five months earlier, another group of Berkeley scientists showed their colleagues short movies and used computers to play back in color what people saw.

    These experiments are a big advance from 2006, when a French scientist first replayed images from a human mind, a black-and-white checkerboard pattern. The possibilities are great: a disabled person could" speak"; doctors could access the mind of a patient who fainted; you could rewatch your dreams on an iPad. There are, of course, equally dark side, such as the involuntary take out of information from the brain.

    In spite of these breakthroughs, Jack Gallant, the neuroscientist who led the first Berkeley team, says current technology for decoding brain activity is still "relatively primitive". The field is held back by its poor machinery, in particular the FMRI.

    "Eventually," says Gallant, "someone will invent a decoding machine you can wear as a hat." Such an advance into the human mind, he says, might take 30 years.

    Still, the recent advances at Berkeley offer small answers, which scientists can use to begin unlocking the secrets of memory and consciousness.

    If a family member blames you for something you have done, it is important to be careful about how you defend yourself. It is not a good idea to use ways that cause hurt, even if they would help you make a valid point. If you can think of an instance where the other person has done exactly what they accuse you of, for example, it would not be good manners to throw it in their face. You should only bring it up if you don't have a choice. Then, you should make sure that you do it respectfully.

    Even if a family member intentionally goes against reasonable wishes you may have, you should understand that people see even the most fundamental things in very different ways. Remember that people are different. If you consider any noise after midnight to be intolerable, for example, others may see it is completely acceptable. It can take them a great deal of time to change their behavior for a demand that they do not understand.

    Think about the family conflicts that you are worried about now. Check to see if your parents had similar problems. People who grow up with parents who fight unfairly often repeat the same behavior. Consider changing the unfair habits that you grew up with.

    Understand that memories tend to change. In long-standing family disputes, all parties involved tend to have completely different recollections of the original problem.

    Families are a curious concept—while family members often feel nothing but annoyed for one another, they will also often be there for them if they should ever be in serious trouble. When you feel resentment for someone, think about how far you would go for them if they happened to be in trouble. It could help soften you. Think about how you care for the other person.

One of the tallest wooden buildings in Europe, a 98m timber mixture skyscraper, is to rise in Berlin.

The 29-storey WoHo Tower, to be designed by a firm of Norwegian architects, is intended to be a "light-house project" for low-carbon construction, towering over Potsdamer Platz and the Landwehr Canal.

Its core, including lifts and a staircase, is to be built around a steel-reinforced concrete structure but the rest of the building, including flats, offices, cafes and a kindergarten, will be fashioned down wooden beams and panels.

"As Norwegians, we are used to working a lot with timber," Nicolai Riise, CEO of the Mad Architects' Practice said.

"The thing about timber is that it demonstrates sustainability from top to bottom. The carbon footprint is close to zero and it's a fantastic material to build with. If you look at this in a broader way, it's one of the ways we are going to be able to beat the climate crisis."

Wooden skyscrapers, once regarded as an unprofitable pipe dream, have become a realistic prospect with the coming of cross-laminated building techniques and more flexible planning laws. Because these structures' parts are fit with care, they can be far lighter than their concrete equivalents and are thought to be relatively resistant to fire. A cubic meter of wood can also take an estimated ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Larger wooden structures are planned elsewhere. London is examining blueprints for the 300-meter Oakwood Tower. A project in Tokyo could rise to 350m.