How to SurviveExam Stress

        Exam time is one of the most stressful in school, whether it is highschool, college or graduate school. Even the best students feel the pressure. The first sign of a problem while preparing for an exam isworry.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If we can get rid of worries, or at leastcontrol them, then we're in a much better position to do well on our tests. Take the following steps to survive examstress and increase your overall performance as a result.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} What causes you anxiety when you are studying? Too much noise? Then move to a quieter place.Delayed work? Catch up with your studies a couple nights before. That way youcan save the final night before the exam to review and get a good night ofsleep.

        The second way to deal with worry is to replace thoughts. Suppose you wake up at three in the morning and you're worried about an exam.What do you do?{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Doing something productive might allow you tosleep better when you finally do go back to bed.

        Another way tore place negative thoughts is to do something physically active. Work out. Takea quick walk or a nice run.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, I might worry about the examhaving surprise questions that I'm not prepared to answer. But I can put thosethoughts aside by reminding myself that I've taken many exams and I've handledsurprise questions before.

        The third option is to treat the symptoms. Keepthings in perspective. Think of one final exam that causes you the mostanxiety. Now think of the worst thing that could happen. If you've prepared,then likely the worst grade you could get is a C. And, if you've been applying what we've been talking about, then you'll likely do no worse than a B. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} .

A. How bad is thatreally?

B. The first is to delete the causes.

C. Another idea isto think positive thoughts.

D. How aboutgetting up and studying for an hour?

F. What we should do is to thinkpositively and get rid of it.

G. So we are supposed to make our effortto improve our surroundings.

How to Be Confident

    We are all human and have weaknesses. Even if your physical appearance or social skills aren't what you wish they were, that doesn't have to stop you from being confident. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    *Make a list of special talents you have, or things you do that are good—morally（道德上） or otherwise. It doesn't have to be a specific skill；it can be an approach or an attitude that you hold through life. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Are you very patient with people? Do you always see the humorous side of things? Are you always there for your friends?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} When you feel strongly about something, speak loudly and clearly and make eye contact with people. People will judge you all the time, and usually they'll misjudge you anyway, so why bother trying to live up to their opinions at all?

    *Take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet and get enough exercise. Don't abuse your body, don't overload it, and don't deny it any of the things it needs. At the same time, don't obsess(沉迷). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Those things are only band-aids(权宜之计） and make-up. Confidence comes from within. In order to be confident, you must value yourself and understand that your well-being is important.

    *Improve your posture. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't drop your shoulders. Make sure that your back is straight, your shoulders are square, and your chest sticks out slightly (but stay loose, otherwise you'll appear stubborn （固执的）and nervous). Good posture also helps with deep breathing, which helps with feeling calm and relaxed.

    Like it or not, there will be difficult times in our lives. You might lose your job, fail in your exams or have an illness.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some ways not to lose hope during difficult times.

    ⒈Have faith.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}No matter how bad the situation is, things will turn out to be good in the end. Several years ago I failed to get my master's degree. It was a really bad experience.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It was of much better quality than my previous university. Experiences like this strengthen my belief that having faith is important during difficult times.

    ⒉Be around supportive people.

    Going through difficult times is hard, and going through them alone is even harder. You need a group of positive people who can support you.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you don't, my suggestion is to start looking for one. Don't wait until you need it, because it will be too late by then. You need the community before difficult times come.

    ⒊Help others.

    An additional benefit of being in a good community is that it encourages you to think about other people. It pushes you to help others and, therefore, think about other people {#blank#}5{#/blank#}As a result, your situation won't look as bad as it would be otherwise. Often the situation looks worse than it really is because we give too much attention. Shifting (移开) some of your attention away will put the situation in a better view.

A. Your community helps a lot.

B. Whatever it is, it's important not to lose hope.

C. I changed my attitude towards failure.

D. In this way you take your focus away from yourself.

E. But I got a scholarship at an overseas university later.

F. You must believe that things will work out well eventually.

G. You should become part of a community that cares for one another.

    We all have to make decisions all the time, and we have an abundance of choices, ranging from tiny issues to vital ones. Unfortunately, people often find it hard to make decisions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you would like to improve your skill of decision making, here are four suggestions for you.

    Don't expect to have it all.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can't order every delicious dish on the menu. And there will be paths not taken, careers not chosen, to name a few. You can imagine some "what if" situations if you must, but do not let them take up too much space in your brain.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}    

    It's often good to think through your decisions. But don't overdo it. Research can reach a point where returns begin to reduce, which makes it confusing more than clarifying. Many good decisions can be made based as much on intuition (直觉) as on careful assessment of endless data.

    Don't delay making decisions.

    Yes, there is a time to put off making a decision. Perhaps you need more information. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    Or it's likely that you wait for a less stressful time. Just don't wait so long that the decision is made by your own indecisiveness.

    Don't be hard on yourself.

    You decide to go on a voyage. You choose an expensive liner. Everything should work out just right. Only you didn't expect a bug that ran around on the ship, making you and your family sick for five days. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But please remember it is unavoidable sometimes.

A. Don't spend too much time thinking.

B. It is an important source of information.

C. You may regret making such a stupid decision.

D. Don't count on emotion to make decisions.

E. Maybe you wish to consult with your advisor.

F. Decisions force us to close the door on other possibilities.

G. That means the skill of good decision-making counts a lot.

They Just Can't Help It

    My theory is that the female brain is mainly built for empathy — the ability to understand other people — and that the male brain is mainly built for building systems. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, women are more likely to read magazines on fashion and parenting, while men will choose magazines that feature computers and sport.

    You may think that these preferences are influenced by the way people are taught to behave when they are growing up. However, this is not the case. A new study carried out at Cambridge University shows that newborn girls look longer at a face, and newborn boys look longer at a mobile.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It has also been observed (that girls are better at noticing signs of changes in other people's feelings. Boys, however, seem to enjoy building toy towers and playing with toys which have clear functions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} People whose jobs are in the construction industries are almost male. Math and engineering, which require high levels of systems-thinking, are also male-chosen disciplines. Why do men and women have the difference? Actually women have four times as many brain neurons (神经) that connect the right and left part of their brains. Because of it, women have a better ability to multitask than men. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Men tend to focus on a limited number of problems at a time. They will separate themselves from problems and view tasks as independent from one another.

    Some people may worry that I am suggesting one gender (性别) is better than the other, but this is not the case. My theory says that males and females differ in the kinds of things that they find easy, but that both genders have their strengths and weaknesses. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It is not true. The study simply looks at males and females as two groups, and asks what differences exist, and why they are there.

A. Generally speaking, there are clear differences.

B. Their preference for building systems may change over time.

C. You can see the same kind of pattern in the adult workplace.

D. They will consider many sources of information at the same time.

E. It is important to stress that the female brain may be built more for empathy.

F. That suggests certain differences between male and female brains are biological.

G. Others may think the theory creates a belief of what a particular type of person is like.

    Every new person added to the planet needs food, water, clothes, and so on. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Those things require extra natural resources, including land and water. But Earth's riches are limited. Less than 1 percent of Earths water can be used for drinking and washing. One out of every thirteen people around the world does not always have enough clean water.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Too many people are using too much water, especially in the already dry areas of the southwestern United States.

    Food shortages(不足) are even more common. Worldwide, one out of every seven people does not get enough to eat.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Over time, the soil loses its nutrients(营养) and the farmland becomes useless for growing food. As the world becomes more crowded(拥挤的), more land is needed to make way for growing cities. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. That's a problem because trees help take in a gas called carbon dioxide. Humans produce carbon dioxide by burning coal and oil. Fewer trees mean more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The buildup of carbon dioxide traps heat and pollution above Earth.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, although every person uses the planet's resources. The richest billion people, Americans especially, use the most resources. They also produce the most waste.

A. Forests are cleared away

B. Some people use a lot more than others

C. Water shortages have hit many parts of the world

D. Water pollution is a serious problem in some areas

E. More trees should be planted to handle air pollution

F. Huge needs for food force farmers to overuse their land

G. More people mean more cars, roads, schools, hospitals, and stores