Homework is a problem for students all over the world. As a student, you have a lot of homework to do every day. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. And it helps you understand important knowledge. Luckily, there're several things you can do to make homework less difficult.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Write your homework down in your notebook if you need to. Don't be afraid to ask questions about it. Understand why you should do your homework.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Many schools have study halls. The students can study there. It's more interesting to play with your friends. But the more homework you finish at school, the less you'll have to do that night at home.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is difficult to hold your attention for too long. So take some breaks while doing your homework. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you don't finish your homework at school, think about how much you have left. It's a good idea to make a homework plan, especially when you want to enjoy sports or other activities.

    Mr. White lived in the country. One day, he bought a second-class train ticket and went to London to buy something. All the seats in the second-class carriages had been taken when Mr. White got on the train. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Half an hour later, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So he went into one of them and took an empty seat. The other four men seemed to be rich people because they all wore fine clothes. But just before the train started, a different kind of person jumped in and sat down.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It was clear that he was very poor.

    Everyone in the carriage looked unhappy with the young man. Mr. White thought that he would not be the only person to pay more. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If so, he was wrong. For when the train had traveled an hour, the door opened and the ticket-collector came into the carriage. Of course, Mr. White had to pay more money for his ticket. But to his great surprise, one by one each of the four men held out a second-class ticket. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He was the only man who had the first-class ticket in the carriage.

    Confidence is very important in daily life. It can help you to develop a healthy attitude. A study shows that the people who are more confident are much happier. They can have more chance to make themselves successful. But how to be more confident? Here are some suggestions:

    Speak loud    When you are not confident, you can't do well what you want to do. You speak in a voice so low that other people can hardly hear you. Try to speak loud enough so that people can hear you clearly. The high voice can help you become more confident.

    Play sports   Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed. A strong body helps you be full of confidence.

    Encourage yourself    Write down a list of things you did during the day to see how many things you have done well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh? Give yourself praise for the good things you've done.

    Get rid of (消除) fear    Fear comes along with failure. But it's easy to overcome (克服) if you know that failure is part of your life. Don't hide your head just because you said something stupid last time. Try to start again and believe you can do better.

    Pick up a hobby    If you like singing, sing as much as you can. In some ways, a hobby can make you outstanding. And it will make you happy and confident.

C

    Once upon a time，there was a king who had gone to visit neighboring kingdoms．He was gifted a pair of baby parrots by the king of the last kingdom where he was visiting．They were the most beautiful birds that he had ever seen．so，after returning to his kingdom，he called for a bird trainer and asked him to train parrots．

    The king also set up a place in the palace garden for the parrots．He often looked at them from his palace window．As time passed，one day the trainer came to the palace and told the king that though one of the parrots was flying high in the sky，the other one was not moving from its branch since the day it had arrived．

    When hearing this,the king summoned the best trainer from all his land and the nearby kingdoms．They came quickly and tried their best, but none of them could make the parrot fly!He even asked his courtiers to try to find a good way to make the parrot fly but they all failed．The parrot was not moving from his branch at all．Finally，after trying everything，the king thought to himself："Perhaps I need someone who may be more familiar with natural habitat．"He asked his courtier to get a farmer from the countryside and take him to the parrot to see if he could understand the problem with the parrot．

    The next morning，the king was surprised to see the parrot flying high above the palace gardens．He asked his servant to call that farmer to meet him．The servant quickly went and found the farmer．The farmer came and stood before the king．The king asked him，"How did you make the parrot fly?" With his hands folded with respect，the farmer said to the king，"It was very easy．I just cut the branch where the bird was sitting．"

    Tom Smith was a writer. He wrote detective ( 侦探) stories for magazines. One evening he could not find an end for a story. He sat with his pen in front of him, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. So he decided to go to the cinema.

    When he came back, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} . The man had a drink, smoked several of Tom's cigarettes (香烟) and read the story. The man left a note, "I have read your story and I don't think much of it.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} . By the way, I am a thief. I am not going to steal anything tonight. But if you become a famous writer, I will return."

     {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Then he sat down and finished the story. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  but when he goes out in the evening, he always leaves a half-finished story on his desk.