Have you ever wondered what an American high school is really like?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    A typical American high school has several large buildings and enough space for about 1,500 students.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When students first arrive at school, they go straight to their lockers to put away or get their textbooks and to hang up their outdoor clothes. As American textbooks are expensive, students would rather rent than buy them.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    American students have different types of school transport. They usually take a yellow school bus or walk to school if they live close enough.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When they turn 16 years of age, most take a free driving class at school for one term. If students earn passing grades in the class and also pass their state driver's exam, they can begin driving themselves to school.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}They must take science, math, English and social studies. They can choose art, homemaking, fashion design and other classes. In some schools students are required to take one or more of the following special classes: health education, physical education or foreign language studies. Students move to different classrooms for each subject. This is because each teacher has their own classroom. There is a five-minute break between classes, to give the students the time to hurry to their next class.

    The regular school day usually ends early in the afternoon. After school more than half of the students are involved in after-school activities. These activities include sports-especially football, basketball, baseball and soccer or clubs, such as yearbook, speech, school newspaper, photograph or student government.

A. Every student is given a locker.

B. Each day, students take six or seven classes.

C. Sometimes their parents drive them to school.

D. Students must pay back if they lost any of them.

E. This is because each teacher has their own classroom.

F. The regular school day usually ends early in the afternoon.

G. This article will describe a typical American high school and its students.

    Over time, habits of negative thinking about ourselves can lower self-esteem (自尊). So if you want to feel better about yourself, try some of these things:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Are you so used to focusing on your problems that they're all you see? Next time you find yourself trapped in problems or disappointment with yourself or your day, find something positive to deal with it. Each day, write down three good things about yourself, or three things that went smoothly that day because of your action or effort.

    Aim for effort rather than perfection. Some people get held back by their own pressure to be perfect. They lose out because they don't try. Usually, you may think, “I won't audition (试镜) for the play because I probably won't get the lead.”{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Remind yourself that everyone is good at different things.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Thinking more like this: “She's a great basketball player — but the truth is, I'm a better musician than athlete. Still, I'll keep playing because I enjoy it.” It helps you accept yourself and make the best of the situation.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't be afraid to voice them. If someone disagrees, it's not a judgment on your worth or your intelligence. That person just sees things differently from you.

    Set goals.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then make a plan for how to do it. Stick with your plan, and keep track of your progress.

A. Focus on what goes well for you.

B. Take pride in your opinions and ideas.

C. Think about what you'd like to achieve.

D. It's certain that the role will go to someone else.

E. Recognize what you can change and what you can't.

F. Train your inner voice to remind you of what you are accomplishing.

G. Cheer on others for their success and keep in mind what you do well.

    Many parents would like to teach their children English at home, but don't know how to start. It doesn't matter if your own English is not perfect. The most important thing is that you give your children lots of encouragement and praise.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} They will need some time to learn the language.

Make it a rule

    Try to do certain activities at the same time every day.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} For example, you could read an English story with your children before bedtime. Repetition (重复) is important — children often need to hear words many times before they say them themselves.

Playing games

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Cards are a great way to teach words and there are many different games which you can play with cards, such as Memory and Happy Families.

Using everyday situations

    The advantage of teaching English at home is that you can use everyday situations to practice the language naturally. For example:

    Talk about clothes when your child is getting dressed (＂Let's put on your blue socks＂, etc.).

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When you go to the supermarket, give your child a list of things to find.

    Using songs

    Songs are a really good way to learn new words. Songs with actions are especially good for very young children because they are able to join in.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Fifteen minutes is enough for very young children.

B. Children learn naturally when they are having fun.

C. Teach food words when you are cooking or going shopping.

D. The actions often show the meaning of the words in the song.

E. With younger children, there is no need to teach grammar rules.

F. Don't worry if your child doesn't start speaking English immediately.

G. Children feel more comfortable and confident when they know what to expect.

    Passing a chemistry exam can seem like a task impossible to finish, but you can do this! Here are several tips for passing a chemistry exam. Take them seriously and pass that exam!

    Prepare before the test.

    Study. Get a good night's sleep. Eat breakfast. Don't change your habits for the exam. If you're someone who drinks coffee, today is not the day to skip it.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Get to the exam early enough so that you have time to get organized and relax.

    Read the instructions carefully.

    Read the instructions for the test! Find out whether you have to answer all of the questions.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} For example, you may need to only work 5 out of 10 problems. If you don't read the instructions, you might do more work than you need to and waste time.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You may think you know where a question is going, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Also, chemistry questions often have many parts. Sometimes you can know how to work out a problem just by seeing where the question is going.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Answer questions you know.

    There are two reasons for this. First. It builds confidence, which helps you relax and improves your performance. Second, it gets you some quick points, so if you don't have enough time for the test then at least you got some right answers.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}However, most students do better if they skip over harder questions and then go back to them.

A. Make sure you have answered all the questions.

B. Read each question completely before answering it.

C. A good coffee should always go with a good breakfast.

D. It is reasonable to work a test from the beginning to the end.

E. Similarly, if you never drink coffee, today is not the day to start.

F. Sometimes chemistry tests allow you to choose which questions to answer.

G. Sometimes you can even find the answer to the first part of a question this way,

                                                               Things You Should Quit Doing to be Successful

    Would you like to be successful? But what are you willing to do in order to reach your goal?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you want it bad enough, you will get it. When you are productive, you efficiently finish various tasks and achieve better results. However, there are many bad habits that successful people will try to avoid to reach their desired success.

    They don't do without first learning. The greatest thing about learning is the benefit that we receive in all aspects of our lives. If we stop learning, then the only thing we can do is settle with what we already know; if we settle for that, then there is no way to expand our minds.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Since our minds require learning for expansion, we must never stop seeking new knowledge.

    They don't work in their comfort zone. What is your comfort zone? Your comfort zone is defined as “A psychological state in which a person feels familiar, at ease, in control, and experiences low anxiety.” When you get outside of your comfort zone, it doesn't mean that you should strive for a constant state of anxiety and stress.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Social networks are great for staying in touch with family and friends. However, when chatting, posting, sharing, and looking at various funny photos, we waste hours just scrolling through pages. Usually, before we fall asleep, we decide to check if there is something new in the news feed and end up falling asleep very late at night. You then feel tired in the morning and incapable of doing anything that demands focus and hard work.

    They don't hang around negative people. Negative people are very harmful to be around when it comes to achieving success.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} When you are around negative people enough, you start to see things negatively and you begin to lose sight of your dream. If that happens, life will reward you with negative outcomes to deal with.

A. They don't fear asking for advice.

B. Expansion is essential on the path to success!

C. They don't spend a lot of time on social networks.

D. Success is not something that happens by accident.

E. Getting lost in small things causes us to miss out on the overall views.

F. Success is more about a person's way of thinking than anything else.

G. It simply means that, in order to grow, you should try new things and expand your horizons.

    Why play sports? You might say "to get exercise" and you'd be right.

    To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports get a lot more than just fit.

    Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up all your study time. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Exercise improves learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom.

    Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} When working with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you're learning how to be successful. Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life.

    Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or osteoporosis(骨质酥松症).

    Playing sports improves self-confidence. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Why? It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals. Sports are also a feel-good activity because they help girls get in shape, keep a healthy weight, and make new friends.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Playing sports can reduce stress and help you feel a little happier. How? The brain chemicals released during exercise improve a person's mood. Friends are another mood-lifter. And being in a team creates tight bonds between friends. It's good to know your teammates will support you—-- both on and off the field!

A. Exercise cuts the pressure.

B. Sports teach valuable life skills.

C. Regular exercise increases quality of life.

D. In fact, there are at least five more reasons.

E. Girls who play sports feel better about themselves.

F. Playing sports offers children more than just physical benefits.

G. But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't.