We think that life in Chinese high school is an adventure in which we have to survive mountains of homework and all kinds of exams. Yet would it be{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(surprise) if I tell you that high school life in the US is almost as stressful and demanding as it is in China?

    In US high school, everything{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(record) into your studying document, including your grades on quizzes, tests and final examinations. Failing{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(turn) in your homework on time will directly affect your grade for a certain course. Perhaps contrary to{#blank#}4{#/blank#}we used to think of the US high school students, they pay more attention to their{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(academy) performance to try to get into a distinguished university.{#blank#}6{#/blank#}, they'll be disappointed after graduation from high school.

    Like university students, US high school students have the{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(free) to choose the courses that most interest{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(they). Even a ninth grader can sit{#blank#}9{#/blank#}the same classroom as twelfth graders. But this also means he or she has to work very hard, because the teacher will not treat him or her differently just because he or she is a few years{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(young).

    Eating soil can produce more effective results{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(compare) to eating slimming pills, claimed researchers from an Australian university. China Press{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(report)that researchers from the University of South Australia were looking for a way to improve the body's absorption towards medication to prevent mental illness.

    They{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(accident)found out that soil does not only attract fat, it could also stop fat from being absorbed into the body and round{#blank#}4{#/blank#}digestive system. Meanwhile, other researchers carried out an experiment by{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(separate)mice into two groups--one group{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(give) slimming pills and the other group with soil.

    After two weeks, the weight of the mice{#blank#}7{#/blank#}ate soil decreased obviously. This was the basis for claims that eating soil might make it{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(easy) for the body to excrete(排泄) fat than taking slimming pills.

    However, they {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(test)to see if eating soil is safe for the body{#blank#}10{#/blank#}if it could cause any side effects in the past few months.