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.

How to Live Peacefully with Your Parents

    As a teen,you are going through big changes physically and mentally.Your interests are expanding.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Here is the challenge: kids need to explore the world in new ways,and parents need to protect them from the dangers that are all out in the world.These conflicts（冲突）can easily set off fireworks in otherwise calm house. Sometimes conflicts can't be avoided.But by paying attention to the building blocks of successful relationships,you can work towards making home a happy and healthy place for you and your parents.

    For example,try to find time to talk when your parents are not angry,tired,or hungry.A good time to talk is when you are all relaxed.Timing is everything.If the conversation begins to turn into an argument,you'd better calmly and coolly ask to stop it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.Listen to what your parents are saying,and repeat it back to them.This shows them that you are listening.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} .

    Respect is the building block of good communication.People who respect each other and care about each other's feeling can disagree without getting things ugly.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.How do you build trust?Trust,comes by actually doing what you say you are going to do.Some teens find that doing fun activities with their parents can improve their relationships.Sometime we forget that parents are more than rule makers—they're interesting people who like to watch movies and go shopping—just like their teenagers!

    What do you do if you are trying your best,but your relationship with your parents continues to be rocky?{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can find supportive adults,such as a teacher or a coach,who can lend an ear.Remember you can only change your own behavior.Your parents are the ones who can change theirs.

A.You may consider seeking outside help.

B.Faced with this challenge,children don't know what to do.

C.And then you will be able to accept what your parents say.

D.You are more likely to get along with your parents and have more independence if your parents believe in you.

E.And your desire to take control of your own life is growing.

F.It also gives them a chance to clear things up if you are not on the same page.

G.You can pick it up again when everyone's more relaxed.

    Improve your memory

    Do you find yourself forgetting where you left your keys or blanking out information on important tests?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Before your next big exam, be sure to check out some of these tried and tested ways of improving memory.

    Focus your attention on the materials you are studying. Attention is one of the major components (组成部分) of memory. In order for information to move from short-term memory into long-term memory, you need to actively attend to this information.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Structure and organize the information you are studying. Researchers have found that information is best organized in related groups.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Or you can make an outline of your notes and textbook readings to help group related concepts (概念).

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When you are studying unfamiliar material, take the time to think about how this information relates to things that you already know. By establishing relationships between new ideas and previously existing memories, you can greatly increase the likelihood of recalling (回想起) the recently learned information.

    Pay extra attention to difficult information. Remembering information at the beginning or end of an article is easy. However, recalling information from its middle can be difficult.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Another way is to try restructuring what you have learned so it will be easier to remember. When you come across an especially difficult concept, devote some extra time to memorizing the information.

A.Use this approach in your own studies.

B. Try grouping similar concepts and terms together.

C. Relate new information to things you already know.

D. Repeat the information you are studying to improve memory.

E. Try to study in a quiet place and concentrate on your learning.

F. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to help improve your memory.

G. You can overcome this problem by spending extra time memorizing this information.

    Ways to say “Happy birthday to me”

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm at an age when not everyone looks forward to cakes and presents.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It always makes me feel excited to be alive and grateful for my life and my family. So I think even if your birthday is a regular old day at work or home, there are some easy ways to raise it to the special occasion.

    Give a gift to someone else.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} While everyone loves to open a birthday present, there is a lot of joy and goodness to be gained from being generous with others. Making a birthday donation (捐赠) to a charity that means something to you.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Try something new. Today is new to us. Why not enjoy the newness of the moment? Dip your tones into some new waters, sign up for an adult education class, go for a new-to-you park or plan a new trip.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Whether or not you have the opportunity to share a meal, outing or party with friends and family, please take time on your birthday to connect with people who are important to your life, if you use social media like phones, you are likely filled with well—wishes from loved ones. Use these as a. jumping off point to start new conversations and reconnect with people who lift your spirits and support in your journey towards being your best self.

A. Connect with people who matter to you.

B. Freshen up yourself with countless opportunities.

C. It's better to give than to receive

D. This year my birthday is on a Saturday.

E. I love my birthday, though.

F. Download an app to learn a new language is also a good choice.

G. One choice is to donate a dollar amount to match your age.

    There is no way to make somebody stop smoking,and just like with users of any drug,it is very unlikely a person will stop unless he or she wants to.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Step One: Make Observations

    Smoking use can affect memory and make it difficult for people to do well at work or school.Other bad effects that you may notice include:{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Is she getting sick more often than she used to?

    Write down your concerns using “I” statements,such as “I feel sad that when you smoke you give up your artwork.”{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Step Two: Approach the Person

    Bring up your concerns to your friend at a relaxing time.Express your concerns using the statements you wrote down.Tell him you will be there to support him if and when she decides to give up smoking.He will likely give you one of three responses:

    He wants to quit.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    He wants to stop,but not yet.

    You must be willing to calmly accept any of these responses.If he says he does want to stop,go on with the next step.If not,they will have to be visited later when he is ready.

    Step Three: Prevent Him Giving Up Halfway

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}However,symptoms only appear after some time of quitting smoke.This causes some who are addicted to believe that they are not actually addicted and to start using again.

A. He doesn't want to quit.

B. Does this person appear more nervous?

C. Are you lazy because you smoke too much?

D. It's best to approach the person in this manner.

E. People can become physically dependent on smoking.

F. The drug can stay in the system for a long period of time.

G. But there are steps you can take to support a friend or family member.

    Reducing class size has traditionally been seen as an important way to improve a student's educational experience. Many often believe that smaller classes would permit teachers to give more personal attention to their students.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    But one recent study suggests there's not much research-based evidence to support this idea. The research was collected by a team from Denmark's Danish Center for Social Science Research.

The study notes that one of the main problems with reducing class size is that it can have very high costs. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Financial limitations make it very difficult for many schools to reduce the number of students in the classroom.

    The new study began by examining 127 studies on classroom size. Its goal was to examine the major research studies already completed on the subject. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. In the end, the research centered on 10 main studies with possible sampling (采样)problems.

    The researchers concluded that there's some evidence to suggest that reducing class size may lead to some improvement in a student's reading achievement. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. They found just a 53-percent chance that a randomly selected test score from a student from a small class would be higher than the selected score of a student from a larger class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. This led the researchers to conclude that there would be no benefit at all to math students in a smaller class size.

A. But they said the effect is very small

B. For mathematics achievement, the result was 49 percent

C. This can theoretically lead to improved academic results for students

D. Many public opinion studies have shown teachers favor smaller class sizes

E. The effects of larger class size can stay long after the students complete their education

F. Increasing class size is one of the most common ways school systems control education spending

G. They especially centered on those trying to measure if smaller class size led to greater academic success