Have you ever seen any students whose trousers hang so low you can see their underwear? What do you think of that? Fashionable? Some of today's teenagers are big fans of such a look.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    The headmaster of a school in central Italy has asked students to stop wearing low-rise jeans that expose underwear and part of the body. His request came after a class trip. One day, he saw one boy's baggy trousers slide to his feet {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    But in Italy, a nation that takes fashion very seriously, the suggestion caused a debate among parents, teachers and students. The issue is whether the headmaster's request will limit students' freedom—or whether dress in Italian schools is too casual.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} “We do not want to kick fashion out.” the headmaster explained, “but extremes of fashion like this are not right in school.” Many other schools have now requested that their students also stop wearing such trousers.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ludovica Gaudio, 14, wore extremely low trousers exposing orange underwear in class. It was cold, so she wore a matching orange scarf. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} “I don't really feel comfortable in those sorts of jeans,” said Sarah Lattanzi, “in winter, when dressed like that, it's quite cold and I am afraid my stomach will ache.”

A. But recently this trend has been at the center of an argument in Italian middle schools.

B. A parents' group praised the move in favor of good taste, while others advised schools to stop worrying about fashion and fix up old school buildings.

C. He pointed out that this way of dressing is not suitable for school.

D. Most students have simply ignored the request.

E. Another 14-year-old said she would probably respect the request, simply for practical reasons.

F. Requests.

G. Schools should pay attention to things more important than students' clothes.

Ways to sleep smarter

    Studies show that poor sleep influences people to make good decisions, concentrate on tasks or even manage a friendly mood(情绪) at work. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Today we've got our top favorite sleep tips and facts.

Set a regular bedtime

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Choose a time when you normally feel tired. Try not to break this routine(惯例) on weekends when you will probably stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime, make the change gradually, such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day.

Eat the right food

    Some foods are more helpful to a better night's sleep than others.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Others like bananas, potatoes, and whole-wheat bread are also helpful.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Exercising provides lots of good health benefits(好处). A good night's sleep is one of them. But make sure you exercise in the morning or afternoon. The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercise in the morning or afternoon can help deepen sleep. However, those who worked out in the evening hours saw little or no improvement in their sleep.

Reduce(减少) screen time before bed

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} A recent study shows that people who use electronic media(媒体) just before bedtime report lower-quality sleep even when they get as much sleep as those who don't.

A. Avoid the alarm clock.

B. Exercise to improve sleep.

C. Try to solve problems in your sleep.

D. Go to bed at the same time every night.

E. There are many ways to increase the quality of your sleep.

F. Everybody knows that warm milk helps people sleep better.

G. Stop watching TV just before bedtime and you'll sleep better.

    Is there anything more important than health? I don't think so. “{#blank#}1{#/blank#}” wise people say.

    If you have a headache, toothache, backache, or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you go to the doctor.

    The doctor will examine your throat, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The only thing you have to do is follow his advice.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule:” Eat at pleasure, drink at pleasure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn't smoke more than one cigarette a day.

    A month later the gentleman came into the doctor's office. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.

    “But you know, doctor” he said,” it's not easy to begin smoking at my age.”

A. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks.

B. You can't be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.

C. After that he will advise some treatment or some medicine.

D. Health is the greatest wealth.

E. He looked cheerful and happy.

F. He was more worried about his illness.

G. Speaking about doctor's advice, I can't help telling you a funny story

    If you want to learn English well, enlarging your vocabulary is important. Here are some helpful ways to help you to have a larger vocabulary.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}A good dictionary should be up-to-date and easy to understand. Make sure the definitions (定义) are written in clear English. I strongly recommend Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English as there is good coverage of spoken and written English, British and American English, as well as clear example sentences.

    Make notes of new words. But before you write them down on you notebook, you should look them up in the dictionary and make sure you are aware of any grammatical information.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When you write down the new word in your notebook, try to include an example sentence in English.

    Organize your notes into themes. Some people find it very helpful to do so. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}For example, you can have one page containing words which have something to do with houses, while another page containing words relating to jobs, and so on.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The next time you have spare time, skip through your notebook. Choose a page where you have already stored a number of words and expressions, cover the page and try to remember what you wrote. Then look at the page and see how many words you have remembered.

    When you find a new word, check to see if you can use it in other ways. English is a flexible language—nouns, verbs and adjectives often share the same root. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Review the words in your notebook.

B. Have good English dictionaries.

C. Read books that contain some new words.

D. Look up new words and phrases in your dictionary.

E. For example, love, lovely, beloved and loveless all share one root.

F. For example, if you are looking up a verb, check to see if it can be used in a passive form.

G. So rather than have a list of words without any obvious connection, you can divide your notes into themes.

How to Raise Money for Your Favorite Charity

    At the end of the year, we are often inspired to do more for people in need. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Don't worry. Here's a quick and easy tip-list to make such a worthy act successful.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}You need to make sure that both you and your participants enjoy the event. So keep it simple and make sure that you add some fun, whether it's special decoration, a bag for each participant or guest, or a special theme.

    Get team support.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Teamwork may give you some new ideas and help give a unique feature to your event. Make sure that you break down the work among your team.

    Plan for the "what-ifs?" If you are planning to hold an event outdoors, or if you are relying on a famous person as a guest of honor, make sure you think of a few possible alternatives.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}This is the key to successful event planning.

    Timing is everything. Check your community calendar to make sure there are no important community events on the day that you are planning your event. You might want to check with other communities or non-profit organizations nearby.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Check out your favorite charity's website for ideas. Many websites offer advice on how to raise money. For example, the human rights charity Amnesty International lists events and ideas on its website.

A. Keep it fun and simple.

B. Tell the charity about the event.

C. Have no idea of where to begin?

D. Turn to friends for some creative ideas.

E. Remember to thank anyone who has donated.

F. Try to pick the date that will bring in the best attendance.

G. What if it starts raining or if your honored guest doesn't show up?

    While it may seem that a cab driver has only one responsibility—to drive customers to and from certain destinations, this is not the case. Instead, a cab driver must be ready to take on a number of different tasks. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Taxis have been around in various forms for many centuries, and the many duties of a cab driver increase as time goes on. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Not only do cab drivers have to pick up all kinds of people, but many of them have to interact with their customers. Frequently, cab drivers are hired by tourists or business people for an entire day, and this can mean making unavoidable contact with different people with different personalities.

    Taxi drivers must also be able to operate different types of vehicles. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The vehicles have ramps (斜面) that can be raised and lowered. This type of vehicle requires a special license that most cab drivers must get before obtaining a position as a taxi driver.

    Generally, cab drivers are not required to repair vehicles. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, almost all taxi drivers know how to change tires (轮胎), lights, and other small vehicle parts. Many drivers are also responsible for checking the taxi on a regular basis.

    Perhaps the most important task that a cab driver must be aware of is how to charge a customer for each trip. While the prices of some trips have been predetermined (商定), such as airport fares, other trips must be calculated using taximeters (计价器) and fee charts. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}