In classes, your teachers will talk about topic that you are studying. The information they provide will be important for you to know when you take tests. So you must be able to take good written notes from what your teachers say.

   Here are the three stages(阶段) of taking notes and what you should do during each stage.

   1. Before Class Review your notes you have taken before you come to class. This will be good for remembering what was covered. Get you ready to understand new information your teacher will provide.

   2. During Class Keep your attention on what your teacher is saying and „the signal words that tell you what your teacher is going to say and it is important to write in your notes. Examples of signal words are „The most important point…and „Remember that… Be sure to include in your notes information that your teacher repeats or writes on the blackboard. Write quickly so that you can include all the important information in your notes. Do this by writing abbreviations(缩写） such as med for medicine, using symbols such as % for percent, and writing short sentences.

   3. After Class Rewrite your notes to make them more complete and accurate (准确的) by changing abbreviations into whole words, symbols into words, and shortened sentences into longer sentences. Use them to answer your questions. If necessary, ask your teacher for help.

      This week we asked students at New Star High School about the best ways to learn more English. Some said they learnt by using English. Some students had more specific suggestions.

      Lillian Li said the best way to learn new words was reading English magazines. She said that she never studied grammar. She thought it was too boring.

      Wei Ming felt differently. He has been learning English for six years and really loves it. He thought studying grammar was a great way to learn a language. He also thought that watching English movies was a good way to watch the actors say the words.

      Liu Chang said that joining the English Club at school was the best way to improve her English. Students got lots of practice and they also had fun.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Mrs. Smith doesn't like to exercise outside, but she likes playing sports indoors.(在室内)

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Paul likes doing sports. He usually plays soccer in the park with his friends. His favorite sport is soccer.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Zhao Xiaolin wants to buy a camera. Then she can take photos and show them to her classmates.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Jim is very interested in pandas but he knows little about them. He wants to borrow some books on pandas.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Sally, an 18-year-old girl, wants to be thin. She likes to exercise outside.

    Tom is my brother .He isn't tidy .He always asks me ,“Where is my English book ? Where are my rulers ? Where's my notebook...?”Here's a picture of his room .You can see the clock ,English book , tape player ,bag ,ID card ,notebook and hat .The clock is on the desk and the English book is on the desk ,too . The yellow tape player is on the bed .The ID card is in the notebook .And the hat is on the chair .

    Young people like pop music but not many of them like classical music. In fact, classical music is very pleasing to your ears. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some classical pieces are so good that you will still love it after a long time.

    The main musical instruments in classical music are the violin and piano. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is small but a musician can play it very loudly or softly. The piano is also a great musical instrument. It is very big and heavy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The violin or piano can be played with all the other musical instruments.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Don't think that there are no singers in classical music. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Their voices are as beautiful as the sound of a musical instrument. The next time you hear a piano or violin playing, close your eyes and listen if it is the most beautiful sound in the world.

A.We call this kind of music a violin or piano concerto.

B.In fact, singers of classical music can sing very high notes.

C.Its sound has the widest range among all musical instruments.

D.You need to listen to a piece of classical music a few times before you fall in love with it.

E.The violin is called the "King of Musical Instruments" because its sound is very beautiful.

    Critical thinking(批判性思维) is trying to improve the way you think. People use critical thinking in every area of life to solve problems and evaluate claims(评估主张).

    Like every other skill, critical thinking takes practice. When a problem comes our way, we need to think critically to decide how to solve it. When we see an advertisement, for example, we should stop and think. Advertisements are made to make people feel certain that they are true, and then people can buy the products. But is what the advertisement says true? Is it making a claim? Or does it only interest us? Critical thinking is important and stops us from making poor choices. In fact, we are using it if we ask questions naturally about what we see.

    Practice makes perfect. While you are growing in critical thinking, you'll become a wiser and more thoughtful person. There are many ways of doing practice. Here are a few.

    Read about a topic people disagree on. Look at articles or books on all sides of the subject. For each side of the subject, think carefully and evaluate it.

    When you see or hear a claim, ask questions about it. Who is making the claim and why?

    Evaluate your own thinking. Where and why do you think uncritically? How can you improve?

    Critical thinking should be part of everything we do. It may help you to succeed at work or school. Make yourself into a habit of critical thinking. Change your thoughts and change your world.