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.

    Listening to others requires entering actively and imaginatively into the situation and trying to understand a frame of reference different from your own, and yet so many of us don't listen properly as we should. Listening means more than just sitting silently while someone else talks{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Here are some ways to become a better listener.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Make sure you actually hear fully what your friend is saying, and you can't cut your friend off verbally carelessly. While you might intend to help move the conversation along, your friend might feel as if what he has said need to be continually talked over or sound anything but interesting.

    Nod to encourage the conversation along. A better option to let your friend know you're interested in what he says is just to nod along from time to time. Sometimes you nod along but then start thinking about something unrelated to what he could say{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Turn out background noise. If you're easily distracted by laughter, glasses clinking, children crying, you might need to work extra hard to focus only on your friend{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Don't hesitate to tell them that the background noises are getting in the way. If you can't focus, try moving to another area.

    Don't text or look at your phone!{#blank#}5{#/blank#} For you see, when you're sitting in front of someone, he is the most important person in your world at that moment.

A. Stop the speaker whenever you have a question.

B. Practice silence when someone else is talking.

C. If necessary, ask your friend to repeat himself.

D. Whoever is calling or texting can wait until you're done with your conversation.

E. It means trying to see the problem the way the speaker sees it.

F. In this case, try to push away your thoughts until you're absorbed in what your friend is saying.

G. Remembering ideas from previous conversations proves that your attention is kept and encourages your friend to continue.

How to calm your teens

    A major source of teen stress is school exams, and test anxiety is not uncommon. When you recognize your teen is under stress, how can parents help your teen stay calm before an exam?

    Be involved. Parents need to be involved in their teen's work. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}What they look for is your presence - to talk, to cry, or simply to sit with them quietly. Communicate openly with your teen. Encourage your teen to express his worries and fears, but don't let them focus on those fears.

    Help them get organized. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Together, you and your teen can work out a time-table in which she can study for what she knows will be on the test.

    Provide a calm setting. Help your teen set up a quiet place to study and protect his privacy.

    Give them a nutritious diet. It's important for your teen to eat a healthy, balanced diet during exam times to focus and do her best. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If this happens, encourage your teen to eat light meals or sandwiches. A healthy diet, rather than junk food, is best for reducing stress.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Persuade your teenager to get some sleep and/or do something active when she needs a real break from studying. Making time for relaxation, fun, and exercise are all important in reducing stress. Help your teen balance her time so that she will feel comfortable taking time out from studying to spend time with friends or rest.

    Show a positive attitude. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your panic, anxiety and blame contribute to your teen's pressure. Make your teen feel accepted and valued for her efforts. Most importantly, reassure your teen that things will be all right, no matter what the results are.

A. Encourage your teen to relax.

B. The best thing is simply to listen.

C. They will only make the situation worse.

D. A parent's attitude will dictate their teen's emotions.

E. Exam stress can make some teens lose their appetite.

F. Your teen may also make negative comments about themselves

G. Help your teen think about what she has to study and plan accordingly.

    I have seen how having an animal in your life can make things much better for all concerned. Here are some reasons.

    A pet's love never stops.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Even if you cannot return that unconditional love, just knowing that it is there will make your life better.

    Caring for something other than yourself is emotionally healthy.

    Giving and getting a little love, even if you have to say "sit down" 270 times a day, can take your mind off your troubles and help you to see what really matters.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    If you have a dog, you need to take it (and yourself) on walks. Dogs are happiest when they are walking. And it's common knowledge that taking regular walks is also good for your heart and brain health.

    Just the act of petting a creature lowers your blood pressure and helps you relax.

    The next time you are feeling uncomfortable, I suggest going to your local shelter and giving some love to an animal there. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, but notice how you feel when the two of you are exchanging emotional energy. And don't be surprised if you do adopt!

    Saving a life will make yours better.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, but what about the used ones? All my animals have been rescued, and they are as sweet as can be.

    Maybe you think you don't have enough room in your heart.

    You may already have a family to love, and that is totally wonderful. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. I know not everybody is an animal lover, but if you think you might be, don't lose this chance.

A. You won't have to take it home

B. Some people want lovely pets

C. Having a pet is also physically healthy

D. If you want more love in your life, consider a pet

E. Taking your dog for a walk can make your dog happy

F. Some people prefer their new puppy to be from a pet store

G. No matter what, your pet will always love you and remember you

    Much of the work in today's world is accomplished (完成) in teams. Most people believe the best way to build a great team is to gather a group of the most talented individuals. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Companies spend millions hiring top business people. Is their money well spent?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They focused on football, basketball and baseball. The results are mixed. For football and basketball, adding talented players to a team proves a good method, but only up to the point where 70% of the players are top talent; above that level, the team's performance begins to decline. Interestingly, this trend isn't evident in baseball, where additional individual talent keeps improving the team's performance.

    To explain this phenomenon, the researchers explored the degree to which a good performance by a team requires its members to coordinate (协调) their actions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In baseball, the performance of individual players is less dependent on teammates. They conclude that when task interdependence is high, team performance will suffer when there is too much talent, while individual talent will have positive effects on team performance when task interdependence is lower. If a basketball star is, for example, trying to gain a high personal point total, he may take a shot himself when it would be better to pass the ball to a teammate, affecting the team's performance. Young children learning to play team sports are often told, "There is no I in TEAM." {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Another possibility is that when there is a lot of talent on a team, some players may make less effort. Just as in a game of tug-of-war (拔河比赛), whenever a person is added, everyone else pulls the rope with less force.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. An A-team may require a balance-not just a players, but a few generous B players as well.

    Next time your plane lands, listen to the sound of the tyres hitting the ground. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The tyres of cars, motorbikes and trucks are also often made of the same stuff.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Workers cut the trunks of the trees and collect a white liquid called latex（乳胶）. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, huge numbers of rubber trees were planted in countries including Malaysia, Burma and Brazil. Nearly half the rubber which is produced each year is natural rubber and there is always a need for more.

    Rubber trees are not easy to grow. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some trees survive while others die and it is all decided by their genes. British scientists have been working together to look at rubber trees. They have now discovered the "genome" (基因组) of the rubber tree. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The genome contains all the information the plant or animal needs to grow. The genome for a plant such as a rubber tree is smaller than a human genome but it is still very long, which is why it has been so difficult to find. Scientists say the work has been like putting a picture puzzle together where all the pieces show blue sea and blue sky.

    Now scientists can use the rubber tree genome to produce stronger trees. By understanding the genome, they can change the DNA in rubber trees in useful ways. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Natural rubber comes from trees.

B. Regretfully, many forests are being severely destroyed.

C. This is the way genes fit together in very long chains of DNA

D. Stronger trees have played a more important role in producing tyres.

E. They are affected by changes in temperature, rainfalls, winds and diseases.

F. The reason why the tyres don't explode is that they are made of natural rubber.
G. In the future, it will be possible to grow trees which survive climate change and disease.