It's Friday morning, and you're taking another test. Are you ready? Students who do well on tests often have good study skills, but good study skills involve a lot of preparations as well as studying. Here are a few simple strategies（策略）that will help.

    Read ahead. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Highlight or make notes of things that you feel are important, and share your thoughts during classroom discussions. Also, by reading ahead, class time can be used more efficiently to discuss questions or topics that need clarification. Clarifying questions in class will free up more time to review and study the new material at home.

    Take good notes. Good notes make great studying tools. Good note taking involves a lot more than copying notes from the board. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Pay attention to textbook pages that are relevant to the discussion.

    Make flashcards. Flashcards are great review tools for basic math facts or word definitions. Write the word or question on one side and the definition or answer on the other side. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Make one pile for flashcards that were remembered, and make one pile for flashcards not remembered. The more you review the flashcards, the smaller the flashcards pile not remembered should be.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Get together with a few friends and quiz each other on the material and notes you've collected for the test. Explain or describe in your own words what the material is about, and compare the information you have collected with each other.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Being prepared for class, participating during class, and reviewing after class are good strategies so that you have the most accurate and best materials to study.

A. Study in a group

B. Review notes daily

C. As you review them, make two piles

D. Doing it helps you better prepare for class

E. There are many things you can do to improve your studying skills

F. You are becoming more familiar with the concepts and topics discussed

G. Make sure to include any relevant information from the classroom discussions

How to Become Best Friends with Your Dormmates

    You have never shared a room with anyone and now you are scared and confused. But do you know that student years are one of the most exciting and memorable? When I was a student I met lots of great people and my best friend as well. Sharing a room with absolutely unknown person might be challenging at first, but it will be a priceless experience in your life. Check out several tips on how to become best friends you're your dormmates.

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    This is the essential rule of any good relationship. Make a list of the things that are/aren't allowed to both of you and stick to it. Decide on the studying time, cleaning and visiting hours. Not only will it make your routine easier, but can also help to avoid misunderstandings and quarrels. It's important to talk about male guests and overnight visitors. If needed, you may set some rules for your visitors. When I was a student, our room was frequently full of friends and visitors, but I tried not to turn it into the social center.

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    You will escape many fights if you start talking about the problem once you feel it's necessary. When you accumulate the little things, they grow bigger and chances are you will say a lot of unpleasant things you don't really mean. Your dormmates simply cannot know or notice some things. That's why negotiations are always the right thing to consider. My dormmate was always forgetting to take away her wet towel from the dresser and it was just unbearable. When she performed the same thing for several times, I explained that it was a bit irritating and an annoying bad habit. That's it.

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    Common memories and experience are the right things that pull people together. You are newcomers and you have no idea about the territory of the campus. So why not explore the campus together? Generally speaking, any activity you can share will be of advantage. You can become workout buddies or you may turn out to be the fans of the same band.

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    I really appreciate togetherness and I was always a good mixer, but sometimes even such an easy going person like me needs some personal space and me-time. You spend every minute together and you need to take a break once in a while. It's absolutely okay. Discuss this question with your dormmates well in advance so that you won't have any problems during the school year.

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    This tip will help you to get along with the dormmate and will help you go far in life as well. Your dormmates may be from other countries with different traditions, religion and views. Be careful with the stereotypes and prejudgment, your ideas about the subject may be superficial and incorrect. Most probably your overseas dormmates will need some help during the period of adaptation to the new surrounding and life style. Sharing a room with an international student is a unique chance to learn another culture and language. Don't miss it!

A. Discuss the issues at once.

B. Accept the need of private space.

C. Agree on some basic rules.

D. Respect and accept cultural differences.

E. Explore together.

F. Get to know each other better.

G. Share your cleaning work together

    Many people think that English writing is difficult. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some great writing tips that will help you improve your writing in a short time.

    Don't ramble(长篇大论). This is a very common mistake made by people who have poor writing skills. When they ramble, they are not paying attention to grammar. As a result, their sentences become very long. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you know you have poor grammar, use short sentences.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Think about each sentence carefully to make sure that it is correct before moving on. It's better to write a short passage that is easy to read and mistake-free than to write a long article that is filled with grammar mistakes.

    Increase your vocabulary. If you don't have a large vocabulary, you will find it difficult to write as you can't find right words to express yourself clearly. The solution (解决办法) to this problem is to increase your vocabulary. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can do this by reading the local newspapers daily, borrowing books from the library or watching English programs.

    Don't write when you are tired. Tiredness can lead to nothing to write. If you find yourself looking at a blank piece of paper with nothing to write, don't just sit there! Take a walk or a warm shower, or simply lie down to get some rest. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You'll find that you'll enjoy your writing a lot more and make fewer mistakes!

A. Find out the mistakes you've made.

B. Make sure your sentences are correct.

C. You can pick up new words almost anywhere.

D. Write what interests you most in the beginning.

E. As a result, they may give up after trying hard for a while.

F. The longer the sentences are, the more mistakes they'll make.

G. When your mind is relaxed, you should go back to your writing.

    Having a busy schedule can result in chaos (混乱) as well as the lack of not completing various tasks at hand. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Below are some tips of how to improve it.

    Set up a planning system

    There are several planning systems you can use. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} With a planning system in place, when you have a task to do, you need to record the details of the task. Record what you need to do, the date it should be done and the time to complete the task.

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    Having a busy day can result in disorganization and many tasks will not be done. When you check your planner before starting your day, you will know what should be done, at what time and for how long.

    Complete tasks at the scheduled time

    In your planner, you have organized every task to be done at a specific (特定的)time and at a specific date. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you don't complete a task at a specific time or spend too much time completing a task, you will disorganize everything.

    Clean your work-space

    You need to be organized, therefore clean your work-space before and after you have completed the task. If the books were for a past homework, you need to clean up first before starting the new task. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Remember, an organized day in your life will save a lot and will help you enjoy your life.

A. Check your planner ahead of time

B. Finish your task as soon as possible

C. Don't deal with many tasks at a time

D. This will ensure every item is at its proper place

E. In order to have an enjoyable day, you need to start being organized

F. Make sure that every task is completed at the time and date scheduled

G. They include notebooks, a planning book and a smartphone with a to-do app

Ted: Hi, Bob! Eating fried chicken? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Bob: Eggs and milk? I don't want to have them every day. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Ted: But don't have too much unhealthy food. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Bob: OK, I won't. By the way, I find some students throw away eggs and milk.

Ted: That's too bad. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Bob: Yes. But what do you think we can do?

Ted: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Bob: Let's have a try, then we may have different kinds of food every day.

    Getting your children to study can be a little like getting them to eat their vegetables.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Make a study time and have it at the same time every day. This will help your kids to learn to schedule their day and will give them a sense of control over how they spend their time. Allow them to study in blocks of time, such as for half an hour with a five­ minute break in the middle. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ideal(理想的) study times are after dinner or right after school before dinner.

    Never allow your children to study in front of the television, as that will encourage passive activity. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You'll also need to help your kids find the right place to study. After you've set up a good study time for little learners, set up a good place where they can get those creative juices flowing.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Make sure there is a table or a desk and a comfortable chair.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This includes helping them out with their homework sometimes and being there for them with the answers to any questions. The input you give your children during study periods will help form a bond and help make studying enjoyable.

A. Pick a place where your children can study properly.

B. Hold them to the schedule they create for themselves.

C. Finally, spend time with your kids when they're studying.

D. Keep the atmosphere light and offer lots of encouragement, too.

E. Instead, use TV as a treat or a reward when the homework is completed.

F. Try to stop this bad habit by offering some sort of reward.

G. One of the best ways to form good study habits for your kids is to design a schedule that they keep to.