Television is everywhere around us. Yet it is great for learning English. The pictures make it easier to understand than radio and because you can see who's talking, and get a better idea of what people mean. Just watch their ＂body language＂! Watch programs that you find enjoyable and entertaining. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Here's the English-at-home.com guide to learning as much as possible while watching English television:

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Learning English should be fun — not something that you have to force yourself to do. If you have a passion for football, watch matches or the sports news.

    Keep a notebook near to your television. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This is especially useful. You can look for programs with subtitles in your own language.

    Try to watch English television regularly. Even if you can only watch 15 minutes a day, you'll be amazed how much you learn.

    Don't worry if you don't understand everything. English television is normally aimed at native English speakers. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If the programs that you're watching are full of unknown words, just concentrate on understanding the general meaning.

    Keep a note of television programs and presenters that you find easy to understand and try to watch them regularly. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Soon you will impress your friends with your English skills.

A. Don't watch the programs too easy for you.

B. Programs often include many difficult words.

C. Better watch programs that you find interesting.

D. English learning has little to do with watching TV.

E. Whatever you watch will help you improve your English.

F. Doing this will increase your confidence in learning English.

G. You can take down any new words or expressions that you hear.

    When you're feeling anxious or stressed, the strategies (策略) listed below can help you deal with it.

    Eating and sleeping well.

    Living a healthy lifestyle is important. From sleep to nutrition, the healthier your body is, the better it works, and the better it works, the less you'll experience anxiety. These aren't anxiety cures. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Simply sleeping more isn't going to magically take it away. However, they'll greatly reduce the symptoms, which should help you deal with anxiety much more easily.

    Yoga.

    Yoga is a type of exercise that has great benefits to reducing anxiety.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Those with anxiety need an opportunity to slow their lives down so that it feels more manageable.

    Relaxation Strategies.

    Many relaxation strategies exist that help you deal with anxiety. Flying your imagination is a great one.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Creating memories is another great one. You can go to the museum or try a new cuisine. These strategies give your mind an opportunity to be calmer so that you can cope with stress naturally.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Your thoughts tend to be your enemy when you suffer from anxiety. So stop focusing on those thoughts and give yourself a break to simply calm down. Talking on the phone with someone you like about positive things can be more powerful than you realize.

    Journaling.

    Writing thoughts down in a journal may seem like something you only did as a child.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It not only gives you a chance to let out your thoughts, but tells your brain that it doesn't have to focus on remembering them as much as it did previously.

A. Distracting yourself.

B. Actively face your fears.

C. The key is to reduce their severity.

D. However* it's a powerful healing tool.

E. It is a slower form of exercise that is not challenging.

F. Simply imagine yourself and your five senses in a more relaxing place.

G. Anxiety is more of a mental health disorder developed through years of experiences.

    Did you take part in a camp this summer? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}To choose which camp is best for you, first you must do a bit of research.

    Maybe you've never thought about it before, but every great summer camp has the same main goals — opportunity, challenge and growth.

    Opportunity means you are given a chance to do something special. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} For example, if you are interested in writing, then you can choose to join a journalism camp. You may even have the opportunity to meet famous journalists there.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You must finish the task and succeed in overcoming the challenge. Then you will have a sense of accomplishment. For example, you could take a lifeguard course at some summer camps. If you pass the exam, then you will receive a certificate (证书）to become a real lifeguard.

    This also leads to the third and most important goal of every great summer camp personal growth. It doesn't mean growing taller and stronger or more beautiful. It means seeing yourself improve, learning something new and doing something you didn't know you could do before. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    So in the future, when choosing your next summer camp, remember to ask yourself: Is it a special opportunity? Is it a challenge? Will I grow?

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} These will all happen naturally when you have the right goals at summer camp.

A. Challenge means you are given a task.

B. It also means becoming more confident in yourself.

C. Some camps focus on developing a certain skill or ability.

D. But what about friendship, fun and joy?

E. There are so many summer camps and not all of them are the same.

F. Of course, summer camps aren't all about adventure or study.

G. It also makes you special because other kids don't have the same opportunity.

    Sticking to your body's natural sleep-wake cycle is one of the most important strategies for achieving good sleep. If you keep a regular sleep schedule, you will feel much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times. This holds true even if you change your sleep schedule by only an hour or two.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Try the following ways to help you stick to your body clock, and you will have a better sleep.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Keeping a regular sleep-wake schedule helps set your body's internal clock and improve the quality of your sleep. Start by setting realistic bedtime that will work with your lifestyle.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you're getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock to wake up on time, you may need to set earlier bedtime.

    Avoid sleeping in — even on weekends or nights you've stayed up late.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you need to make up for late night, choose a daytime nap rather than sleeping in. This way allows you to pay off your sleep debt with disturbing your natural sleep-wake rhythm.

    Be smart about napping. As mentioned above, napping is a good way to recharge and make up for lost sleep hours. But if you tend to have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night, napping can make things worse.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Besides, limiting them to 15 to 20 minutes in the early afternoon is a good idea.

A. Never sleep after dinner.

B. Consistency is vitally important.

C. Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day.

D. Don't turn to sleeping pills every time you can't sleep quickly.

E. If sleeplessness is a problem for you，consider ridding naps altogether.

F. Choose a time when you normally feel tired, so that you will fall fast asleep.

G. The more your weekend / weekday sleep schedules differ, the worse the jet lag-like symptoms you will experience.

Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule

    From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often：ability, money, and time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Money is a topic I'll discuss another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:

    ⒈Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there's nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook？Do you have the right materials already？{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ⒉Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread？{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking is to try new things. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

    Hopefully that gives you a good start. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Try new things.

B. Ability is easily improved.

C. Make three or four instead.

D. Understand your food better.

E. Cooking is a burden for many people.

F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.