Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

The following methods may work best for you.

●Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

●Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

●Write your notes in your own words.

●{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

●Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

    As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand(速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Ways to Stop Worrying

    A little worrying now and then can be self-protective. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But too much worrying can lead to many problems, such as reduced concentration, poor sleeping habits and the inability to handle everyday difficulties. What's more, it may also cause physical health problems, such as high blood pressure.

    Here are some tips to help you lighten up and enjoy life more.

1). Note down your worries

    Writing in a worry journal helps create some distance between you and your concerns. Write down your thoughts briefly every day, perhaps the first thing in the morning, before you start your regular routine. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

2). Pack away your worries

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Imagine tucking (塞) away your anxieties in a small box and closing the lid (盖子). Set aside some time each day to open the box and examine your worries, but otherwise, keep it closed.

3). Share your worries with a friend

    Don't be embarrassed. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Then, he or she may give you some practical suggestions. Telling someone your fears helps lift the burden of worry and gives your friends a chance to offer comforting thoughts.

4). {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Select a quiet spot in your home where you can focus on your worries without being interrupted (打扰). Stay there every day for 10 to 20 minutes. Make sure you maintain a strict time limit and try to avoid worrying except when you're in your designated (指定的) “worry space”.

A. Create a personal worry space.

B. See worries from a different perspective.

C. Talk to your friend about your worries.

D. If journal writing isn't for you, create a “worry box” in your mind.

E. Spend about 15 minutes just writing and reflecting on what is bothering you.

F. Check with your local health centre about programs to stop worrying in your area.

G. Without anxiety you probably wouldn't lock your door at night or schedule your regular check-up.

    Have you used “um…” “like…” “you know…” in your speech? Catch words(口头禅) are unnecessary words used to fill up dead paces while you speak. Speaking too many catch words is like a bad habit that we are unaware of. While most people tend to ignore it in everyday conversation, in a formal speech or an interview, too many catch words can make even the best presentation look bad.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Stop when we are in doubt. Catch words are used more often when a person is unsure about the sentence to use next.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}If you are lost or in doubt over what to say next, just stop speaking, take a long pause, breathe in , figure out what to say and start again.

    Speak consciously and slowly. If the speech is too long and you talk continuously without thinking, then you might also be pushing in a few catch words in between.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is best to memorize the tricky parts of the speech, like the introduction and the conclusion where a majority of the catch words are used.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Preparing for the speech is very important when trying to remove catch words. Make it a point to pause when there is a comma or give two pauses at the end of the sentence. If certain words in the speech need to be emphasized then underline them and practice them as they need to be said.

    Avoid catch words in conversations. Get a friend or your partner to help you out when rehearsing a conversation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Although it can be an unpleasant and often embarrassing process, but in the long run it helps in cutting down on catch words.

A. Practise your speech when you can.

B. Remember the saying that silence is golden.

C. Therefore we can find out best friends to guide us well.

D. Anytime you use a catch word, the friend can point it out.

E. So we should learn some ways to avoid speaking such words.

F. Structure the speech well to include as much information as is needed.

G. The mind is so busy trying to figure out what to say that there is a strong urge to speak such words.

    A conversation with a good listener is like a good meal—we walk away feeling satisfied and happy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are 4 ways to make your conversation partner feel like you're fully tuned in to their personal radio station.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Making your conversation partner feel safe starts with two things: an open mind and keeping judgment to yourself. Just as immersing（沉浸）yourself in a novel requires suspension of disbelief, immersing yourself in listening requires suspension of opinions or advice. While judgments may appear into your head, set them to the side.

    Ask questions to follow your natural curiosity.

    When you're interested, ask questions.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Ask for examples. Ask for details. Following your natural curiosity by asking questions not only shows you are listening and interested, but almost always produces an interesting story.

Listen with your whole body.

    In many a kindergarten classroom, teachers emphasize something called “whole body listening”. It goes like this: use your eyes to watch nonverbal（非语言）, your brain to think about what is being said, your heart to feel emotions» and keep the rest of your body quiet to show respect. But many of us lose it over time, especially as life gets busy. The result? We often try to multitask while listening.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Validate（使生效）with simple phrases.

    Keep in your back pocket some validating words and phrases to show you've heard someone.

    “Of course.” “That makes sense.” “Naturally.” “Clearly.” “For sure.”{#blank#}5{#/blank#}In conversation, combining those little phrases: “Of course you feel that way.” or “That makes total sense.” doesn't necessarily convey agreement, but it does convey something even bigger： acceptance.

A. Create safety.

B. Devote yourself to listening.

C. It's appealing to talk about your own experience.

D. We half-listen while getting things done or staring at a screen.

E. Think like a journalist and ask what, when, where, why or how.

F. But being a good listener goes way beyond just not interrupting or nodding your head.

G. All of these statements confirm a person's experience or feelings as worthy and accepted.

    Since the 1980s eco-tourism has grown and grown. It is the fastest growing type of tourism.

    If done well, eco-tourism has several advantages. It is kinder to the environment. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}This means that more natural habitat is protected and that the resources for building come from sustainable (可持续的) sources. Another advantage is that people in the developed world through eco-tourism get to experience places of great natural importance as well as communicating with local people. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    However, there are some disadvantages of eco-tourism. It is felt by some environmentalists that any human activity will cause disorder in the routine of animals. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Another problem for local people is that they are expected to pose for cameras and dance etc. for money. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The tourists are destroying the culture that they are paying to protect.

    Eco-tourism tries to go to the places far away from other communities. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}There is nothing stopping people taking money from tourists as well as doing environmentally unfriendly activities.

    It seems that the disadvantages often outweigh the advantages of eco-tourism. It might be better to take pictures of animals rather than kill animals, but given the choice the animals would sooner not have people around. It seems whether eco-tourism should be allowed should be judged case-by-case, and that the local people must be considered.

A. These places are often not well policed.

B. People walking through the forest may do much harm.

C. And these activities will also damage the eco-system.

D. It seldom ends people to untouched parts of the world.

E. This is good for both parties: they both can better understand each other.

F. And it encourages developers to consider the natural environment more.

G. It discourages the local people from pursuing their traditional life styles.

    According to a sales report from askci.com on 2018's Double Eleven, the national shopping day, women's down garments were among the top 10 hit products.

    Statistics show that down garments have been popular for many years in both northern and southern China. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Especially during a fiercely cold winter, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, cares about being stylish?

    All you need is warmth — the very light from heaven, which down garments can provide you with. However, as living standards rise, more expensive garments filled with goose down, instead of duck down, have appeared in the market.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. What's the difference between the down from these two creatures? First, the down from mature geese is larger and thicker, which makes garments filled with goose down much warmer. Second, goose down is more flexible and fluffier than that of ducks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, goose down has no strange odor. Geese are often "vegetarians" and eat clean, while ducks are omnivorous, which could give their feathers and down a strong scent. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    However, duck down is still a good choice if you live in place where winter is windy, yet not that cold.

    If you still want be stylish…

    Although most down garments can make people look big and sloppy, you could choose longer ones for a slimming look. For colors, metallic hues are more fashionable and pair more easily with other street-style outfits in your wardrobe.

A. Goose or duck

B. It seems the strong warmth provided by down garments has been nationally approved

C. These are the advantages that account for the higher prices of garments made with goose down

D. When you shudder in the wind

E. How to choose your down garment

F. The last difference is key for people sensitive to smells

G. You may like goose garment better