How to Have a Successful Teenage Life

    Everyone wants to succeed in their life, don't they? Even as a teenager, you can achieve success in your life, it really isn't that hard.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Do well in school. No matter how boring it is now, education will help you be a productive member in society. Try your best for excellence in school: listen to the teachers, do your homework, study, and get good grades. Doing so will help you get into a better university, which will enable you to have a bright future.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Do good in your community(社区). Volunteering can not only improve your community's status, but could make you happier. Studies show that people who volunteer are less likely to develop depression(抑郁) than people who don't.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}For example, if you love animals, volunteer at an animal shelter. If you love helping the environment, plant trees or pick up litter. When you help others, it will make you feel better about yourself.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Remember, they're there to help you be the best that you can be. Respect them and value their opinions, even if they annoy you sometimes.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}You don't get to choose your teachers or your family, but you still have to put up with them. Learn how to deal with people now, because when you're an adult, you don't get to choose your boss or your co-workers, so learn how to respect them now.

A. Here are some important points that you may find helpful

B. Be nice to your parents and teachers

C. School sets you up on the right track

D. Find chances to do volunteer work that interests you

E. Keep in mind that they do the things they do because they care about you

F. Live life to the fullest

G. It will help you pass time and develop your personality

    The UN has recognized the contributions of volunteers on Dec. 5, International Volunteer Day. Here, the four things are offered to consider before taking the leap into overseas volunteering.

    Choose your organization carefully

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} volunteering may be a fundraising mechanism（筹资机制）for a development project. For others, volunteering is fundamental to their programs, and those serving take on professional roles in longer-term development.

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    Volunteers want to help and make a difference, but most know this isn't a purely selfless act. You will learn new skills, broaden your horizons and come to better understand yourself and the world.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Reflect on your motivations. You want to help reduce global poverty or protect the natural world, but what else? Have you always wanted to travel, but not as a tourist? Work with kids? When you understand your motivations, you'll be in a better position to choose the option that is right for you.

    Work alongside the local community

    Often times, travelers volunteer in isolation（隔离）from the local community in which they are working in.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This enables you to ensure you are committing to a project that promotes long term and sustainable change.

    A volunteer trip is just the beginning

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Further ignite（点燃）the global change maker in you by taking your experience one step further when you return home. Spread the message of your transformative experience to others, helping to spark the change within them.

    When you got sick, did your parents and doctors make you drink a "terrible soup"?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, but it can really make you feel better in several days. The "soup" is actually a kind of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

    In recent years, TCM has become more popular around the world.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. China has 10 TCM centers abroad, such as in France and the United States. Doctors give TCM treatment to local people there. They also teach TCM knowledge to local people. Now, there are over 100,000 TCM clinics, with about 300,000 TCM workers around the world.

    TCM came from China thousands of years ago. It is based on the Chinese philosophy (哲学) of yin and yang.

    Humans should follow the natural rules to stay healthy. Old Greece and Egypt created western medicine.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Western doctors check people's height, weight, blood pressure and body temperature.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. "Bringing together western medicine and TCM can use collective knowledge, rather than create competition between them. It can develop the great effects of both of them," said Bernhard Schwartlander, a World Health Organization representative in China.

    On Dec 6, a government document reported that 86 countries and regions are now developing TCM together with China. In 2015, Chinese scientist Tu Youyou won the Nobel Prize.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Today, with more and people paying attention to TCM, it will definitely have a bright future.

A. Let's see some facts and figures

B. It might be a bad drinking experience

C. It is difficult to compare which one is better

D. Then the idea took shape in Europe in the 19th century

E. There are many women of great achievements in history

F. Many people believe western medicine is more effective than TCM

G. It's because she made an important drug using traditional Chinese medicine

How to Sleep Better

    If you're having trouble getting good sleep through the night (turning, waking up more than once, for example), this text will tell you what you can do to ensure a peaceful night's sleep.

    ⒈Get up on time. Changing your sleeping time by more than an hour can severely disturb (干扰) your sleep quality. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, if you normally wake up at 6 am on weekdays to get to work, you might go to bed around 10 pm, because that's when you start to feel sleepy, and it's also a good time to ensure 8 hours of sleep. If, on the weekend, you sleep until 9 am, you probably won't be able to fall asleep that night until 1 am.

    ⒉{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Wait at least three hours after dinner before going to sleep. Digestion(消化) slows down while asleep, and a full stomach may interrupt(打搅) sleep. Similarly, you should avoid going to bed on an empty stomach, as a completely empty stomach may equally disturb your sleeping patterns(模式).

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Exposure(暴露) to light during the time when you're supposed to be sleeping can disrupt(扰乱) your body's internal clock. Turn your light off, or use a very dim night light. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They include windows, LED clocks, computer lights and cable boxes.

    ⒋Change your sleeping position. You may think that it's impossible to control what position you sleep in since you don't fully understand what you are doing, but it is possible and it can make a big difference. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Try to avoid all sources of light.

B. Keep the room as dark as possible.

C. Make note of unusual circumstances (状况).

D. Be mindful of what you eat or drink before bed.

E. Sleep is considered to be adequate only when there is no daytime sleepiness.

F. In other words, sudden change of sleeping time will affect your “biological(生物的) clock”.

G. If you wake up in the middle of the night, make an effort to have a comfortable position.

    Maybe you are an average student. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}This is not necessarily so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here's how.

    Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.

    Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

    Make good use of your time in class. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

    Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day and read that material. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you'll remember it longer.

    Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be over worried.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You will probably discover them after you have tried these.

A. There are other methods that might help you with your studying.

B. Don't forget to arrange enough time for entertainment.

C. Make full use of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.

D. No one can become a top student unless he or she works hard.

E. You probably think you will never be a top student.

F. Make full use of class time to take notes of what the teacher says in class.

G. This will help you understand the next class.

How to choose a college major?

For you to be able to choose a college major that makes sense for you, you first need to figure out what you want out of a college major. For some people, knowing they will almost always be able to find a job throughout their lives is most important. For others, being able to pursue a particular intellectual interest is the critical factor. Most people are motivated by some combination of factors that they weigh in balance. These factors will guide you towards the answer to the question," What college major is right for me?" {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Your Interests

Your interests are an important part of picking a major. If you really dislike what you are studying, you will be miserable. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. So it is essential that you are actually interested in what you are studying.

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You should also consider what you're good at when you think about how to choose your major.

This doesn't mean that you should definitely major in whatever you are best at in high school. For one thing, you will probably discover new talents in college as you take courses in areas that weren't available to you in high school. For another thing, the thing that you're "best" at is not necessarily what matches best with all your other priorities and goals.

Your Future Career

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. For some majors, it's fairly clear what sort of job the degree will lead to. A degree in teaching will lead to teaching, a degree in nursing to nursing, and so on. For others, it's less clear.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Thus, in terms of a future career, don't just think of what job title you will be qualified for, because those things shift all the time. Think about the skills you will learn in your major, and how much those skills are in demand.

To sum up, we need to take various factors into consideration when choosing a major.

A. Your Abilities

B. Your Efforts

C. Here are some factors you will probably want to consider

D. However, it's important to remember that it's finally your major

E. It makes sense to consider what kind of job prospects you will have

F. A degree in communications or sociology could lead to a variety of jobs

G. Additionally, you won't be particularly motivated to complete your coursework