There are three things that will get you ahead in life: good looks, smarts, and being considered as being smart.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} And unluckily most of us are not good-looking. Let's explore some different ways to become smarter.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}College doesn't necessarily mean you'll be smarter, just educated. It means you'll be exposed to many different ideas and hopefully you'll learn how to think. Being able to think outside the box and for yourself are features smart people possess.

    Read books and educational magazines.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Educational magazines are a wealth of knowledge you can share with others, thus making you sound very smart. If you do watch television, try watching something that you can learn.

    Expand your vocabulary. Try to learn one new word a week. It doesn't seem like much, but adding 52 new words to your vocabulary will really make you appear much smarter. Subscribing (订阅) to vocabulary.com is a good start.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This way you're actually getting 365 words a year, but that is usually more than most people can absorb.

    Don't repeat everything people tell you until you know that it's true.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}They hear a strange claim and they repeat it to the nearest ear. You can do much harm to your seek for being smart if you are known for giving bad information.

A. Go to college and get an education.

B. The first is God-given.

C. Get educated inside or outside college.

D. You will have a new word sent to your email address daily.

E. The programs actually provide you with information you can use.

F. Uneducated people and people not considered as being smart tend to do this.

G. Reading books works the brain out more than viewing television.

    Let's Go Skiing

    Skiing can be a good sport. Here is a list of advice for a new skier. It can also be used by would-be instructors to help you give a beginner the best possible skiing experience.

    The biggest complaint of the complete beginner is cold feet. This is because the boots you are using don't fit. Boots should allow you to shake your toes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But, boots should not allow you to turn your foot side-to-side within the boot. If you can turn your foot inside the boot, you won't have a chance to control your skis.

Try several pairs of boots —not every boot marked the same size is actually the same size (even if they are the same brand and model). This extra effort will be annoying, but worth it.

    Probably fitting ski boots are warm. Do NOT wear very thick socks, or more than one pair of socks inside your boots.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Besides, socks can help here. Bring two pairs of socks for your first outing, a thin pair, and a medium-thick pair. Then choose the socks based on how the boots seem to be fitting. You may even find you wear a thin sock on one foot and a thicker sock on the other because the boots won't match exactly.

    Do NOT wear jeans or sweatpants. You will be falling down in snow and even if it is cold enough to be dry snow, some of it will stick to you and melt. If you get wet, it's over. There's no chance to stay warm. I suggest thick ski pants for beginners. The ski pants will also help keep you warm on the lift. Similarly, your jacket should also be waterproof. It doesn't matter how heavy it is.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Keeping warm isn't so hard. Make sure you read the parts on boots, socks and clothes above.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Remember to start out warm. When you go out into the cold, you should be a little too warm, not quite sweating but close. If your body is warm but your neck, nose or ears are cold, it is always because you left them uncovered.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you are sweating a tiny bit, that's fine. If you are sweating a lot, you are too hot. Your sweat will make parts of you very cold, even while other parts are still too hot. To deal with this, don't be afraid of opening your coat, or removing your hat or gloves, for just a minute, or for the day.

A. Keeping warm can be difficult.

B. Getting too hot can be a problem too.

C. Wear heavy boots and socks together.

D. All the clothes you wear must be waterproof.

E. If you can't shake your toes, then your feet will be cold.

F. If you didn't rent your boots in advance, finding a good fit will be a problem.

G. Apart from this, you have to wear the right amount of clothing and keep moving.

    Life is short. It may feel as if it takes forever sometimes, but the reality is that you live, and a short time later, you die. It happens so quickly that many people don't even realize they had a life until it's already over.

    ⒈{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    If you don't believe in yourself, nobody will. Success starts in your mind, and if all you're doing is putting yourself down and predicting failure, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy(预言){#blank#}2{#/blank#}instead of not believing yourself. Not only will you be happier and more successful, you'll also spread it to everyone around you.

    ⒉Stop Being Lazy

    Lazy people are annoying—it's like pulling teeth and getting them to do anything. If I can't do something as simple as going to the movies with you without wasting an hour convincing you to get your lazy butt (臀部) out of bed, I'd rather go alone. People have enough trouble motivating themselves{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⒊Stop Wasting Time

    I've said it before. And I'll say it again{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Don't waste your time on unproductive things. If you want to explore the World's dark corners, that's great. I still associate with people who have not-so-kosher(没有固定工作的) careers, but I don't hang out with those people at the expense of my own short- and long-term goals.

    ⒋Stop Being Wasteful

    You don't finish your meals, and throw away food instead. You leave the faucet running when you brush your teeth,

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You drive to places you could easily walk to, burning gasoline (a non-renewable resource). You are wasteful, and it needs to stop.

A. Think positively

B. wasting is a shame

C. Stop Being Selfish

D. Stop Doubting Yourself

E. pouring precious clean water down

F. Time is the most valuable resource we have

G. don't make your friends and family waste their energy motivating you as well

    Teachers love to put students into teams.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Why? Because they know the responsible team members will come through for a good grade.

If you are teamed up with a student who is lazy, the worst thing you can do is let it get you down.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} and it might create a positive change in your partner!

    Try these tips for working with a slacker(懒虫).

    Be excited and provide a good example. Your slacker may be a good person who has developed bad work habits. You may be able to teach your partner some valuable skills for a successful future.

    Think rewards!{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For instance, you could promise to make cupcakes for the next work meeting and encourage your partner to bring a good snack.

    Make some time to sit with your partner and establish a set of work rules and deadlines. Don't quarrel, though. Make it clear that you would like to establish rules to keep you both on track.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Keep a record of your rules, your initial meetings, and your work. When it becomes obvious in the records that you're doing all the work, talk with the slacker.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Don't let the anger and pain defeat you.

B. Come up with a great reward for meeting some goal.

C. Instead, take some steps to encourage your partner to work.

D. Unavoidably one or more members will try to do nothing.

E. Start out by giving your partner a clear task with a deadline.

F. Show him/her the evidence and suggest he or she pick up the pace.

G. Think about the future and the fact that you are going to be rewarded.

    Tests can be stressful even for the best students. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to make your stress much more manageable.

    Get Enough Sleep

    Getting 6 hours of sleep or less can put you into what's called a sleep deficit(不足),which makes you less sharp mentally and prevents you from performing properly on tests. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This way, you needn't stay up for the test and can get a good night of sleep before your big day.

    Study Smarter

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Make a list of the most important things you need to learn and hit the items at the top of the list first. This will ensure they're mostly covered if you run out of time. Make a list of all the work you have to do, estimate how long each item will take, and compare that with the amount of hours you have available. This will tell you if you can carefully read or just skim, how many times you can afford to revise the papers.

    Visualize(想象)Success

    A proven way to build your confidence is to visualize yourself taking the tests and doing wonderfully. Visualization can not only help you perform better in the tests but can help you remember facts. You can create detailed situations that involve the information you're trying to remember.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

Stay Calm

    There're several techniques that can help you calm down quickly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, hold it for a while and then let it out slowly. Your stress will come out with your exhales(呼气)

A. Be organized with your studies.

B. Extra time on tests can bring success to students.

C. Test anxiety has a negative impact on your performance.

D. In this process you can strengthen the facts in your memory.

E. Breathing exercises can be extremely effective in helping you relax.

F. So it's very important to get all your studying done before your exam.

G. There are options for easing stress and potentially improving test performance.

    Many students have trouble staying focused in class. Some of them easily become absent-minded or fall asleep. As a result, they turn to study drugs in order to stay focused in school. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Get some sleep.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And it is important to stick with it. Having irregular sleep cycles can really affect concentration and physical well-being. Try to go to sleep at the same time every night and get eight to nine hours of sleep. Your body will thank you in the morning.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Eating first thing in the morning provides fresh energy throughout the day, and it doesn't even have to be a big meal. Something as small as a bowl of oatmeal can make students more energetic and efficient for the rest of the day. And foods like peanut butter, berries, and whole grains have even shown to improve memory.

    Turn off your phone.

    An obvious way to maintain concentration is to avoid distractions that take your attention away.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When students need to channel their energy into studies, turning off the phone or even putting it on airplane mode is a good way to centralize their drive and keep distractions at bay.

    Break a sweat.

    Trying to concentrate in class will feel as challenging as a marathon if you're not in good physical health. On the other hand, actually running a marathon may help boost your ability to concentrate, as exercise is shown to have many benefits for the brain. While you don't necessarily have to run 26 miles before class or work, doing exercise in the morning can get your blood flowing towards your brain. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Do not skip breakfast.

B. Sit in the front if you sleep in class.

C. That helps in strengthening the mind.

D. Probably the biggest one is the smart phone.

E. Students should have a regular bedtime routine.

F. But many study drugs have proven harmful to human health.

G. However, there are other all-natural ways to help with concentration in class.