If anyone had told me three years ago that I would be spending most of my weekends camping. I would have laughed heartily. Campers, in my eyes, were people who enjoyed insects bites, ill-cooked meals, and uncomfortable sleeping bags. They had nothing in common with me.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

The friends who introduced me to camping thought that it meant to be a pioneer.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}We sleep in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and walked a long distance to take the shower and use the bathroom. This brief visit with Mother Nature cost me two days off from work, recovering from a bad case of sunburn and the doctor's bill for my son's food poisoning.

    I was, nevertheless, talked into going on another fun-filled holiday in the wilderness.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Instead, we had a pop-up camper with comfortable beds and an air conditioner. My nature-loving friends had remembered to bring all the necessities of life.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}We have done a lot of it since. Recently, we bought a twenty-eight-foot travel trailer complete with a bathroom and a built-in TV set. There is a separate bedroom, a modern kitchen with a refrigerator. The trailer even has matching carpet and curtains.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It must be true that sooner or later, everyone finds his or her way back to nature. I recommend that you find your way in style.

A. This time there was no tent.

B. Things are going to be improved.

C. The trip they took me on was a rough one.

D. I was to learn a lot about camping since then, however.

E. I must say that I have certainly come to enjoy camping.

F. After the trip, my family became quite interested in camping.

G. There was no shade as the trees were no more than 3 feet tall.

    Generally, the skills and attitudes you form as a student will be especially important to your development. The following tips can help you become an active student.

    Don't be satisfied with yourself{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Leave no room for the average of the ordinary. If you can do good things, try hard to become better. If you have become better, try to become the best.

    Give yourself new challenges{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Any new things will give you the chance to understand yourself better. You should try anything. What you learn from these activities can be useful in the future.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}One reason why a student is not active may be that he has a defeated(挫败的) attitude. As much as possible, you should face each challenge with the willingness to succeed.

    Think over your mistakes, if there are any. Being active doesn't mean you will always be successful{#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, they will never succeed if they don't realize the meaning of failure.

    Keep a to-do list. This can serve as a reminder when a student becomes lazy{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. To achieve this, you have to desire to become excellent.

B. Have strong faith that you will succeed.

C. Try to take an active part in group discussions.

D. Don't be afraid to attend activities you wouldn't normally do.

E. There are students who would give up the moment they fail.

F. You can't be active if you don't know what is going on.

G. It can keep you on the right track and help you organize your tasks for the day.

    If you are like most international students, you are probably comfortable reading and writing in English. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Below are some tips to help you to improve your conversational skills.

    Make friends with American students. Many international students end up making friends with a lot of—or only—other international students. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Hanging out with natives not only naturally pushes you to improve your spoken English, but also helps you pick up cultural and social information.

    Learn from American friends. Tell your American friends that you are trying to improve your listening and speaking skills, and would like them to help you. If you pronounce a word incorrectly, or misuse an idiom, you ask them to guide you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Increase your knowledge. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you are familiar with the topics that are likely to be discussed in conversation, you have a much better chance of understanding people when they talk, and of being able to express yourself well.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you have to explain something to someone, you have a strong motivation to pronounce everything as well as you can, and find other ways to explain yourself. Finally, this becomes a good habit. Many people have asked me how I learned to speak English fluently, and I owe most of it to my years of being a math teacher in college for years.

A. It is bad for them to do that.

B. You will make progress this way.

C. Become a teacher at your school, if possible.

D. It's a win－win opportunity for international students.

E. Keep up with news and watch popular shows and movies.

F. Explaining everything in a different way matters.

G. However, you may have trouble in listening and speaking in the language.

The coffee story

    Kaldi was tired but he couldn't sleep. His goats were awake and very noisy. "Why can't they sleep?" Kaldi thought. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They were eating some green plants with little red fruits on them. Kaldi decided to taste the fruits. He ate the soft part of each fruit and the hard things in the centre. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}He was not tired. He felt more awake and did not want to sleep.

    Those hard things were coffee beans, and Kaldi discovered them in Ethiopia more than 1,000 years ago. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Perhaps it is true, perhaps not. Nobody knows. But we know that coffee grew first in Ethiopia, and we know that somebody discovered it there more than 1,000 years ago.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Arab farmers began to grow coffee plants. People learnt to make a drink from the beans, and they called it qahwa.

For 400 years, only the Arabs knew about qahwa. Then people in Turkey learnt about it. Soon after that, western Europeans began to drink it, and in 1652 the first coffee shop in London opened.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Some famous coffee-growing countries are Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and, of course, Ethiopia Coffee is one of the world's favourite drinks thanks to Kaldi and his goats.

A. At least that's the traditional story.

B. After a minute he began to feel different.

C. Many Arab farmers grew coffee to make money.

D. Now farmers grow coffee in many parts of the world.

E. Coffee was such an important drink during that time period.

F. He couldn't understand the problem so he watched the animals carefully.

G. After that, Arab travelers took coffee plants to Egypt and other Arab countries.

A Pen That Draws in Any Color

    The Scribble is a magical pen that can scan colors and instantly reproduce the colors. Hold the Scribble's scanner up to any color, and within a second that color is stored in its memory. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Who can use the Scribble?

    Children will love the Scribble because it can create different colors, replacing even their biggest box of crayons. Besides, anyone working with color in their professional lives, such as artists, will be able to scan and reproduce colors instantly.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Green! One of the most important characteristics of the Scribble is that, since it can reproduce any color, it replaces marking pens, greatly reducing the huge amount of plastic waste.

    What's inside the Scribble?

    There will be two different versions of the Scribble, the Scribble K and the Scribble S. The K will be able to reproduce exact colors on paper. It includes a color sensor and a rechargeable battery. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The S looks exactly the same as the K, but it is intended for use on screen.

    How did we create the Scribble?

    We've been in the design process for two years and the Scribble has gone through various design changes to get it to where we are now. Because of its small size we have created some ideas never seen before in the color reproduction industry. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Thank you for your support.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Thank you also for your support! Make sure to bookmark our website and check back often to see the progress as well as the updated times for production and delivery of your Scribble.

    We often spend a lot of time complaining about the things we don't have or thinking about the things we want to have in future, and forget those things we have now. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. One of the best ways is to make a list of all the things you are grateful for.

    Having a comfortable family

    Even if you have a difficult relationship with your parents, you should be thankful to your family. Whether you come from a small quiet family or a big noisy one, remember that these people truly love you, even if they don't show it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

Having a good relationship with friends

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, be grateful for having them, even if you have only one. Personally I can say that one good friend is always better than a few so-called friends. Be thankful to your friends and try to remind them how much you care as often as possible.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    We often forget our health until we are sick. Whether you have a headache or something more serious, you can't accomplish your tasks and you can't focus on anything else. If you are a healthy person，be thankful for it each day, and make sure you lead a healthy lifestyle.

    Valuing the past failures and mistakes

    Every person should be grateful for their failures and mistakes. Every failed relationship or missed job chance makes you a better person. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Just don't dwell(细想)too much on your past.

A. Keeping your body in a good situation

B. No matter how many friends you have

C. Realizing the condition of your sickness

D. They will always be ready to help you in any situation

E. When your friends point out your past failures and mistakes

F. If you fell down, you should remind yourself that you are actually a happy person

G. Sometimes mistakes are great since they help you become better if you learn from them