Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.

Walk Out of the Comfort Zone and Try New Things

For most high school students, free periods are useless. From what I have seen, few do homework, instead many are on their phones 

and talking, making it impossible for those who actually want to do work to complete any. As a senior next year, I think extra periods should be used to take optional subjects.

Our school offers many classes. Now is the time to experiment in different fields of study. We will never know if we are interested or 

talented in a subject if we don't try it.

In my 8th grade, I was told that I had to take an art class as a graduation requirement; so in the 9th grade I took Studio and Art. One 

of the projects was to build a clay pot, but I built mine incorrectly, so it broke in the kiln 

(窑). I found out that I have no artistic ability at all, and now I know for sure that I do not want to be an artist. However, the class was

 one of my favorites that year. I was able to try new activities and test my ability.

Walk out of our comfort zone and try new things! College is when we should focus on a specific major, but high school is when we

 have to figure it out.

Half of all college students change their major at some point. By doing that hundreds of dollars are wasted on classes that they would 

have never needed to take. So use our extra periods to find out what we want to do in college. The classes we choose can impact us in

 future. Taking optional subjects will enrich our mind. It will also show colleges we are diverse students.

Common public speaking problems

    The use of "I feel", "I think" and "maybe"

    In the question-and-answer session of the speaking competition, many contestants began their answers with uncertain expressions like "I feel", "I guess", "I hear", "maybe" and "perhaps".

    These words show that the person is only speaking from his or her point of view. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    Work on keeping your answers brief and to the point, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} . Instead of the empty-sounding "I guess", using facts, together with a clear conclusion based on those facts, is far more likely to be popular with an audience.

    Using only one speaking style

    Don't stick to the same tone. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    For example, when they spoke about their dreams, some sounded romantic. Others used humor. Very few used several different styles together. Try mixing more than one style, rather than just sticking with the same one.

    Irresponsible answers

    Public speaking is different from personal conversations. You're responsible for your words. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So you should think twice before you talk. Don't be like the student who, when asked about his opinion on book piracy（盗版）, started by saying he supported it.

    Talking around the topic rather than directly answering it

    You should focus on one point and give a clear solution. The key is to work out what question is being asked. Is it asking you to discuss a certain topic or to present your own point of view?

    Use one or two arguments together and give a strong conclusion. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

A. It can be boring. Try to mix it up.

B. Even though you want to answer quickly, you don't want to sound foolish.

C. Also work on delivering them with calmness and confidence.

D. Deliberate gestures and affected（做作的）expressions of feelings are improper in a successful speech.

E. Remember that judges are not judging you on whether they agree, but on your ability to say what you think clearly.

F. This lacks the support of facts and seems not to be reliable for the judges and audience.

G. Confidence is extremely important in public speaking as it lets a speaker sound more convincing.

    Being organized is an important skill for school and life．When you're well organized, you can stay focused，instead of spending time hunting things down．

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For schoolwork, it means having one notebook or place where you store all your assignment，so you know what you have to do and when. Keeping all your school work neat and in a specific place—these are the main parts of organization.

        For home stuff, being organized means having a place to put your things and putting them back as you go. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It means keeping your schoolbag，your shoes, and your clean underwear in the same places so you always know where to find them.

    Planning is part of being organized, too. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Calendars，lists，and schedules can help you plan. You can buy or draw a calendar and keep it near your workplace. Making a schedule or “to-do” list for yourself is a good idea. Looking at your list helps you keep track of what you need to do. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Check off things when you've done them. Use your list to help you decide which thing is the most important to work on first.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But once you're organized，it feels great．The less time you spend hunting around for things or panicking about homework，the more time you have for better things，like reading a good book or playing.

A. Planning means deciding what you will do and when you will do it.

B. First，you should get your schoolwork organized.

C. Add new things as you get assignments.

D. You will benefit a lot from a good habit.

E. What does it mean to be organized?

F. It takes some extra efforts to organize yourself and your stuff.

G. It means hanging your coat up instead of dropping it on the floor or throwing it on a chair.

    As is well-known, drinking water benefits one's health. Especially when you get up early in the morning, you'd better drink water. Here are some reasons why you should do so.

    Improves Your Metabolism(新陈代谢)

    Studies have shown that drinking water on empty stomach can help increase metabolic rate up by 30%. This means that the rate at which calories are burned increases by nearly one third. Do you know what that means? Quicker weight loss!

    If your metabolic rate is high, then you will be able to digest food faster and maintain a slim figure despite eating those extra calories. However, this doesn't mean that you could bite down on all that junk food. Furthermore, you will need to drink around four litres of water daily for best results.

    Helps in Clearing Your Bowels

    Constipation(便秘) is one of the most irritating conditions which also results in deposit of poisonous materials inside the body. But did you know that one of the other benefits of drinking water is that it helps to clear out your bowels? The colon(结肠), which is in part responsible for bowel movements, require water to function properly. So just gulp down a glass of water and sit on your toilet for a clean colon.

    Improves Your Appetite

Early in the morning, with your stomach totally empty, it is natural you will feel hungry. So another benefit of drinking water is preparing you to have the most important meal of the day — breakfast. Besides this, we all know that having a healthy appetite is good for overall health.

Helps to Balance Your Nervous System

    Yes, drinking water on empty stomach especially if it's hot, can improve the health of your nervous system. Early morning, the stomach is most receptive. At this moment, if you indulge in coffee, which is a central nervous system stimulant, your nervous system will be affected from the get-go. On the other hand, if you just have a glass of warm water, it can ease your nervous system, which will help it function properly.

    Prevents Migraine(偏头痛) Attacks

    Again, if you tend to suffer from migraine attacks, then water can help fight it off. Your doctor might have already told you that migraines happen due to lacking water amongst other reasons. So just by increasing your water intake, you are basically preventing your chances from suffering another migraine attack.

    Prevents Early Aging

    And now to finish off, let's see how drinking water on empty stomach can prove to be some sort of good medicine. Water can help release toxins such as bacteria and other harmful elements from your system. This, in turn, can help your body fight the effects of free radicals(自由基) which can cause early ageing. Furthermore, if your skin doesn't lack water internally, it will feel refreshed, which can help it maintain a young state and shiny appearance.

    Now that you've learned the above benefit of drinking water early in the morning, why not develop the healthy habit from now on?

Meal kits(餐具)cut food waste but packaging is a problem

    Home delivery meal kits can slash(大幅消减)food waste by more than two-thirds, but suppliers need to switch to reusable packaging to make them environmentally friendly.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} That means leftovers are minimized. But while the delivery services score well on reducing food waste, buying the same ingredients from the supermarket almost always saves energy overall simply because meal kits use so much single-use packaging. The good news is that if you have meals that are tailored for consumption, people won't over-buy and you have less food waste. You fine-tune the portions to what people will actually eat.

    Beyond the cost of the waste itself, thrown-away food generates methane(甲烷)that contributes to climate change. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A 2018 report from the Boston Consulting Group found that the waste was set to soar by a third by 2030 when global food waste was estimated to reach 2.1 bn tonnes.

    Meal kits can reduce transport emissions if they mean people take fewer trips to the supermarket. If people only went to buy goods that are unlikely to decay such as soap and toilet paper, they might only have to visit the supermarket once every couple of months. That delivery truck can carry meals for you and dozens of neighbors. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The study found that even if delivered meal kits reduced food waste to zero, they would still use up more energy overall than buying the same food from the supermarket unless the energy used for the meal kit packaging was cut by a fifth. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} All the environmental benefits are lost. But if the packaging can be reused, you can get some benefits.

A. However, meal kits are likely heading for the mainstream.

B. If it's single-use and thrown away, the packaging is a killer.

C. In that case, you might replace dozens of car trips with one truck trip.

D. Meal knits arrive on your doorstep by truck filled with every ingredient you need.

E. Tailor-made meal kits save waste by providing precise quantities of fresh ingredients.

F. If food waste was a country, it would rank third in emissions behind the US and China.

    Our world is more connected than ever before thanks to technology.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly important that we all learn how to deal with this painful feeling.

    You should be determined to actively end your loneliness. We often end up passively waiting for someone else to make us feel less lonely. You may feel that your loneliness indicates that nobody is willing to connect with you. And there is nothing you can do about it. But that is far from the truth.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    You should find reasons why you are lonely. We all feel lonely for different reasons. Some of us have no one else to interact(互动) with on a consistent basis and that's why we feel lonely. You may feel that the people in your life don't share your thoughts and ideas.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}, you need to identify it. And you know exactly how to handle your loneliness.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. People who are lonely tend to fall into destructive mental habits. They try to avoid the pain of not being understood and being disconnected by not giving people any chance to understand and connect with them. That's not what you should choose to do. Instead, you should share your thoughts and feelings with others and do so openly and fearlessly.

    You should find people who share your interests.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, everybody is interested in something. And just as there are many interests, there are many people who share those interests. Find what interests you and connect with others on that basis.

A. Whatever the reason is

B. Whether it's coin collecting or video games

C. If you have no reason to share your interests

D. You should be true to yourself or actively end loneliness

E. You should be open about your thoughts, ideas and desires

F. Ending loneliness is something that you can and should do actively

G. However, more and more of us find ourselves having to stand loneliness