Lots of people stress out about talking in front of the class or getting laughed at if they make a mistake in front of an audience. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The “stress hormones" that your body produces at times like these can actually help you focus.

    But when worry and stress about performing get to be too much, these hormones give people that “red alert(紧急状态)” feeling—the one that causes you to feel cold or sweaty, or get butterflies in your stomach. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Be prepared. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Rehearse(排练) as much as you can and practice in front of others at every opportunity. Most of all, think positively. Tell yourself “I'll be OK" or “I can do this" even if you are not 100% sure of it

    Look after yourself. Before big performances it's easy to let taking care of yourself slip as you spend too much time on rehearsals and practice. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Exercise can also help you feel good, and along with sleep and nutrition, is an excellent way of keeping those stress hormones from getting out of control.

    Find out what the experts do. You can find books, DVDs, and online information about how to give your best when you perform, depending on what type of performance you're preparing for. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Or ask the cast of your school play or your drama or music teacher how they beat stage fright. And if your parents or grandparents ever performed, they may have their own secrets to share.

    Last week the electricity in my flat went out. I had just got home from work and was happily making my tea, when all a sudden I was surrounded by complete darkness. I tried to fix it but failed. I had to wait for an electrician to come in the morning{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    I sat down to eat my half-cooked dinner. And then I wasn't really sure what to do. My typical evening is spent watching the TV and looking through social media{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So for me it was an early night. And I couldn't help but think, do we rely too much on electricity? That night, losing our electricity felt like losing a basic necessity. As basic as running water{#blank#}3{#/blank#}I use electricity all the time, even when it's not really necessary.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It contributes to global warming. It is harming our environment and we need to do what we can to stop it. Not only that, but if we continue to use the same large amount of energy we will soon run out.

    So, shouldn't we start preparing for it now? Cutting back on our use of electricity would make losing it easier, and also save energy resources so that they could last for longer{#blank#}5{#/blank#} And if everyone does the same, we can make a big difference.

A. Tonight this wasn't possible.

B. Obviously, we can't survive without it.

C. Our over-use of electricity is a big problem.

D. This left me a whole night without any electricity.

E. Electricity brings us convenience and trouble.

F. But really, we've grown to take electricity for granted.

G. I know for sure that I could cut down on my use of electricity.

    We've all experienced peer pressure (同伴压力). It happens to everybody. However, people have different reactions. Confident people refuse to do things they don't want to do, but shy and anxious people often give in. It may be because they want to be liked. It may be because they worry that their friends will make fun of them, or perhaps they're just curious about trying something new. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It's hard being the only one who says no and the question is：how do you do it? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}If you think that missing maths, or smoking, or going somewhere you know your parents wouldn't like is a bad idea then the answer is simple：don't do it. It's your decision, nobody else's. You don't need to be aggressive. You don't need to shout and scream, but you must be confident and you must be firm. You need to say, "No thanks. I don't want to do that."

    Being on your own against everybody else is very hard, so it can really help to have at least one other peer, or friend, who will say no too. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You want friends who will support you when you're in trouble. You don't want people who will always agree with the majority. Remember, the most popular people aren't always the most trustworthy.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  You can learn a lot from people your own age. They can teach you great football skills or the best way to do your maths homework. They can recommend music and advise you on fashion. And don't forget you can tell them things too, and that always feels great. So, find friends who have similar interests. And remember, friendship isn't about feeling depressed and guilty. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Choose your friends carefully.

B. Firstly, you must decide what you believe.

C. It's about sharing experiences and having fun.

D. Of course, peer pressure isn't completely bad.

E. It may be because they were all born to be stubborn.

F. Depression and guilt will surely give you peer pressure.

G. Whatever the reason, some people end up doing things they really don't want to.

    What is your favourite colour? Do you like yellow, orange, red? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Do you prefer greys and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead． You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of colour preference, as well as the effect that colours have on human beings.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area——until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

A. On the other hand, black is depressing.

B. They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favourite colour as grow up——we are born with our preference.

C. The rooms are painted in different colours as you like.

D. If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.

E. Light and bright colours make people not only happier but more active.

F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colours.

G. Colours do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it.

Is Cash Becoming Outdated?

    When he rolls into a gas station to fill his tank, Barkhad Dahir doesn't get out of his car. He pushes a few buttons on his cellphone and within seconds he has paid for the fuel. With the same quick pushes on his phone, he pays for virtually everything he needs: groceries at the supermarket, a few oranges from a market stall, or a cup of sweet milky tea from a café. Mr. Dahir boasts, "Even lying in bed, you can be paying your bills."

    Electronic payments offer consumers convenience, provide revenue for banks, credit card companies and payment processors, and offer merchants improved cash flow and convenience. "I don't even carry money any more," says Adan Abokor, a democracy activist. "I haven't seen cash for a long time. Almost every merchant, even hawker (小贩) on the street, accepts payment by cellphone. There's no waiting for it and no counting of cash."

    The system is impressively simple and secure. Purchases are made by dialing a three-digit number, entering a four-digit PIN, and then entering the retailer's payment number and the amount of money. Both customers and merchants receive text messages to confirm the payment.

    Clearing up cash payments has several advantages as well. The printing and handling of money is expensive. Cash payments can be anonymous and hard to track criminal activities to be conducted in secret. Many governments favor reducing cash dealings in order to better monitor and understand the activities of their citizens. The Swedish government has been discussing the removing of cash since 2010.

    However, some people doubt what members of a cashless society do when the power goes off. Do they choose to barter (物物交换) and rob? Do they sit at home and wait? What happens to people who rely on their cellphones to process money dealings when cell service and the Internet are interrupted? A world affected by terrorism and increasingly violent weather may not yet be ready to abandon currency. "Ironically, the day after the largest bank in Norway, DNB, proposed ending all cash dealings, I went to my local grocery store and when I tried to pay by phone, I was told that I needed to go to the ATM to get cash because the system was broken." said an interviewee.

    Other people fear that electronic payments may create security and fraud risks and enable dealings to be tracked and reported. Privacy, security and convenience are all important factors in the adoption of electronic payment technology. New technologies which balance and address these factors may enable people to remove cash.

    I have some gray hairs. Do l dare to count them? Just the fact that I have enough to count scares me, and turns getting old into a reality. I'm certainly getting older. We all are. But why does it have to happen so quickly?

    We just celebrated my birthday. I say "celebrated" because we had cake and ice cream. For my kids, any excuse for ice cream and cake is a celebration. I'm not sure if to me it was a thing to celebrate, though. I like the special attention that birthday bring, but I don't wait for them 364 days of the year like my children do. For them, another number means more privileges and more things that they get to do. For an adult, another number means fewer things. that you can do, like "I can't run as fast as I used to…etc. "

    I went with my children to the old-age home near my apartment building. We walked inside the door. The contrast between my preschoolers full of energy and the old women siting in the wheelchair by the door made me lost in thought. Not so long ago, I was a bouncing preschool like my children. Not so long ago, there women were the mothers of small children. Fifty years ago, they were me, and in fifty years, I could be them. The visit, like my birthday, served as a reality check. "Life is so short and it goes by so quickly. Enjoy the moment that you are in, because you will never get it back, "I told myself.

    This is also what I want to leave behind to my children. I decide to try to start just by not complaining. In any difficult situation, I will try to find the good things about it, no matter how small the good things might be.