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#}

    At long last, Stefano Boeri Architects' brilliant Bosco Verticale towers are finally completed. The “world's first vertical forest” consists of a fantastic pair of costly towers that add nearly 2.5 acres of lush vegetation to the sky line of Milan, a city notorious (声名狼藉的) for its air pollution. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Like a pair of green lungs, its forested appearance of 21,000 plants will absorb CO₂, control noise pollution, lessen the urban heat island effect, and create oxygen and favorable micro-climates.

    The Bosco Verticale mixed-use towers are constructed with a $2.5 billion public-private investment as part of the re-development of Milan's Porta Nuova district. The towers, measuring 260 feet and 367 feet, house 800 trees between 9 and 30 feet tall, over 4,000 shrubs (灌木) and 15,000 ground cover plants. Bosco Verticale is created with LEED Gold Certification (绿色建筑黄金认证) in mind. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    The buildings shrub have welcomed their first residents. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  A fast-growing bird population has already begun to nest in Bosco Verticale's rich leaves, of which over a hundred different species of trees and shrubs are represented. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    The superstructure is also selected for the world famous International Highrise Building Award as one of the five most beautiful and original high-rises in the world that is completed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

A. “We take great pride in this project, which may earn us an award” says Boeri.

B. Boeri is currently in China, where he plans to build another Bosco Verticale project.

C. It is also equipped with a gray water recycling and irrigation system.

D. However, Bosco Verticale will be more than just a beautiful sight to enjoy.

E. “The real key to this project is biodiversity,” says Boeri.

F. It is also well received by the Chinese experts in the field.

G. But those families aren't the only ones to call the vertical forest home.

    You might dream of fluency in this or that language, and maybe you've already achieved fluency in a foreign language.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Fluency, like all abstract terms, has no universal meaning. Each individual must determine what the term means.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Perfect fluency means knowing every word you encounter, speaking quickly, clearly and easily and having no accent.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. You aren't familiar with every word of your native language, and sometimes you have to search for the right word, even in your mother tongue.

    Quick fluency is the type of fluency you see in advertisements, because “Master a Language in Two Months!” sounds way catchier than “Fluency in Twenty Years!”{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is possible to achieve quick fluency, but the fluency achieved after such a short time frame will be a very thin, superficial fluency.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Native-like fluency means that you generally know all the same words that a native knows and can speak at the same pace with the same amount of ease as a native speaker. You will likely have an accent, but as long as your conversation partner can understand you, it doesn't matter.

    Literary fluency is like graduating from native-like to educated-native-like fluency. It focuses on the more intellectual（知识性的） side of a language: indulging in literature, attending university, composing song lyrics, etc.

    There are a ton of other things that fluency could potentially（可能地） be, but that's up to you to figure out.

A. It sounds too good to be true.

B. However, Nobody is “perfectly fluent” in any language.

C. Quick fluency is good if you have some sort of deadline.

D. But have you ever considered what fluency really means?

E. But does fluency have the same meaning to other person as it does to you?

F. Unlike perfect fluency, native-like fluency is a reasonable and attainable goal.

G. To assist you in determining what fluency is, I'll describe a few different types of fluency.

How to make friends at a new school

    Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything seems to be different, and you don't even know where to go for your own classes. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.

    Be yourself.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If some people don't accept you, they're not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sport may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!

    Believe in yourself.

    A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don't keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact (目光接触) with other people. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you're from.

    Remember people's names.

    You like it when people use your name, and so do other people. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname (昵称). You'd be surprised how often this might come in handy.

    Time is something that we all are taking for granted these days. We spend hours watching TV or playing mobile games, thinking that this is just normal. I find this a waste of time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Every second is valuable and we should rethink of ways of spending our time.

    Firstly, spend time in doing things that really matter. Spend time with your family and friends. Enjoy a nice hot meal and eat it slowly. Give yourself time to play and spend enough time in sleeping. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But the truth is the little things matter most in life.

    Secondly, you have to know what is done cannot be undone. Do not allow your mind to stay in the past. Every day is a new adventure. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It may not be an opportunity like an immediate get-rich chance, but it may be an opportunity for new experiences.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you have only one chance to do something for someone, why not do it to the best of your ability? It should not matter whether you are being rewarded or not. You will take pride in your work because you've done your best. Trust me, quality efforts will be rewarded in time.

    Lastly, every moment you spend in doing things is the time taken from your life. Don't waste your time away working day and night just for money. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The value of your time is measured by how you spend it and whom you choose to spend it with.

A. You will get whatever you want from working.

B. Spend more time on the important tasks instead of time-wasters.

C. Do your best in every task as if the world will end tomorrow

D. That is not your life's worth.

E. It is hours of our lives that we can never get back.

F. Little things like this may seem meaningless.

G. You have to keep your eyes and ears open to the new opportunity.

When was the last time something important slipped your mind?. Maybe it was the answer to a test question, the name of an acquaintance or where you left your keys. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}People's ability to remember has less to do with natural talent than it does with training and practice. When students want to prepare for a test they often try to study by simply reading over the material. again, copying notes, etc. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} People remember more when they actively engage with the material they are learning rather than passively receiving it.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Come up with questions about the topic, and try to answer them without looking at your notes. It also helps. to try to engage with the material in different ways. For example; you could sketch or diagram the information, or you. could write your own outline or study guide. The more you use the information, the more likely you are to remember it.

A psychologist(心理学家) named . Herman Ebbinghaus made. an important discovery about memory and forgetting. He found that people tend to forget information in a regular pattern. They forget the most information shortly after learning it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Every time the person reviews the information, it causes them to forget less of it——which means they remember more. So it is essential to review things you want to remember shortly after learning them. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Applying these strategies will help improve your memory so that you can access everything you learn whenever you need it.

A. Practice makes perfect.

B. Strike while the iron is hot.

C. Fortunately, memory can be improved.

D. Over time, you can review them less and less frequently.

E. The rate at which they forget then slows down over time.

F. One great way to do this is to test yourself on the material.

G. But these methods of remembering are not always effective.