Handwriting can make or break the first impression. If your handwriting is difficult for others to read, you will sometimes feel embarrassed.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. It needs lotsof practice to improve your handwriting.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try each of them out on a piece of paper bysigning your name. Find out which type of pen you can write best with. You maybe amazed at the change in your handwriting just by changing to another pen.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Do not just do what feels comfortable becausethat is just your old bad habit coming back into play. Try to hold the penlightly and don't press too hard.

      Use your chosen pen to write Os on some pieces of lined paper.Write until you have filled up all the lines. Be careful with each O that youwrite.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Practice writing Os as much as possible.Remember : practice makes perfect. You may practice for weeks or months if youneed to{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

As your handwriting shows signs of improvement , go ahead andkeep on practicing by writing more words.

A. Gather different types of pens.

B. Practice holding your pen in different ways.

C. However , a bad writing habit is hard to break.

D. Choose a type of pen with which you write best.

E. It won't help if you write a lot of careless Os on the paper.

F. Two to three months' practice is enough to get goodhandwriting.

G. After you are confident in your Os, do the same thing withyour name.

    Homework is a major part of going to school: It's your teachers' way of evaluating(评价)how much you understand of what's going on in class. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Luckily, you can do a few things to make homework less work.

    Be sure you understand the homework.

    Write your homework down in your notebook or day planner if you need to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's much easier to take a minute to ask the teacher during or after class than to struggle to remember later that night!

    Use any extra time in school.

    Many schools have study halls that are specifically designed to allow students to study. It's tempting(诱惑)to hang out with friends during study periods or unstructured(松散的) time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Take a break.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}So take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without stretching or relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15minute break every hour is a good idea for most people.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If you don't finish your homework during school, think about how much you have left and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most highschool students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it's a heavy homework day and it seems like you've got an assignment in every subject but gym and lunch, you'll need to devote more time to homework. It's a good idea to come up with some kind of homework schedule（日程）, especially if you are involved in sports or activities or have an afterschool job.

A.Pace yourself.

B.Settle down to do homework.

C.And it helps digest important concepts(概念).

D.Most people's attention spans(注意力持续时间)aren't very long.

E.Don't be afraid to ask questions about what's expected.

F.Once your homework is done, you can check over it if you have extra time.

G.But the more work you can get done in school, the less you'll have to do that night.

    It's not easy to just get up and go if you're not a morning person. But with some preparation, you can have a great morning routine (常规) before school, which can also make for a good day.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} A great morning routine doesn't include cramming (突击式学习) for a test or struggling to get your homework done as you're running out of the door.

    Shower the night before. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And if you can, do your hair the night before so when you wake up, you'll be able to freshen yourself quickly to get to school and get on with the day.

    Lay out your clothes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Make sure to lay out everything you need, including your socks and shoes. Another thing is hair. If your school has a preference (偏爱) of what you do with your hair, be sure to respect that.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It helps in the morning if you have something in front of you to check off as you're walking out of the door. The list should include your homework, books and your lunch or lunch money as well as anything else you normally take with you to school.

    Eat a good breakfast. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Eating a healthy breakfast helps improve your focus and allows you to stay active in your classes. If you can, prepare your meal the night before. At the least, set out your spoons and plates.

A. Make a list of everything you will take.

B. Brush your teeth after you eat breakfast.

C. Get all your homework done before going to bed.

D. Check the weather forecast and choose your clothing.

E. A great morning routine should always include a good breakfast.

F. Don't hurry and make sure you have everything before you leave.

G. That helps you have a good sleep and save much time in the morning.

    Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things. If this is even possible, it is short-term. If you order someone to do something against their will, they may do it because they feel they must, but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term. They will also experience fear.

    Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down, making the person unable to function at his or her best. If they connect you with this emotion of fear, they will become less functional around you, and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot, but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively. Fear has no place in leadership.

    The way we affect people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion. We can order someone to do something, which may be part of the work day, or we can employ them at the emotional level, so they become fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation（积极性）.

    Today's work place is all about relationships. Anyone works harder in a positive environment in which they're recognized and valued as a human being as well as a worker. Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like. Leaders understand the way things work. They know money is not the only most motivating factor in the work life of most people.

    The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of Emotional Intelligence-knowing your own emotions, and how to deal with them and those of others. Developing your emotional intelligence is the best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you, which is the key to the leadership skills.

    The San Diego Center for Children recently added three acres of land to its 9-acre Linda Vista campus. Thanks to the efforts of Assembly member Dr. Shirley Weber, the state sold the land near the Center's main campus. Now the Center, which is the oldest children's nonprofit (非营利的机构) in the region, will be able to provide more treatment and educational foster care (看护) to kids and families who need it most.

    Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) received a $10, 000 grant from the USS Midway Foundation to support its Hand Up Food Pantry (食品贮藏室). "Jewish Family Service works every day to help struggling families and individuals in San Diego move forward and build more stable, secure lives," says JFS CEO Michael Hopkins.

    St. Madeleine Sophie's Center raised more than $16, 000 at its Swing with Santa Golf Tournament (锦标赛). The funds will go toward programs for adults with developmental disabilities. The 5th annual tournament included 18 hotels, food and drinks, and two celebrity appearances: both Santa and Elvis made a dramatic entrance via helicopter.

    Coming Up: Raise money for the 4SRanch-Del Sur Community Foundation and Helen's Closet (壁橱，衣帽间) at the 9th Annual Thank You Run on Thanksgiving Day, November 22. Helen's Closet serves patients with ALS. The distance is 5K with a 1K Fun Run for children aged 8 and under.

My Favourite Books

    Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co­author of the This Book Will series(系列)of lifestyle books. Here she picks her top reads.

Matilda

Roald Dahl

    I once wrote a paper on the influence of fairy tales on Roald Dahl's writing and it gave me a new appreciation for his strange and delightful words. Matilda's battles with her cruel me parents and the bossy headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, are equally fumy and frightening, but they're also aspirational.

After Dark

Haruki Murakami

    It's about two sisters­Eri, a model who either won't or can't stop sleeping, and Mari, a young student. In trying to connect to her sister. Mari starts changing her life and discovers a world of diverse "night people" who are hiding secrets.

Gone Girl

Gillian Fynn

    There was a bit of me that didn't want to love this when everyone else on the planet did but the horror story is brilliant. There's tension and anxiety from the beginning as Nick and Amy battle for your trust. It's a real whodunit and the frustration when you realize what's going on is horribly enjoyable

The Stand

Stephen King

    This is an excellent fantasy novel from one of the best storytellers around. After a serious flu outbreak wipes out 99.4% of the world's population, a battle unfolds between good and evil among those let. Randall Flagg is one of the scariest characters ever.