An Interesting Experiment

    Put an ice cube(冰块) from your fridge into a glass of water.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Thus, you can take out that piece of ice with the help of the string. But you must not touch the ice with your fingers.

    You may ask your friends to try to do that when you are having dinner together.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You must use salt when you carry out this experiment.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Then put some salt on the ice. Salt makes ice melt(融化). The ice round the string will begin to melt.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} The cold ice cube will make the salt water freeze again.

    After a minute or two you may raise the piece of string and with it you will raise your piece of ice!

    This experiment can be very useful to you. If, for example, there is ice near the door of your house, you must use very much salt to melt all the ice.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. If you don't put enough salt, the water will freeze again.

B. The string must be at least 10 centimeters long.

C. First you put the string across the piece of ice.

D. We can learn a lot from this physical experiment.

E. But when it melts, it will lose heat.

F. You should have a piece of string 10 centimeters long.

G. There is a salt bottle on the table.

    Tests can be stressful even for the best students. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to make your stress much more manageable.

    Get Enough Sleep

    Getting 6 hours of sleep or less can put you into what's called a sleep deficit(不足),which makes you less sharp mentally and prevents you from performing properly on tests. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This way, you needn't stay up for the test and can get a good night of sleep before your big day.

    Study Smarter

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Make a list of the most important things you need to learn and hit the items at the top of the list first. This will ensure they're mostly covered if you run out of time. Make a list of all the work you have to do, estimate how long each item will take, and compare that with the amount of hours you have available. This will tell you if you can carefully read or just skim, how many times you can afford to revise the papers.

    Visualize(想象)Success

    A proven way to build your confidence is to visualize yourself taking the tests and doing wonderfully. Visualization can not only help you perform better in the tests but can help you remember facts. You can create detailed situations that involve the information you're trying to remember.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

Stay Calm

    There're several techniques that can help you calm down quickly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, hold it for a while and then let it out slowly. Your stress will come out with your exhales(呼气)

A. Be organized with your studies.

B. Extra time on tests can bring success to students.

C. Test anxiety has a negative impact on your performance.

D. In this process you can strengthen the facts in your memory.

E. Breathing exercises can be extremely effective in helping you relax.

F. So it's very important to get all your studying done before your exam.

G. There are options for easing stress and potentially improving test performance.

    If something that you're doing doesn't challenge you, then it doesn't change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So challenge the following limits:

    Figure out what you're scared of and do it continuously.

    If you're a salesman, and you're scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, now, instead of being scared and thinking you'll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But don't stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, "Go on, I'm not scared!"

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on. Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.

    Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight, but also make you feel better about yourself.

    Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.

Don't just limit yourself to your fellow travelers — try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they're going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You can never see any improvement if you stick to your comfort zone.

B. Take a class for a hobby you've been wanting to develop.

C. Start to travel now and then to challenge yourself.

D. Running in the gym may be a better choice.

E. You don't need to go to the gym.

F. Someone may hang up on you.

G. You should do it continuously.

    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 insect 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 slept 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.

    Do you remember those times when your mother told you to avoid talking to strangers? But now you're not a child anymore. In fact, there are advantages of talking to strangers.

    You can meet a really great person.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You can meet a person who'll become your best friend in future. You can also meet someone who'll give you a chance to get your dream job or somehow help you in life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    You have some opinion about different subjects and you know your friends' and relatives' points of view about them too. But there are millions of other people who think differently and can give you unpredictable yet smart ideas that'll broaden your horizons.

    You improve your social skills.

    Whatever social skills you have, you can make them better when talking to strangers. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can better these skills when talking to a stranger.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    If you belong to that shy type of people, talking to a stranger may seem to be a real challenge for you. I'm also extremely shy but I realize it's not an issue at all. You can overcome your fear of being judged by others by talking to strangers and become more confident.

    You can cheer someone up.

    The thing you'll definitely like about talking to strangers is that you can make someone's day better. Smile and people will smile in return. Compliment people and they'll think something pleasant about you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    It is believed that raisins were discovered in the Middle East, where they were treasured. Any food that wouldn't spoil in the hot sun was very valuable. Prehistoric drawings in France show that raisins have been enjoyed in southern Europe for thousands of years.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} In 1000 B. C. the Jews paid their taxes with raisins. Two jars of raisins in ancient Rome could buy one slave boy{#blank#}2{#/blank#} In North America, the original mistake of leaving grapes to wither(枯萎)on the vine was not the only time raisins accidentally became popular. In the 1870s many people were growing grapes in California. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Most Americans had never heard of raisins at that time. In September, 1873 a severe heat wave struck the area. Before the growers could pick all their grapes, the heat shriveled(使枯萎)them on the vine. The grapes were lost. One grower took the dried grapes to a grocer in San Francisco. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The new accidental raisins grew into a major industry in California. Today almost all the raisins eaten in the United States are grown in California. California produces a third of the world's raisins.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Raisins also provide potassium, magnesium, calcium and certain B vitamins. Without added preservatives(防腐剂), raisins will stay fresh, delicious and nutritious if kept in a cool place. Raisins are tiny, portable and above all delicious.

A. The grapes were either eaten as fresh fruit or were made into wine.

B. The grocer's customers discovered that raisins made a delicious treat.

C. They have been used for necklaces and as religious symbols.

D. The grocer was unwilling to buy the dried grapes.

E. Raisins are high in iron, which is important to children's growing bodies.

F. Roman doctors believed raisins could cure anything from mushroom poisoning to old age.

G. Raisins are children's favorite snacks