I was lucky to serve as an RA（宿舍协管员）for two years at Manhattanville College, which has students from more than 50 countries. I talked with a lot of students who had trouble living in a dorm room.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Make your room as YOU as possible.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's your HOME. Show your style. Put up the posters your mom never let you put up at home. Do whatever you can to make your room a comfortable place so you'll feel right at home.

    A clean room is a happy room. Cleanliness is important whether you share a room with one person or seven.   {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Thus, your room will be always clean.

    Snack time is the best time. Some colleges have dining 24 hours a day, while others offer no food after midnight. Have snacks on hand because you'll get hungry during those late-night homework adventures. Try healthy snacks such as fruit and yogurt.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And remember the Freshman 15 doesn't apply only to freshman.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The key to getting along well with others is communication. If there's a problem, ALWAYS talk it out with your roommate first. If you still have problems after talking, turn to your RA for help.

A. Be open to differences.

B. Don't shout. Talk it out!

C. Here are some survival tips I want to share.

D. It's unfair for only one to clean up all the time.

E. But watch out for Freshman 15—gaining 15 pounds!

F. Make a schedule that can be followed by everyone.

G. Your dorm room isn't just where you sleep or study.

    Compared to the history of China, the history of the United States is quite short.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} In 1776, 13 colonies（殖民地）located on the eastern coast of North America declared independence and fought a revolution against the British. In 1783 the colonists won the revolution and gained their independence.

    After the revolution, the United States bought a large section of country from Napoleon of France. This purchase doubled（加倍）the size of the United States. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If he hadn't needed that money, the United States might have stayed a small country. Texas and most of what is now the southwestern part of the United States belonged to Mexico. The people of Texas fought a revolution against Mexico. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Later, the United States and Mexico went to war. If Mexico had defeated the United States in that war, California and New Mexico would have been part of Mexico today.

    The British and the Americans both claimed the northwestern part of the country. They settled their differences with a compromise. South of the 49th parallel was the United States. North of the 49th parallel was Canada. In 1861 one half of the United States did go to war with the other half. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} President Lincoln wanted to free slaves. He was supported by the North but opposed by the South. The South wanted to separate from the rest of the country and become independent. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Following the Civil War, the United States bought Alaska from Russia. Today it is the largest state in the country and a very important one, too.

A. This was the Civil War.

B. It was controlled by England then.

C. It began little more than 200 years ago.

D. After 4 years of war, the South was defeated.

E. Napoleon needed money for his European wars.

F. They became independent and joined the United States.

G. At that time many people didn't think Alaska was important.

How to Improve Eyesight Naturally

    Eyes are important for everybody. You must take care and try everything in your hand to keep them in good condition. Here are some of the tips to improve your eyesight naturally.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Strain is known to be a factor in many health conditions and eyestrain is no exception. Try meditation, yoga or other methods of stress relief to improve your vision and overall health.

    Try palming.

    Sit upright in a comfortable chair.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Cup your hands so that there is no pressure on your eyes. Let your fingers rest across your forehead. There should be no light entering your eyes. Palming should be done for a period of 5 to 10 minutes to start. Palming should be relaxing. It may help to do palming in a darkened room.

    Avoid sugar as much as possible.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It will unpleasantly affect your eyesight, which affects the eyes by producing a larger amount of insulin (胰岛素) in the blood. Therefore you shouldn't be having much fruit juice or something that contains a lot of sugar.

    Exercise your eyes.

    The only exercise most eyes get is that daily rubbing we give them when we're tired or suffering from eyestrain. But eye exercises are actually good for your eyes and can improve your vision.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Blink as fast as you can for a few seconds then close your eyes tightly, open and repeat. Do this exercise 3 to 4 times daily.

    Eat healthy.

    You probably hear that statement all the time but eating the right foods are necessary to good health.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Foods that are high in fiber, vitamin C, D and beta carotene as well as other vitamins and minerals can help improve your vision. Here are a few foods that can be beneficial to good vision: carrots, eggs, blueberries, spinach, kale, grapes, and fresh garlic.

A. Reduce eyestrain.

B. Keep your eyes moist.

C. Sugar is your eyes's worst enemy.

D. Give your eyes a workout with the following exercise.

E. You may not be aware that your diet affects your vision but it does.

F. Close eyes and cover them with the palms of your hands.

G. Be sure to get plenty of sleep so your eyes don't strain to stay open during the day.

Think like This When You Feel Stressed

    It's a sweet opportunity. If you look on pressure as a threat, you are sure to be negatively impacted by its occurrence. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They look on it as a great chance. They will cherish (珍惜) the pressure moment and approach it with confidence and enthusiasm.

    I'll get another chance. Under pressure, we often lose hope. We tend to distort (扭曲) the reality of the situation. One of the most common phrases is the “chance of a lifetime”, in which we tell ourselves, “I will never get an opportunity like this again, so I can't miss it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    I'll do my best. This is what people who do their best under pressure tell themselves when they are going into a pressure moment. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Because it prevents them from wasting valuable energy worrying over things they can't influence and promotes confidence at the same time. Focusing on doing your best keeps you in the moment and guides your behavior toward success.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} People who perform their best in pressure will reduce the significance of the upcoming pressure moment, so they feel less stressed. Whether it's a sales call or an interview for their dream jobs, they are like winning athletes, and when asked how to handle the pressure of the big game, they responded, “It's just another game.”

    I can control how I respond. People who do their best in a pressure moment focus on what they can control. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you have an upcoming interview, don't worry about the other applicants. You can't control them. Practice how you will handle an unexpected problem.

A. It's no big deal.

B. It stops you paying attention to anxiety.

C. Instead, take care of your own business.

D. Remembering past successes increases your confidence.

E. In fact, we have many chances to succeed in our lifetime.

F. But people who do their best in a pressure moment are different.

G. Focusing on doing your best quickly decreases pressure in the moment.

    No one likes to fail. Whether it's at work, at home, or in another area of your life, failure is painful and it can also be costly in terms of time, money, or both.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you never suffer a failure, then you're probably not pushing yourself to your full potential. The following are some tips on how to pick yourself up after you've failed.

    Remember that other people fail too. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They'll tell you about that great new contract(合同) they signed, not the deal that failed eventually though they worked on it for months. But failure is normal, and lots of people fail time and time again before meeting with success.

Remind yourself of your past successes. Failing doesn't mean that you're worthless, or that you'll never achieve the things you want.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Maybe you had high marks last term, or you lost weight, or you learned to play a musical instrument. You might want to write down a list of successes—things that you've accomplished over the past few years, whether big or small. If you ever lack confidence, you can go back and read over that list.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Your past successes are important, but so are your past failures. You've made mistakes before, and you've survived them. Perhaps you did badly in an exam, or lost your temper and had to apologize. It's not fun to think about the times when things went wrong, but by acknowledging your failures, you can remind yourself that today is no different. Just as you recovered in the past, you can recover from your recent failure too.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Whatever goes wrong, you're probably facing some sort of decision. Don't rush into making a hasty decision, but do look for a forward path. That might require some deep thinking.

A. Make a decision.

B. Limit the damage caused.

C. Remind yourself of your past failures.

D. However, failure is a normal part of life.

E. Get some advice and support from others.

F. Most people don't talk openly about their failures.

G. Think of all the times in the past when you've succeeded.

    It's often said that your parents' job is to make sure that one day you no longer need them. And that's certainly the case by the time you have kids of your own. However, this is precisely the time when your parents start to need you. How do you talk to your aging parents about their health? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, but these tips make it easier.

    Before a conversation, you had better establish yourself as a friend, not an enemy. Always start with an "I" statement, not a "you should" statement. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Scientists recommend beginning a conversation about something you're doing—taking up yoga to stay slim, for instance. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. And you can even have her commit to doing it with you. When you're a friend day-to-day, your parents will trust you and be able to depend on you during a health crisis.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Start by equipping them with a smartphone that's designed for seniors. Staying in close phone contact will keep you informed of any arising health issues. It will help you pick up on faults in their memory, too.

    Your parents are your parents until they're gone. Do not treat them like children. Even if you find that there's an emergency going on, you can make suggestions, but they have the right to make decisions, especially if there's no cognitive (认知的) disorder. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, helping your parents in their later years is the least you can do. With the proper measures and technology, it can get easier and feel even more rewarding.