The Iron Lady

    Margaret Thatcher, known as the Iron Lady, was one of the toughest political women in the world.

    As the daughter of a businessman and mayor of Grantham, Margaret was educated at a very famous grammar school. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Upon graduation, she worked for four years as a research chemist. She then became a lawyer, doing an excellent job in taxation law, in 1954. Miss Margaret stood twice in elections for the Conservative Party before being elected to the House of Commons(下议院) in 1959. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} After that she quickly became a spokesman for her party, and member of the Shadow Cabinet(影子内阁).

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Thatcher spent quite a lot of time visiting schools and universities, who encouraged people to be creative. After the Conservatives lost power in 1974, she was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet. She was elected leader of the Conservative Party in the following year. In May 1979, she became Britain's first female prime minister, after the Conservatives regained power from Labor.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} She fought against labor organizations. According to a figure reported by her government, traditional industries were reduced to around 15,000 in total and she also made social housing and public transport private.

    She left office on November 28, 1990 after she failed to carry out a fixed rate local tax, which led to huge popular protest from within her party. In 1992, she was appointed to the House of Lords(上议院), as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven. In the last few years of her life, she has been busy with writing and public speech. This caused her increasingly poor health. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. She got a degree in chemistry at Oxford University.

B. Also she built strong association with US President Reagan.

C. In June 1970, she became secretary of state for education and science.

D. In power, she was best known for her reducing Britain's traditional industries.

E. Therefore, she had to give up many chances of attending public activities.

F. Thatcher was appointed as a Minister in 1961.

G. Thatcher was well-known as a female leader.

    How to Adjust to a New School

    School is a base for students, where they learn to succeed{#blank#}1{#/blank#}When you go to a new school, you might worry that you don't know anyone. You worry that you might get lost, or if the teachers are strict. Here are some ways to help you adjust to a new school.

    Get to Know the School

    Before you start the school, go with your parents to visit the school{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Prepare for the First Day

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Being well rested will help you remove(去除) any nervousness you may be feeling. Try to get at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep if you're between 7 and 17 years old.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Make sure you leave lots of time in the morning to get to school. You don't want to be rushing into your classroom after the bell rings. Arriving early may also give you a chance to chat with a few other students and hopefully make a few new friends.

    Make friends

    Take part in activities. Sign up for activities like drama, sports or chess club. This will put you into smaller groups with people who have the same interests as yours.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You might even be able to teach some other kids about how to do something.

A. Go to school on time

B. Leave early for school

C. Find out where your classroom will be, as well as other important places.

D. Start off your first day of school with a good night's sleep.

E. Learning the rules of the school will help you adjust and will keep you out of trouble.

F. But adjusting to a new school can be difficult.

G. This will also give you a chance to show your skills at sport or other activities.

    Every now and then, you may be struck with a difficult person at work or at home. What are some of the keys to empowering yourself in such situations? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Keep in mind that these are general rules of thumb, and not all of them can apply to your particular situation.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you feel angry or upset with someone, before you say something you might later regret, take a deep breath. This will help you remember that you're in control of your emotions and feelings. Also, if you remain calm, the other person will likely notice and reflect on his or her behavior.

    Put yourself in their shoes. It's important to remember that we all have off days and times in our life when things are trickier. Instead of judging others' behaviors immediately, try to practice empathy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you are sensitive to personality differences, you will be better able to handle diverse conflicts.

    Be frank with others. Some people are not very self−aware, so maybe you just need to tell them constructively what the problem is. For instance, if a colleague were making unkind comments, what would you do? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They'll either be apologetic as they didn't realize it was a problem, or they'll make some excuse.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If someone is behaving in a threatening way, either verbally or physically, then regardless of who they are, it's OK to walk away or say that you are going to put the phone down and that you will return when they have calmed down.

A. Keep your cool.

B. Handle aggression wisely and confidently.

C. Adjust your style when you communicate with them.

D. It won't hurt you to take them to one side, and ask them why.

E. You step back and reflect on how you would feel in his or her place.

F. Here are some tried and true methods of handling them quite effectively.

G. It's helpful to remember that most difficult people also have positive qualities.

    Many people look forward to the holiday season, which provides an opportunity to take a few days off, or go on a getaway. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The combined effort of shopping, attending social events, and entertaining guests can quickly become too much to handle.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This means you may end up with financial pressure. To prevent stress over money, plan ahead; review your finances, and come up with a practical budget.

    Purchases shouldn't affect your ability to pay your bills, nor should it result in costly credit card debt.

    The holiday season is stressful when you have too much on your plate. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You actually needn't cancel your plans, but make sure everything doesn't have to be perfect, and you don't have to do everything yourself- get your family involved.

    A holiday season is not always an interval of true relaxation: Sometimes it can mean a lot of rushing around with confusion; allowing you no moment alone. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Even as little as 15 minutes alone can make a world of difference as you need to take a breather and clear your mind!

    Being in close quarters with your family members for a long holiday can be stressful in itself. Because of your different personalities, it may be easy to rub each other the wrong way. If you let every remark get under your skin, you'll be stressed out the entire time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't let the actions of others rob you of your joy.

    What should you think about in trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to do well at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong or weak subjects but your records show a general good result. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.

    Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metal work or cooking and look for a job where you can improve these skills.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You may have learned how to get to work on time and get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a certain industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You may be all thumbs when you deal with tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weaknesses than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not feel sorry for it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. This does not have direct value for future job hunting.

B. These may show strengths that you can use in your work.

C. Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself.

D. Having a part-time job is a good way to find out your weak points.

E. Instead, you should recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.

F. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value.

G. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it.

    Although books are still popular with teenagers, most of them spend more of their leisure time staring at their phone than reading a paperbook. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Instead of publishing whole book at once, they produce very short chapters, which they send once a week to their readers by text message.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Many are written by high school or university students who are very familiar with the topics that teenagers are interested in. Common themes are love, tragedy and betrayal, and the stories often deal with difficult or controversial issues.

    Twenty-one-year-old Rin wrote her novel over a six-month period in spare moments, often while commuting on the train. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Her book sold 40000 copies and was number five in the Japanese bestseller list. Rin said that her mother had had no idea that she had been writing a novel and was therefore very surprised when she saw a book with her daughter's name on it

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Chapters have no more than 200 words, and often just 50-100 words. Sentences are short and there are no descriptions of anything or anybody because there isn't space. The text mostly consists of dialogue and the language is direct, conveying a lot in a few words.

    In 2009, a young Japanese writer called Takatsu, who lives in Canada, began writing the first English language cell phone novel, Secondhand Memories. Takatsu had read an English translation of Rin's story and had been impressed by its simple and emotional language. It was a feature he deliberately copied when he started writing Secondhand Memories. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}He now believes that, in English, cell phone novels have a powerful and poetic identity of their own. Cell phone novels encourage young people to engage in fiction, even those who would not normally pick up a book. They could be described as ten novels for the 21st century.

A. Books are sometimes regarded as old-fashioned and difficult to read.

B. In response 10 this trend, some smart young authors have changed the way they write.

C. However, as the story progressed, the style gradually evolved into something different.

D. She typed out chapters on her phone and uploaded them onto a popular website for cell phone authors.

E. No money is made from cell phone novels unless they are published as books.

F. The style of cell phone novels has evolved to suit the medium.

G. Although the idea originated in Japan, cell phone novels have also appeared in the rest of world.