A“Gap Year” is a period of time when a student takes a break before going touniversity.It is often spent traveling or working.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.The advantagesof taking a gap year are as follows：

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.Althoughyou don't have to go abroad to experience gap years，most gap year students catch thechance to travel abroad.You are able to work out who you are and what you arefor.The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons.

FaceChallenges and Have Fun.A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation，but also a time to face challenges.Gapyear students usually work，volunteeror take service projects.You have to learn how to get along in the realworld.This process isn't always easy，butit is an important part of growing up.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

            Save Money and Improve Your College Admission Chances.There's a common thought thatgap years are only for rich students，butit isn't true. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.Gap year students often take a part－time job.Besides，at the end of a gap year，students are much more likely to knowwhat to study in college.Clear learning goals can keep the students workinghard instead of wasting time and money playing.

Imaginean admission officer trying to admit only one between two students.Both of themare excellent and have high grades.However，onestudent has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

     Much meaning can be conveyed clearly with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.

     {#blank#}1{#/blank#}In a bus you may look at a stranger, but not for too long. And if he sensed that you are staring at him, he may feel uncomfortable.

     The same is true in our daily life. If you are stared at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Eyes do speak, right？

     Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.If a man stares at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to look away from her, his intentions are obvious. He wishes to attract her attention, and let her know that he is admiring her.

     However, when two persons are engaged in a conversation, the speaker will only look into the listener's eyes from time to time to make sure that the listener does pay attention to what the former is speaking.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking as if he trying to control you, you will feel awkward. A poor liar usually exposes himself by looking too long at the victim. He wrongly believes that looking straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

     Actually, eye contact should be made based on specific relationship and situation.

A. On the contrary, it will give him away.

B. Do you have such a kind of experience?

C. That's what normal eye contact is all about.

D. Actually, continuous eye contact is limited to lovers only.

E. After all, everybody likes to be stared at for quite a long time.

F. But things are different when it comes to staring at the opposite sex.

G. If nothing goes wrong, you will feel annoyed at being stared at that way.

    The effect of bullying(欺凌) can be serious and even lead to tragedy. Unfortunately, it is still a mostly researched area.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}That year, two students with shotguns, both of whom had been considered gifted and who had been bullied for years, killed 13 people, wounded 24 and then committed suicide. A year later, an analysis by the US government found that bullying played a major role in more than two-thirds of the campus violence.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Numerous invaders throughout history have tried to defend their bullying behavior by claiming that they themselves were bullied. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Although there is no justification for bullying, many of the worst humans in history have indeed bullies and victims of bullying.

    Since bullying is often ignored, it may provide an important clue in crowd behavior and passer-by behavior. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Many of them have suggested bullying as one of the reasons of this becoming less sensitive to violence. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}in this sense, bullying affects not only the bullied but his friends and classmates and the whole society.

A. Research indicates that the victim often becomes the bully.

B. Psychologists have been puzzled by the inactivity of crowds and bystanders when crimes occur in crowded places.

C. More attention should be paid to people's reaction to bullying when it happens.

D. Hitler, for example, is claimed to have been a victim of bullying in his childhood.

E. Campus bullying is becoming a serious problem in some high schools in big cities.

F. The friends and classmates of the bully and the victim also accept the violence as normal.

G. The link between bullying and school violence has attracted increasing attention since 1999.

    Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    The following methods may work best for you.

    Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

    Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

    Write your notes in your own words.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand (速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Use words, not complete sentences.

B. There are three practical note-taking methods.

C. You must write your notes on separate paper.

D. Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.

E. You will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.

F. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.

G. First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.

    My mother is a diligent and kind woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher, she works hard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Both my brother and I love her dearly as she loves us.

    My mother has been teaching math at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to work early in the morning and does not return home until in the late afternoon. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} She treats them with patience and teaches them well. For her excellent quality and very good teaching results, she has been elected as a model teacher several times.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Every day, when she comes back home from work, she sets about doing housework, sweeping the living room and bedrooms or cleaning the furniture, and putting everything in good order. She seems to be busy all the time. As she has been very busy working every day, she looks older than her age. But she looks as cheerful and happy as ever. Mother never buys expensive dresses for herself, but she often buys some inexpensive but high quality clothes for us. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} She just eats a plain meal outside when she is too busy to cook herself. She lives a busy yet simple life, without any complaints.(抱怨)

    Often she says to us, "work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be happy. If you do not work, you will become lazy and be of no use to society". What a piece of good advice this is! {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my behavior. My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.

A. She enjoys listening to classic music.

B. As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort.

C. She loves her students and cares for them.

D. She never goes to expensive restaurants to enjoy meals.

E. My mother is hard-working and never wastes money.

F. I never forget it and always bear it in my mind.

G. Can you tell us something about your mother?

    Every day has just 24 hours -- and this applies to all people. Some people are constantly pushed for time. This article is about how we can learn to manage our valuable time more effectively.

    In reality, we cannot manage time. We can only manage ourselves and our relationship with time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} And habits are not that easy to change.

    Below here are tips that can help you manage your time better.

    Organize your goals.

    Organize your goals based on two criteria: degree of urgency and importance: a. Should be done today, tomorrow, etc. b. Should be done at "that date". c. Can be put off for so many days. d. Can ask someone else to do it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Clean up your list.

    Make a list of everything you think that is not helping or benefiting you and do not do them!

    Focus on one goal.

    Concentrate only on one goal at a time. Otherwise, if while dealing with something you think about everything you can do later, most likely you will get bored and disappointed.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} The boredom is guaranteed with this way of thinking.

    Identify your deadlines.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Divide the activities per day/week and long-term goals to get a clear picture of what you have to do and when.

    Find suitable work environment.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Be realistic.

    Make sure that your goals are realistic and do not try for the impossible.

    Say "NO".

    Learn to say "no" to other activities, requests and people who eat your time (unless indeed at that very moment it is necessary for you to help them).

A. Allow time to adjust your list if necessary.

B. After all, how we use our time is largely a matter of habit.

C. Create a suitable environment to work, one that fits your style.

D. Check the list of what you should do and when it must be completed.

E. After organizing your goals, start with the most important and urgent.

F. It is like every time you eat you think all the meals you must eat in your life.

G. Do not let boredom discourage you if what you have to complete is boring.