Walk Out of the Comfort Zone and Try New Things

    For most high school students, free periods are useless. From what I have seen, few do homework, instead many are on their phones and talking, making it impossible for those who actually want to do work to complete any. As a senior next year, I think extra periods should be used to take optional subjects.

    Our school offers many classes. Now is the time to experiment in different fields of study. We will never know if we are interested or talented in a subject if we don't try it.

    In my 8th grade, I was told that I had to take an art class as a graduation requirement; so in the 9th grade I took Studio and Art. One of the projects was to build a clay pot, but I built mine incorrectly, so it broke in the kiln (窑). I found out that I have no artistic ability at all, and now I know for sure that I do not want to be an artist. However, the class was one of my favorites that year. I was able to try new activities and test my ability.

    Walk out of our comfort zone and try new things! College is when we should focus on a specific major, but high school is when we have to figure it out.

    Half of all college students change their major at some point. By doing that hundreds of dollars are wasted on classes that they would have never needed to take. So use our extra periods to find out what we want to do in college. The classes we choose can impact us in future. Taking optional subjects will enrich our mind. It will also show colleges we are diverse students.

Ways to protect cell phones from damage

    While people use cell phones frequently, very few take the necessary measures to prevent damage. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some simple ways for you to protect your cell phone from damage.

Keep cell phones out of the rain

    If you must talk on the phone while it's raining, try to move indoors.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Otherwise, you may have trouble with the numbers or the cell phone speaker. Imagine dialing (拨打) one number and getting different results.

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    Many people like to put their cell phones in the pants or jeans pocket. However, storing a cell phone there will put it at risk of damage. You may forget that it is still in your pocket and just sit on the cell phone. As a result, your cell phone screen will get damaged.

Do not handle cell phones while eating

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This is especially true for those times when you are eating messy things and get the ingredients on your hands. One accident can cause lots of damage for your cell phone.

Get a protective cell phone case

    There are many kinds of cases available on the market. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It will provide a protective cushion (垫子) that may save you from paying money to fix or buy a new phone.

    A study published Monday found that people who sleep less tend to be fat，and experts said it's time to find out if more sleep will fight fatness.

    “We've put so much emphasis on diet and exercise that we've failed to recognize the value of good sleep，”said Fred Turek，a physician at Northwestern University.

    Monday's study from Eastern Virgnia Medical School in Norfolk covered 1,000 people and found that total sleep time decreased as body mass index－a measure of weight based on height increased.

    “Men slept an average of 27 minutes less than women and overweight and fat patients slept less than patients with normal weights，”it said.In general the fatter subjects slept about 1.8 hours a week less than those with normal weights.

    “Americans experience insufficient sleep and fat bodies.Clinicians are aware of the burden of fatness on patients，”the study said.

    “Our findings suggest that major extensions of sleep time may not be necessary，as an extra 20 minutes of sleep per night seems to be associated with a lower body mass index，”it added.

    “We caution that this study does not set up a cause­and­effect relationship between restricted sleep and fatness，but investigations indicating success in weight loss via extensions of sleep would help greatly to set up such a relationship.”

    The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine along with an editorial by Turek and Northwestern colleague Joseph Bass commenting on it and related research.

    In an interview，Turek said some studies have shown the lack of sleep causes declines in an appetiteholding back protein hormone，and increases in another hormone that cause a longing for food.“In addition neuropathies(神经疗法)in the brain governing sleep and fatness appear to overlap(部分重叠)，”he said.

    “Fatness has been rising dramatically in developed countries and reached epidemic(流行病)levels in the United States，”it added，“leading to a variety of health problems.”

Read the following passage and then answer the questions.

    When thinking back to an experience that has affected me the most, I can't help but recall the first time I performed for a crowd with my band.

    As I stood in the dark, in front of 300 people, my head began to pound and my eyes began to hurt from straining to see the faces before me. No matter how many times I wiped off my hands, they were covered with sweat, making them fumble across the strings of my guitar. Then, in a flash, the spotlights were turned on and the crowd yelled. My heart raced and I knew that the night of my first concert would be exciting and memorable.

    The concert was held annually at Frank's school. Being the largest activity for the students in the spring, we were told to expect the whole school to come to see us play. That fact went over and over in my mind. True, I had played in the school band in concerts for many people, but that was with a large group and I had sat in the back. Here it was just the three of us, all up front. I had had different visions of what performing would be like, but what ended up happening was a pleasant surprise.

    During the first song, the crowd stood in a mixed state of confusion and excitement. I could see nothing but their dark shapes, some swaying to the beat of the bass drum, others standing still, examining our every move. The song ended with hesitant applause.

    Glancing at Frank, the guitarist and singer, I read a message in his eyes. "I don't think they like us." His look pierced through my heart and I almost left the stage, yet kept going anyway. The second and third songs went the same way with the crowd looking at us like monkeys in a zoo. But then the magic started.

    Our fourth song we had was written for the occasion and it was as if it were the beginning of a trip that we would take with the crowd of onlookers. The funk bass and driving drums seemed to pick these people up like puppets and do with them what they pleased. The crowd danced and jumped and clapped, in and out of beat. Our music was giving these people a reason to lose their inhibitions and for a short time, enjoy themselves. By the end of the second to last song the crowd was at our mercy. Finally creating a situation that I had only dreamed of, during the last song the crowd began to sing the words. But it was not just any song, it was a song we had written. This sent my heart racing and I couldn't help smiling and even laughing. The song ended and an echoing roar came over the crowd.

    The concert was to me part of a childhood dream. My friends and I were responsible for giving 300 people a good time for an evening. They sang my words and they hummed my tune, and all helped to make the dream come true. That night back in my room, I sat up all night. I saw the bodies dancing in front of me and heard their screams. Even though I may perform in college and in the future, this feeling is one I may never feel again.

Your friends have one, maybe even two or three. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Does it seem that everyone has one but you? No, it is not the latest video game, but something much more fun—a family pet.

    Dogs and hamsters(仓鼠) are both fun to hold and pet, but they relate to people in different ways. For example, dogs enjoy human contact. They love to play with their owners. They also like to show affection(喜爱) and love licking(舔) their owners' faces. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They need fresh food and water every day, and they need exercise. They also need someone to take care of them when their owners go out of town.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Having contact with people is not important to them. They like to sleep when people want to play. Unlike dogs, hamsters do not like being petted. Many will hide when their owners want to pick them up. Hamsters are also very independent. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Hamsters may be low on affection, but they need less daily care than dogs do. An owner usually fills up the food and water dishes only once a week. Hamsters need exercise too, but they get their exercise by running on wheels in their “houses”. If their owners go out of town, hamsters can be left alone.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The choice is yours.

A. Dogs like to be petted.

B. Your neighbors have one.

C. Hamsters are very different from dogs.

D. They like to spend their time exploring.

E. They need food and water just as dogs do.

F. However, dogs need a lot of daily care, too.

G. Dogs and hamsters both make good family pets.

The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and pushed the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. "How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy in my old age. "

Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others.

Frank began, "My Dad was a fisherman. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home. "

Frank's voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad, he would drive me to school. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me good-bye!"

He paused and then went on, "I remember the day I thought I was too old for a good-bye kiss. When we got to the school, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, ‘No, Dad.' It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, ‘Dad, I'm too old for a good-bye kiss. I'm too old for any kind of kiss.' My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear. I had never seen him cry. He turned. 'You're right,' he said. 'You are a big boy…a man. I won't kiss you anymore. '"

For the moment, the tears began to well up in Frank's eyes. "It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back."

I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again. "Guys, you don't know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek."