How to Enjoy Life As a Teen

    The "best years of your life"? Maybe not, but you can learn to make the most of your high school days.

    Learn to appreciate small things. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on, family that loves you, having a decent education or simply being born in this world, value it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Be happy, and life will reward you. Remember that these are the last few years you will be able to enjoy yourself without having to worry about the responsibility of an adult, but make sure you prepare yourself for when you do become one. When you actually become an adult, you'll learn to love that responsibility and you probably never want to go back.

    Choose your friends wisely. Unlike what many articles state, you don't have to be popular and have a gazillion friends to be happy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try to have friends that like you who you are, not just because you are wearing a certain brand of shoes or something like that. These are people who shop at the same store as you; not someone who will sympathize with you when your dog dies.

    Keep your grades up. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This also sets you up to get into a college you want to go to, which in turn prepares you for a career you will enjoy, improving your quality of life in the future. You'll get cheap car insurance as well if you have at least a B or A average.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Participating in clubs, activities, and sports increases your chances of meeting new friends. While you only need 4 or 5 close friends, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to meet new people. Participating gives you something to do instead of sitting bored at home and wallowing in self-pity.

    Work at a job you can enjoy. Working is a great way co gain experience and to meet other people. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This will look great on your resume. If you can't find work, especially in this hard economic time, volunteer or make your own job.

A. Be sociable.

B. Remember the point of life is for you to enjoy it.

C. Find a hobby that is meaningful or practical.

D. In fact, many of the "friends" you have when you are popular are not true friends.

E. When you do get out of college, interviewing companies will look at your previous work experience.

F. Even though you want to enjoy your teen life as best as possible, don't idle away your time in school.

G. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off in the form of A's and B's (but mainly A's).

    You may use banknotes every day. But did you know that there is a lot of science behind the money? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Australia was the first country to use polymer(聚合物）banknotes in 1988. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

They can stop water from making them wet. They are also cleaner because bacteria don't grow easily on them.

Now, the Australians have improved their banknotes again by creating a new 5-dollar note. The new one has a clear window in the middle in which there are pictures of an Australian bird and a building. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Tilt (倾斜）the note a little and you will see the bird flapping its wings as if trying to fly away. Turn the note from side to side and you will notice the building come to life and spin. While these features are impressive and entertaining, that was not the reason why the Australian Government spent ten years perfecting them. Their primary purpose was to make it impossible to fake a banknote.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The new $ 5 bill now has a raised bump alongside the two long edges, enabling the blind or those with limited vision, to quickly determine its value.

The Australian government will give the new 10-dollar note the same features in a year's time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Note makers still have a long way to go.

B. Other notes will have them in the future.

C. The magic of the new features lies in them.

D. They have many advantages over paper notes.

E. The new Australian 5-dollar note is a good example.

F. The new note is also the first touchable Australian banknote.

G. Their material and pattern set them apart from ordinary banknotes.

    There are so many things we do in our daily lives that have become a "habit"{#blank#}1{#/blank#}How you answer the phone is a habit. The way you sit in the car when you drive is a habit. Have you ever tried to change the way you do something, after you ve done it in a certain way for so long? It's not very easy to do. The minute your mind drifts to something else, you go right back to the old way of doing things{#blank#}2{#/blank#}it's a way of doing things that has become routine or commonplace. To change an existing habit or form a new one can be a boring task.

    Let's pick something fairly easy to start with, like spending 15 minutes in the morning reading a book. If you want to turn something into a habit that you do every day, you have to WANT to do it{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Make a firm decision to do this on a daily basis.

    Imprint it in your mind. Write several notes to yourself and put them in places where you will see them. By the alarm clock, on the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator door, in your briefcase, and under your car keys are good places to start.

    After the newness wears off, then you will have to remind yourself, "Hey, I forgot to..." Keep using the notes if you have to{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Some people say it will take over a month to solidify it and make it something you will do without having to think about it. I tend to agree with the last statement. Two to three weeks will help you to remember, but thirty days or more will make it a part of your everyday routine.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. What is a "habit" anyway?

B. Forming a bad habit is easy.

C. Brushing your teeth is a habit.

D. Is doing things in an old way good?

E. If you don't, you will find a way to do everything but that.

F. It takes 16 to 21 times of repeating a task to make it a habit.

G. that's something you won't necessarily have to think about before you do it—habit.

    Generation Y is known as the generation that was born in the 1980s and 1990s, although experts do not agree on when this time started. The people who make up Generation Y are often the children of baby boomers（生育高峰中出生的人）.

    The millennium（千禧年）generation, as it is often called, has grown up with new technology and can use it in their jobs much better than the older generation can. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They like to communicate via text messaging, Facebook and other online technology. They have high expectations and seek new challenges. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Generation Y youths have a different attitude towards work, which is different from that of their parents or grandparents. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They do not live to work but they work to live.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They want jobs that are flexible, not always having work from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.. They prefer working from their homes and taking a day or two off to spend with their family when the weather is fine.

    While baby boomers worked hard, grew up with a company and stayed there for the rest of their lives, Generation Y workers do not want to do the same thing during their whole life. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} That means if you don't like what you do then do something else.

A. They want to spend most of their time at home.

B. They expect to change jobs at least a few times.

C. The new generation can be described as energetic.

D. Besides, they often dare to raise questions when confused.

E. The Internet, cell phones, iPads are normal for this generation.

F. Young people expect a different type of workplace than their parents had.

G. They don't want to work as hard as their parents but spend their life in a meaningful way.

Keeping Safe in your House During a Fire

    Though you may not think you'll ever fall victim to a house fire, it's better to be prepared to avoid panicking. To increase your chances of survival, just follow these steps.

    ⒈React as soon as you hear your smoke alarm goes off. On hearing your smoke detector or alarm going off and seeing a fire, exit your home as safely as possible. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒉Safely exit through doors. If you don't see smoke at the door, open it slowly and pass through it after making sure the door feels cool. If there is a fire preventing you from exiting the room, close the door.

    ⒊Protect yourself from smoke inhalation（吸入）. Get low to the floor and crouch or crawl on your hands and knees to avoid the smoke. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Cover your nose and mouth if you have to walk by or through a heavily smoke-filled room.

    ⒋{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your clothes catch fire, immediately stop what you're doing, drop flat to the ground, and roll around until you put the fire out.

    ⒌Prevent the smoke if you can't get out. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Close your door and cover all vents（通风口）and cracks（缝隙）around it with cloth or tape to keep the smoke out.

    ⒍Call for help from a second story window.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can take a sheet or something else—white preferably—and hang it out of the window to signify that you need help when the first res-ponders get there.

A. If you can't escape your home, don't panic.

B. Stop, drop, and roll if your clothes catch fire.

C. You are probably a lot safer by closing doors.

D. Escape from a second story window if you can.

E. Smoke inhalation causes people to become unconscious.

F. Do not try to get your phone, valuables, or your other important possessions.

G. If you are trapped in your second story room, get to an area where people can find you.

Critical thinking is the process of carefully and systematically analyzing problems to find ways to solve them. It involves identifying several possible solutions and then logically evaluating each one, comparing them to one another, and then selecting the one that you conclude is the most promising

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Employers prefer job candidates who can demonstrate a history of using critical thinking skills. They want to have employees who can solve problems quickly.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

You may think there isn't enough time to take a slow and measured approach to problem solving. After all, time is limited, and quick and easy answers are appealing.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Critical thinking is one of several life skills you should try to develop while still in school.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Your assignments will require you to generate hypotheses (猜想) and then test them before coming to conclusions. Students taking art classes also use critical thinking. To complete projects, you will have to select media and techniques that will best allow you to achieve your artistic vision

Graduates aren't out of luck. Practice your critical thinking while performing everyday activities.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}When deciding where to have dinner, weigh your alternatives regarding the type of food, healthfulness, and cost. If making a purchase, do your research and read reviews of different brands.

A. Sign up for science classes, for example.

B. Choose a lesson that benefits your critical thinking.

C. The ability to think critically is a valuable soft skill in the job market.

D. But more importantly, they want ones who can solve them effectively.

E. We all need some critical thinking skills living in this challenging world.

F. For example, before going out, learn about each means of transportation.

G. However, rushing to make a decision is less productive than using critical thinking.