When a New Yorker was hiking in Europe, his Swiss friend kept saying “Listen to that!” but he didn't hear anything. His ears were accustomed to loud city noises and it was days before he was able to notice the sound of a bird. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. There is background music in restaurants, bars, stores, rest rooms, elevators, and when you are waiting on the telephone. Russell Baker blames “society's determination to entertain you whether you like it or not”.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, but in practice they avoid it. They drive with the car radio turned up, switch on the television when they get home, and exercise while listening to music on headphones. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They can buy things in stores, but they do not have enough human contact. So they fill their lives with sound.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Young men play their car stereos loudly in order to create a personal environment around them. Like animals, they are marking a territory to warn rivals away and to attract a mate.

    It may also be true that the brain itself wants excitement just as the stomach insists on food. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This seems extreme. Perhaps we would be better off if we sought periods of silence to provide balance.

    Developing good teacher-student relationships

    We all have our favorite teachers-those who seem truly interested and treat us as intelligent beings. But what about teachers we don't know as well (or even don't like much)?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    First, do the obvious stuff: show up for class on time, with all assignments completed. Be polite, be respectful, and ask questions.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Obviously, your teachers are really interested in their subjects or they wouldn't have decided to teach them! Showing the teacher that you care sends the message that you are a dedicated student.

    You can also schedule a private conference during a teacher's free period. Use this time to get extra help ask questions, inquire about a career in the subject, or talk about your progress in class.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    What to do if you don't get along

    Before you try to get out of a class to escape a teacher you don't like, here are a few things you can try to make a difficult relationship work:

    Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this teacher?” Even if you don't worship his or her personality or lectures, dig deep until you find a subject in which your teacher is very knowledgeable.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Talk to students who are doing well in the class and ask them for tips, tools, and a plan of action to get along with the teacher better.

    If your relationship problems can't be solved in school, then it's time to tell your parents. Let them meet with your teacher and try to work it out.

    Teachers are there for more than just homework, and they know about more than just their subject matter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Undoubtedly, there will be a few teachers along the way who you'll always remember-and who might change your life forever.

A. Show an interest in the subject.

B. Teachers sense when your only motivation is to get special treatment.

C. They can help you learn how to function as an adult and a lifelong learner.

D. You can do lots of things to get a good connection going with your teacher.

E. Focus of that part of the teacher's personality, and use it as a tool for learning.

F. Here are some things to avoid when trying to establish a relationship with your teacher.

G. You may be surprised to learn that your teacher is a bit more relaxed one-on-one than when lecturing in front of the whole class.

    Although most parents don't like doing it after a long and exhausting workday, reading bedtime stories does make a positive influence on your child's emotional and mental health. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It helps to develop children's imagination.

    Reading bedtime stories can develop your children's ability to form pictures or ideas in their mind. A healthy imagination makes their minds work well and teaches them to think quickly yet effectively. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    It improves children's language.

    Reading also improves your children's language. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They'll most likely use those words in the stories you read right after they hear them. Listening to many stories helps kids to express their opinions better.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Reading books makes people more learned. When children hear the stories you tell, they learn grammar and vocabulary, for example. It helps them be successful in school as they already know a lot from your stories. What's more, every story has its moral aspect and tells them what's good and what's bad.

    These reasons leave no chances of doubting whether to read bedtime stories to your children or not.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}They will thank you in future, I promise.

A. It makes children knowledgeable.

B. It fosters children's affection for reading.

C. Bedtime stories create just unforgettable moments.

D. They remember most words you say and enlarge their vocabulary.

E. Take a look at the best benefits of it and you'll never be lazy to do that.

F. They'll be successful in many aspects thanks to a wonderful imagination.

G. So however tired you are, find time to read bedtime stories to your children.

    May the first is an important date in the college admission process in the United States. This is the last day for high school seniors to accept or reject offers of admission in the fall. But according to a recent report, there is a great change. Acceptance rates at the top colleges this year were lower than ever. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    These days, college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}On the other hand, deciding students for top colleges to accept can be difficult because it takes much time. Students may not like being put on waiting lists. Also, common colleges work more to get the students they accept to accept them. Some colleges hold visiting days that offer a chance to attend classes and stay overnight. Some universities send gifts. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    For many families, the most important thing colleges can do is show them the money, especially this year; the weak economy makes parents nervous. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The recent problems that spread from the housing market to credit markets have even affected student's loans. So lately, top schools have to spare lots of money to increase their financial aid for students. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The Education Department expects the number of high school graduates to start to go down. This will happen as the last of the children of the baby boom generation finishes high school. The number is not expected to start rising again until 2019.

A. What contributes to it?

B. Besides, top colleges are facing changes in the population.

C. But a mistake can be costly if it happens.

D. It can mean several acceptances to choose from.

E. They have international students who know English.

F. But top colleges ignore them.

G. They cannot afford college as planned.

    College is the time when you're expected to focus on your path in life. But it's also the time you're the least equipped to have any long-term plan. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

The whole process can be divided into three stages.

    The first is "gathering fuel". This means building up your skills, learning from different experiences and developing a network of people who you trust and who trust you. And this is a stage that requires patience and a willingness to identify your own weaknesses and work on them. If you complete this stage with a growing sense of what you love to do and what you are good at, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    The second stage is "burning fuel". This is the time to improve the skills you've obtained through experiences, the people you've met along the way and the recognition of what you should do. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. We want to get where we're going in a hurry, but that hardly works.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Simply speaking, it's about staying strong, while turning an eye towards what lies ahead. It's a surprisingly long journey and most people underestimate it. You can't expect an ideal life to happen by itself. You must recognize that no matter where you are on the path, each step is there to teach you something, feeding you that fuel.

    If you're not doing what you want, you need more fuel — so go out and get it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. you are winning

B. that will come true

C. The last part is "saving fuel"

D. The final part is "filling fuel"

E. Here are some tips on how to aim your sights into the future

F. It seems that most of us try to jump straight to the next stage

G. And if you're doing what you want, keep moving and don't settle

    Once eating alone was just that: sitting down in a restaurant on one's own and eating a meal. Everyone did it sometimes, and when they did so, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. To eat alone might suggest that you didn't have any friends. There was a kind of shame attached to it.

    Nowadays, however, there is more and more solitary (独自的) eating for pleasure. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. "Foodies"—people with a passionate interest in cuisines—do it because all they need is the chance to eat good food. They don't want company or conversation, but only the joy of eating some special dish. Other people eat alone because it's simply practical for them to do so. For instance, it's estimated that nearly a third of all the customers of fast-food restaurants eat alone. They are served with their food fast, eat it fast and then leave fast. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    But the appeal of eating alone is quite different. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . For the hour or so that it takes to have a meal, they can forget all the pressures of their lives. They don't have to deal with their family or job. They can relax and let their mind wander. Maybe they'll bring a book, a newspaper to enjoy a quiet time.

    David Annand, editor of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, who delights in dining alone, speaks of his pleasure in the "rhythm of a meal in a restaurant—its ebb and flow (人来人往), the periodic arrival and departure of the waiter". {#blank#}5{#/blank#} .

A. It's an experience of freedom

B. they might be a little embarrassed

C. People choose to eat alone for various reasons

D. none of them would feel bad about themselves

E. Sometimes staying alone is quite cosy when you don't work

F. This restaurant rhythm allows him to sit back, observe and think

G. It saves time if they have a meeting or a child to pick up from school