Anne Whitney, a sophomore (二年级学生) at Colorado State University, first had a problem taking tests when she began college. “I was always   (1)   prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before a test.   (2)   I would go in to take the test, only to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would blank out because of  (3)  . I couldn’t think of the answer. My   (4)   grades on the tests did not show what I knew.” Another student in microbiology had   (5)   experiences. He said: “My first chemistry test was very   (6)  . Then, on the second test, I sat down to take it, and I was so nervous that I was   (7)  . My hands were moving up and down so quickly that it was   (8)  to hold my pencil. I knew the material and I knew the   (9)  . Yet I couldn’t even write them down!”

   These two students were   (10)   something called test anxiety. When a student   (11)  , his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student can’t write or think   (12)   because of the extreme nervousness. Although poor grades are often a result of poor study habits, sometimes they are caused by test anxiety. Recently, test anxiety had been recognized as a real   (13)  , not just an excuse by lazy students.

   Special university counseling courses try to help students. In these courses, counselors teach students how to    (14)  test anxiety. At some universities, students take tests to   (15)   their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help them deal with their tension. These courses teach students how to    (16)   their bodies. Students are trained to be   (17)   in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their   (18)   work at ease. Learned information then   (19)   without difficulty.

   An expert at the University of California explains: “With almost all students, relaxation and less stress are felt after taking our program. Most of them experience better control during their tests. Almost all have some   (20)  .”

When early colonial settlers went to America, they took many forms of dance to their new home. Square dancing, one of the oldest forms of American folk dancing, developed from several different Old World group dances, mainly English country dances, and the French quadrille(四对方舞).

   In the American version of square dancing, four couples form a square and dance to music. An American addition to square dancing is the caller. What do you think a caller does?

The callers---someone who calls out the dance steps in time to the music--- was a completely American invention. At first dancers memorized all the steps for a particular dance, but eventually the dances became so complicated that it was necessary to have someone call out cues (提示) so that dancers didn’t have to remember so many steps. The caller didn’t just call out “do-se-do your partner”; a good caller also came up with colorful sayings or witty lines that he said in between the cues such as “Don’t be shy and don’t be afraid. Swing on the corner in a waltz promenade (步伐).” A caller might also come up with new dance steps and routines.

   Although popular for years, square dancing seemed to be going out of style and fading away until the early 1930s, when Henry Ford helped revive（复苏）interest in it. Ford, the automobile manufacturer, used to vacation at the Wayside Inn in Massachusetts, where he enjoyed the dance programme run by a man named Benjamin Lovett. Ford asked Lovett to come to Detroit and teach dances, but Lovett said he couldn’t because he had a contract with the inn. Ford solved that problem by buying the inn and Lovett’s contract. He took Lovett back to Detroit, where together they established a programme for teaching squares and rounds. Square dancing was updated and groups began forming all over the country.

C

Barbecuing has been an art form ever since hunting and fire were mastered．
Many countries claim it as their own．
In France，the phrase "barbe a  queueˈ，一meaning "from head to tailˈ，一has
been used to describe a method of cooking a pig whole．In the US，BBQ，which is
considered to be short for "barbecueˈ，，was once used on old roadhouse signs that
advertised "bar, beer and cues（球杆）．”
But in Australia, "where gas barbecues can be found in just about every backyard
and balcony in the country, barbecuing is considered a basic rightˈ，noted CNN.
On November 15，Australia，s Prime Minister Tony Abbott hosted a traditional
Aussie barbecue lunch to treat、the world，s most powerful leaders who had arrived in
Brisbane，Queensland for the G20 Leaders Summit. The lunch not only featured the
traditional burnt but tasty steak and sausages，but also other special Australian foods．
So how did the barbecue become such an important part of the country，s culture
In Australia, firing up the barbie（烧烤架）and laid-back outdoor eating are almost a
way of life，said Cue.
Barbecuing came to be thought of as an important part of the Aussie lifestyle in
the 1960s, when the "chop（排骨）picnic" became part of the Aussie language. "We
love the great outdoors so much that something like that great Australian tradition, the
‘barbie’，was certain to happen,，，Australian author Mark Thomson wrote in his book
the Legendary Australian Barbecue．

Except for the Indians, the earliest backpackers in America were frontiersmen（边民）, who traveled the wilderness looking either for necessities such as food and water or for sources of wealth such as fur and gold. For them backpacking was a way of survival or a means of achieving what one day would be called the “American Dream”.

Today, however, many people enjoy backpacking as an entertaining activity. Shouldering a pack and leaving behind the world of telephone, television and traffic promise an exciting experience. Testing one’s stamina（耐力）and skills is challenging, and regaining a sense of one’s place in the natural world can be rewarding. Moreover, backpacking is an activity that can last any length of time and can be enjoyed alone or with friends. Then too, a backpacking trip may be organized within a day or two.

The backpacker and his friends have only to decide on their destination and then organize the all-important equipment, whose contents they must depend on the trip. A map, a compass, a flashlight, along with food, and extra clothing can be found without much difficulty. Once the backpackers have left word about where they go in a note on the refrigerator door or in a message on an answering machine, they can look forward to an adventure that will lift the spirit and promote the soul. Their outing will enable them to return in a short time to the age of technology with the courage and independence of Natty Bumppo, who did indeed belong to the age of the frontier.