Maybe you are an ordinary student. You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however,  (1)  Here’s how:

When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do.   (2)  First plan your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying. Don’t forget to set aside enough time for entertainment. A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.

Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television.  (3)  Studyregularly.

When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, and read that material.   (4)   If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you’ll remember it longer.

There are other methods that might help you with your study. You will probably discover some of them after you have tried these.

If you feel depressed, it’s best to do something about it—depression doesn’t just go away on its own. In addition to getting help from a doctor or counselor, here are four things you can do to feel better.

Exercise. Take a 15-to-30-minute walk every day — or dance, jog, or bike if you prefer. People who are depressed may not feel much like being active.  (1)  Once you get in the exercise habit, it won’t take long to notice a difference in your mood.

    Cherish yourself with good nutrition. Depression can affect appetite. One person may not feel like eating at all, but another might overeat. If depression has affected your eating, you’ll need to be extra mindful of getting the right food.   (2)  So eat plenty of fruits arid vegetables and get regular meals （even if you don’t feel hungry, try to eat something light, like a piece of fruit, to keep you going）.

Identify troubles.  (3)   When you know what’s got you feeling blue and why, talk about it with a caring friend.  Talking is a way to release the feelings and to receive some understanding. If there’s no one to tell, pouring your heart out to a journal works just as well.

  (4)  Depression affects a person’s thoughts, making everything seem dark, negative, and hopeless. If depression has you noticing only the negative, make an effort to notice the good things in life. Try to notice one thing, and then try to think of one more. Consider your strengths, gifts, or blessings. Most of all, don’t forget to be patient with yourself.   (5)  

Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day.   (1)    .

   Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It’s 25 days before Christmas. It’s after Thanksgiving and often the first day of Christmas shopping.      (2)    .

   The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia.    (3)     . In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don’t need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up in costumes to tell people that we buy too much.

    In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day.   (4)    . They made posters and talked to other students about it.     (5)     . The students at high schools liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day.

We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don’t do a very good job.   (1)  

So, you have to give a speech and you are terrified. You get nervous, you forget what you want to say, you stumble over words, you talk too long, and you bore your audience. Later you think, “Thank Goodness, it’s over. I’m just not good at public speaking. I hope I never have to do that again.”

Cheer up!   (2)   Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making. Ask yourself the purpose of your speech. What is the occasion? Why are you speaking? Then, gather as many facts as you can on your subject. Spend plenty of your time doing your research. Then spend plenty of your time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible, and use pictures, charts, and graphs if they help you make your points more clearly.   (3)  Don’t talk over their heads, and don’t talk down to them. Treat your audience with respect. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Just remember: Be prepared. Know your subject, your audience, and the occasion. Be brief.   (4)  And be yourself. Let your personality come through so that you make person-to-person contact with your audience. If you follow these simple steps, you will see that you don’t have to be afraid of public speaking. In fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches ! You’re not convinced yet?    (5)  

Taking Questions

   When giving presentations, it is common practice to encourage audience involvement and this often takes the form of questions from the audience. A good deal has been written recently discussing the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to handling these.  (1)  .

   One approach is to take questions as and when they arise. Usually there are only a few points from the audience but in the event of receiving too many, the presenter may move the presentation on by reminding the audience of the time, and offering to continue the discussion later.  (2)  . Those who aren’t satisfied will simply have to wait.

   (3)  . A danger here is that too much time may be wasted on questions and, as a consequence, important parts of other main points have to be edited out. The audience may also confuse the presenter by asking about points that he or she intends to cover later in the presentation. If this happens, it is important to make the audience aware that answering their questions now might weaken the structure of the talk.

   Alternatively, mid-point questions can be discouraged by signalling that you would prefer questions at the end. If you take this approach, however, it is important to bear in mind that when you get to the end, it may take a little time for people to reflect on what they have heard and to formulate a question.  (4)  ..To overcome this, it is useful to have a chairperson who is prepared to ask the first question.

   (5)  . In that case, the safest response is to tell the truth. Then the rest of the audience may appreciate your honesty. It may also be possible to move the attention away from the questioner by asking other audience if anyone else can provide an answer.

Online university degrees through

distance education(E-learning)

    If you want to improve your language skills，but don't have the time to go overseas to attend school，what should you do？ ____31____ Nowadays more and more universities around the world are of-fering opportunities for students to win degrees online from the comfort of their own homes．

    If you decide to take language courses online，be sure to evaluate the benefits of studying online．____32____The advantages of studying online are that the costs are usually lower，you can study at your own pace at home，and you have access to the materials 24 hours a day fromal most any computer in the world．____33____

    On the other hand，the advantages of going overseas may include day-to-day opportunities to learn a new culture，meet new friends with whom you can use and practice the language，and chances to see different parts of the world．____34____Those disadvantages include expense，time away from one's school，family，or worklife，and the challenge of adapting to a new culture and way of life．

    ____35____Why not consider a distance education program that meets your educational needs，is within your budget，and equally important，provides you with opportunities to grow beyond the classroom through cultural and educational activities！

Ways to Save Time

     We all wish we had just a bit more time. Just think what you could do with an extra hour or two each day: you could finally stick to an exercise routine, or spring-clean the house, or write your novel, or learn the guitar and so on.

   　  (1)  　But I can help you find more hours in your day for the things that really matter.

1 . Get Out of Bed Earlier

     If you normally get up at 7: 30 a. m. , try getting up at 7: 00 a. m. That half-hour might not sound like much, but it could be time that you use to exercise, to read that book you’ve been meaning to finish. 　  (2)  

2 . Do the Important Tasks First

     Once you get to work, get the important ones done first(not the easy ones, or even the urgent ones). You can afford to spend at l-east an hour working on big, important tasks rather than on all those little urgent ones.

　  (3)  　The urgent tasks will still get done, and you won’t miss the important ones.

3 . Reduce Interruptions

       If colleagues have a habit of hanging around your desk to chat, or if the phone is constantly ringing, you might find that it takes you half the day to finish a simple task like writing a letter. Constant interruptions don’t just eat up time, they also break your concentration.

   When you’ve got a big task to focus on, let your calls go to voicemail. 　  (4)  　Wearing headphones makes it less likely that people will try to strike up a conversation.

4 . 　  (5)  

       A few minutes chatting, browsing the web, and so on, can easily turn into hours of wasted time over the course of a day.

      When you’re working, work.  If your concentration is slipping, take a proper break: go and get a glass of water, or stretch your le-gs a bit. And if you’re facing a difficult task, try breaking it into small steps or stages so that it’s easier to deal with.

Speaking to a group can be difficult, but listening to a bad speech is truly a tiresome task - especially when the speaker is confusing. Don't want to confuse your audience? Follow these suggestions:

     (1) Speak slowly and pause.

     ____36____ First, we hear the words; then, we compare the new information to what we already know. If the two are different, we need to pause and think. But a breathless speaker never stops to let us think about what he or she is saying and risks confusing us. Slow it down. And breathe.

     (2) Don't be contradictory (自相矛盾的).

    Sometimes we all start a sentence one way and then switch directions, which is very difficult to follow. When you confuse your listeners with opposing information, you leave the audience wondering what part of the information is right and what part they should remember. ____37____

     (3) Be well-organised.

     Jumping from point to point as it comes to your mind often makes your listeners confused. And it's difficult for them to listen, reorganise, and figure out what you're saying all at once. ____38____You can arrange things from beginning to end, small to large, top to bottom or by some other order. Just be sure to organise.

     (4)____39____

     Many speakers finish up their speeches with question-and-answer (Q & A) sessions, but some let the Q & A go on without a clear end. ____40____ Do your listeners a favour by closing your speech with a specific signal like, "If you have any more questions, you know where to reach me." Or even more to the point, conclude your speech with "Thanks for your time."