Maybe you are an average student. You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessary so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here’s how:

 (1) Plan your time carefully. When you plan your week, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First 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.

 (2) Find a good place to study. 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! When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

 (3) Make good use of your time in class. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teachers say. Really listening in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

 (4) Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes. Review the important points that your teacher mentioned in class. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material in advance. This will help you understand the next class. If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you will remember it longer.

 (5) Develop a good attitude about tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test, so don’t be overly worried.

There are other methods that might help you with your studying. You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

How to become a better student

Students should join in variousschool-related activities. These activities caninclude activities during normal school hours andafter-school activities. These activities should beavailable to every student, and it is suggested thatevery student should join in at least one of them.

One of the primary reasons school activitiesare important is that they give students theexercise they might not get at home. Of course,this type of activity is usually done after school.The most popular activities of this kind include

major sports such as football, basketball, baseball,tennis, and soccer. After-school programs such asthe Boys and Girls Club are ideal in a schooldistrict as they are the easiest way for students toget exercise.

Activities during and after school also helpstudents make a good impression on colleges ifthey plan to enter higher education. Colleges lookfor students who do not just go to school and gohome after school. Instead, they look for studentswho have good grades while joining inextracurricular(课外的) activities. Theseactivitiesrange(涉及) from joining in clubs andsports to volunteering and having a part-time job.If a college sees youmaintain(保持) good gradeswhile joining in these activities, it will beimpressed.

School activities also allow students to becreative when they otherwise would not have thechance. Activities such as gifted and talentedprograms that allow gifted students to join inactivities they otherwise would never experiencein the classroom are a great way to make studentscreative. Additionally, joining in clubs such asdrama andchorus(合唱团) also allows studentsto gain knowledge and be creative.

Students can also see their interest grow byjoining in other activities. These activities couldconsist of anything, such as the Future BusinessLeaders of America, the school’s debating teamand the chess team. By joining in these activities,students might realize they are interested insomething they never knew they would beinterested in before. For example, if a student hasnever acted before and joins a drama club, he mayfind out he enjoys drama and will develop an

interest in it. This could lead to bigger things forthe student, such as acting in college and beyond.

These types of activities work in everyschool and can benefit every school.

 nervous     However       when       different      bravely        find       change      important       chances       smiles 

In our life, we meet quite a lot of people: some just pass by while others can  (1)  our lives.

Miss Bella is such a person. Miss Bella taught me two years only.  (2)  , she has taught me a lot in many ways. 

Every day she began her classes with a smile and a fresh face. She made me realize that warm  (3)  could change a person. I was shy but I wasn’t   (4)  in her classes at all. She gave lessons in a   (5)  way from other teachers. We had many   (6)  to talk about problems in English classes. Miss Bella would thumb up (竖起大拇指) to encourage us   (7)  someone had great ideas. Now, I   (8)  that I have learned much from her classes. Learning to speak out your ideas is so  (9)  in society. She also made me realize that I could be myself by showing opinions  (10)  . 

   Other people can help us compensate for our mental and emotional deficiencies （欠缺），much as a wooden leg can compensate for a physical deficiency．To be exact，other people can extend our intelligence and help us understand and adjust our emotions．When another person helps us in such ways，he or she is participating in what I’ve called a “social prosthetic （义肢的）system．”Such systems do not need to operate face﹣to﹣face，and it’s clear to me that the Internet is expanding the range of my own social prosthetic systems．It’s already a big bank of many minds．Even in its current state，the Internet has extended my memory and judgment．

Regarding memory：Once I look up something on the Internet，I don’t need to keep all the details for future use﹣I know where to find that information again and can quickly and easily do so．More generally，the Internet functions as if it were my memory．This function of the Internet is particularly striking when I’m writing； I’m no longer comfortable writing if I’m not connected to the Internet．It’s become natural to check facts as I write，taking a minute or two to dip into PubMed，Wikipedia，or other websites．

Regarding judgment：The Internet has made me smarter in matters small and large．For example，when I’m writing a textbook，it has become second nature to check a dozen definitions of a key term，which helps me dig into the core and understand its meaning．But more than that，I now regularly compare my views with those of many others．If I have a “new idea，”I now quickly look to see whether somebody else has already thought of it，or something similar﹣and I then compare what I think with what others have thought．This certainly makes my own views clearer．Moreover，I can find out whether my reactions to an event are reasonable enough by reading about those of others on the Internet．

These effects of the Internet have become even more striking since I’ve begun using a smartphone．I now regularly pull out my phone to check a fact，watch a video，read weibo．Such activities fill the spaces that used to be dead time （such as waiting for somebody to arrive for a lunch meeting）．

But that’s the upside （好处）．The downside is that in those dead periods I often would let my thoughts flow and sometimes would have an unexpected insight or idea．Those opportunities are now fewer and farther between．

Few Americans stay in one place for a lifetime. We move from the city to the suburbs, from high school to college in a different state, from a job in one area to a better job elsewhere, from the home where we raise our children to the home where we plan to live after retirement. With each move we are forever making new friends, who become part of our new life.

For many of us the summer is a special time for forming new friendships. Today, millions of Americans go on vacation abroad, and we go not only to see new sights but also—in those places where we don’t feel too strange—with the hope of meeting new people. No one really expects a vacation trip to produce a close friend, but the beginning of a friendship is possible. Surely in every country people think highly of friendship.

The word “friend” to American people can be applied to various relationships—to someone one has known for a few weeks in a new place, to a close business companion, to a childhood playmate, to a man or a woman, or to a trusted workmate. There are real differences among these relations for Americans—a friendship may be informal, situational or deep and lasting. But to a European, who sees only our surface behaviour, the differences are not clear.

As Europeans see it, all kinds of “friends” flow in and out of Americans’ homes in a very informal way. They may be parents of the children’s friends, house guests of neighbours, members of a committee, business partners from another town or even another country. Coming as a guest into an American home, the European visitor finds no obvious openness to different styles of relationship makes it possible for us to find new friends abroad with whom we feel at home.

May: Hi, Mike. Long time no see.

Mike: Hi, May!

May: Where have you been these days? It’s been quite a long time   (1)  ．I last saw you in the library.

Mike: Well, I went to Hong Kong last month and stayed there   (2)  ．_half a month.

May: Why did you stay there so long?

Mike: Er, I went there   (3)  ．(attend) a meeting to discuss how to make sure of flight   (4)  ．(safe) between countries.

May: I called you many times, but I could not get through,   (5)  ．made me very angry.

Mike: Oh, I’m sorry. I got my phone number  (6)  ．(change) when I was in Hong Kong so that I didn’t have to spend so  (7)  ．on my phone calls.

May: Did you have a good time there?

Mike: Yes, a very nice time. I drove around with my friends. I also paid _  (8)  ．visit to the Hong Kong Disneyland. It was the first time that I   (9)  ．_(see) the sea. It’s   (10)  ．(real) a wonderful experience.

May: Hi, Mike. Long time no see.

Mike: Hi, May!

May: Where have you been these days? It’s been quite a long time   (1)  ．I last saw you in the library.

Mike: Well, I went to Hong Kong last month and stayed there   (2)  ．_half a month.

May: Why did you stay there so long?

Mike: Er, I went there   (3)  ．(attend) a meeting to discuss how to make sure of flight   (4)  ．(safe) between countries.

May: I called you many times, but I could not get through,   (5)  ．made me very angry.

Mike: Oh, I’m sorry. I got my phone number  (6)  ．(change) when I was in Hong Kong so that I didn’t have to spend so  (7)  ．on my phone calls.

May: Did you have a good time there?

Mike: Yes, a very nice time. I drove around with my friends. I also paid _  (8)  ．visit to the Hong Kong Disneyland. It was the first time that I   (9)  ．_(see) the sea. It’s   (10)  ．(real) a wonderful experience.