If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and your ability to focus will increase. But if you never use your brain, or abuse it with harmful chemicals, your ability to think and learn will decrease. Here are some simple ways that may help you.
Don’t you feel drained(劳累) after a couple of hours of watching TV? Your eyes are sore and tired of being focused on the light box for so long. When you feel like relaxing, try reading a book instead. If you’re too tired, listen to some music. When you’re with your friends or family, leave the tube off and have a conversation. All of these things use your mind more than television and allow you to relax.
Exercise.
I used to think that I’d learn more by not exercising and using the time to read a book instead. It improves productivity(生产力) during the time afterwards. Using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy. Afterwards, you can concentrate(专注) more easily.
Read challenging books.
If you want to improve your thinking and writing ability, you should read books that make you focus. Reading a classic novel can change your view of the world and will make you think in more elegant English. Re-read it when necessary, and you’ll soon grow accustomed(习惯) to the author’s style.
Early to bed, early to rise.You’ll be the most energetic if you go to bed early and don’t sleep for more than 8 hours. In my experience the early morning hours are the most productive. If you have the opportunity, take a 10-20 minute nap(小憩) when you are hit with a wave of drowsiness(睡意).
| A．Take a time to reflect. |
| B．Reduce television watching. |
| C．Spending some time alone will be helpful. |
| D．Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle (肌肉). |
E. Don’t be afraid to look up a word if you don’t know it.
F. Nothing makes it harder to concentrate than sleep loss.
G. But I realized that time spent exercising always leads to greater learning.
下面文章中有5处 (第61～65) 需要添加小标题。请从（A、B、C、D、E和F）中选出符合各段意思的小标题，并在答题纸上将相应选项的标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。
A. Explore All Your Talents
B. Be Ready for the Up-coming Competition
C. Set a Down-to-Earth Goal
D. Prepare Yourself Emotionally
E. Look for a competitive college
F. Consider Talent Search Programs in Junior High
Many aspects of college planning are the same for most college-bound students. However, if you’re in any academically gifted and talented program, you have additional things to think about. Here are some actions you should consider..______
Talent search programs provide educational opportunities for seventh-and eighth-graders who are mathematically or verbally talented. Some of these programs use SAT scores to identify academically gifted students. Although most students take the SAT in junior or senior year of high school, gifted and talented student often take it earlier. ______
Many gifted students have the potential to succeed in multiple academic areas. Don't miss opportunities by focusing too early on one that you excel in; carefully examine all your strengths and interests. Discover what you really like to study and the topics you may want to pursue in college. Pursue your interest and passion for learning to the fullest extent possible while you’re still in high school.______
Gifted students often feel that they have to be accepted by very competitive colleges to be considered successful. And while a competitive college may be the right place for you, don’t let selectivity be the only factor. The most important aspect of college planning is finding a college that’s a good fit.______
Manygifted students are used to being at the top of their junior high and high school classes. Be prepared to meet other gifted students in college — students who do just as well as you, or better, in the classroom. It can be unsettling. Handle it by staying focused on your own studies and skills and aiming to do your personal best.______
Although your academic qualifications and abilities may exceed those of your high school classmates, your age is the same as theirs. High school is a time for adolescence, while college requires emotional maturity. A 15-year-old high school graduate may not be prepared to live on a campus 1,000 miles from home with other students who are 18 and older. Think about what you are ready for emotionally, as well as academically, when you’re narrowing down your college list.
Encouraging Positive Relationships
Choosing one’s friends is an important part of growing up. And although you can’t choose your children’s friends, you can have a positive influence on the relationships they make throughout their formative years. Use the following strategies to help your children to build positive relationships with their friends.
● Encourage diversity. In addition to exposing your kids to more diversity, it will also help them learn more about themselves.
● Avoid criticism. Avoid criticizing friendships, but be honest with your kids when you’re concerned. This may make them defensive and less receptive to what you have to say. Do be open and willing to listen to what they have to say, and talk about what makes you nervous.
●If you feel that one of your child’s friends is having a negative influence on him, invite that friend to spend time with you and your child together so that you can have a positive influence on the relationship.
● Engage in community service. Engage your family in service and volunteering (or join a social group) through a local church, school, or other nonprofit organization.
●When talking about a friend who has a negative influence on your child, focus your comments on that friend’s behaviors, not on her personality. For example, instead of calling your child’s friend irresponsible for smoking, you could point out that the behavior has a negative effect on her health and recommend ways for your child to help her quit.
| A．Offer advice. |
| B．Get involved. |
| C．Don’t condemn your child’s friends. |
| D．Help your kids find the group that they fit with. |
E. These events can be great places to meet new friends.
F. It’s important to develop positive relationships with family members as well.
G. Challenge your children to get to know kids from many different backgrounds.
Doctors Say Most Heart Disease Preventable
Heart disease is the number one killer, worldwide, of men and women over the age of 60. But people of all ages die of heart attacks each year. And while death rates have declined in the U.S. and many western European countries, they are on the rise in the developing world. .
No one would have guessed that Barbara Teng would have a heart attack. She was not overweight. She did not smoke or exercise.“In 2004, the week after I turned 49, when I was on a business trip in Chicago, I had a major heart attack," she said. . She now exercises daily, and monitors her heart health.
Dr. Patrice Nickens, who is with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, thinks that heart disease is 82 percent preventable. “,” she said, “Men are also facing the same problem, and the key to staying healthy is knowing your numbers”.
“Your weight, your blood cholesterol, blood sugar and your blood pressure are important numbers that can help you take action and reduce your risk,” she said. .
“And the steps to take are simple: don’t smoke, maintain a healthy weight, exercise, know your numbers and talk to your physician and control these risks,” she said.
African-Americans are at higher-than-average risk for heart disease and stroke; people don't even know they have it, which increases the risk. Medstar Washington Hospital Center is trying to reach this population. . For example, helping the people monitor their blood pressure. If people realize they are at risk for heart disease, they'll make lifestyle changes: lose weight, exercise, eat the right foods and keep in touch with a doctor
| A．A healthy lifestyle can prevent heart disease |
| B．So we must cure heart disease |
| C．It is the leading cause of death for women |
| D．With the right training, they can play an important role in community health |
E. And that changed her life
F. Lack of exercise causes heart attacks
G. Yet most heart disease is preventable.
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.
These days, college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier.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.
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For many families, the most important thing colleges can do is to show them the money, especially this year; the weak economy makes parents nervous.. 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.
. 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 2015.
| A．Besides, top colleges are facing changes in the population. |
| B．What contributes to it? |
| C．But a mistake can be costly if it happens. |
| D．But top colleges ignore them. |
E. They have international students who know English.
F. It can mean several acceptances to choose from.
G. They cannot afford college as planned.