Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test?
Many students say that a lack of concentration (注意力) is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study, so do their test results.
If so, use these tips to help you.
Study Techniques
（1）You should always study in the same place. You shouldn’t sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don’t watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when you are not studying, store all your equipment in a box beside it.
（2）Your eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book at an angle of 30 degrees.
（3）Be realistic and don’t try to complete too much in one study period. Finish one thing before beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.
Test-taking Skills
All your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of rest is very important. This means do not study all night before your test! It is a better idea to have a long-term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few months.
（2）Exercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too.
（3）When you arrive in the examination room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else and give the test paper your undivided attention.
40. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. You should study in a different place every day, so you don’t get bored.
B. Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time.
C. Check the time during the exam at a certain time.
D. Staying up all night and studying is tiring, but you will learn a lot using this method.
41. What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
A. Your study desk or table B. Your textbook.
C. Your dictionary D. The equipment you need.
42. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. You shouldn’t look at everyone else during the test.
B. You will have enough energy to deal with your study and exams by eating healthy diet.
C. You’ll concentrate more if there is nothing to distract you.
D. If you feel tired during study, you can walk around for a few minutes.
Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Amy. I am 17 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.
Love, Amy
At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Content. When Amy’s letter arrived at the radio station, Manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it wound be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special girl and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the “News Sentinel”. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.
Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy saw a world full of people who truly cared about each other.
Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to hold her head high.
Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne High School. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially declared December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson. “Everyone,” he said, “wants to and should be treated with respect, dignity and warmth.”Amy’s letter showed that______.
| A．she wanted to win Christmas Wish Contest |
| B．she is more independent than before |
| C．she is often ignored in and out of class |
| D．her schoolmates can’t understand her disability |
The postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house because ____.
| A．he went to encourage Amy frequently |
| B．he was quite curious about Amy |
| C．he had to send letters to Amy daily |
| D．he was moved by Amy’s story |
We may infer from Amy’s story that_____.
| A．the disabled hate those who laugh at them |
| B．the news media played a key role in helping Amy |
| C．Amy will still be made fun of by her classmates |
| D．there are few disabled people in Amy’s country |
The mayor officially declared Amy Jo Hagadorn Day _______.
| A．to tell how bad teasing can make others feel |
| B．to encourage people to hold their heads high |
| C．to explain how brave Amy was by making her wish |
| D．to call on the public to treat everyone properly |
Homework will not be a concern for pupils attending a pioneering new secondary school in Norfolk. Instead, the 1,100 children will stay longer at school, doing extra study at school as part of the extended school day, which could last until about 5 pm.
Rather than setting homework that pupils could struggle with at home, where there may be limited access to computers, they will do that as independent study in the day. When they go home they should enjoy quality family time. That has been really well received by parents who respect the fact that family time will be family time. But the school would still expect youngsters to study at home ahead of important exams.
Independent learning at school would ensure equality because kids who get help with homework from parents might rely on others too much.
Peter Devonish , a teacher at the school, said, “Having the children at school a bit longer to strengthen their learning is a really good idea, because they can have their time with the family.” But he warned. “A disadvantage is that our school is in the countryside, which means it’s not so perfect to get children home at that time.”
Mr. Devonish said they also set pupils project-based homework, such as looking at an energy-efficient house, which allowed them to combine independent study with working with their parents.
Craig Morrison, another teacher, said, “A large problem with homework has been that not enough is done with it. With homework, a lot of effort can go into it, so it’s about celebrating what children do rather than processing it in terms of marking it and handing it back.”How will students spend their longer days at school?
| A．They will do homework on computers. |
| B．They will study all by themselves. |
| C．They will have fun with teachers. |
| D．They will prepare for exams. |
Why is the new idea well accepted by some parents?
| A．Because it helps kids with their homework. |
| B．Because kids will be educated well at school. |
| C．Because kids will enjoy quality family time. |
| D．Because parents can have more time to rest. |
What is Mr. Devonish worried about?
| A．The students may get home late. |
| B．No staff would like to stay till 5 pm. |
| C．More teachers will be needed. |
| D．The students may dislike the idea. |
The passage is mainly about _______ .
| A．teachers who are asked to stay at school longer |
| B．a school where children stay longer for homework |
| C．homework which students have to deal with |
| D．students who like spending time with teachers |
As life expectancy increases nowadays, the average person lives well beyond the age of retirement. As a result, the elderly make up an ever-increasing percentage of society, which makes it more important than ever for a real effort to be made in improving the lives of senior citizens.
One way to deal with the situation would be to ensure that the elderly have enough money on which to live. Obviously, when a person stops working, they still require a source of income to cover their basic needs such as food, accommodation and heating. A clear solution to the problem is for the government to make sure that the state pension is adequate for these needs.
Steps should also be taken to overcome the health problems the elderly face. The government should also provide access to the best health care available, which may necessitate paying for residential homes where the elderly can have round-the-clock nursing, or, at the very least, providing medication free of charge to all people over a certain age.
The lives of old people could be improved if attempts were made to address the problem of social isolation. If we organised trips for the elderly to community centres, visits from social workers their problem of loneliness can be reduced a lot which marks the lives of so many old people living alone and far from their families.
One final suggestion, which would help enormously, is to change the attitude of the community towards its older members, who are all too often seen as a burden on society and dismissed as having little to do with modern life. We need to be taught from an early age to respect the views of old people, and appreciate their broader experience of life. This would help society as a whole, and encourage appreciation of the role that old people can still play today.What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
| A．All the elderly can enjoy free medication. |
| B．The nurses can take good care of the elderly. |
| C．The elderly are in face of health problems. |
| D．The health care available to the elderly is good. |
The underlined word “address” in Paragraph 4 probably means_________.
| A．find out |
| B．deal with |
| C．put down |
| D．pick up |
What factors affected the old people’s life?
a. the state pension
b. the basic needs
c. the attitude of the community
d. the experience of life
e. social isolation
f. medical care
| A．a, b, c, d |
| B．b ,c ,d ,e |
| C．c ,d ,e, f |
| D．a, c, e, f |
According to the last suggestion, the old people_________.
| A．should be respected by all of us |
| B．have to gather more life experience |
| C．may be regarded as our heavy burden |
| D．must change their attitude to the community |
The booking notes of the play The Age of Innocence:
Price:$10
BOOKING
There are four easy ways to book seats for performance:
--in person
The Box Office is open from Monday to Saturday,10 a.m.—8 p.m.
--by telephone
Ring 01324976 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card(Visa, MasterCard and Amex accepted)
--by post
Simply complete the booking form and return it to Global Theatre Box Office.
--on line
Complete the on-line booking form at www. Satan-fiedtheatre.com
DISCOUNTS:
Saver: $ 2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday. Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students.
Supersaver: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion. It is advisable to book in advance. There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until an hour before the show.
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $ 6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible (suitable) for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group Bookings: there is a ten percent discount for parties of twelve or more.
School: school parties of ten or more can book $6 standby tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free.
Please note: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.If you want to book a ticket, you CANNOT ________.
| A．use the Internet |
| B．ring the booking number and pay for the tickets by credit card |
| C．go to the Box Office on Sundays |
| D．complete a booking form and post it to the Box Office |
According to the notes, who can get $ 2 off?
| A．A 20-year-old full-time college student. |
| B．A 55-year-old woman. |
| C．An 18-year-old teenager. |
| D．The people who book the tickets on Fridays. |
If you make a group booking for a group of l4 adults, how much should you pay?
| A．$120. |
| B．$126. |
| C．$140. |
| D．$150. |
From the passage we can know all the following information except that ________ .
| A．it is advisable to book tickets in advance |
| B．the audience can't refund money if the performance is on show |
| C．a group of 13 persons can get a 10 percent discount |
| D．a school party of 15 students should pay $90 for the standby tickets |
When most of us look at our hands, we might notice that we need to clean, or stop biting our fingernails, and that’s about it. But if you ask a doctor, he can see a whole lot more. Everything from poor diet and stress to serious kidney (肾) problems can be revealed by a glance at your fingernails.
There are about 30 different nail signs that can be associated with medical issues, though may indicate more than one problem, according to Dr.Amy Derick, a clinical instructor of dermatology at Northwestern University.
Here are five of the things a doctor can tell about your health based on your fingernails.
1. People who aren’t eating well and lack vitamin or dietary may have thinner than normal nails, which are more likely to break.
2.Horizontal (水平的) lines are associated with serious physical stress. They frequently occur in people who have gone through chemotherapy(化疗).They can also occur after some illnesses, injuries, or with severe malnourishment(营养不良).Interestingly, there may be an altitude connection too. They’ve also been found in people who dove 1,000 feet and others who participated in an Everest exploration.
3. Vertical （垂直的）lines, however, are generally not such a big deal. Some people are more genetically prone to them than others, but they’re commonly associated with aging.
4. When people lack iron, their nails can turn spoon-like. Instead of curving down and covering the finger normally, they ’ll start to rise up on the sides and front, like the part of a spoon that holds liquid.
5. Kidney and liver problems can create “half-and-half nails”, where one part of the nail is white and the other part dark or pink, according to Derick.
Doctors note that because disease diagnosis is complex and some symptoms can be associated with different diseases, you should always see a medical professional if you are concerned about something you notice. What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Doctors can tell us something about our health by looking at our nails. |
| B．We should see a doctor if we find nails in bad condition. |
| C．A famous doctor in the USA conducted an interesting research. |
| D．If we don’t want to get ill, we need to clean and stop biting our fingernails. |
If we don’t eat well or regularly, our fingernails may ________.
| A．become harder than normal nails. |
| B．become thinner than normal nails. |
| C．become “half-and-half” nails. |
| D．have horizontal and vertical lines. |
Who will have horizontal lines on the nails ?
| A．A cancer patient who has received normal treatment. |
| B．Hungry African children suffering from severe malnourishment. |
| C．An explorer who had reached Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province. |
| D．A patient with serious illness, like kidney and liver problems. |
Which of the following best describes the nails that show people lack iron?
| A．The nails are thinner and more likely to break. |
| B．The nails will curve down and cover the fingers. |
| C．The nails will start to rise up on the sides and front. |
| D．The nails will change their colours on the surface. |