Parents and teens have long been warned that not getting enough sleep can be unhealthy. However, with the demands of schoolwork, activities and family responsibilities teens often don’t spend enough time on sleep. According to one study, only 15% of teens are getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night they need to function best.

High school English teacher and writer Emily Genser says, “My kids are always asking for nap time! Their lives at home are very stressful. I would be more likely to push for later start times for high school students. They would benefit from another hour of sleep.” Not enough sleep is not only bad for teens’ health, but it can also wreak havoc with their academic (学业的) and athletic performance. It is found that not enough sleep can be linked with drinking, smoking and drug use.

Some high schools are trying a different way. They are allowing tired teens to take a nap in school during the school day in specially designed Energy Pods or just allowing them to spend time in a “quiet room” where technology and conversation are banned. Schools say that a little rest during a packed school day helps students face mounting pressure to get into college.

Because students who sleep better do better and not all of our schools offer nap time, here are some suggestions to help our teens get the sleep they need:

▲Just like in earlier childhood, parents should create a calm atmosphere in the house at bedtime.

▲Encourage a relaxing, regular routine (常规) before bedtime which gives them an opportunity to relax.

▲Persuade them to avoid caffeine after 4 pm.

▲If they do nap, tell them to keep daytime naps less than an hour.

▲Teach them that alcohol and nicotine not only damage their health, but affect their sleep.

▲Show them how regular exercise and a healthy diet promote (促进) good sleep.

   In the early times, the music industry was terrified of taping (用磁带录音), thinking that customers would just copy music, or record from the radio. But that never really happened, at least not enough to cause any real hardship to anyone in the music business.

The same argument arose over technologies like MiniDiscs and recordable CDs. But the thing that terrified the music industry more than anything else was the arrival of services like Napster, which allowed people to share music over the Internet without costing them anything. The music industry was shocked; it saw people exchanging (交换) digital copies that didn’t degrade (削弱) the quality with each transfer, something that stopped tapes being a huge threat.

But it wasn’t the Internet that killed the music industry. In fact, everything is still looking optimistic for many musicians. Taylor Swift has had a good year, and her latest album is likely to make her very wealthy indeed. There is always going to be public demand for music.

However, the technology will simply destroy the record company. The reason is simple. Record companies are a man in the middle that simply doesn’t need to exist anymore. The same way we buy our flights direct, and do our shopping online and have things delivered from Amazon instead of going to a local shop. We have always been willing to enjoy cost reductions at the expense of the middleman, and the record companies are that kind of middleman.

What does the record industry offer? Well, surprisingly little these days. It used to be the case that record companies would go and find new talents. Of course this still happens, but more likely is that an artist will be discovered by the public through YouTube, or even from friends on Facebook or Twitter. Record companies also used to have an important role in producing the music. But countless artists are making their own way through software or any of the other amazing music apps, without any help from the record companies.

   This is new to me and I don’t know what I will say really so I’m just giving it a try. I was always a runner and in pretty good shape for most of my life. Then I hit a bad patch and each day just couldn’t get myself out there to run. I put on weight, which just made me feel worse about myself.

I finally got the running back again after a few years but it was much harder than it used to be and I struggled to get through even the shortest, slowest jog.

I was out in a run the other day and I had almost convinced (说服) myself to give up when I heard someone say, “You can do it! It’s hard, but you can do it!” There was a lady walking the other way and had the biggest smile on her face.

Those words of encouragement at a time when I was ready to give up were like a perfect intervention (干预). I finished my run and now every time I feel like quitting I will hear her words in my head and they give me motivation (动力) and encouragement.

I’ve never seen her again so I’ve never been able to thank her and let her know the effect something as simple as a few words of encouragement from a stranger had and still has on me. It always encourages me in my life and has great influence on my life. I will never forget it and place it in my heart. I will tell it to others and make others believe encouragement is very important to us.

   April Fool’s Day is a day for all of us to have some fan and play a few jokes on our friends or even on strangers. The story below will show what I mean. Enjoy it!

On April 1, all kids will have a safe place to surf the Web. Nations around the world have started a plan to make a new World Wide Web — just for kids! You can now surf safely without running into anything not proper for kids.

Beginning on April 1, all kids have to register (注册) with the World Wide Web for Kids(www4k). You will no longer be able to surf the “www”.

The World Wide Web for Kids, will only contain selected (挑选的) websites proper for kids under 13. A group of experts will review all content on it. All kids under 13 must surf this section of the World Wide Web — if kids under 13 are caught on the “regular” Web they may face serious fines.

All the nations can track (跟踪) all computers online and will be able to find if a child under 13 is surfing the wrong section of the Web. You will be kicked out of the regular “www” and sent to the new World Wide Web for Kids section. Your parents will then be told that you have been on the wrong Web.

All proper websites will now have to use “www4k”. For example, children’s familiar http://kidsturncentral.com will now be located at http://kidsturncentral.www4k.

Register now before you are told you are on the wrong Web! It’s free.

What to Do when You’re Falling Behind

When I was a kid, it took me longer to learn how to ride a bike. I kept using a bike with training wheels and I didn’t _______ much, so of course I didn’t learn how to balance.

One day I _______ that my sister, 2.5 years younger than me, was getting close to _______ how to ride a bike. She wasn’t quite there yet, but she was _______ much closer to balancing than I was. I couldn’t let her _______ me to it!

So I took my bike, _______ it out to the street, and decided that I was going to learn how to ride it right now. I _______ the training wheels, jumped on, and swerved (突然转向) all over the place like an out-of- control madman. I tried to stay near the grass when I could get some degree of _______, so when I fell, I’d _______ fall to the lawn instead of the street or sidewalk.

After many attempts, I finally learned how to ________ Then I rode my bike a lot that summer and have had the ________ ever since.

Up until that point, I’d been making a big deal out of the whole process. It seemed ________ and discouraging. I was afraid of falling. But once I began to face the fear and ________ the courage to risk getting hurt, I quickly showed my ________ ability on the other side with a whole new skill. From the moment of making the decision to the time I ________ to get the basic skill it probably took me less than an hour.

What finally ________ me to face the fear and take action? It was the ________ that I was falling behind. My sister was leaving me in the dust. She could ride ________ I couldn’t. I really didn’t want that to happen.

I had no idea that I could learn to ride a bike so quickly. The feeling of falling behind served as a powerful motivator (动力). ________ trying to hide the disappointment, I allowed myself to feel the weight of that pressure. I used the ________ feeling to motivate myself to take action.

Good morning. I’m happy to see all of you here this Saturday. Today we’ll spend all the time 【小题1】 the relay (接力赛). In a relay race, each member of a team of four 【小题2】 (run) runs a certain distance before he 【小题3】 (replace) by another team member. 【小题4】 (usual) first comes the second fastest runner, then the 【小题5】 (slow), and then the third fastest. The fastest runner is the last. In a relay race, the runner stands on the left of the track (跑道) in a starting position, with his head 【小题6】 (turn) to look at the oncoming runner. When the oncoming runner reaches a certain mark, the 【小题7】 (wait) runner begins to run. They both run on the course for a moment 【小题8】 the baton (接力棒) is passed. The exchange must be made within twenty meters, or the team will be taken out of the race. There 【小题9】 (be) four methods of exchange, 【小题10】 I’ll show you later.

   There are many advantages to travel around the world. Here are a few to think about:

You will enjoy the adventure (冒险).

The reason why many people travel is that they love an adventure. There are several different types of adventures to choose from when you travel. 【小题1】 Some people enjoy diving while others prefer surfing. Wherever you go, you will make the memories of your adventure last a lifetime. You can look back on the enjoyment again and again.

You will get to know different people and places.

The world contains lots of countries and not all people are the same. When travelling, you get the opportunity to meet different people from different places. 【小题2】 Travelling and talking with different people can help build or improve social skills with very little effort.

【小题3】

Different cultures are everywhere. Some places have modern cultures while others have traditional customs. Experiencing different cultures can also be educational; many travellers look for places to visit whose cultures are different from their own. 【小题4】 It teaches us respect.

You will feel relaxed after travelling.

Stress is a natural part of life. But when we have too much stress in our lives, it can be dangerous to our health. 【小题5】 It can be one of the best ways to reduce stress.

When I was in high school, most of my friends had bicycle. I hoped I could also have it. One day I saw a second-hand bicycle, that was only one hundred yuan. I asked my father the money, and he said he could only give me half of the money. I should earn the other half by myself. So I went to sell newspapers after the school. My father was pleasing when I showed him the money a month late. He gave me the other fifty. You can imagine how happily I felt when I ride to school on my own bicycle.