How to be successful in school

Success in school is based on your grades as well as the friends you make. Be attentive in class and raise your hand to answer questions. Most students in school are successful, but some aren’t. 【小题1】

Remember you are in school to learn. Study more about the stuff you are learning. 【小题2】 To start with, ask your mom or your dad to give you some questions about what you’re learning. If any is wrong, try to redo it. If you get high grades you will be able to get a scholarship (奖学金) to any college of your choice. Even if you are not planning to go to college, a good high school report card will get you a better job.

【小题3】 A true smile brings out your kind quality! Give them honest praise when you talk to them. Show them you are interested in making friends with them. Do not talk about others, do not gossip, but be helpful to others if they need you.

Be polite at all times. 【小题4】 How you act in high school is also showed on your high school records. These records remain with you forever and could be the difference between becoming highly successful and unsuccessful.

Be sociable. Study is important, but don’t forget your friends because of it. 【小题5】 If you are always busy whenever your friends want to chat with you, it will be a huge warning sign.

   For some people, the warmest memories from childhood come from being read a great story. 【小题1】 It develops children’s language skills and increases their ability to succeed in school and, later, work.

Experts say parents should read books that are not too long and on the right age level so that children will not lose interest. They say parents should also point to and talk about pictures in books for infants (幼儿). 【小题2】

Elizabeth Lyttleton has three daughters. They are at age ten, eight and two. 【小题3】 She says, "I watch my two-year-old, who is now getting a big language explosion. So much of it comes from the books that she reads. With my eight-year-old, it’s now the broadening horizons (眼界). The oldest now truly reads for pleasure and can get lost in young adult books. "

【小题4】 The company Scholastic is a major publisher of children’s books. Every two years, Scholastic publishes a report on American reading attitudes and habits. The 2015 report says only 31 percent of children in the U. S. read a book for fun almost every day. Four years ago that number was more than double.

Scholastic also suggests some ways to develop a love of reading in a child. 【小题5】 Another way to develop a reading habit in children is to read to them. The Scholastic report also suggests permitting children to choose their own books. Of all the 6 - to 17-year-olds in the Scholastic study, more than 90% said their favorite books are the ones they choose for themselves.

Four Ways to Make Your Shoes Feel Better

According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, the vast majority of people experience foot pain at some point in their lives. The reason for most foot pain is that shoes fit poorly or force the feet into unnatural shapes. 【小题1】 . Aside from carefully selecting the right shoes, there are some easy measures you can take to keep foot pain at bay.

1. Stretch Your Shoes

If your feet are rubbing against your shoes, this could indicate that you need more width, length or both. However, sometimes going to the next larger size is not an option, as the next size may be too large. 【小题2】 .

2. Using Shoe Inserts

Both podiatrists (足病医生) and those in the shoe repair industry often recommend inserts to increase shoe comfort. 【小题3】 . Determining the best insert for your shoes depends on what hurts.

3. 【小题4】

The way you lace (用带子系紧) your shoes can make a world of difference in their comfort. Lacing them too tightly or incorrectly can make your feet hurt. Cramped toes, rubbing on the top of the foot, and pressure on the big toe can likely be relieved if you place your shoes differently.

4. Wearing Socks

【小题5】 . They are usually made of cotton or nylon. Not only do they add an extra layer of cushion to your shoes but they also keep your feet from sweating. This prevents moisture (水汽) from forming in the shoes. Moisture in your shoes can cause blisters and calluses on your feet.

   Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in the human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激), ”Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”

In the study, the robotic dogs, called AIBO, are placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activities before and after AIBO being placed. Then, the researchers will study the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.

“I talk to it all the time, and it responds (回应) to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, it’ll stay in my arms until it wants to go down. It has a mind of its own.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog because it is metal and not furry,” Beck says. “But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”

“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.”

   We often focus on building relationships with others but we forget the important first step: being friends of ourselves. 【小题1】. How can we have good relationships with others if we don’t even have good relationships with ourselves?

The problem might be worse than we expect. Maybe we don’t like ourselves without realizing it. Here is a simple checklist: Is there anything you don’t like about yourself from these lists?

Your past: Maybe you have made mistakes in the past which you feel bad about. 【小题2】 . Even if that happened in the distant past, your mind still has a reason not to like yourself.

Your background: You might wish that you were born in a different family, or that you had different background. 【小题3】. They seem to get whatever they want effortlessly because of their background.

Your personal characters: You might have some personality traits that you don’t like. For example, you may be an introvert（内向的人）and you don’t like it; you wish you were an extrovert. Others might have better achievements than you, and no matter how hard you tried, it might seem impossible for you to match them. 【小题4】. Is there anything that resonates（产生共鸣）with you? All these give reasons to the idea that you don’t like yourself. That in turn makes it difficult for you to be a good friend to yourself.

【小题5】. Here are some tips:

Forgive yourself.

Accept things you can’t change.

Focus on your strengths.

Write your success stories.

Stop comparing yourself with others.

Always be true to yourself.