How to read more and learn more

These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can broaden my mind and improve my language skills.【小题1】  Here are some tips for you.

【小题2】Most people read for two main reasons, pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is important to you, so you will keep reading and complete the book faster.

【小题3】

No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may introduce you the books they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.

You may have chosen books that you are interested in, and they are right purpose. But while you are reading them, there may still be some books that you don’t enjoy reading. Whenever you realize that you aren’t enjoying the book you are reading, give it up. 【小题4】

【小题5】Before you read each book, ask yourself what time you need to complete this book by.

As we all know, most of us school students feel somehow nervously whenever we’re taking an exam. There is no doubt whether exams are important to us, but it was also of great importance to have a right attitude towards them. As the matter of fact, exams are no more than a means of evaluation. However there is no need to worry too many about the results. Only by studying hard every day and make good preparations can we avoid suffering from the pressure of exam.

We had better to go out for a walk before exams. In addition, having enough sleep could make us full of energy and make possible for us to perform well in the exams.

   You can choose to think positively and see the good things around you，or you can choose to think negatively and only see the negative things around you. It's all up to you. 【小题1】 Look at what optimists do.

Believe in themselves.

While others doubt their own abilities，optimists believe they are good enough just the way they are and constantly try to get better. They trust their own intuition（直觉）and abilities when carrying out their day-to-day activities. 【小题2】 They don't need everyone's approval.

Believe in others.

Optimists not only believe in themselves，but also in other people in their lives. 【小题3】 They know that when you treat a person as he or she is，that person will remain so. But if you treat a person as he or she ought to be，that person will become what he or she ought to be. Optimists simply see sparks of good in others and work to turn the sparks into a roaring flame.

【小题4】

Optimists believe in seizing what life throws at them. They are not blind to the risks and dangers involved in taking chances，but rather look at the bigger picture，the resources available and then make every opportunity count for a much brighter future full of possibilities.

Forgive.

Optimists know better than to underestimate（低估）the power of forgiveness. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the past was the past and forgiveness was the path to a better future for everyone. 【小题5】 Optimists know tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to correct what needs correcting and create a brighter reality.

   Several recent cases of violence（暴力）against students at U.S. colleges have made global headlines，arousing questions about the safety of America’s campuses. Yet government data show that the number of violent assaults（袭击）at colleges actually has decreased in recent years. And most schools have worked to increase safety through technology and student behavior.

It’s also important for students to take responsibility for their own safety. Being familiar with local neighborhoods and campus services is key. Personal-safety expert David Nance says the most important thing students can do is be attentive-which means not being distracted by smartphones or other devices.

The website for the group PEACE OUTSIDE CAMPUS，formed in response to the murder of a student from the University of Delaware in her off-campus apartment in 2005，lists additional measures students can take：

1. Don’t walk alone after dark or while drunk. Contact a friend to take you where you need to go.

2. When driving，keep your doors locked，and park in well-lit areas.

3. Don’t wear earphones or play music so loudly that you are unaware of your surroundings.

4. Trust your instinct（本能）and don’t worry about overreacting. You’re better safe than sorry.

5. Avoid entering elevators with strangers. When this is unavoidable，stand by the control panel and，if faced with a threatening way，push the emergency alarm and all the floor buttons. Don’t press the stop button.

6. Don’t hold the door open for a stranger attempting to enter the house，even if it seems rude. Ask them to identify themselves.

7. Post the police’s and fire departments’ numbers by every phone，and put them into your cellphone.

8. Label your emergency contacts as ICE（In Case of Emergency）in your cellphone so officials will know who to contact for important personal or medical information.

   Cowboys, policemen, princesses and superheroes are all characters kids choose to be on any given day. Putting on a play can be a fun activity that lets them act out their favorite characters as well as use their artistic ability to create the stage.

Best of all, they will be able to use their favorite line “ look at me” as the audience sits down to enjoy the production.

Help your kids decide on a play they would like to act out. Use the Internet or the library to find scripts (剧本) for older reading kids. For younger kids, they can act out a favorite story or a fairy tale. Of course, you could always help them write their own scripts.

Decide how many characters are needed. Invite neighbors and friends to be in your play or let your kids play more than one character. Make sure you teach them to change the way they look, move and speak so the audience can tell the difference.

Search for costumes and props (道具) supplies. Find clothes from your closet or attic (阁楼) , or go to a garage sale. Help everyone make a mask or put on makeup to represent their characters.

Get creative. Make tickets, invitations, movie posters and props for your kids’ play. You can even decorate a curtain and hang it in front of the stage. Set up chairs for the audience.

Choose your music. Pick something that goes with the theme of the play. Ask someone to play the piano or have the kids make up songs and help them make homemade instruments.

Rehearse the play. The more the play is practiced, the better it will be. Try starting early in the summer and practicing once a week. Set out a snack after rehearsal and make it light-hearted and fun. Then perform the play at the end of the summer vacation.

Invite the audience to sit down and enjoy the play.