Reducing Test Anxiety

Test anxiety arises when a student excessively worries about doing badly in a test. This can become a major hindrance (造成妨碍的事物) to test performance and cause extreme nervousness and memory problems among other symptoms. 【小题1】

Think positively. Scientific research has shown that our expectations can affect our performance. 【小题2】However, if you expect that you’ll do poorly, studying may not be enough to help you perform well. Therefore, it is a wise choice to think positively.

【小题3】 Fear releases adrenaline (肾上腺素) , preparing the body to deal with danger. Your heart rate and breathing speed up and you may feel shaky, sweaty, or dizzy. Anything you can do to reduce these physical reactions will help you think more clearly and feel more confident.

Eat before the test. Don’t skip breakfast to study. 【小题4】 Choose protein-filled snacks and avoid sugar, which can give you quick energy that may run out in the middle of the test. Eat something even if you feel sick—try crackers or toast to settle your stomach. Avoid caffeine and energy drinks, which can increase anxiety.

Get a good night’s sleep before the test. Studies have shown that you will do well in the test if you get enough sleep. 【小题5】 If the test is later in the day or the evening, or if you just couldn’t get a full night’s sleep, take a nap. Research has shown that a short nap—less than an hour—can improve alertness, memory, creativity,  productivity, and moods, and can decrease stress.

   Nowadays with the development of the economy, our life is becoming easier and easier in many ways. We can drive a car to travel to and from work. We can save a lot of time, shopping online instead of going to stores. Besides, the elevator is widely used in our daily life. 【小题1】 The elevator safety troubles us from time to time. Here are several ways for you to help you use the elevator safely.

【小题2】

Before stepping on the elevator, you should check your and your children's clothing for the loose parts, such as shoelaces（鞋带）and gloves, which can be trapped in the moving parts.

Mind your position.

【小题3】 Tell your children not to lean on the handrail（扶手）, which can slow down the elevator and may make other people lose their balance. You should stand on the right instead of on the left, which is convenient for some people who are anxious to go downwards or upwards.

Locate the emergency stop button.

【小题4】 The button may be near the bottom, but sometimes alongside the stairs. If the elevator breaks down, it is helpful for you to stop the elevator.【小题5】

   The holidays can be one of the happiest times of the year. However, all of that holiday happiness comes with high costs. The good news? 【小题1】 Here are some ideas to get you started.

♦ Book your flight early and on “off” days.

The price of travel during the holiday season increases. However, strategically (战略性地) booking your flight can help save big on your airfare. 【小题2】 For Christmas, aim to fly on Dec. 17 or 18. This might allow you to escape the high fares.

♦ Make DIY gifts that people will actually like.

It’s possible to make gifts that are inexpensive but valuable. Homemade gifts offer a personal touch that a store-bought item can’t.【小题3】 Maybe you have an uncle who loves golf and you love to paint. You could paint him a portrait (画像) of his favourite golf course.

♦【小题4】

Instead of flying, you can use many other cheaper ways of travelling. One idea is to take a train back to your hometown, which offers both beautiful views and low prices. You can also make friends along the way with other locals who are heading for your hometown !

♦ Find other ways to celebrate.

【小题5】 You can find tree lighting ceremonies, Christmas light displays, free concerts, and perhaps charities where you can donate your time. There’s nothing like volunteering to help you to experience the real meaning of the holiday.

   Now a new study has showed a key trick in getting the best deal - asking for a range of pay, rather than a single figure.

The research contradicts（与……抵触）traditional wisdom that argues giving a range will automatically cause employers to focus on the lower end of the offer. For instance, if you want  $90,000 and you suggest a range between $90,000 and $110,000, the study finds employers are more likely to make a higher offer.

But simply asking for $110,000 in the first place increases the chances of the deal falling apart, as it is a sign that the employee is not open to negotiation（协商）.

The team made the discovery after running a series of experiments involving Amazon Mechanical Turk workers and business school students.

Respondents were asked not only what they thought their negotiation partner's lowest acceptable offer could be, but also questions designed to show how they viewed their partner.

One type of offer, called a “bracketing” range,places the figures on either side of the desired salary. For instance, if you want $90,000, you'd ask for a range of between  $80,000 and $100,000. This causes employers to offer the lower end of the scale,but, unlike single figure offers, the deals rarely fall apart as the negotiator is often viewed favourably. “If your goal is to get along with someone without losing money, the‘bracketing' range offers may be a good move,”Dr Ames told the Wall Street Journal.

The“backdown”range offer, meanwhile, uses the target salary as the high figure in the range. For $90 ,000, an employer would ask for a range between $70,000 to $90,000. These range offers , predicta-bly, give the worst results in terms of pay.

However, Dr Ames warns against setting the range too high and says the most successful range is usually within 20 per cent of the target offer.

   Some people don't wish to waste even a second at work. Looking at a computer screen for a long time can cause stress on one's eyes. Sitting and looking at a television screen for hours can also make the eyes tired.

Bookworms love reading and they will make sure they read much more than their bodies can deal with. The strong wish to finish a book may result in fast reading，without taking breaks, which can lead to tired eyes. Reading for a long time in weak light can also cause tired eyes.

More salt-based junk food like burgers，pizzas, etc. and less water also play a role in causing tired eyes. The junk food is a reason for tired eyes for it hasn't enough vitamins（维生素）.

Less sleep causes the eyes to become heavy. Dark circles also develop if one doesn't get enough sleep over a period of time.

If not treated in time，the condition can become worse. Here are some ways to relieve（减轻）a tired eye condition.

Every hour during your day at work, spend a minute relaxing your eyes. Look away from your computer screen and roll your eyes in all directions. Try and blink（眨眼）more often. Look around the room or close your eyes for a minute if you want and then work again. Following these every hour will help relieve the stress on your eyes，and you won't feel so tired after work.

Tea helps relieve tired eyes. Make a cup of hot black tea and pour it into a glass. Hold the glass close to your eyes，so that the vapors from the tea reach your eyes. This will also make you feel fresh.

If your eyes feel very tired at work, go to the washroom and wash your face with cool tap water. The cold water will help relieve the tired feeling. Do this every hour during work and your eyes will feel good.