Having a roommate can be one of the best experiences in college or, easily, one of the worst. It all depends on whether you have a good relationship with your roommate or not. Follow the advice to avoid the common mistakes that turn good roommate relationships bad.

◇ 【小题1】

Communication is key. If something happens, sit down with your roommate and have a face-to-face conversation. I’ve seen roommate relationships fall apart because something happens and instead of talking to each other, the two start complaining about their roommates behind their backs. 【小题2】

◇ Don’t expect to be best friends.

Some roommates become the best friends, and some don’t. Don’t put pressure on yourself or your roommate, especially when you first meet. 【小题3】 And if your roommate doesn’t end up being your best friend, don’t worry.

◇ Ask before you take.

This applies (适用) to food, clothes and anything else. If you want to keep a relationship going, show your roommate that you have respect for what is his or hers by asking first. 【小题4】

◇ Clean up after yourself.

This should be done without saying. Don’t be lazy. Or, at least, don’t bury your roommate in your clothes and garbage. Most people I’ve come across in college are dirty and untidy. 【小题5】 But putting your stuff in order will help you avoid conflict.

   It can be difficult to meet new people and make friends，especially when you move to a new city or find yourself out of your comfort zone．How will you deal with the situation?【小题1】 There are several ways that you can meet people that you might not have considered in the past．

★【小题2】You probably have several acquaintances that you see on a daily basis or a weekly basis．If you get along well with certain people，you can see if this acquaintance would like to go out and do something socially with you．If you have common interests，you might suggest that the two of you do something together that involves your interest．

★ Make an effort to accept invitations．Sometimes people that you know may be having a barbecue or other types of social gathering．Try to ensure that you are able to attend and then show up at the appointed time．【小题3】If you meet people that you click with，you can make a plan to see them again in the future or you can invite your friends to your own event and ask them to extend the invitation to the friends that were at their gathering too．

★Go out，even when you don’t feel like it．It turns out that when people invite someone to join them for dinner or a movie or something else，they really want to hang out with you．【小题4】

【小题5】 But once you have used the same methods a few times you will know exactly what works and what does not．Don’t give up，everyone is different and it just takes time to get to know people．

Advantages of School Uniforms

Many public school systems across the country are instituting school uniforms in an effort to improve overall school performance and to reduce negative behavior. Standardized school clothing has become a heated national debate. 【小题1】.

Cost

In some cases, the use of school uniforms is more affordable to families because there is not as much pressure as to buy expensive, trendy clothing. 【小题2】. After the initial cost of buying uniforms, there is no need to spend more money on clothing.

Behavioral Outcomes

【小题3】. They believe that uniforms form a stricter atmosphere and that students who wear uniforms are more likely to follow school rules. The US Department of Education maintains that the mandatory（强制的）use of standardized dress reduces violence within the school.

【小题4】

Many educators believe that students who wear school uniforms perform better academically in school. Students are often so focused on their clothes that they distract themselves from learning. Many parents find that their children spend a great deal of time planning and choosing their daily clothing and that uniforms allow students to use this period of time to study.

Social Outcomes

【小题5】. Some experts believe that school uniforms improve the social outcomes in a school environment as well. People sometimes judge others by their clothing. Children are often laughed at by other children because of the way they dress. Many children use clothing to express and define themselves. School uniforms relieve students from the pressure to fit in.

   Maybe you are an ordinary student. 【小题1】 This is not necessarily so. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here’s how:

Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First arrange your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc, then decide a good, regular time for studying. 【小题2】 A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you realize what is happening to your time.

Make good use of your time in class. 【小题3】 Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material. 【小题4】 If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you will remember it longer.

Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test, so don’t be over worried.

【小题5】 You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

   Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.

Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through various websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.

“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog. com.

Harriet Levy paid $ 179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $ 215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $ 317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $ 169 to $ 360.

“There’s no reason for it,” Harrison said.

Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $ 755 to $ 1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, and then fell to $ 718 on Sunday.

The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press（美国联合通讯社）followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.

There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:

● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.

● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are the highest when tickets are booked eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.

● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive（专有的）sales to travelers who interact（交流）with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.

● The so-called discount airlines — JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier — adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal.