Across the world, students are sweating as they prepare for all kinds of exams．Many teenagers complain that while they do well in their homework, they don't get 1 marks in exams．They are wondering why．
In a new study U．S．psychologists think they have found the answer．Researchers report that heavy exam 2 is actually more likely to affect the performance of very good students than average ones．
Worried about 3 others, these students can lose their most valuable 4 weapons：short-term or working memory．This is their ability to 5 numbers and ideas, while focusing on problem at hand．According to the study, when 6 pressure is put on people with good skills, their performance drops．
People with strong working memory skills 7 to do well in intellectual ability test．Their analytical skills and creative 8 depend on their short-term-focused processor．
In the study, researchers 9 the working memory of 93 students．They were divided into two groups, with a high and a low 10 memory．
The students then took two maths tests each under 11 conditions．One was called a practice test．In the other, the students were told they were part of a team that was depending on them to 12 their score in order to win a reward．
The results were 13 ：the group with high working memory scored about 10 percent higher than the others on the low-pressure practice test．But the two groups' 14 were about equal when the pressure was on to perform．
The study shows how memory performance is 15 by fear of failure, according to the scientists．
The film starts out as a normal day at a typical American high school．Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football．
But there's a big surprise when the movie 1 with two students going crazy in the 2 shooting and killing people．
This is“Elephant”．Filmed in just 20 days, it stars real high school kids．American 3 Gus Van Sant had no ready made lines(台词)．The student actors 4 their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own 5 ．
6 it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palmed' Or(金棕榈奖)for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes 7 festival in France on May 25．
The film is based on the 8 at a high school in the US, where two boys 9 13 people and then themselves in 1999．
The title of the 10 refers to the old expression about a 11 that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house．
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims(受害者)and the 12 ．It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone－fun and friendly, or hard and 13 ．
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary 14 ．But, there are hints(暗示)of the 15 they feel inside．One of the boys is bullied at school．The other plays violent 16 games．But Van Sant isn't 17 their killings on either bullying or violent video games．In fact, the film doesn't offer any 18 for why school violence happens．
“I didn't want to 19 anything．It's up to the audience to draw its own 20 ,”said the 51-year-old director．
When I was a little girl, every Sunday my family of six would put on our best clothes and go to Sunday School and then church．The 1 in elementary school would all meet together to sing songs, and then later divide into 2 based on their ages．
One Easter Sunday, all the kids 3 with big eyes and big 4 about what the Easter Bunny(复活节小兔)had brought． 5 all of the kids shared their stories with 6 , one young boy , whom I shall call Bobby, sat 7 ．One of the teachers , noticing this, said to him, “And what did the Easter Bunny 8 you?”He replied, “My mom 9 the door by accident so the Easter Bunny couldn't get 10 because he hadn't got a key．”
This sounded like a 11 idea to all of us kids, so we kept on going with the stories．My mom knew the true story, 12 ．Bobby's mom was a single parent , and she suspected(怀疑)that they just couldn't 13 the Easter Bunny．
After Sunday School was over, everyone went off to 14 ．But my mom announced that we were going home 15 ．At home, she explained that to make Bobby feel 16 , we were going to pretend(假装)to be the Easter Bunny , make a basket of our candies for him and 17 it at church．We all donated(捐赠)some to the basket, and 18 back to church．There, mom hung the basket over the hanger(挂钩)and attached(附上)a(n) 19 ：
Dear Bobby,
I'm sorry I 20 your house last night．Happy Easter．
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