For us students who are studying at school, the time of exams is very stressful and difficult. Some people find exam times so bad that they become ill, because they

are afraid of failing; they are afraid of letting their parents and family down. If exams are really making you ill or worried, don’t hide your feelings. Talk to someone about it. Maybe you can speak to a friend, or someone in your family, or teachers at your place of study. If one person doesn’t help you, ask someone else.

How to get through exams? Here are some①          （建议）：

Ask a teacher or tutor about how to review your lessons, and exam skills-how to work when you are in an exam.

Take short rests during your time of work. If your mind is tired, it will not remember well.

Plan your work: study at times when you know you will work at your best.

Get enough sleep, and eat ②          （健康）food.

You need exercise to work well. Walk, run, play sports-whatever you enjoy.

Stop thinking about the future and failing.

If you feel ill, talk to someone about your worries. But don’t be too relaxed!③Some stress over exams makes you work hard for them.

If it upsets you to talk to your friends about an exam when it is finished, don’t do it! In fact, don’t even think about the exam you have finished. What is done is done. ④ 你不能改变你已经写的东西！

To this advice, we could add:

If you are studying in the evening, don’t go straight to bed. Your mind will still be“going round and round”-thinking too much. Do something else, maybe walk or get exercise. Choose something that will relax you, and make you think of other things.

1.Why do some students hate exams?

2.在①处和②处填上恰当的单词。

①                                  ②                       

3.将文中划线的句子③译成汉语。

4.将短文中划线的句子④译成英语。（每空0.5分，共2分）

You                              what you                               .

5.请给短文拟一个适当的标题。（2分）

Very few people enjoy exams. I don’t, either. And although I tell myself not to worry about them, I always do! So I’m not surprised that my students worry about them, too, even though they usually don’t need to. Because they are afraid of failing. However, since it is hard not to worry at all, we all must try not to worry too much. Why? Because worrying makes exams worse! How to do this?
Ask the teacher about how to revise and about exam skills—how to work when you are in the exam. Good students don’t wait until the week before an exam. They study all through the year. It is not possible to learn everything at the last minute. So don’t leave it till then.
If you start planning and working for each exam early and you make sure that you understand what you’re studying, then, when it is over, you’ll be able to say, “What a good exam that was!”
Take a short rest during your time of work and revision. If your mind is tired, it won’t remember well. Work at the time when you know you’ll work at your best.
If you’re studying in the evening, don’t go straight to bed afterwards. Your mind will still be “going round and round”—thinking too much. Do something else, maybe walk or get exercise. Choose something that will relax you, and make you think of other things.
If you feel bad, talk to someone about your worries. But don’t be too relaxed! Some stress over exams makes you work hard for them.
【小题1】How does the writer feel about exams?

When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn’t a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with(忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.

He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.” I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true.

I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”

Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure(珍惜) all your life!

1.What did the writer’s father do after he heard her complaints(抱怨)?

2.The writer felt ____ when she did the things as her father had told her.

3.Which of the following can we know from the passage?

4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

You have probably heard it before, most likely from your English teacher. If you want to become a good writer, read good writing. Unluckily, you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.

As you start reading a book, poem, or story, do so with no thought at all and the experience will improve your writing. Just read for pleasure to begin with, or to learn. As you progress through the work, think about whether it is “easy” reading or not. Do you become so interested in the subject and flow of the writing that you completely forget the person who wrote it, or does the composition sometimes call too much attention to itself through words and phrases that seem out of place or unexpected? The second situation is a chance to learn from the writer’s mistakes. In fact, the reader should not have to worry about how a writer does “his thing” ... he should be able to just enjoy and learn. Every time a word strikes you as poorly chosen, stop to consider why it has this effect. Also, do not spend a lot of time analyzing (分析) the passage but put more efforts in enjoying it from the whole.

Another thing I do, particularly with nonfiction (非小说) books, is to select a part to read as if it is a completely separate work. Once again, read as a common reader rather than a critic (批评家). For learning how words and phrases work together on the most basic level, however, nothing is more suitable than devoting yourself to reading poems. A poet is often trying to put a book’s worth of meaning and feelings into lines, and every side of the work shows a very close attention to craft (工艺).

As you can see, there is no simple way of reading to improve your writing. The key is not to make it boring. Select writers you admire or like most, and enjoy their works as anyone else would. As long as you are reading, you are improving yourself as a writer.