16． Here are the materials you need to have a successful study period.
●Water and Healthy Snacks
　　Nowadays, you may spend much time studying. In the middle of a study period, you must be a little tired. It can be (1)       to tell yourself that you have to stop. You may go to the (2)       because you're so hungry or thirsty. How can you save time? Solve this problem (3)       keeping a bottle of water and healthy snacks at your desk. These (4)       will give you what you need for the long hours of studying ahead of you.
●The Internet
　　If you are not clear about what you have learnt, you'll probably use your class notes to (5)      . What happens if there's a topic that you still don't (6)       understand? You'd better have a website or two that you can (7)       to search a subject. You can find explanations (解释) in the website. These can be very (8)       in making sure that you understand the material.
●Highlighters (亮光笔) and Sticky (粘的) Notes.
　　Learn wisely. As you (9)       your textbook and notes, use highlighters and sticky notes to (10)       yourself of which key information you need to remember. (11)       even the strictest teachers won't make you (12)       your whole textbook for your exam. In order not to lose those very important (13)      , you can use some bright, fun color signs to record these materials.
●Note cards
　　Finally, we suggest keeping some note cards in your study (14)       you can make flashcards for coming tests. These are a useful tool for (15)       subject that requires memorization.
　　Good luck on your test.

17．　　The Chinese high-speed railways have a quality all on its own. Tier 1 (一线)(1)             like Beijing have a couple hundred high-speed trains stopping at the city every day.
　　China's (2)            (科技) on building the railway is leading the rest of the world. There is no sign that any (3)             country could be better than China in near future. I had my (4)             (第一次) opportunity to ride the high-speed trains last week when I had a business meeting in Zhengzhou.
　　As someone (5)             grew up with a disdain (偏见) for public transportation (not sure why the US hates it so much), I was afraid (6)             the experience. I hoped to fly, but was told that it would be much better if I (7)             (乘) the train.
　　The train was amazing. I had traveled on a train before in the US, and hated how (8)             it was and how many stops there were. Chinese high-speed trains are on a different level. The trains are clean and the seats are huge. You can't even (9)             (感觉) how fast the train is moving. If there were no windows, I wouldn't be (10)             to tell when we were stopped or when we were traveling at 300 km/h — it is that smooth.
　　I'm traveling again this week by train and I'm excited.

18．　　Sore necks are very common these days. How to avoid a sore neck? Here are the things you should know.
　　Take precautions (预防措施) after an unusual activity. Many people report having a pain in their necks after doing something that they don't often do, such as a new exercise or packing and moving.
　　If you know you've done something that puts you a risk, massage (按摩) your neck, do it with different exercises and take a warm bath before bed.
　　Make sure your workstation is correct. If you work long hours at a desk, you may want to make sure that your work environment is set up to be the most relaxing. Make sure that your body is being treated right.
　　Keep your feet on the floor. This will often depend on how high your chair is, so adjust (调整) it in time to achieve good results.
　　Change your posture often. Sitting in one position for long periods of time is not healthy Sit with your back straight for most of the time. Take a 5-minute break if you can and walk around every hour.
　　Exercise. Find something — swimming, running or climbing — that makes you excited and feel alive. Make it into a usual way. Your body will feel better and your mind will feel more relaxed.

19． The first time my wife Linda gave birth was in a hospital.
When Linda got pregnant (怀孕) for the second time, we wanted a home birth, not just for ourselves, but for our daughter. We are very open with our daughter. We want to teach her respect and awe (敬畏) for the things of bodies. So she was part of the process from the very beginning.
In the morning the midwives came just as Linda was climbing into the birth tub (盆). Our daughter offered her mom water and food while she rested. When she found the noise and activity of birth, she was too nervous to stay long, so she spent a few minutes next to the tub, then went into another room to play. The midwives called her back in time to see her brother come into the world. As Linda pulled our tiny newborn son up, our daughter and I rushed to her side, all four of us hugging and crying and very excited.
That night, and many times since then, our daughter said, "I' m so proud of Mom for having a baby." She has seen and admired the effort it takes to bring a new person into the world. It's a part of her life, something that can happen in the same room where she colors and watches movies.
It was crucial that our daughter was part of that experience, not just for her, but for Linda and me as well. Everything we wanted for her — trusted care providers; a very familiar environment continuing support; good food — were things we needed but didn't have the first time Linda gave birth. We crossed this threshold(门槛) together, as a family, and it was messy and scary and painful and unusual and mysterious and really perfect.

20． It's June, and summer vacation will begin soon, That's a good thing. Most kids love summer vacation—they've worked hard during the school year and (1)      . Also, the freedom of summer gives them self-esteem (自尊心), happiness, and creativity. When kids have free time, (2)      , causing them to feel good about themselves and believe in themselves.
　 　But there's another side: the freedom of summer can cause the "summer drop," where kids forget some of the reading, writing and math skills (3)      . Many students go down in reading levels during the summer. Math skills are also easily forgettable for kids during the two months of school break. A lot of teachers spend weeks playing catch-up in the fall to make up for the summer drop. To avoid this drop in learning, (4)      .
　 　Traveling can be a fantastic way for parents to encourage continued learning during the summertime. Whether taking the kids on a road trip to visit family, or getting on a flight to travel in a different province or country, the learning possibilities are endless. If you and your family have a road trip or vacation planned this summer, (5)      . With a little planning, parents can create learning opportunities that are so fun. The kids won't even realize you are putting education into their free time quietly and secretly.

26．假定你是李华, 你的英国朋友Mike 得知你们开展了"做生态小公民, 建设美丽家乡"
的活动, 他来信表示很感兴趣并想了解具体细节, 请给Mike写﹣封回信向他描述你(们)曾经做过的一件事或参与的一次活动.
要求:
(1)内容应包括活动或事件的时间、地点、过程和你的感受:
(2)文中不得出现真实的人名和校名;词数80﹣100. 开头和结尾已给出, 不计入总词数.
Dear Mike,
　　I'm glad to hear that you are interested in our environment protection activities. To be an ecological citizen(生态公民), we did a good job. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
　　Now the environment around us becomes better and better. Welcome to my hometown one day.
Yours,
Li Hua