Exam time! Most students would say it’s the worst thing about school. But do you know why you take exams? And what’s the best way to study for them? Read on and find out the answers. You never know—exams might not be so bad.

Most students don’t like exams. But interestingly, we can’t live without them. They play an important role in our lives.

Exams are not all the same. There are two kinds.

One kind tests your knowledge and skills. Most school exams are like this. And it’s the same with certificate (证书) exams. For example, you need to pass a certificate exam to become a doctor. This shows you’re able to treat patients.

The other type helps find the talented. For example, the college entrance examination（高考）. Universities use it as a fair way to choose students.

At middle school, exams are about answering questions on paper. At university, exams are about writing essays (论文). Doing an experiment or even drawing a painting can also be university exams.

However, students in different countries take different exams. In the US, many school children do a book report or science report as part of their exams. In Australia, middle school students need to use what they learn at class to make presentations (展示) or speeches. Sometimes, teamwork is part of an exam.

So, exams are your lifetime “friends”. Be nice and friendly with them. They will help make you a better person.

Do you use emojis(表情符号) on WeChat?

There are many emojis     31     different meanings. For example, a smiling face means “I’m happy”. It is often used     32     (describe) something that is so unlucky.

When we want to say “Goodbye”, we use a smiling face with a waving hand. One of     33     (nice) things about emojis is that it’s easy to understand. People from all over the world can understand them.

But I have recently learned that some emojis have different meanings in China. Take the basic smiley face emoji as     34     (冠词）example. At first, I thought it was just a normal, friendly smile.

But later, I found out that it can mean something different. It can mean that someone     35     (look) down on you or even laughing at you. Although the emoji is smiling, its eyes are looking downward, which makes it look like a fake smile(假笑).

In fact, some emojis also have     36     (much) meanings. One of my favorite emojis is the “cry-laugh” emoji. At first, it meant “rolling on the floor laughing” or ROFL. But over the years, the meaning has changed. We try to exchange our feelings by     37    (send) the same picture. However, you can’t do anything but     38     (laugh).

It seems that emojis change as time     39     (go) by, just like real language. However, we should be careful when we     40     (use) them online.

Sally was a student in a small town. It was going to her mother’s birthday. She wanted to buy her a present that would be nice, useful and     41    .

She went shopping after a quick and simple lunch. After she looked for about forty     42    , she found a shop that was selling cheap umbrellas, and she decided to     43     a black one. She thought, “Mom can carry it when she is wearing clothes of any color.” So she     44     a lovely black umbrella and took it to school with her until her class finished. On her way home on the train she felt     45    . So she went to the buffet car (餐车). She left the umbrella on her     46    . But when she returned, it had gone. Sally began to     47    . The other passengers felt very sorry for her and asked what the matter was. She told them the black umbrella she bought for her mother had gone, and she had to get off at the next station. After the three passengers     48     this, they asked her for her mother’s address so that they could send the umbrella to her if someone took it by mistake and     49     it back.

And now a week passed. Sally got a letter from her mother. It said, “Thank you very much for your lovely gift, but why do you send me     50     black umbrellas?”

Nowadays, bike-sharing has been very popular in China. Mobike (摩拜单车) is one of the market leaders in the bike-sharing business.

What is Mobike?   

Mobike was founded in January, 2015. It is supported by Tencent (腾讯). People in many cities, such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Jinan as well as Shanghai, have a chance of using the app. The total number of Mobike app users is larger than that of any other bike-sharing app users.

Who uses Mobike?

According to a survey, 53. 23% of the Mobike users are men, while 46. 77% are women. Mobike is not only popular with young people, but also wins the hearts of the old. It shows that retired men traveled the longest distances (距离) by shared bikes.

Why do people use Mobike?

Chinese people use Mobike for different reasons. Users can rent (租借) a bike at a low price, usually about one yuan an hour. It also offers people a better choice for short journeys in cities, especially when people can’t find a bus or the underground to take. What’s more, it’s helpful in traffic. And the most important is that it can help improve the environment.