Before the Big Test

It is the day before the big geography test (考试), and Maria is afraid of taking the test.

“Don’t worry, Maria,” says Ann, her good friend. “Just study hard tonight and you will do well.”

After school, Maria goes home. She makes a plan to study. She is going to study all evening. She just needs a good, comfortable (舒适的) place to start.

Maria goes to her bedroom. She sits at her desk. The desk is too small. She is not comfortable.

Maria goes to the kitchen. She sits at the table. The table is too hard. She is not comfortable.

Maria goes to the playroom. She sits on the floor. After a while, her back starts to hurt. She is not comfortable.

Maria goes to the living room. Her little brother, David, is watching TV. She sits down on the couch. She gets out her books. She gets out her class notes (笔记). She puts on her glasses. She is ready to study.

“David,” says Maria. “The TV is distracting me. I can’t study. Can you please turn it off?”

David doesn’t move. He doesn’t say anything. He just watches TV.

Maria sighs. She reads her notes. But she can still hear the TV. She looks up at it. “I love this programme,” she says. She tries to study her notes. But the TV is so interesting. She keeps looking up at it.

After a while, Maria stops studying. She watches the programme with David. The programme ends, and Maria is too tired to study. She goes to bed.

Maria wakes up late the next morning. She hurries to class. Her geography teacher is handing out the test. “Here you go, Maria,” he smiles. He puts the test on her desk. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you studied hard for this. You’ll do well.”

We all need healthy food and lots of vitamins（维生素). Fruit and vegetables are important, but other things are healthy, too! Don’t be afraid to eat something you like, sometimes.

Here’s a surprise. Chocolate is good for you! Everybody knows that milk chocolate has got lots of sugar in it. But dark chocolate has 70—80% cocoa, and it doesn’t have much sugar. It has flavonoids. Flavonoids can help the body in lots of ways and stop us being ill.

Is coffee good for us? Well, it’s unhealthy to drink it before we go to bed! And too much coffee can make you unhappy. But some scientists say that drinking coffee in the morning or afternoon can help us remember things. Some people also say that it’s good to drink coffee before you do exercise, to help you run faster, for example.

Potatoes are a popular vegetable, but not many people think they’re healthy. Fried potatoes are delicious, but often fatty. If possible, eat boiled（煮) potatoes. Also, do you know that the outside part of the potato, the peel, is healthy and has lots of vitamin C? Many people don’t eat it. So next time, keep the peel!

Here’s another surprise. You know popcorn, that delicious food you eat at the cinema? Well, it has got lots of phytonutrients. Lots of other food, like tomatoes, broccoli and other green vegetables, also has got phytonutrients. But be careful! Popcorn has sometimes got lots of sugar, salt or oil on it. So don’t eat too much.