As teenagers grow up, they become more independent and start making their own decisions. However, during this period, it can be easy for some of them     1    (form) bad habits. These bad habits, if     2     (leave) unchecked, could lead to more serious ones when they become adults. To change bad habits which we rely     3    is never easy, even with many     4     (attempt). The good news is that we can change bad habits if we know     5    habits work. To facilitate     6     positive change in bad habits, we must first examine our bad habit cycles and then try to adapt them. We can do this by     7     (combine) the information from our habit cycles with our own positive ideas. We can also use the habit cycle to create good habits. Many of us try to change bad habits quickly, and if we are not successful straight away, we often become pessimistic and give up. In fact, the most successful way to change     8     (be) not suddenly, but over a period of time. A person must     9     (repeated) take many small steps to reach the goal of change. Young people will make     10    their minds to build a happy and healthy life !

4 . My university has now topped the U.S. News &. World Report rankings for 11 years running. Given Princeton’s success, you might think I would be a fan of the list. Not so. Don’t get me wrong. I am proud of Princeton’s teaching, research and commitment to service. I like seeing our quality recognized. Rankings, however, are a misleading way to assess universities. Different schools have distinct strengths, structures and missions. The idea of picking one as “best”, as though educational programs competed like athletic teams, is strange.

However, the U.S. News rankings attract great attention and a huge customer base. Applicants and their families rely on the rankings and feel pressure to get into highly regarded institutions. As a result, many schools make intense efforts to move up in the rankings. This competition produces damaging consequences. For example. some universities avoid doing difficult but valuable things—such as admitting talented lower-income students who can succeed at university if given appropriate support.

Still, students and families need comparative information to choose universities. If rankings mislead, what is the alternative? For generations, buyers have turned to Consumer Reports for advice about almost everything except university education. When Consumer Reports evaluates a product, it assesses multiple factors so that potential buyers can make their own choices wisely, Similarly, university applicants need information about some basic variables. Graduation rates are crucial. A university that does not graduate its students is like a car with a bad maintenance (维修) record. It costs money without getting you anywhere. What applicants need is not the average graduation rate, but the rate for students with backgrounds like their own. For example, some places successfully graduate their wealthy students but do less well for lower income students. Applicants should also see some measures of post-graduation outcomes.

Here is a partial list of other factors that matter: cost of tuition (学费) and fees; high-quality teachers actively engaged in undergraduate instruction; and a learning culture composed of diverse students who study hard and educate one another. Judged by these criteria, many schools could be “Consumer Reports Best Buys”. Applicants should be excited to get into any of them; they should pick the one they find most appealing; and they should not waste time worrying about which is “the best”.

It would be great to have a Consumer Reports for universities. I hope that some national publication will have the courage to produce an annual, user-friendly Consumer Reports-style analysis of higher education institutions, even if it is not as attractive as a football-style set of rankings. In the meantime, those of us who understand the imperfection in the rankings must call them out—even when, indeed especially when, we finish at the top.

6 . For many years we have talked about education in a changing society but have done little to educate for uncertainty. Perhaps the best insurance we can offer for this uncertainty is the presence of a good mind. To develop a good mind the student must learn how to learn and develop a taste for learning. The world of tomorrow needs flexible individuals, intelligently mobile individuals, individuals who can land on their feet when their jobs become technologically outdated, and individuals who can deal with the unexpected.

To educate for flexibility we must distinguish between training and education. To train is to emphasize immediate goals to neglect (忽视) the long-term growth. To educate, however, is to foster (培养) limitless growth to develop the good mind.

An inevitable element in education for flexibility is an attitude favorable to change. This is hard to develop. It requires faith in oneself and in the future. Then, what can the school and college do to build an attitude more favorable to change? Certainly they can and must develop the self-confidence of students, and build them up with repeated success instead of constant failure. Schools and colleges can help students admire what is admirable and provide continuing guidance in how to become a real person having faith in the future and having a good mind of his own.

To meet the striking social changes of the future, continuing education is a necessity. As Native Americans noted, you should keep on learning as long as you're ignorant. The flexibly educated person knows that today's fact may be tomorrow's misconception. So we should raise awareness of lifelong learning.

The test of a modern society capable of meeting change with accelerated (加速的) evolution instead of revolution does not lie in asking, “Is everybody learning?” To be learning is not only a condition for survival; it is also the basis for being richly alive.

8 . HABITS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

As teenagers grow up, they become more independent and start making their own decisions. However, during this period, it can be easy for some of them to form bad habits. These bad habits, if left unchecked, could lead to more serious ones when they become adults. For example, some of them may become involved in tobacco or alcohol-abuse, which can lead to physical and mental health problems. To prevent harmful habits like these from dominating a teenager’s life is essential. They must learn to recognise bad habits early and make appropriate changes.

To change bad habits is never easy, even with many attempts. There is a famous saying based on the philosophy of Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do.” In many ways, our lifestyle is the sum of choices we have made. We make a choice to do something, and then we repeat it over and over again. Soon that choice becomes automatic and forms a habit that is much harder to change. The good news is that we can change, if we understand how habits work.

According to modern psychology, we must first learn about the “habit cycle”, which works like this:

*Firstly, there is a “cue”, an action, event, or situation that acts as a signal to do something.

*Secondly, there is a “routine” , the regular action you take in response to the cue.

*Thirdly, there is the “reward”, the good thing or feeling we get from the routine.

For example, when we feel unhappy (cue), we eat lots of unhealthy snacks (routine), which makes us feel happy (reward). The reward makes us much more likely to continue the cycle, and the bad habit of relying on unhealthy snacks is formed.

To facilitate a positive change in our bad habits, we must first examine our bad habit cycles and then try to adapt them. We can do this by combining the information from our habit cycles with our own positive ideas. For example, we could try to replace a negative routine with something more positive. So, when we feel unhappy again(cue), rather than eat snacks, we could listen to some of our favourite music instead(routine), which will make us feel relaxed (reward). Aside from changing bad habits, we can also use the habit cycle to create good habits. For example, when we come to an escalator(cue), our normal routine is to ride it, but we could change this routine into something more positive by taking the stairs instead.

Many of us try to change bad habits quickly, and if we are not successful straight away, we often become pessimistic and give up. In fact, the most successful way to change is not suddenly, but over a period of time. As the Chinese philosopher Lao Zi wrote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” One step seems small, but it is essential. To reach the goal of change, a person must show some discipline and repeatedly take many small steps. After all, it is not easy to break bad habits.

For young people, there is plenty of time to change bad habits. However, there is no “magic pill” or delete button that will help you; you have to think about your bad habits and decide on some changes. You have the power to build a happy and healthy life full of good habits!

As teenagers grow up, they become more independent and start making their own decisions. However, during this period, it can be easy   ______ some of them to form bad habits. These bad habits, if ______ (leave) unchecked, could lead to more serious ones when they become adults. ______ (change) bad habits is never easy, even with many attempts. The good news is that we can change our bad habits if we understand ______ habits work. To facilitate ______ positive change in our bad habits, we must first examine our bad habit cycles and then try to adapt them.

We can do this by ______ (combine) the information from our habit cycles with our own positive ideas. We can also use the habit cycle ______ (create) good habits. Many of us try to change bad habits quickly, and if we are not successful straight away, we often become pessimistic and give up. In fact, the most successful way to change is not suddenly, ______ over a period of time. To reach the goal of change, a person must ______ (repeated) take many small steps. Young people have the power ______ (build) a happy and healthy life full of good habits!