2 . Ways to make a great first impression

You’ve heard it a million times already. But it really does take but a few seconds to make that all-important first impression（印象）. Here are some easy ways for you to impress your classmates or teachers.

*    1    

Before you shake hands with somebody, make sure that your hands are clean. The hand-shake should not be too strong or weak. Most people use their right hands, unless they have a reason to use the left.     2    

*Be on time

When meeting someone for the first time, arriving on time is as important as breathing. You may have an excuse, but that will leave the person who hardly knows you with a bad impression.     3     It’s better to be hanging around the place than be stuck in traffic.

*Introduce yourself and ask for names

Make sure you properly introduce yourself. Ask for their name in a polite way.     4    . This will increase the chances of their remembering your name in the future. Always remember to stand up when greeting someone and be sure to introduce them to anyone you’re with.

*Make good conversation

To get the most out of your discussion, try to find something common between the two of you.     5    . A person will feel more comfortable with someone they can relate to（产生共鸣）.

5 . In a national spelling contest in America, an 11-year-old girl was asked to spell a certain word. But with her ________ voice, the judges were not sure whether she spelled the right word. They talked it over and ________ decided to simply ask her what she had said. By then, the girl knew she had misspelled the word. Instead of lying, she told the truth that she had said the ________ letter—so she lost the contest.

As the girl walked off the ________, the entire audience stood，clapping to applaud her honesty. Later, dozens of newspaper reporters wrote about this ________, even though it cost the girl the contest. But the fact is that she ________ the biggest contest that day: the contest of her character.

Probably the biggest test of our character and honesty is what we would do if we knew we would never get ________. This young girl could easily have ________ and nobody would have known it but herself. But it’s been said, “If you ________, you make yourself cheap.” This young girl was ________ enough to prize her own character more than the prize from a spelling contest. She knew the ________ she made in that moment will have a long-lasting influence in her future.

Should the wallet, found in the street, be put into a pocket or ________ to the policeman? Should the ________ change received at the store be forgotten or ________ ? Nobody will know. But we have to live with ourselves, and it is always better to live with someone we ________.

6 . Years ago, I had a quarrel with a friend owing to a misunderstanding. It was_________my fault, but I was afraid to admit that I was wrong, so we didn't speak for a long time. Several years later we came across each other and decided to meet for lunch. It was so_________that we kept meeting. After two or three meals together, I felt_________to apologise for my previous behaviour.

My experience is never unique. Many people_________apologising because the idea of admitting to wrong behaviour makes them_________uncomfortable. Apologies force us to admit to ourselves that we don't always_________our own standards. We might also fear that the victim won't_________our apology. We all like to_________ourselves as good people—as kind, honest and considerate. For these_________, an apology can be very difficult to give.

Given my__________, there is no doubt that an apology is a vital tool for__________a relationship to make it functional again. Usually, a(n)__________apology is called for, but if the victim is angry about the wrong behaviour, it may be more__________to wait, because their__________may prevent them from accepting our apologies. Also, a delay__________an apology's effectiveness because it conveys that the offender has reflected on their__________. But a heartfelt apology has more powerful effects, which can improve our mental health and repair our__________interpersonal relationships. __________, expressing regret and acknowledging responsibility are equally vital. Without__________, it's a defence of your actions; without responsibility, it's an excuse.

My friend and I had lunch recently, 15 years after my belated apology. Admitting that everything had been my fault helped us heal our relationship. We're both__________of having our friendship today.

According to a recent survey, violence (暴力) did exist in schools. Students showed their fear and parents and teachers also     1     (express) their great concern about it. Experts hope     2     whole society should pay more attention to the mental health of teenagers.

Nowadays, school violence is a hot topic, which     3     (call)for our great concern. We should make every effort     4     (prevent) violence happening at school because more and more students would drop out of school if their personal     5     (safe) could not be guaranteed(保证). In fact, violence can be imitated.    6     (actual), children learn violent behavior from adults or from     7     they see on television or on the Internet.

If I meet with school violence, I will not answer violence with violence, for it will result in     8     (much) fighting. I will tell my teachers and parents about it. I think they will help me deal with it well and they will protect me     9     the bad guys.

All in all, we students should behave     10     (we) and keep away from violence.

8 . Physical education(体育), or PE, isn’t required for all high school students. In some schools, it isn’t offered for some different reasons. But should high school students receive physical education? The answer is certainly “Yes.”

Today many people don’t do sports. But as is known to all, doing sports is very important for an adult. Teaching teens the importance of a healthy lifestyle and making fitness plans now can help teens put exercise in the first place as an adult.

The American Heart Association says that 10 million kids and teens suffer from obesity(肥胖症). The increase in activities that don’t get teens to move around, such as computer games, means many teens don’t get their required exercise. PE classes act as a public health measure to encourage physical activities and help teens have healthy weights.

Not doing sports increases teens’ hazard of developing many diseases. An active lifestyle offers a good way of protection from these health problems. As much as 75 percent of health-care spending goes toward treating medical conditions that can be prevented by lifestyle changes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), students who performed five hours of physical activity each week improved their academic(学业的)performance. Students from programs with no physical activity, who used the extra time for classroom study, did not perform better on tests than those who gave up some study time in support of physical education.

9 . Women have been making scientific discoveries since ancient times. Twelve women have won the Nobel Prize for Science, one of the highest honors in the world. Some women scientists never married, some worked with their husbands, and others raised large families. It has been difficult for women to be successful scientists.

In the early 1800s in England, Mary Anning became one of the first women recognized for her discoveries about the ancient history of the earth. Mary and her father collected fossils(化石) in their village on the south coast of Great Britain. Fossils are parts of plants or animals that have been saved in rocks for millions of years.

When she was only twelve years old, Mary became the first person to find the almost complete skeletons(骨架) of several animals that no longer existed on the earth.She didn’t become famous for her discoveries at that time because she often sold her fossils to get money to support her family.

In 1891, a young Polish woman named Marie Sklodowska traveled to Paris to study physics. She did so because she could not get a college education in Poland.She began working in the laboratory of a man named Pierre Curie. Marie and Pierre Curie got married and made many discoveries together. They received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 along with another scientist.Marie Curie became the first person to be awarded a second Noble Prize in 1911, this time for Chemistry. Marie Curie was one of the few women at the time who became famous as a scientist.