2 . It is no accident that many films and shows open with a crazy, action-packed scene that drives viewers to ask: “What’s going on here, who are these people and what do they want?” These scenes are designed to keep us watching.

A scientist who explores climate history by analyzing stalagmites(石笋) held a lecture. At the beginning of her talk, she showed a photo of herself crawling through a cave to collect samples. The audience immediately perked up. Starting with that image, we couldn’t wait to ask why this scientist was crawling around in a dangerous cave, which might have attracted the audience more strongly from the beginning.

However, this particular storytelling technique is perhaps the most appropriate in presentations; research papers typically demand more straightforward reporting of results in the form of a clear abstract. When scientists describe their research to audiences outside their professional field, they often avoid discussing personal trials and sufferings. Instead, they focus only on positive, published results. No one wants to look like a failure, even if such experiences can be vastly valuable. But hiding the hardships might cut out some of your best story material. The research process lends itself perfectly to this narrative concept(叙事概念); it can be described as a winding road of plot twists that reshapes the lives of scientists and our understanding of the world. Invite others to join you for the ups and downs of your research. Instead of just presenting your findings, describe how you reacted to those discoveries. What was the most exciting? How did you get wrong? As Emma Coats, a former Pixar storyboard artist, noted in a list of storytelling principles she posted on Twitter: “You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.”

Try to apply screenwriting strategies to your presentation. After all, as the character Tyrion Lannister states in the television series Game of Thrones, “There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story.”

3 . “Dear students, school will start next week. Tomorrow morning, everyone can sign up voluntarily to clean up and welcome the new term with a clean environment,” the head teacher said in our WeChat group. I didn’t _________ to sign up, because I hadn’t seen my classmates for four months. I wanted to do something for them.

The next morning, I took buckets (桶), cleaning powder and other _________. After a(n)_________ COVID testing routine, I entered the school gate. The campus was full of vitality (生机). In the early summer campus, the tall trees were luxuriant (茂盛的), the air was filled with the light fragrance of flowers, and the _________ grassland had been paved into a green _________.

When I stepped into the classroom, a person _________ me face-to-face. Although he was wearing a mask, I _________ him as head teacher at a glance. He smiled and gave me a warm hug. Then, the other students in the class also arrived one after another. It had been a long _________, and we were very happy to meet again. We smiled and clapped.

Then we _________ tasks and put our enthusiasm into cleaning up the classroom. Some students wiped the blackboard and took out rubbish, and others swept the floor or __________ the tables and chairs. Everything was being put in perfect order. I wiped the glass up and down several times with a piece of __________. The students from the other class also joined our team, helping us to __________ water and mop the floor. Although it was hard, no one __________. Sweat __________ made everyone’s clothes wet, but two hours later, when everyone saw the classroom clean and bright again, we all laughed happily.

Although we’ve experienced many challenges during the pandemic, there is still constant __________ between teachers and students. As long as we work together, we will be able to overcome all kinds of difficulties in the warm family of our school.

5 . Taking notes is a useful way for students to improve their learning. Good notes can help students finish their homework more quickly and get better grades in exams.     1     Here are some suggestions to solve the problem.

The most important thing you need to do before a class is to prepare for the lesson.     2     And it can give you an idea of how to organize the information in your notebook. Besides, if there is something too difficult to understand, you will know to take more specific（具体的）notes about it.

    3     No matter which style you use, your notes should be clear at first sight!     4     Instead, write down the most important information, for example, main ideas and examples discussed in class.

To remember the information as much as possible, you’d better review your notes within 24 hours after your class. And at the end of your notes for each class, write a summary（总结）.     5    

Try to do better in taking notes, and then it will help you study better!