1 . The experiences I had in high school showed me it was time to grow up. I don’t mean physical growth, but the growth in ________ as well as a build in ________.

To be honest, the process of changing from a middle school student to a high school student was exciting but somehow ________. I was used to getting A+s in all my classes and receiving constant ________ from teachers. As I walked into Somerville High, my whole world was turned upside down at the beginning, but it was gradually ________.

Once, I worked hard on a Biology project and thought it would come out ________. As I handed it in, Ms. Woods showed no________. Not even a “Wow! This is beautiful!”.. .Nothing! I was instantly ________ because I expected some sort of praise given to me just like I received in middle school. The ________ thing happened in all my other classes, ________ in English. When Mr. Clericuzio made ________ comments on my first English essay, I felt completely discouraged. ________, I searched for help, and Mr. Clericuzio worked side-by-side with me to help ________ the areas necessary. I can honestly say that might have been one of my ________ memories of freshman year.

All in all, my freshman year could be summarized in a single word -- ________. It taught me how to be responsible and independent. It also taught me that life is about both success and failure.

3 . For many high school students, it seems that there is never enough time. There are several steps you can take to organize your time better.

Make a to-do list every day. It makes it easy to plan any activities or meetings you may have in addition to homework. Be sure to set priorities (优先事项).    1    

Use spare time wisely. Instead of wasting your spare time, read a book or do homework.    2    If a friend asks you to do something and you have homework to do, think about which is more important and see your friend later.

Decide on the time that is good for you to do certain things. If you are more of a morning person, try getting up an hour earlier and do schoolwork before school.

Review your notes every day.    3    . If you spend a few minutes at the end of every day going over what you learned, it will mean less time spent on studying when it is time for the exam.

    4    Studies have shown that getting enough rest helps your memory. When     you are tired, everything seems more difficult. It is best to stay on a regular sleeping cycle as much as possible.

Tell your friends and family about your work timetable. Explain that you will be working at certain times and ask them not to disturb you.    5    you can call your friends later.

7 . How to deal with your homework

Write it down.     1     Always be sure to write down all the homework so you won’t forget anything.

Create a homework station. Find somewhere comfortable and quiet to do your homework.     2     It will take twice as long to get the homework done. Shut off your cell phone, log off (退出) your computer (unless you need it for your homework) and close the door.

Do homework as early as possible. Don’t leave homework to the last minute.     3     The earlier you start your homework, the sooner you will finish! Do all your homework as early as you can, so you don’t have a pile of ( 一 堆 ) homework the next day.

    4     Think about how long it will take you to complete homework for each subject. For example: English-ten minutes, science-ten minutes, math-forty minutes, history-twenty minutes.

Treat yourself. You can easily get tired by sitting through an hour or two of homework without stopping. Once you finish homework for a subject, take a small break (no more than 15 minutes). Either taking a walk or finding something to eat will do. But do not turn on the TV, or you’ll never go back to your study.     5    

8 . How to prepare for an exam is a big question that you always ask yourself. Here are some tips that may help you.

Never fear or hate exam and be confident.

Some students study well but still may be much afraid of exams and due to this reason they get upset and won’t be able to get marks.    1    You have to be confident and it is of great help for you to gain success.

Prepare a good timetable.

Prepare a timetable before starting the study.    2    Difficult subjects can be given more time and easier ones less, but most importantly you should spare some time for rest.

Select a proper atmosphere for studying.

Studying atmosphere plays a very important role.    3    So pick a place where you feel comfortable. That is where you feel relaxed and can pay attention to what you are doing. Make sure that while you are studying a subject you are focusing on it only. So keep the books of other subjects away from your eyesight so that you won’t be upset about all the things you have to learn.

Make notes while studying.

This is a very important point. While studying, make small notes. The note should be short and clear to make the review easier.    4    Yet don’t try to cover everything in it.

    5    

On the night before exam you have to sleep well, at least 6 hours and not more than 8 hours. Remember this will have a great effect on your exam. And have your food as in your daily diet.

9 . We all know that studying is boring. Every time you have to read a textbook or review for a test, you may start thinking of a million things you’d rather be doing like watching TV.    1    

Let’s go through them, shall we?

Get interested in the topic. To be able to dive into different aspects of any topic, you can’t jump straight into the details.    2    That’s why we should teach children how to build something in a video game before encouraging them to read through History and Theory of Architecture.

Change your environment. Having an environment that’s helpful to focus can make you enjoy your work. One tip is to add in things that you enjoy. For example, I have carefully selected some music that can help me focus. Another thing you can try is to go to your favorite coffee shop or your own secret spot in the library when you need to study.    3    

Get a study partner. Studying with a partner is great for making the act of studying less boring.    4    You might distract(分散注意) each other. For example, I tried to study with my roommate, but we usually ended up playing online games. Besides, if you have some super-smart study partners, they will do all the homework and then you won’t learn anything.

    5    Your desire to do a task partly depends on the reward you’ll get for finishing it. Your pre-planned rewards can encourage you to work harder because you know you’ll get something fun after completing it.