How to Study Smarter, Not Harder
Here are some of our favorite study tips that will help any student study smarter, not harder:
Recite As You Study
Reciting—saying things out loud should first take place as you read through each paragraph or section. Test yourself. This will help you to understand as well as learn faster because it is more active than reading or listening. It will also help you to notice your mistakes and the topics you have trouble understanding.
Take Fuller Notes
Notes should be in your own words, brief and clear. They should be tidy and easy to read. Writing notes will help you better than just underlining as you read, since it forces you to rewrite ideas in your own words.
Study the Middle
The best time to review is soon after you’ve learned something. You are more likely to remember the material at the beginning and the end of the lesson, so make sure you focus on the middle when you review.
Sleep On It
Study before going to bed, unless you are very tired. It’s easier to remember material you’ve just learned before sleeping than after an equal period of daytime activity, because your brain continues to think even after you’ve fallen asleep.
Combine Memory and Understanding
There are two ways to remember: by memorizing and by understanding. Multiplication tables, telephone numbers, and math formulas are better learned by rote. Ideas are best learned by understanding.
The more ways you have to think about an idea, the more meaning it will have; the more meaningful the learning, the better you can remember it. Pay attention to similarities in ideas and concepts, and then try to understand how they fit in with things you already know. Never be satisfied with anything less than a completely clear understanding of what you are reading. If you are not able to follow the thought, go back to the place where you first got confused and try again.
1.You can notice your mistakes by ________.
A. saying things out aloud
B. taking notes
C. studying the middle
D. sleeping on it
2.When taking notes, you should ________ to better help you with reading.
A. underline important notes
B. write notes in your own words
C. take down every detail
D. write as quickly as possible
3.The writer advises you to ________ as it is easier for you to remember material.
A. study after a period of activity
B. do some exercise after studying
C. study as soon as you get up
D. study before going to sleep
4.Which of the following is NOT helpful for your understanding?
A. Thinking about an idea in different ways.
B. Relating ideas and concepts with what you already know.
C. Reading from the beginning to the end without stop.
D. Going back to what first made you confused and start again.
He met her at a party. She was outstanding; many guys were after her, but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her for coffee. She was surprised, so as not to appear rude, she went along.
As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, “Could you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."
They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious, she asked, "Why salt with coffee?" He explained, "When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing on the sea. I could feel it salty, like salty coffee. Now every time I drink it, I think of my childhood and my hometown. I miss it and my parents, who are still there."
She was deeply moved. A man who can admit that he's homesick must love his home and care about his family. He must be responsible. She talked too, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was the start to their love story.
They continued to date. She found that he met all her requirements. He was tolerant, kind, warm and careful. And to think she would have missed the catch if not for the salty coffee! So they married and lived happily together. And every time she made coffee for him, she put in some salt, the way he liked it.
After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said:
My dearest, please forgive my life-long lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous that I asked for salt instead of sugar. It was hard for me to ask for a change, so I just went ahead. I never thought that we would hit it off. Many times, I tried to tell you the truth, but I was afraid that it would ruin everything. Sweetheart, I don't exactly like salty coffee. But as it mattered so much to you, I've learnt to enjoy it. Having you with me was my greatest happiness. If I could live a second time, I hope we can be together again, even if it means that I have to drink salty coffee for the rest of my life.
1.She accepted his invitation for coffee because ________.
A. she fell in love with him
B. she didn’t want to be impolite
C. no one paid attention to him
D. no one else was interested in her
2.Why the man asked for some salt was because ________.
A. salty coffee made him miss his parents.
B. he want to catch the attention of the lady
C. he was so nervous that he made a mistake
D. he was telling a lie on purpose
3.What might be the women’s feeling after she read the letter?
A. movedB. cheatedC. hurtD. angry
4.The best title for the passage might be ________.
A. A Life-long LieB. Salty Coffee
C. A Mistake for LoveD. A Homesick Man
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从26~40各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I can still remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was a college freshman and had ________ most of the night before, laughing and ________ with friends. Now just before my first class of the day my eyelids were feeling heavier and heavier and my ________ was dropping down to my desk to make my textbook a ________. A few minutes’ nap (小睡) time before class wouldn’t hurt, I thought.
BOOM! I ________ my eyes and looked around with my heart beating wildly trying to find the ________ of the noise. My young professor was looking at me with a ________ on his face. He had dropped his textbooks onto the teacher’s desk ________. “Good morning!” he said, still smiling. “I am glad to see everyone is ________. Now let’s get started.”
For the next hour I wasn’t ________ at all. It wasn’t from the shock of my professor’s textbook alarm clock. It was ________ from the interesting discussion he led. With knowledge and good humor, he made the material ________. His words were full of both wisdom and loving-kindness. When the class was over, I left the classroom not only wide awake, but a little ________ and a little better as well.
I learned something far more important than not sleeping in class that day too. I learned that if you are going to do something in this life, do it well and do it with joy. What a wonderful world it would be ________ every teacher, doctor, cook, businessman, farmer and worker made their work an expression of their love. Don’t sleepwalk through your life then. ________ up! Let your love fill your work. Life is too short not to live it well.
1.A. got upB. stayed upC. stood upD. put out
2.A. talkingB. quarrelingC. fightingD. working
3.A. armB. legC. faceD. head
4.A. overcoatB. pillowC. curtainD. carpet
5.A. openedB. closedC. trustedD. covered
6.A. beginningB. endC. causeD. result
7.A. dislikeB. surpriseC. angerD. smile
8.A. on purposeB. as wellC. by mistakeD. by chance
9.A. happyB. greatC. awakeD. clear
10.A. carefulB. sleepyC. interestedD. satisfied
11.A. evenB. yetC. stillD. instead
12.A. come outB. come aliveC. come backD. come up
13.A. smarterB. funnierC. busierD. lazier
14.A. unlessB. ifC. beforeD. since
15.A. WakeB. CheerC. SetD. Go
—So you gave her your phone?
—________. She said she’d return it to me when she could afford her own.
A. Not exactlyB. My pleasureC. No doubtD. All right
Drunk driving, which was once a(n) ________ happening, is now under control.
A. actualB. usualC. frequentD. loose
It wasn’t until nearly a month later ________ I received the manager’s reply.
A. sinceB. whenC. asD. that
