Mastering a new concept (概念) takes time and energy, but don’t you expect an easier way to get the hang of it? 【小题1】

Take handwritten notes.【小题2】If you’re in a class,listen carefully to the lecture and write down the keywords you hear. If you’re learning something online or from a book,rewrite what you read in your own words since that can help you memorize it better. That way, you’ll be able to recall it more quickly.

Say it out loud. Hearing yourself repeat the information helps you remember it easier. 【小题3】 Go slowly through the text so you don’t skip over anything important. Try pointing at the words as you read them to help you commit them to memory even more. The more you say the information out loud,the easier it gets to pull it out from your brain.

【小题4】Explaining something helps you memorize the main points. Have some of your friends listen to you as you try to teach them the subject you’ve been learning. Try to tell them everything you know in a clear and direct way so you don’t confuse them. Ask them if they need a better explanation. If you have trouble explaining certain points,make sure you go back to review them as well.

Try self-testing. After you’ve read through or practiced something, test your memory by reciting (背诵) everything you just learned. If you need to remember keywords or information,try writing down their definitions without looking them up. Make note of what you have trouble remembering so you can go back and practice it some more.【小题5】

China’s move to ban the underage consumption of alcohol was put into place on New Year’s Day, 2006, and since then, it has stopped the sales of drinks that have an alcohol content that is over 0.5 percent or anything above that to anyone under the age of 18.

Those who break the ban can be fined a lot of money, up to $250 for serious violations of the law. The ban is just a regulation, however, and it is not a law, so people are not sure how it will be carried out. There are a lot of shops that have already put up signs saying that they don’t sell alcohol to minors (未成年人), but China has never formally imposed (强制实行) those bans up to now. The only prior reference to anything in the law is that minors should not be allowed to abuse (滥用) alcohol, if possible.

Sociologists have tried to account for the reasons for the growing drinking problem. They say that the rise in underage drinking is connected with the growing income, and that there is a growing independence among children to be freely lost in alcohol abuse was previously ignored and is currently ignored among minors in schools and social seeting compared with the plagues (泛滥) of drug use and smoking cigarettes.

Along with the ban on underage drinking, the Commerce Ministry has recently listed the procedures for the regulation and circulation (流通) of alcohol, and it makes sure that vendors should get the licenses they need for the sales of alcohol, and that the alcohol is pure and safe.

China is such a wide, sprawling, huge and vast land that it is hard to carry out the drinking bans all over. However, it is easy to carry them out in the inner cities. Urban areas are sources of big problems with underage drinking because of the rising urban income and the spread alcohol at leisure places. China will certainly be taking steps to control underage drinking in the years to come, even more so than it is doing now, as its economy grows and modernizes.

Ways to Help the Troubled Monarch Butterflies

The monarch butterfly (帝王蝶) is considered an endangered species. Scientists say the dropping number of monarchs is due to climate change, loss of living places and the use of pesticides — chemicals that kill insects — and herbicides — chemicals that kill plants. 【小题1】

One of the quickest and best ways to help is to plant milkweed on your land. Milkweed is a kind of plant that has white juice. Monarch butterflies eat milkweed and lay their eggs there. 【小题2】 However, not all milkweed is the same. It is important to choose the right kind of milkweed. Planting tropical milkweed in the United States is a problem because it is not native to the country. It blooms or flowers for longer periods of time. This can make it harder for monarchs to know when it is time to migrate (迁徙).

Other plants, especially those with flowers that have honey, can be helpful to adult monarchs. These plants can be good-quality food for the butterflies. 【小题3】 Invasive plants can do more harm than good to monarchs. It is a good idea to include plants that flower late in the growing season. These plants can help give monarchs the energy they need for their yearly migration in autumn.

【小题4】 Chemicals can harm insects, including monarchs. They can also harm birds. Natural or organic poisons may also be harmful. Use them after dark, when butterflies are not as active. When the morning arrives, the product will be dry and not as effective. The butterflies will be safe.

Another way to help monarchs is to create a butterfly water feeding area. Add water to sand in a sunny area. 【小题5】 Butterflies can rest on the stone, take in the sun and drink the water from the pool. And you can sit and enjoy the beautiful monarchs.