Some students get so nervous before a test. They do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock, a professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois, has studied these highly anxious test-takers. The students start worrying about the results. And when they worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources.
Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.
The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short maths tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.
Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of 12% worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of 5%. Next, the researchers employed younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test. Professor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B-for those who did not.
“What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention (干预), all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. They were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these tests.”
But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.
【小题1】What may the students start worrying about before an exam?| A．Whether they can pass the exams. | B．What other students do during the test. |
| C．Whether they have remembered the materials. | D．What kind of problems they will meet oa the test paper. |
| A．Asking the students to ignore the test | B．Asking the students to focus on the test. |
| C．Asking the students to sit quietly before the test. | D．Asking the students to write about their worries before the test. |
| A．The negative effect of test anxiety. | B．The solution to better school performance. |
| C．The benefit of feeling-telling before tests. | D．The way to get well prepared for tests. |
| A．Students should use all chances to improve their performance. |
| B．We can only write about our worries right before an exam. |
| C．The best place to write about our worries is in the test room. |
| D．It is beneficial wherever we write about our worries before an exam. |
I always tell students that there are no set rules for writing and they can write whatever they like. I don’t subscribe to the idea that all good stories must have, for example, an attention-drawing opening, a turning point and an extended metaphor (比喻). Combining these into writing doesn’t automatically mean a good story, and you will read wonderful writing that follows none of these rules. Pupils should be aware of what they are, of course, and why and where they might choose to use them, but it shouldn’t be always used.
There are two rules of writing that I encourage students to follow. These rules are: “show, don’t tell” and “all adverbs (副词) must die”. Not the most important rules, perhaps, but if kids can master them, their writing becomes much more powerful.
For “show, don’t tell”, I display a selection of sentences that tell the reader something and ask the pupils to rewrite them in a way that shows the same information. For example, “the man was angry” could become, “the man clenched his fists (紧握拳头) and hissed (发出嘶嘶声) beneath his breath”. It’s about unpacking the emotions and finding ways to let the readers see the story for themselves.
When teaching “all adverbs must die”, I focus on the importance of giving the power to the verb (动词). “I shouted loudly” becomes “I screamed”. Once pupils realize the potential in this, they quickly kill adverbs and load the power of the action onto the verb.
【小题1】The underlined phrase “subscribe to” in paragraph 1 can best be replaced by “_____”.| A．accept | B．expand | C．choose | D．deny |
| A．can unpack readers’ emotions | B．can display the same information |
| C．can help write more powerful articles | D．can become the most important rules |
| A．Giving power to adverbs is the most useful rule. |
| B．Wonderful writing follows some set rules. |
| C．Descriptive words should never be used. |
| D．Students can write whatever they like. |
3 Ways to Create Stronger Connections
Technology has changed the way we communicate. We send e-mails, not letters, text messages, not phone calls. We order delivery instead of cooking dinners in our kitchen. All in the name of efficiency (高效). Technology has made it easier to communicate.
Write a letter. Writing handwritten notes to thank people for advice is necessary.
Answer questions with honesty. You know how it feels when you go into an elevator and someone says, “How was your weekend?” It could have been the best weekend ever, you could have met the love of your life, and you would say, “Good, how was yours?”
Nobody succeeds alone.
You're going to be able to take big risks and know that there's a network of people to cheer you on and to support your efforts.
| A．Turn the video on |
| B．Try to use video as much as possible |
| C．The more you are willing to take big risks |
| D．The more you can take time to develop true relationships |
| E．If you want to connect with people, then you have to open up |
| F．But it hasn't made it easier to connect with other human beings |
| G．It just puts that extra effort to show someone that you really care |
Do you ever compare yourself to other people and wish you could be more like them? Actually, accepting who you are can help you feel happier and more positive about yourself.
When you accept who you are, you worry less about things you can’t change.
| A．You are different in your own way. |
| B．This makes you feel happier and more confident. |
| C．Everyone is born with their strengths and weaknesses. |
| D．That leads us to forget about the little things that make us unique. |
| E．There are some effective ways that can help you accept yourself. |
| F．Self-acceptance means learning to accept the things that make you who you are. |
| G．It’s also a good idea to say kind positive things to yourself in a mirror every morning. |
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