We often see top students around us and everyone knows about them. Let us take Jenny as an example. She is the monitor of our class. She spends a lot of time working for our class. But she still gets good grades in all subjects. How do students like Jenny do that? When I asked her, she said, “Hard work is not the whole story. It’s not how long you sit at the desk with your books open. It’ s what you do while you are sitting.” Indeed, we can see many top students spend fewer hours on their studies than their classmates. Jenny gave me some valuable suggestions.
If your math teacher assigns(分派) five problems you should do six. If your Chinese teacher assigns eight pages of reading, you should read nine. The more you practice, the more you learn.
Studying is a matter of personal preference(偏爱), so choose the way you are most comfortable with. Some people like working at night when the house is quiet, while others like doing their work early in the morning. Still others like studying as soon as they arrive home from school while the work is fresh in their minds. No matter which way you use, try to do your best.
Studying is your business and business comes before entertainment(娱乐). When you are studying, phone calls should go unanswered, TV shows unwatched, snacks uneaten. Studying is the only thing in your mind. Nothing can pull you away from what you are studying.
Studying is like eating. You chew(咀嚼) it one bite at a time. You can plan what to do today, but don’t do too much. When you can’t finish the work you planned to do, you may lose confidence. On the other hand, you will not study well without a good plan. It all depends on how you arrange your time.
The students who hand in a clearly written paper is already half way to an A. Neat(工整的) papers are likely to get higher marks than sloppy(被泼水弄湿的) ones. When you write neatly and do your work carefully, the thoughts in your mind are clear. You are able to make fewer mistakes.

How to improve your studies
Passage outline	Supporting details
Do more than you are asked	Do more than your teacher asks you to Because practice makes you learn more.
Choose     ways	◆ Some people like working on a quiet night, while others like doing their work early in the morning. Some people like studying their lessons upon their arriving home from school.
Put study before   entertainment	Fix all your    on what you are studying.
Plan your time well	◆ Don’t try to do much at a time. ◆      in finishing your task as planned will make you less confident. ◆ On the other hand, you will not study well without a good plan.
Keep your papers neat	◆ Clearly-written papers are more likely to get   better marks than sloppy ones. ◆ Besides, some mistakes can be     .