Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials(尝试)increase the length of time we will remember it.

In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.

The multiplication tables(乘法口诀表)are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.

The law of overlearning explains why cramming(突击学习)for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one’s future development.

        Whether you're having trouble because your subject is difficult, time consuming or — let's be honest —boring. We have some tips here that can help you improve your studying habits. Keep reading for 5 ways you can study smarter.

        Rather than living in a cave with your nose in the books all day, grab a friend from your class and study with them. Group studying helps you to engage and process the information more deeply.

        Step into your teacher's shoes

        Ask yourself “If I am the teacher, what would I put on the test?” You have probably experienced a few of your teacher's tests and quizzes by now. Learn from them for the next test. The structure is usually the same, and teachers have specific types of information that they want you to learn. Remember, teachers don't expect you to memorize every single detail, just the ones they feel is important.

        Find ways to connect what you are learning to real life or to other related concepts. It's harder to remember each piece of a puzzle individually than it is to recall the completed picture. Find ways to relate pieces of information to each other and cluster（使聚集） them.

        Feed your brain

        A hungry brain is an ineffective one. Because of this, what you eat and drink also play a huge role in how sharp your brain is. Healthy foods provide nutrients to your brain cells to keep them energized.

        Take breaks.

        It needs exercise to make it stronger, but it can also tire if you overwork it. Imagine that each minute of studying is a push-up and you have to complete 100. If you try to do them all at once, you'll fatigue to the point where you can't continue.

A. Make up your mind

B. Paint bigger pictures

C. Your brain is like a muscle.

D. It’s your job to figure out what that is.

E. So don’t expect to do your teacher’s job.

F. Study with a partner or in groups, and peer teach.

G. Your brain needs the proper nutrients to keep it going.

One summer my friend and I decided to go to Italy for a holiday. We spent lots of time (arrange) the trip, but it was well worth it! At first, I was afraid that something would go wrong and I was (especial) anxious about my visa, but everything went quite smoothly in the end.

 (difficult) part was getting a visa without an invitation. In the Italian consulate(领事馆), one must hand in some official paper proving that one has a hotel (book) for oneself in order to get the visa. Then we had to solveticket problem. Airlines often sell cheap tickets and we bought ours far  advance. The next step was  (book) a hotel.

Every day we took a traincarried us to the heart of Rome. Our big house, which (surround) by the forest, was a rare place with beautiful views and comfortable living conditions. Besides, we were very    (luck) that our mistress was a Russian who gave us a lot of advice that was of great use.