Ever since I was a kid I had a 6 second rule.That means that if I had something I needed to do but didn't want to, I'd count till 6 and do it anyway.My personal rule was to just never ever break that rule,that at 6,I HAD to get it going.Most of the time I'd use it to get out of bed or get out of the bath.Sometimes I'd also use it to restrict my time playing "ok in 6 seconds I'll stop playing with my dolls."

    As I grew older,I'd use it as a motivation to get it going with my homework,get off messenger,etc.It really worked well,the same rule applied;whatever happens,don't cheat the "rule of 6." Most of the time,I wouldn't even have to count till 6 because I knew it would just mean I have to do it,so I'd just do it anyway.As an adult,I've pretty much conditioned myself to do things by the rule of 6.I've pretty much mastered most usual things in my life but the rule of 6 never fails me when I start something new.Exercising,running,getting cooking,starting reading,it just works for me.

    At the time,when I was 6,6 was my favorite number.So just go ahead and pick a number from 1-10 (although Id suggest 3-10) and try it.The important thing is not just to let yourself down.Like any other trick,it only works if you allow it to.

    Here are a few practical apps that can help you with your studies, and beyond.

    MyHomework

    Price: Free

    Platform: iOS and Android

    As you star your new term, let the planning app MyHomework create a personalized study schedule. Rank as one for the best homework management apps by USA Today, this app allows you to prioritize(排序)assignments by color-coding subjects. It also reminds you of every single deadline and upcoming test you have. MyHomework is not only for smart phones but also for Apple Watch.

    Notability

    Price: 18 yuan

    Platform: iOS

    Taking good notes is important to good results. As a result, one note-taking app, Notability, is gaining popularity among students. This app allows users to take handwritten notes on touch screens and type essays. Plus, Notability users can easily share files with classmates through e-mail or cloud services like iCloud.

    Sleep Cycle

    Price: 6 yuan

    Platform: iOS and Android

    For students struggling to wake up on time during school days, Sleep Cycle can be your lifesaver. It cleverly records your sleep. After you wake up, the app shows your sleep quality through easy-to-read graphics(图表). Even better, Sleep Cycle has an intelligent wake-up mode. It wakes you up when you are in your lightest sleep state with the help of soft music. This stress-free wake-up call can potentially improve your daily productivity.

    MyMoney

    Price: Free

    Platform: iOS and Android

    MyMoney, a Chinese money management app, can help you achieve financial independence. This popular app allows you to add up all your accounts including campus(校园)cards and transportation cards. And it tracks your every expense(开支)to help you understand your spending habits. If any of your accounts is low, MyMoney will alarm you.

    The English language is full of phrases about the weather. Some of these phrases are easy to understand, but others are not really about the weather at all. If you say you "hit rough weather", you may not be struck by a real storm, but you do experience difficulties or problems. If you don't know what such phrases mean, they might leave you "in a fog (雾)"!

    In English, you can "shoot the breeze", or have an informal chat. But things can also be a breeze. If you take an exam and find it very easy, you'd tell your friends: "It was a breeze!" The wind can also bring information. You can "get wind of" a piece of news, and if someone "knows which way the wind blows", they have a good idea about how things will work out. But don't "throw caution (警惕) to the wind" — that means taking a great risk!

    Clouds sometimes bring rain, and in English they often represent problems or difficulties. If someone "sees a cloud on the horizon (地平线)", there may be problems ahead. And if someone is "under a cloud", then people think the person might have done something wrong. But clouds are not always bad; in fact, people say that "every cloud has a silver lining". This means that there is a good side to every situation, no matter how bad it may seem. You may even end up "on cloud nine", which means you are very happy! But some people have their "heads in the clouds", not paying attention to reality.

    No one likes to be stuck in the rain or storm, so it's no surprise that phrases about them are generally negative. When someone says "it never rains but it pours", they are complaining (抱怨) that when things go wrong, they go very wrong. People who talk about "weathering a storm" just want to get through a difficult period or situation.

    China will green light Internet medical services conducted by medical institutions as part of a broader push to promote Internet Plus Healthcare, those at a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided.

    Medical institutions will be allowed to provide online diagnostic services for some common and chronic diseases in patients' follow-up visits to their doctors. The top levels of hospitals will be encouraged to provide online services, including consultations (会诊), reservations and test result inquiries.

    As China joins the ranks of middle-income countries, the demand for health services has increased accordingly. Internet Plus Healthcare can help reduce the problem of inaccessible and expensive public health services that have long been a big concern for the general public.

    One decision coming out of the meeting says the intelligent review for health insurance will be applied and the one-stop settlement will be advanced. The real-time sharing of prescription and drug retail sales will be explored, as well.

    “We must waste no time in pushing forward the measures once the decisions made.” Li said. “In recent years, top-level hospitals in major cities have seen steady increases in the number of patients. Medical bills have become a heavy burden on families and high-end medical resources still fall short of meeting the growing demand of the public.”

    To solve the problem, a two-pronged (双管齐下的) approach must be taken. One is to establish medical partnerships to strengthen cooperation between major hospitals and community clinics. The other is to bring forward Internet Plus Healthcare to promote the sharing of quality medical resources.

    The government will see to it that long-distance healthcare services cover all county-level hospitals. So more efforts will be made to ensure that high-speed broadband network will be extended to cover medical institutions in urban and rural areas. Dedicated Internet access services will be set up to meet the needs for long-distance healthcare services.

    Grandma Pugh sized up the baby like a pig at the farmers' market. There was a pause and then she pronounced. "He's got nice long legs." She clapped her hands once in approval. But then she frowned and leaned forward. Everyone waited anxiously. The baby had opened his eyes and was staring up. "But those cross eyes won't do," she declared firmly, shaking her head in disappointment.

    That had been Freddie Pilcher's first meeting with Grandma Pugh. Since then, ten years had passed. Much to his grandmother's satisfaction, she'd been proven right about the boy's legs. He was a regular beanpole. Grandma Pugh had also been correct about his eyes. Freddie had been wearing glasses to correct his vision since he was two years old. His current pair was thick, and cheap-looking, but at least he could see.

    Freddie not only had poor eyesight, but he was also clumsy. He wasn't good at schoolwork either. But there was one thing that the boy was good at and it was all on account of the length of his legs. He could jump.

    Freddie was the best jumper in school. Not only could he leap the furthest but also the highest. At break times, he entertained the little ones by leaping over the school wall into Mrs. Hobson's garden and then rapidly jumping back. She had been up to see the head teacher several times because somebody had been crushing her vegetables.

    It was badgers (獾), Freddie suggested, when questioned by Miss Harpy—definitely badgers; no doubt about it. His dad had terrible problems with badgers. Only last week he had lost two rows of carrots. Freddie had woken one night and heard them tearing through the garden, a whole herd of them. They rooted up the lawn and dug up the vegetables. Terrible things, badgers. All the other children nodded their heads wisely. There was a moment's pause in Class Three as everyone thought about the dreadful damage that badgers could do.