Make Your Brain Smarter

    You know that eating a proper diet and getting plenty of exercise help make your body healthy and strong. But did you know that there are ways to make your brain healthier and smarter? Studies show that when the brain is forced to do something new, it creates new neural (神经的) pathways. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    ● Limit your TV viewing.

    Watching an average TV show requires very little brain power and brings the same result as neglecting (忽视) physical exercise.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you watch TV, choose something educational and informative.

    ● Use your non-dominant (非支配的) hand.

    If you are right-handed, use your left hand for everyday activities, or use your right hand if you are left-handed. Doing familiar things in a new way will cause your brain to create new neural networks. Brushing our teeth is something we do daily. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But maybe we should. Experts suggest that we can force the brain to work by changing things up and working with our non-dominant hand. So the next time you brush your teeth, open the tube, apply your toothpaste and brush with the opposite hand.

    ●{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Jump in the shower and shut your eyes. Even if you drop the soap—that's okay. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Searching for the soap while feeling the textures (质地) with your eyes closed works. Using your fingers to make fine distinctions between objects or textures can reconnect the brain areas involved in touch, suggests Larry Katz, a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center and author.

A. Shower with your eyes closed.

B. Smart people rarely follow a set pattern.

C. The more pathways you have, the smarter you will be.

D. Use your different senses.

E. We really don't put that much thought into it.

F. Put your brain to best use.

G. Your brain will become weak just as your muscles do.

    We Chinese are really particular about what we eat; meanwhile we are also concerned with how we eat. Along with the growing popularity of the manners in the workplace,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following are some Chinese table manners. Hope it would help you to get an idea on how to handle the table manners with high proficiency.

    At the beginning of Chinese dinner, the first wet towel served by the waiter is for the hands, not the face. Along with lobster, chicken and fruits would come a small basin in it some lemon slices or rose petals are floating on the water,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When washing your hands, you should wet your fingers in turn and wash them quietly, then dry your hands with wet towel.

    You can introduce the features of Chinese food to foreign guests.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} and they can choose dishes as they like. Some people like to recommend food or even picking up dishes for the guests, but you have to know the foreign guests are not used to this; they may grow tired of your repeated advice.

    You have to pay attention to the manner when picking up food, only do so when the dishes come in front of you; do not pick up before your neighbors; the dishes should not be picked up too much at one time and you should chew your food slowly,{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is a greedy performance to wolf down the food.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, avoid touching the neighbor, be careful not to make the dishes out of the plate or spill the soup. Please do not make food noise when drinking the soup or chewing the dishes. Do not chat with others when eating. Do not spit the bones or the fish bone directly to the desk, you had better cover your mouth and pick it out on the plate with your chopsticks.

A. Dining manner should be gentle

B. Do not repeatedly urge the guests to eat

C. which is for hand-washing not for drinking

D. table manners are also demanding more attention

E. At last, you should learn how to become a gentleman

F. we should know how to be polite in some public places

G. which is not only good for digestion but also a part of table manners

    Most of us mistakenly think that creativity is a quality belonging only to inventors rather to ourselves.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The following tips are a great beginning for developing our creativity.

    ⒈Get out of your comfort zone

    Break out of your usual patterns and welcome creativity into your life. The human brain was designed to recognize patterns. We continue to create patterns and routines for almost everything we do.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}As we become more efficient at using patterns, we rely less on creativity to find new paths. We should force ourselves out of our comfort zones and open up new possibilities.

⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. We are creatures of habits and routines, but creativity hates routines. Interrupt your routine and try something new. Undoubtedly, new things are often creative.

⒊Take action

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You must work to make it a reality. Have you ever seen a new product and realized that you thought of the same thing long ago? Yet someone else is making money with “your” idea.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} The difference between a dreamer and a doer is action. If you can put your ideas into practice, you are well on your way to improving your creativity. You can become a true inventor in your own life somehow!

A. Having a great idea is not enough.

B. Seek several options.

C We may attempt to think from the other person's point.

D. Try different things.

E. However, the truth is that we are all born with the potential to be creative.

F. In fact, our comfort zone is only a collection of patterns.

G. We all have great ideas sometimes, but only a few people turn their ideas into reality.

Home on the Way

    People need homes: Children assume their parents' place as home; boarders call school “home” on weekdays; married couples work together to build new homes; and travelers…have no place to call “home”, at least for a few nights.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Don't they have the right to a home? Of course they do.

    Some regular travelers take their own belongings like bed sheets, pillowcases and family photos to make them feel like home no matter where they are; some stay for long periods in the same hotel and as a result become very familiar with the service and attendants; {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Furthermore, driving a camping car during one's travel and sleeping in the vehicle at night is just like home.

    And how about keeping relationships while in transit？ {#blank#}3{#/blank#}; some send letters and postcards, or even photos；others may just call and say hi, just to let their friends know that they're still alive and well. People find ways to keep in touch. Making friends on the way helps travelers feel more or less at home. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Nowadays, fewer people are working in their local towns, so how do they develop a sense of belonging? Whenever we step out of our local boundaries, there is always another “home” waiting to be found. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} we can make the place we stay “home”.

    This summer, when earthquakes rocked Southern California on back-to-back days, it was a close-to-home reminder that we may one day experience the "Big One," a quake with the power to kill and destroy. A few people, however, saw something else: a photo opportunity. Tourists poured to a large crack in a highway to see evidence of the damage for themselves and, of course, take a quick selfie.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It feeds so many of the weakest parts of ourselves: our born attraction to images of human faces instead of landscapes or objects, our interest in capturing memories, and yes, our need for social approval. Yet, it is easy to feel uncomfortable with selfies and even laugh at them, especially when they are risky or in bad taste. So why do we take selfies?

    Selfies have become so common that my grandma does them when we get together. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead, selfies are a way for us to connect and communicate, and feel a more personal connection with people all around the world.

    In one example, researchers developed a #ScientistsWhoSelfie campaign studying how scientists posting photos of themselves with their work on social media influenced public opinion of the profession. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} "Those scientists in general were described as warmer, but no less competent," said Paige Jarreau, the lead author on the study.

    While some scientists refused at first, fearing that their colleagues would consider them self-centered or think they take their work less seriously, those concerns disappeared once researchers explained that it could help build public trust. "This is not just me taking a duck-faced (嘟嘟嘴) selfie or trying to look cute on camera," said Dr Jarreau. "This is me being able to better tell the story about my science in a way that helps people trust me."

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Dr Jarreau recalled a road trip she made to national parks, where she witnessed so many people taking selfies, she began taking photos of the selfie-takers themselves. "Ask yourself: Why are you posting that picture?" she said. "If there was a platform that didn't enable likes, would you post it?" After all, there are other ways to develop a social connection. You could send the photo to a private group. You could put it in a frame at home. You could be mindful in the moment by not taking it at all. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. But if you do, watch your step.

B. There is no denying the draw of the selfie.

C. With each like, we feel better about ourselves.

D. The thought that selfie is the symbol of self-love is outdated.

E. However, most of us post mechanically, even madly, in our daily lives.

F. After all, people have been making self-portraits for long, in remarkably similar ways.

G. They found that photos with human faces helped improve impressions in a field that is often subject to negative stereotypes.

Developing and maintaining healthy friendships involves give-and-take. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Expressing your feelings of affection and gratitude towards your friends is a powerful way to reinforce the connections you share with them. It is equally crucial for you to embody the qualities of a supportive and considerate friend as it is to be surrounded by individuals who embody these traits. By acknowledging and valuing the presence and contributions of your friends in your life, you not only nurture your relationships but also create an environment of mutual respect and understanding. This reciprocal appreciation can lead to deeper, more meaningful friendships that stand the test of time.

To nurture your friendships:

Be kind. This most-basic behavior remains the core of successful relationships.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Every act of kindness and every expression of gratitude are deposits into this account, while criticism and negativity draw down the account.

Be a good listener.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Let the other person know you are paying close attention through eye contact, body language and occasional brief comments such as, "That sounds fun." When friends share details of hard times or difficult experiences, be empathetic, but don't give advice unless your friends ask for it.

Open up. Build intimacy with your friends by opening up about yourself. Being willing to disclose personal experiences and concerns shows that your friend holds a special place in your life, and it may deepen your connection.

 {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Being responsible, reliable and dependable is key to forming strong friendships. You're your engagements and arrive on time. Follow through on commitments you've made to your friends. When your friends share confidential information, keep it private.

Make yourself available. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Make an effort to see new friends regularly, and to check in with them in between meet ups. You may feel awkward the first few times you talk on the phone or get together, but this feeling is likely to pass as you get more comfortable with each other.