Although environmental problems have existed for centuries, some people still care little about our environment. Problems like ice melting, electronic waste are lighting up news programs and becoming part of an ongoing dialogue about the environment.

    As a teenager, what do you think all the problems mean for your future and for the future of the planet? For our October 2016 writing contest, we want you to really consider what you think about environmental problems.

Use these questions to help focus your essay

● What environmental problem do you think should cause the greatest alarm and action?

● Do you think that you have a personal responsibility to help solve environmental problems or do you feel helpless against the struggle?

● What do you think could help a specific environmental problem?

Don't try to answer all these questions. Use one of them to make a personal essay.

The title of the essay

    When you hand in your essay, title it as: Environmental Problems: _______.

    Include the phrase “Environmental Problems” as the beginning of your essay title, but then make the rest of your story title unique. Examples:

● Environmental Problems: Trashy Behavior and the Plastic Bottle

● Environmental Problems: We Can't Exist If We Refuse to Change

Rules:

1) This is a non-fiction essay contest.

2) Essays are 500 words or less.

3) Essays must be your original work.

The deadline:

Midnight Oct. 30, 2016

Results:

    The winner will be posted on our writing contest website or on Teen Trend Report after Nov. 26, 2016.

    "I didn't hear them call my name," explained Shelley Hennig to Active Teens (AT) as she talked about that exciting moment on national television when she won the honor of Miss Teen USA 2004. "Are you ready?" is what she heard. Then she said, "I shook my head no, and then they said 'yes' and it was announced again."

    It was four days after that life changing moment for the seventeen-year-old high school student from Destrehan, Louisiana — she was still on cloud nine.

    "I was so shocked! I never believed that it could actually really happen." Present in the audience that day were: her mother and father, older brother, her friends, and her dance teacher.

    Understanding why members of her family and her friends would be there, AT asked why her dance teacher had traveled so far to see her compete. "She's always been my role model. I've danced with her since I was six. She's been through so many difficulties and came through them all. I've learned to get over bad life's experiences and learned how to move on because of her."

    One of those bad life's experiences for Shelley happened three years ago when her brother Brad was killed in a drunk driving accident. He was 18. She found writing helped her get through the rough days. She said, "I write a lot about my brother. I write a lot, a lot, a lot..."

    As Miss Louisiana Teen, she traveled around the state speaking to teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. In her role as Miss Teen USA, Shelley will continue to speak to youth about safe driving, in addition to many other things to help the youth.

    When AT asked Miss Teen USA if she had any advice for our readers, she said, "Don't let anyone change you. Hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself. That way, it is easy to be yourself."

    Balancing work and school is not an easy task for me. My first term in college has come and gone and I've had to balance a job there, too. I want to cut one loose. Honestly, many times I thought I wanted to drop out of school and just do my job because I needed the money. For a long while I made myself believe that school was getting in the way of my job and money. Not only was I trying to do work and school, but also I was trying to have a social life. Many times I thought that there were not enough hours in the day but I wasn't managing my time right. Hanging out with friends may have been wonderful but it wasn't putting money in my pocket or knowledge in my brain. Friends would have to wait. I was back on the see-saw (跷跷板) of balancing work and school.

    Scheduling and planning became the key to my success. Setting deadlines and meeting them were important to my college experience. Planning was going well and I felt ready to try and throw a social life back there. I tried to make plans with friends that didn't conflict with my deadlines. That was actually harder than I thought. So once again my social life had to be put on hold (搁置). My friends were very understanding and encouraged me to do my work. The extra motivation really proved helpful in the end. Some friends would joke that I was all work and no play but sometimes that's what has to happen to get work done.

    As the last term came to an end I can say I learned a lot about college life. Planning is necessary for organization. Drawing up a list of all things I had to do at the beginning of the week and actually completing them made me feel good. Not only have I learned something new about organization, but also I acquired a new tool that I can take everywhere with me and use effectively.

    There are many reasons why people can't get a good night's sleep and as with any other health conditions, things are not likely to improve until you find a way to break the cycle.

    These are some of the main factors that need to be addressed.

    Worry and stress

    We have all been kept awake by many factors that cause worry and stress in our lives. Money problems, relationship issues and work stresses can have you sitting up all night. A useful habit is to download your thoughts at the end of the day. Keep a pen and paper next to your bed and before you go to sleep, write down your thought and worries, create a to-do list for the following day or set down solutions and ideas that relate to work.

    Diet and eating patterns

    What and when you eat can have a major impact on your ability to sleep. Eating too late or indulging in a rich or spicy meal can keep you awake. These foods take a long while to digest and the after effects of indigestion and heartburn are not going to set you up well for a good quality sleep.

    A research suggests that both calcium and magnesium may be linked to poor sleep. Even low intakes of magnesium found in green vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds have been shown to make it harder to stay asleep. Calcium is found in dairy foods, soybeans and green vegetables and low levels have also been shown to make it more difficult to nod off.

    Alcohol and caffeine

    Tea, coffee and energy drinks contain caffeine that helps to stimulate the nervous system and make you more alert, which is great if you need a pick-me-up. Dosing up on caffeine during the day can affect your ability to sleep later on in the evening. Try limiting your intake of caffeine to the morning and switch to decaffeinated options such as herbal teas. Alcohol is a double-edged sword when it comes to sleep. While a little may help to induce slumber, even in small amounts it can cause fragmented sleep patterns.

    Bedroom environment

    “Your bedroom should be dark once the lights are switched off because melatonin, a sleep-regulating hormone, is very light-sensitive. Maintaining the right temperature can also help with sleep as a room that is too hot may prevent your core temperature from going down, which is essential for switching on the sleep mechanism within the body.

    Shenzhen is a shopping paradise for visitors. Following is a list of the most popular shopping areas in the city.

    North Huaqiang Area

    The most prosperous shopping area in Shenzhen, it is home to dozens of market places for electronic products, home appliances, timepieces, clothing and jewelry. Some market places each house hundreds of shops, from flagship stores selling big brands to small boutiques where you can bargain.

    It is also a great place to dine, with plenty of restaurants offering various Chinese cuisines and foreign brands like Pizza Hut, Hagen Dazs and AijiSen.

    Dongmen Area

    One of the oldest commercial centers in Shenzhen, this area highlights a walking street flanked by humming stores. It is a good place to buy clothes, handbags, fashion accessories, jewelry, handicrafts, toys and small electronic gadgets.

    MixC Shopping Mall

    It is the city's largest shopping mall and one of the most luxurious, selling clothes, cosmetics and fashion accessories.  There is a large indoor ice skating rink, a movie theater and a super market selling many imported goods. You can also find quite a few foreign restaurant brands here, including Pizza Hut, Starbucks and a Japanese noodle house.

    Shekou

    Sitting by a beautiful cove in western Nanshan District, this quiet place is frequented by many expatriates living in Shenzhen. There are stores selling antiques, collectibles, handicrafts and souvenirs, as well as bars and restaurants offering Western food.

    Newborns begin to develop language skills long before they begin speaking. And, compared to adults, they develop these skills more quickly. People have a hard time learning new languages as they grow older, but babies have the ability to learn any language easily.

    For a long time, scientists have tried to explain how such young children can learn the complicated (复杂的) grammatical rules and sounds of a language. Now, researchers are getting a better idea of what's happening in the brains of the tiniest language learners. This new information might help kids with learning problems as well as adults who want to learn new languages. It might even help scientists who are trying to design computers that can communicate like people do.

    Most babies go "ma ma" by 6 months of age, and most children speak in full sentences by age 3. For many years, scientists have wondered how the brains of young children figure out how to communicate using language. With help from new technologies, scientists are now finding that babies begin life with the ability to learn any language. They get into contact (接触) with other people, listen to what they say and watch their movements very closely. That is why they quickly master the languages they hear most often.

    Studies show that, up to about 6 months of age, babies can recognize all the sounds that make up all the languages in the world. Starting at around 6 months old a baby's brain focuses on the most common sounds it hears. Then, children begin responding only to the sounds of the language they hear the most.

    In a similar way older babies start recognizing the patterns that make up the rules of their native language. For example, English children who are about 18 months old start to figure out that words ending in "-ing" or "-ed" are usually verbs, and that verbs are action words.