The benefits of keeping a journal(日志)

    If you want to grow, one important thing you should do is keep a journal. It may seem simple, but it can make a big difference in your life. I have been keeping journals for years. Writing all the lessons I learn and all the ideas I get has become a habit for me. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some benefits you will get by keeping a journal.

♦ It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever gotten an idea and lost it later because you didn't write it down? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that came into my mind as soon as possible. If I am away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.

♦ It helps you review all the lessons you've learned. By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you've learned and the ideas you've gotten. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can use the ideas to propel yourself forward.

♦ {#blank#}4{#/blank#} After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you've gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past have been realized today.

♦ It helps you expand your ideas. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In the end, you will expand your ideas.

A.I often experienced that myself.

B.It trains you to express your thoughts.

C.It allows you to see your progress over time.

D.Just use whatever tool you feel comfortable with.

E.Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea.

F.And to be honest, I can't imagine what my life would be like without it.

G.Then you can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

    Over time, habits of negative thinking about ourselves can lower self-esteem (自尊). So if you want to feel better about yourself, try some of these things:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Are you so used to focusing on your problems that they're all you see? Next time you find yourself trapped in problems or disappointment with yourself or your day, find something positive to deal with it. Each day, write down three good things about yourself, or three things that went smoothly that day because of your action or effort.

    Aim for effort rather than perfection. Some people get held back by their own pressure to be perfect. They lose out because they don't try. Usually, you may think, “I won't audition (试镜) for the play because I probably won't get the lead.”{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Remind yourself that everyone is good at different things.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Thinking more like this: “She's a great basketball player — but the truth is, I'm a better musician than athlete. Still, I'll keep playing because I enjoy it.” It helps you accept yourself and make the best of the situation.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't be afraid to voice them. If someone disagrees, it's not a judgment on your worth or your intelligence. That person just sees things differently from you.

    Set goals.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then make a plan for how to do it. Stick with your plan, and keep track of your progress.

A. Focus on what goes well for you.

B. Take pride in your opinions and ideas.

C. Think about what you'd like to achieve.

D. It's certain that the role will go to someone else.

E. Recognize what you can change and what you can't.

F. Train your inner voice to remind you of what you are accomplishing.

G. Cheer on others for their success and keep in mind what you do well.

    Does Using Technology in the Classroom Help College Students?

    Almost anywhere in the world, you are likely to find people doing the same thing in public places, on trains and buses or wherever else you look. They spend their day looking at laptop computers, smartphones or other personal electronic devices. They are thinking mainly about their electronic devices, and not much else.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} More and more college students have no problem walking into a classroom and immediately opening their laptops. Others may spend an entire study period with a smartphone in hand. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But recent research suggests that using technology during class time may harm college students' ability to remember and process the subject material they are learning.

    Arnold Glass, a professor in Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and a student researcher investigated the issue of divided student attention. During half of their daily class periods, the students in their study were permitted to use any electronic device as much as they wanted. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The students' academic performance was measured in several ways throughout the semester. They took a short test every day, longer tests every few weeks and a final exam covering all the class material. The researchers found that the average daily quiz results showed no evidence of harmful effects from the use of technology. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They showed that all the students performed poorly on questions covering material taught on days when they were permitted to use technology in the classroom.

    Glass says that it shows the use of electronic devices in the classroom prevents students from processing information. The students hear what the professor is saying. But they might be buying things online or reading unrelated emails at the same time, for example. So they are not thinking deeply about the subject matter as they are hearing it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. The same can be said about the world of college education.

B. However, the average results of the larger tests and final exam told a different story.

C. And that, Glass says, makes it harder for the information to enter their long-term memory.

D. Technology, in general, is not the only way that students find to distract themselves in class.

E. But even if technology is helpful to some students, there are times when it needs to be turned off.

F. Some students argue that the increasing use of technology can have many helpful effects on society.

G. During the other half, researchers closely watched them to make sure no one was using any technology.

    Building the thinking habit is important because it helps you live with a purpose. How can we build the thinking habit? Here are some tips.

    Be curious

    Curiosity is powerful. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It also helps you recognize the ideas when they come. Curiosity is an important attitude to have in building the thinking habit.

    Read widely

    If you want to come up with good ideas, you need to feed your mind with good ideas. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This will give you fresh, new ideas. Don't just read from the fields you are familiar with. Read from other fields as well.

    Read actively

    Not only should you read widely, but also you should read actively. Find some ideas and think about how you can use them. My favorite way to do this is by highlighting the book I read. I will then put the actionable ideas in my idea journal (笔记). {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Keep an idea journal

    When you find a good idea, don't just keep it in your mind. Instead, write it down to catch the idea. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Keeping an idea journal makes you more sensitive to new ideas. You will quickly recognize them because you already have the habit of catching ideas.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Of course, it doesn't do you much good if you just write down ideas. Take time to read these ideas every now and then. In my case, I mark the ideas that I consider important and review them regularly. This often opens the way to new ideas.

A. Design your own ideas

B. Go over your ideas

C. In this way, others can also benefit from your ideas.

D. One way to do that is to read.

E. Otherwise, the idea might be gone forever.

F. It makes you like finding new ideas.

G. This helps me get the most out of the book.

    Some people think working overtime means you're a hard worker. You have to sacrifice your personal time to stay at work, produce something, help the company, and be a more devoted employee. But is that right? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. This means it takes you longer to produce something than someone else.

    A good manager knows how to encourage his employees to work to their full potential instead of expecting them to work late even if they don't have something to do. People who stay in their office until late hate their jobs. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Overworking may negatively influence the level of productivity and efficiency(效率). Any company that makes their employees work those hours is not being managed well. The fault lies with management, who should take a good look at themselves. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. And the boss would prefer you work efficiently 7 hours and then go back home than 8 hours with poor efficiency.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The fact is the competition is so fierce that if you don't work hard someone will easily and willingly replace you, especially in the IT industry. Employees are told they need to work longer hours or they don't belong or are denied promotions. It is time to abandon the culture of overworking, to work smarter, more efficiently and have a balance with personal life.

    Nowadays, it's hard for a young person to build a good future, for pressures are on his (or her) shoulders: housing, children, parents, themselves, etc. But everyone must keep working hard to have ourselves on the way to the good future, which is not certain. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. No one wants to work overtime.

B. The boss thinks highly of overworking.

C. Working too many hours only means you are inefficient.

D. And it affects their performance, as well as other aspects of their life.

E. What's sure is that if you're lazy and don't work hard, no good future will come.

F. Managers believe that overworking is an evidence of devotion from their employees' side.

G. In many countries, overworking would be criticized because it reflects poor work efficiency.

    If you need to prove who you are in China, you will usually need to use an ID card. It shows your name, date of birth, address, nationality, photo and ID number. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    On April 17, Alipay introduces its first electronic ID card. The card is an electronic version of real ID card and is recognized by Ministry of Public Security. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Users can simply select "Web ID" in the app and follow the instructions.

    The electronic ID card can now be used in Hangzhou, Suzhou and Fuzhou. People in these three cities can use the card to check into hotels, buy train tickets and do other tasks {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    About 4 million people will be able to use the service within the next year. "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Even if they forget their ID cards, they can still get things done. Since the process is simplified, it also makes things easier for government offices and companies," Tang Feifan, mayor of Suzhou, told Zhangjie online.

It's safe to use Alipay's new service, in case you are worried that someone might steal your identity. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then, you have to pass both a fingerprint and facial recognition scan before you can use the electronic ID card.

A. This gives people another choice.

B. The safety of the electronic ID card is the main concern.

C. They don't have to show their standard ID card anymore.

D. But not all people have welcomed the electronic ID card.

E. But now, you can prove your identity using your smartphone.

F. It's quite easy to get an electronic ID card by using the Alipay app.

G. First, you must unlock your phone, and enter your Alipay password.