Writing an article for your school newspaper can be exciting and rewarding, especially when you proudly see your name in print.

    Decide on a topic. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you plan to write a news article for a monthly newspaper, you will need to take into consideration whether the topic will be relevant before printing. To get ideas for stories, listen to your fellow students and find out what has them talking. Follow developments within your school and community to get information on what would interest your readers.

    Do your research. There is an old saying in law that a good lawyer never asks a question that they don't know the answer to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} To sum up, the more, the better.

    Attract the readers with a lead. As the beginning of a newspaper story, a lead has to be direct, but it does not mean you don't need to entertain the reader as well. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Your lead must be short, but it must also state as many of the essential parts of you story as possible.

    Consider the 5 Ws and H. These are the meat and potatoes of your news articles. You article must answer all of these questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Once you have answered these things, you can feel confident. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Write, edit, rewrite and repeat as necessary. So, much about having a successful final product is about being willing to spend time and effort in editing and reviewing process. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} After that, make changes as a result. Having taken some useful suggestions, you are to make your article readable not only for their content, but also for their quality.

A. Think about what is happening on campus.

B. You have effectively informed your readers.

C. Get them interested with an interesting beginning.

D. Do not be afraid to accept positive comments.

E. News articles are suitable for the date of publication.

F. Take note of anything particularly unusual.

G. Try to find out as much as you can on the subject.

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've all heard about the power of our attitude, and it's our attitude that determines how much we succeed in life.

    All the things that you have been through, all the people you have met and interacted with can have an impact on your attitude. If you think that all these factors have molded you into a person with a poor attitude towards life, there is no need to worry.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

1).Identify and understand what you want to change.

    The first step towards change is clearly understanding what needs to be changed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When it comes to changing your attitude, you need to do an honest and in-depth self-evaluation so you could point out exactly which of your traits need to be improved or totally changed.

2).{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Find someone who has the kind of attitude that you want to have, and let his or her life give you inspiration and encouragement to move beyond your temporary failures in your journey towards becoming a better person.

3). Choose the right company.

    As they say, “Bad company corrupts good character.” You don't expect yourself to be able to change if you go on surrounding yourself with people who possess all the negative traits that you want to change. Consider befriending new people, especially those who are optimistic and have a healthy attitude towards life.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

4). Believe that you are able to change.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you don't believe in yourself or believe that you or your life can change, it just won't happen—you will either never start, or give up quickly that you won't have even given yourself the opportunity to succeed.

A. Your effort to change will be easier with these people as friends.

B. Setting clear goals is the key to success in any endeavor.

C. The greatest obstacle is our inability to trust in what we can do.

D. Look for a role model.

E. Think about how your attitude change will affect your life.

F. There is always an opportunity for change.

G. Fix your mind on the things that would come as a result of your attitude change.

Five steps to better handwriting

    Some kids love handwriting, but others hate when it's time to put their pen to paper. Maybe they are worried about their handwriting. Are you one of them? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are five steps that really work!

    Get a great grasp

    Try this — hold your pencil at the top and try to write your name. Pretty hard? But when you hold your pencil the correct way, writing is much easier. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Hold it in place with your thumb, and your index (食指) and middle fingers.

Let the lines be your guide

    Lined paper is your friend! Those lines can help you create letters that are the right size and proportion (均衡). {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Also be sure to fill up the lined space completely. Those capital letters should be from the bottom line to the top one.

Slow down

    If your writing is hard to read, try slowing down a little. If you rush, it's hard to control where you stop and start your letters.

    Lower the pressure (压力)

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}That makes it harder to make the smooth lines. Try easing up and don't hold the pencil too tightly.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Lots of games require you to write or draw pictures. So even though it's not schoolwork, you're still using the skills you need to control your pen better.

A. Play games

B. Ask for more advice

C. So “a” should be half the height of a capital “A”.

D. You've been writing since you were a little kid.

E. Some kids press down really hard when they write.、

F. The good news is that just about everyone can improve their handwriting.

G. The best way to hold a pen or pencil is to let it rest next to the base of your thumb.

    New rules for middle school students came out in March. Middle schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The following are some of the new rules.

    Tell the truth. Have you ever cheated in an exam? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}That's not something honest students should do.

    Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate it? You should join! {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought people could live on the moon? Maybe you'll find another earth in space in the future. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Protect yourself. Has a thief ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know.

    Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your study.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But some things on the Internet aren't for children, so try to look at the good web pages.

A. Don't do it again!

B. Everyone's new ideas are important

C. Students must only work and play alone.

D. Students should not disagree with the teachers.

E. The best students won't only have high marks.

F. You can use the web pages for fun or homework.

G. In that way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” —Lao Tzu

    If you are in a city where everyone rushes, realize that you don't have to be like everyone else. You can be different. You can walk instead of driving in rush hour traffic. You can be on your iPhone or Blackberry less, and disconnected sometimes. Your environment doesn't control your life you do. I'm not going to tell you how to give you a step-by-step guide to moving slower. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Do less.

    Cut back on your projects, on your task list, on how much you try to do each day. Focus not on quantity but on quality.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Save smaller, routine tasks for later in the day, but give yourself time to focus.

    Have fewer meetings.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}And they eat into your day, forcing you to squeeze the things you really need to do into small windows, and making you rush.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    When you do the important things with focus, without rush, there will be things that get pushed back, and that don't get done. And you need to ask yourself: how necessary are these things? What would happen if I stopped doing them?

    Practice mindfulness.

    Simply learn to live in the present, rather than things so much about future or the past. When you eat, fully appreciate your food. When you are with someone, be with them fully. When you are walking, appreciate your surroundings, no matter where you are.

    Try these things out. Life is better when unrushed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Start to put off or cancel the unnecessary.

B. Meetings are usually a “big waste of time”.

C. The world likely won't end if you don't pass one of the examinations.

D. But here are some things to consider and perhaps adopt, if they work for your life.

E. Remember the quote: if nature can get everything done without rushing, so can you.

F. Pick 2-3 important things—or even just one important thing—and work on those first.

G. Give yourself more time to get ready and get there.