Have you ever considered why you begin yawning too when you see someone yawn? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元）in our brains.

    Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate it whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how, we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.

    Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to ( for example: “The hand took hold of the ball” ) , the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).

    Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.

    Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with even more information regarding how humans behave and interact. Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物）for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does — well, perhaps you'll understand why.

    Every student has his own style of studying and it's up to you to use the available resources to be as effective and productive as possible.Here are some tips on how to teach yourself to study effectively.

    ●{#blank#}1{#/blank#} When determining the best approach,you need to assess your personality.Some people can read for hours while others can't sit still through more than one chapter.Find your pace,improve it and work around your strengths and weaknesses.It's up to you whether to join a study group or learn by yourself.

    ●Set a goal. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It'll not only help you keep focused and stay on track but also help you organize your time and activities.

    ●Learn over time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you don't know or understand the lesson from the start, you won't get it the night before your big test.It's best to study smaller loads of information repeated over a period of time.

    ●Set a realistic and reasonable schedule. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Create a routine schedule for your studying time.Strictly follow this schedule so as to develop an effective studying session.

    ●Have time to rest. It's necessary to have enough time to rest in order to regain all the energy used up by the body from all the studying. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Communicate with other people and participate in recreational activities to help you relax and refresh your mind.

A.Know yourself.

B.Have good study habits.

C.It's impossible to learn a lot of things in a short time.

D.Try to discover the type of reading that best suits you.

E.Allocate your time between studying and other activities.

F.Your mind won't be as sharp if you don't have ample sleep.

G.You need to determine what you want to achieve in a given subject.

    Sonya and her family have been homeless since she was 3 years old. Over the years, they have moved more than 15times to different shelters around New York City. Moving around was hard on Sonya。At school, Sonya hid her homeless from teachers and other students. She didn't want to be treated differently from other kids.

    In sixth grade, Sonya discovered a way to deal with some of her stress. She began studying dance at her middle school. “IT was a way for me to express myself, instead of just holding everything in,”she explains. Soon, Sonya auditioned（试演）for a summer dance camp run by Alvin Alley, a famous dance company. She was accepted. “I was excited,”says Sonya.

    Dancing became an even more important part of Sonya's life in high school. But things were not going well for Sonya at school. Each time her family moved to a new shelter, Sonya often took care of her younger sisters and brothers. She helped them get ready in the morning and took them to school. They would be on time, but Sonya would be late.

    Worrying about her family kept Sonya from thinking about her own future. That changed the summer after 11^th grade. Sonya learned she would have to go to summer school to graduate. She became determined to succeed, no matter what. “It was a wake-up call,”she says.“I had to focus on school and on myself.”

    Sonya made up the work that she had missed, and finally graduated from high school. No one in her family had gone to college before. But in September 2015, Sonya enrolled in the State University of New York at Potsdam. She plans to become a doctor for kids and to teach dance to children who have disabilities.

    Uthman Affan was a very rich man who was known for his generosity. In fact he was so generous that people still tell stories about him today, more than a thousand years later.

    Uthman lived in Medina. It is a very dry part of the world where there isn't a lot of rainfall. One year, the rain didn't come and there was a drought（干旱）. People were running out of food. Things got so bad that the people had to eat leaves from the trees in order to survive.

    You can imagine how happy the people and the merchants（商人）were when they learned that a group of camels（骆驼）were approaching Medina. Each camel carried a lot of food, and the people looked forward to being able to eat good food again. Knowing that the group belonged to Uthman made the people even happier, for they knew he is well-known for generosity. But it was not welcome news for the merchants in Medina, because Uthman was a very sharp businessman. Although he was fair, Uthman drove a very hard bargain.

    Even so, the merchants immediately went to Uthman. They wanted to buy the food on the camels from him so they could sell it for two or even three times its usual price at that time. So they were ready to pay any price Uthman asked. But Uthman turned them down. The merchants raised their offers again and again, but each time Uthman refused. Finally the merchants made their best offer: five times the value of the food. Guess what? Uthman had made a decision to give away all the food to the starving people of Medina.

    Binge-watching (刷剧) is when a person watches more than one episode of a TV show one after another. With developments in the speed and connectivity of the Internet, increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies, people can now watch their favorite shows directly on the Internet at their convenience.

    This behavior is nothing new. In fact, “binge-watching” has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015. The entertainment companies recognize this behavior and many take steps to encourage it. Often, instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis, an entire series will become available at the same time. Once the episode finishes, many platforms will display pop-ups with “you might like” suggestions, or will automatically play the next episode.

    However, this wonderful gift may in fact be poisonous. Recent research from British media Ofcom suggests that this behavior may have become a hindrance (障碍). Out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show in a row, almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result; and one quarter have failed to do their household chores. Next well be missing work!

    Bingeing has other connections—binge eating, binge drinking and binge smoking, all of which are often associated with compulsive (强迫性的) behavior, a lack of control and possible route to addiction. Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director at Ofcom, said, “The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move.” If people find binge-watching hard to resist, coupled with the fact that it has shown to lead to negligence (疏忽) in many, are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction?

    The large amount of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is, many would say, a good thing. It offers us opportunities to better understand the world we live in, educate ourselves and enjoy much needed downtime. However, like any behavior done to an extreme degree, it can become dangerous. And when the activity begins to bleed into other areas, causing us to stop functioning-then it becomes a problem. So, what's the answer? Neither a tiny amount, nor too much. After all, as the old proverb says, a little of what you fancy does you good.

Your 2019 Reading List, Provided by Bill Gates

Do you want to be a billionnaire? Most of us can't live like billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, but we can read like him. Gates recommended four books in 2019—though some were published earlier.

Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson (2018)

The bestselling biographer of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein researched deeply into da Vinci's contributions beyond art, highlighting the breadth of his scientific, technological, and creative output. "Leonardo nearly understood almost all of what was known on the planet at the time. That's mostly because of his curiosity about every area of natural science and the human experience," said Gates.
The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir, by Thi Bui (2018)

Gates calls this graphic novel "really impressive". Bui is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who came to America after the fall of Saigon, and becoming a parent inspired her to look into her own parents' miserable history. "I was struck by how the experiences Bui describes manage to be both universal and specific to their circumstances," said Gates.

Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders (2018)

Saunders, a long-time short story writer, won high praise for this novel. The book imagines the ghosts that haunt (萦绕) the basement of Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's son, who died at 11 in real life. "Willie's death after the Civil War made the president have a new understanding of the grief he's creating in other families by sending their sons off to die in battle," said Gates.

Origin Story: A Big History of Everything, by David Christian (2018)

This new book is by the creator of Big History, a free, online social studies course. It traces history in wide, sweeping movements, starting with the Big Bang, and it provides, in effect, a short course in modern science. This is a brief history of the universe. "David gets a little stuck on the current economic and political problems in the West, and I wish he talked more about the role technology will play in preventing the worst effects of climate change," said Gates.