How to Protect Your Ears

    You and your friends are leaving a concert on a Friday night. When you get outside, your ears are ringing. You have to shout to be heard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So no harm done…right?

    Not quite. Temporary buzzing may be easy to ignore, but repeated exposure to loud noise will eventually cause serious— and irreversible(无法治愈的)—hearing loss. A new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston shows that one in five people between the ages of 12 and 19 are experiencing slight hearing loss, and one in 20 have mild hearing loss. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    But the good news is that there plenty of ways you can protect your ears from further damage — and still listen to the music you love:

    Ask around. Put your earbuds in or your headphones on, and then ask a friend next to you whether or not he or she can hear what you're listening to. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Turn it down.

    Buy noise-canceling headphones. A pair of earbuds or headphones that fits comfortably will limit outside noise so that you can hear your music better at lower volumes.

    Take breaks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So when listening to music, take your headphones off for 15 or 20 minutes and let your ears enjoy the quiet.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can buy a cheap pair at any drugstore as an easy way to lower volume at concerts — or while playing or practicing your own music — without changing the quality of the sound.

A. Use earplugs.

B. Keep the volume below 70 percent.

C. If the answer is yes, your music is too loud.

D. Like every other part of your body, your ears need rest.

E. But by morning, your hearing is totally back to normal.

F. Unfortunately, there's no way to get back hearing you've already lost.

G. The exposure to noise is louder and longer than in any previous generation.

    Having a clean and organized workspace takes time and effort—especially if we want to keep it that way. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} According to recent statistics, the average office employee spends one and a half hours a day looking for things. That's an hour and a half that is wasted every day because of disorganization. Keeping things organized can give you more time each day. Having a clean workspace can have a number of additional surprising benefits. Let's look at some of those now.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Untidiness can be a distraction that interferes with your thought process and prevents you from being as effective as you can be. When your workspace is clean and organized, you can spend more time focused on your tasks, without the unorganized chaos to attend to.

Attain More Success

    It's hard to be productive when you're disorganized. Organization can make it easier to concentrate, and allows you to get things done faster. Whether you're an employee or self­employed, organization is a crucial component for success. If clients see that you're well­ organized, they'll be more willing to trust you.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Make a Better Impression

    In addition to making it easier to focus and work, having a clean workspace also helps to convey a professional image. Your workspace says more about you than you may think. When someone walks past your space, they instantly form an opinion about you based on what your space looks like.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, to the outsider, you may look overwhelmed and incapable of taking on extra projects.

Have a Happier Work Experience

    If you're surrounded by a clean environment you'll have space to think, will be able to get more done and will feel better working in that space.

Fortunately, keeping your space clean and organized is easier than you might think.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You'll be amazed at the difference a clean workspace can make to your mindset and how much more you'll be able to accomplish during the day.

A. Improve Focus

B. Regain Tidiness

C. But the results are more than worth it

D. Maybe you feel productive with papers scattered around

E. It shows that you know what you're doing and that you are capable

F. Clearly being disorganized can have a negative effect on your performance

G. Try to get rid of or throw away everything that you don't need to maximize your productivity

    Knowing your neighbors can make you feel safer and can make your life a little more enjoyable.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Start a Facebook group. Many online groups already exist for local communities, but they may just focus on swapping and selling objects, or simply for exploring the local area.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}For example, starting a Facebook group.

    Get volunteering. Volunteering is a great way to meet like-minded neighbors and make a difference to your community.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Charities are the most obvious place to start. Charities, large or small, are always looking for help in regions across the UK. A simple Google search can help you discover local charities and volunteer opportunities.

    Practice everyday kindness. Kindness is the start to possible long-lasting friendships. Everyday acts of kindness can be as simple as saying hello when you see your neighbors in the street or the supermarket. It may be seeing someone struggle with the gardening and offering your help.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Start an exercise group. There are a rare few of us that are motivated to start exercising, and even fewer that enjoy going it alone.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Plan big walks of your area and ask neighbors to come along. You could sign up together to attempt a marathon or half marathon. Or perhaps you can arrange a Zumba, yoga, or aerobics (有氧运动) class in the community centre.

A. However, you are often too busy to realize this.

B. There are many ways to volunteer in your local community.

C. Starting a neighborhood exercise group may be just the ticket.

D. So why not set one up simply to get to know your neighbors better?

E. It may also be taking in that rather large parcel when no one is home.

F. If you're new to an area or don't know how to make local friends, try this advice.

G. These groups indeed make life in communities easier and more comfortable for you.

    You've seen news reports about people who need assistance after a natural disaster, or TV programs about how lonely and isolated older people can get. Maybe you've walked past people who are living on the streets.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The answer: you can volunteer. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change people's lives, including your own. Helping others in need is such an important part of life. So how do you go about it?

    Find what's right for you.

    Volunteering isn't school.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can choose what really interests you and who or what is most deserving of your time.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    After you've discovered what interests you, decide how much time you want to spend and what fits into your schedule.

    Expand your mind.

    Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills — from working as part of a team to setting and reaching goals.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And it can help you develop a new understanding of people who are different from you — people with disabilities, people in financial problems, sick kids, or the elderly.

    Feel good.

    Volunteering helps people feel they make a difference — that they do have the power to change things for the better. When people depend on you, it can change the way you look at yourself.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Volunteering is also a great way to get a view on your own life.

A. It can give you a chance to discover what kinds of things you're best at and enjoy most.

B. Instead of having the choices made for you, you've got to pick.

C. Doing something for others helps people to change the world.

D. So what can you do about any of those things?

E. You can feel proud of what you've achieved.

F. Find what fits your schedule.

G. Change things for the better.

    Four benefits of writing by hand

    Today is National Handwriting Day! Although we don't write like we used to, here are four ways handwriting is still helpful.

    It's better for learning.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}That's because putting ink to paper stimulates (刺激) the brain.  One study from 2010 found that the brain areas related to learning “lit up” much more when kids were asked to write words like “spaceship” by hand versus just studying the word closely.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Many famous authors prefer writing by hand to the use of a typewriter or computer. Writer Susan Sontag once said that she penned her first drafts (草稿) before typing them up for editing later. She said, “{#blank#}3{#/blank#}” A 2009 study seems to support Sontag's preference for writing by hand: Elementary school students who wrote essays with a pen not only wrote more than their keyboard-tapping friends, but they also wrote faster and in more complete sentences.

    It will prevent you from being distracted (分心).

    The computer in front of you is really a distraction.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}In 2012, scientists even suggested that taking five-minute breaks to browse Tumblr or BuzzFeed could make you a more productive worker. However, when it's time to work on that essay, have only a pen and paper in front of you.

    It keeps your brain sharp as you get older.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}According to The Wall Street Journal, some physicians say that the act of writing is good exercise for those who want to keep their minds sharp as they age.

A. It makes you a better writer.

B. Writing is good for your brain.

C. Of course, the Internet isn't all bad.

D. I like the slowness of writing by hand.

E. Try writing by hand at least 20 minutes each day.

F. Many writers have a preference for writing by hand.

G. One of the most effective ways to study is to rewrite your notes by hand.

    Leaving a good impression can be done in different ways, from clothing to posture, and from talking style to body language. Below are several tips for you to begin with:

    ●Physical appearance matters. We're visual creatures after all.

    Physical appearance is the first clue one relies on to judge who we are. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It also means the person means something to us by dressing properly. If it is a business setting, be aware of the dress rule or culture. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A thumbs-up here does not mean the same elsewhere. So do the research! Details from any little areas will affect the impression on the whole.

    ●{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    A fake (假的) smile can potentially do more harm than good in our attempts to leave a good impression. It is understandable that sometimes it is hard to suddenly force a smile. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Remember being positive plays an important part in shaping our first impression.

    ●Look into people's eyes until you see the colors of their iris (虹膜).

    Keeping eye contact delivers a sense of friendship to the people we interact with. Consequently, they feel more connected to us and tend to be more positive toward the interaction. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Well, try to identify the color of the others' irises. Get it? That makes a good eye contact example.

    Are these the impression we want to leave? Stop staring at the ground and look at people in the eye then!