Walk Out of the Comfort Zone and Try New Things

    For most high school students, free periods are useless. From what I have seen, few do homework, instead many are on their phones and talking, making it impossible for those who actually want to do work to complete any. As a senior next year, I think extra periods should be used to take optional subjects.

    Our school offers many classes. Now is the time to experiment in different fields of study. We will never know if we are interested or talented in a subject if we don't try it.

    In my 8th grade, I was told that I had to take an art class as a graduation requirement; so in the 9th grade I took Studio and Art. One of the projects was to build a clay pot, but I built mine incorrectly, so it broke in the kiln (窑). I found out that I have no artistic ability at all, and now I know for sure that I do not want to be an artist. However, the class was one of my favorites that year. I was able to try new activities and test my ability.

    Walk out of our comfort zone and try new things! College is when we should focus on a specific major, but high school is when we have to figure it out.

    Half of all college students change their major at some point. By doing that hundreds of dollars are wasted on classes that they would have never needed to take. So use our extra periods to find out what we want to do in college. The classes we choose can impact us in future. Taking optional subjects will enrich our mind. It will also show colleges we are diverse students.

    For college students, graduation signals an exciting new beginning. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many students wonder: What do I do now? What career is best for me? Most expert advice on choosing careers boils down to the following points.

Knowing Yourself

    What are your interests? Abilities? Skills? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The results may surprise you! These can be useful, but they're not the last word.

Investigating

    Investigating occupations is much more difficult. For most people, there isn't just one ‘right' job, but several that could be satisfying. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Talk to people who have occupations that interest you. Find out what they like and dislike about their job.

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    Many people choose their careers because they believe strongly in a particular cause. Some might choose to work in areas like medicine, charity or environmental protection. Some have a strong interest in history or a love for the arts. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} So in cases like these, the field is often chosen first, rather than the occupation itself. So if you've chosen a field, self-assessment will help you find your place in it. Invest some time and effort, and find the right career for you.

Quiet Virtue: The Conscientious

    The everyday signs of conscientiousness (认真尽责)—being punctual, careful in doing work, self-disciplined, and scrupulous (一丝不苟的) in attending to responsibilities—are typical characteristics of the model organizational citizen, the people who keep things running as they should. They follow the rules, help out, and are concerned about the people they work with. It's the conscientious worker who helps newcomers or updates people who return after an absence, who gets to work on time and never abuses sick leaves, who always gets things done on deadline.

    Conscientiousness is a key to success in any field. In studies of job performance, outstanding effectiveness for almost all jobs, from semi-skilled labor to sales and management, depends on conscientiousness. It is particularly important for outstanding performance in jobs at the lower levels of an organization: the secretary whose message taking is perfect, the delivery truck driver who is always on time.

    Among sales representatives for a large American car manufacturer, those who were most conscientious had the largest volume of sales. Conscientiousness also offers a buffer (缓冲) against the threat of job loss in today's constantly changing market, because employees with this quality are among the most valued. For the sales representatives, their level of conscientiousness mattered almost as much as their sales in determining who stayed on.

    There is an air around highly conscientious people that makes them seem even better than they actually are. Their reputation for dependability influences managers' evaluations of their work, giving them higher evaluations than objective measures of their performance would predict.

    But conscientiousness in the absence of social skills can lead to problems. Since conscientious people demand so much of themselves, they can hold other people to their own standards, and so be overly judgmental when others don't show the same high levels of model behavior. Factory workers in Great Britain and the United States who were extremely conscientious, for example, tended to criticize co-workers even about failures that seemed unimportant to those they criticized, which damaged their relationships.

    When conscientiousness takes the form of living up to expectations, it can discourage creativity. In creative professions like art or advertising, openness to wild ideas and spontaneity (自发性) are scarce and in demand. Success in such occupations calls for a balance, however; without enough conscientiousness to follow through, people become mere dreamers, with nothing to show for their imaginativeness.

    Shanghai Hengyuanxiang Drama Development Company and Netherlander Worldwide Entertainment signed a deal last November that would see Shimmer (《犹太人在上海》) become the first Chinese musical to have an open-ended run on Broadway in 2019. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Directed by Xu Jun, Shimmer is a musical in both English and Chinese. Shimmer, which tells a story about Jews who fled to Shanghai to escape Nazi persecution (迫害) during World War II, was first shown at the Shanghai Culture Square in 2015. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The musical's scheduled open-ended run in 2019 will be one of the events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. With this play being shown on Broadway, the ties between Chinese people and Americans will be firmly strengthened. And through this drama, the audience can feel the charm of Chinese culture.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} To deal with the problem, many production companies in Shanghai have pointed out that they should keep striving for improvement by creating more Chinese musicals and by creating more audiences. Currently, those who watch Western musicals in China are limited to a small group — people who have received a university education or have had overseas working experiences, white-collar and even gold-collar workers. There are only a handful of people who understand foreign languages and you have to find a way to motivate the public and get them into the theater.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} There has been a handful of successful musical stories in Shanghai. The Chinese editions of Broadway musicals Cats and Mamma Mia, both of which had hundreds of shows across China, are among the top box office hits.

A. What do you think we can do to prevent Chinese musicals from declining in popularity?

B. At that time, the musical was chosen as the opening show for the 17th China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

C. The box office is expected to be twice higher than that of last year, reaching $1 million in total.

D. The small audience size hasn't discouraged local artists from producing outstanding works.

E. The deal is a milestone for Shimmer in its goal to further spread its influence to the world.

F. Despite the huge success of Shimmer, the team is facing a limited market.

    If you want to keep fit, please refer to the following;

    Move More

    Make it a rule to find ways to move your body. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. Walk your dog; play with your kids. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute dance class. But that's great when you're up to it. At the same time, move more.

    Quit Smoking

    Ever since 1960 when it was announced that smoking was harmful to health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products. Just recently, we've seen more and more teens smoking. Could it be the Hollywood influence?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Take care! Warn your children against smoking.

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    While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day can help protect against heart disease, more than can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney (肝肾) disease and cancer.

    Reduce Stress

    Easier said than done, stress comes in many ways.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like such as walking on the beach or in a park, read a good book, visit a friend, listen to relaxing music, and watch a funny movie.

    Protect Yourself From Pollution

    If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good.

A. Avoid Excessive Drinking

B. There are many things you can do to move your arms and legs.

C. Think carefully about what you will do.

D. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low.

E. It seems that the stars in every movie smoke cigarettes.

F. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook.

G. Some techniques given by experts are to think positive thoughts.

Little Habits Make a Big Difference

Everything around us is changing at amazing speed, it seems ̶ but some things will always remain the same.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some of our daily habits have the power to always give us happiness and lead us toward success. Here are some little habits that can make a big difference:

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    Many studies have linked early rising with success. An early morning wake-up carries benefits including better planning and anticipation（预料）of problems, and more time to do the things that make you happy.

    Happiness comes to those who are curious.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} As long as you live, there will always be something to learn, and as long as you follow your heart and your passions, you won't miss out on learning.

    Believe in yourself and all that your are.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Confidence is the key to success ̶ the thing that lets you look at the past without regret, stay grounded in the present, and prepare for the future without fear.

A day well spent gets you a good night sleep.

    Enough sleep makes you feel healthier and happier, and it's more than lifting up your mood or removing exhaustion. Adequate sleep is a key part of your health and inner happiness. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    It doesn't take a huge effort to make a significant change in your life－using one or two tiny habits may be all you need. Get started today and you'll soon be experiencing the rewards.

A. That's why habits are so powerful.

B. The ground work of all happiness is good health.

C. Early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy, and wise.

D. The habit of respect means treating everyone with kindness.

E. Nothing will ever make you happier than having faith in yourself.

F. When you rest better, you can live better and achieve more happiness.

G. There is no stage in life when we can't be learning something valuable.