Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking

    Even if you don't keep a close eye on new developments in physics, you've probably heard of the famous physicist Stephen Hawking.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    These days, we know Hawking as a brilliant mind whose theories are difficult for a nonscientific mind to grasp. This is why it may come as a shock to learn that Hawking was a slacker when it came to his school studies.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}With a little more effort, he brought those grades up to about average, but not much better. However, from an early age he was interested in how things worked. He has talked about how he was known to take apart clocks and radios. However, he admits he wasn't very good at putting them back together so they could work again.

    Stephen Hawking took a liking to mathematics from an early age, and he would have liked to have majored in it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}He hoped Stephen would instead study medicine.

    But, for all his interest in science, Stephen didn't care for biology. He has said that he found it to be “too inexact, too descriptive (叙述的)”{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

One problem, however, was that Oxford didn't have mathematics as a major. The result was that Stephen would attend Oxford and major in physics. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}That's why he chose to study universe.

A. His father wanted to send him to Oxford.

B. His father, Frank, however, had different ideas.

C. Actually, he focused on the bigger questions.

D. He would have rather devoted his mind to more precise concepts.

E. In fact, when he was 9, his grades ranked among the worst in his class.

F. However, there're many interesting facts you might not know about him.

G. Both his teachers and peers seemed to understand that they had a future genius.

    Ways to build strong friendships

    Be loyal to a friend. Part of being a friend is being prepared to devote your time and energy to helping out your friends. If a friend needs help with an unpleasant thing, or if he or she just needs a shoulder to cry on, be there for them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This is a good way to attract the kind of friends you want in your life.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you say you'll do something, do it. When your friend tells you a secret, keep it secret from others. Be someone that people know that they can rely on. If you show this quality to your friends, they will appreciate it and will be reliable in return.

    Be a good listener. Many people think they have to appear very interesting.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Listen carefully to what people say, remember important details about them, ask questions about their interests, and take the time to learn more about them.

    Stress your good qualities. Show others what makes you stand apart from the crowd. Talk about your interests and hobbies. Everyone has interesting stories to tell – don't be afraid to share yours.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  People love to be around someone who makes them laugh.

    Choose your friends wisely. As you make friends with more people, you may find that some are hard to get along with. Sometimes you may even realize that certain friendships are unhealthy.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Cherish those friends who are a positive influence in your life, and do your best to be a positive influence in theirs.

A. Be a reliable friend.

B. Keep your promise to your friend.

C. Be respectful of their decisions and share yours with him.

D. Besides, a little humor always keeps a conversation light and happy.

E. In this case, walk your way out of the friendship as gracefully as possible.

F. Being a loyal friend will attract other people to you who value this quality.

G. Far more important than that, however, is the ability to show that you're interested in others.

    Doctors say anger can be an extremely damaging emotion, unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that anger can lead to heart disease, stomach problems, headaches, emotional problems and possibly cancer.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger, and scream and yell. But other people keep their anger inside. They can not or will not express it. This is called repressing anger.

    For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person's health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry, the brain releases the same hormones (荷尔蒙). They speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, or sugar into the blood, etc. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease, and they believe that those who keep anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger, then decide if the cause is serious enough to get angry about. If it is, they say, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably."

    Doctors say that a good way to deal with anger is to find humor in the situation that has made you angry. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Rivers play an important role on the earth, and we can't imagine what the earth would be like without rivers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    With a length of 6, 650 kilometers, the Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile River has been the source of human civilization since ancient times. The Nile has two main branches—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts from the Great Lakes region of East and Central Africa through Lake Victoria.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The Blue Nile carries with it a lot of fertile soil which turns out to be very important to farming in Egypt.

    The Amazon River is the world's largest river with a width of about 40 kilometers during the rainy seasons but about 10 kilometers wide when it is not flooded. The Amazon River has such a big water volume that it accounts for(占.....比例) more than 20% of all the world's fresh water—far more than any other river. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The main Amazon River flows mostly through Brazil and Peru but its tributaries can also be found in many other countries.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It has a depth of about 250 meters. Its length is 4, 700 kilometers. The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains in the Eastern Africa Rift Valley. It's the second largest river in terms of water volume. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The Congo River basin(盆地) is the catchments(流域，集水区) area of the Congo River. It lies in both north and south of the Equator, making its flow very stable as there are always some tributaries experiencing a rainy season at any time.

A. Some of them are worth mentioning.

B. The Congo River is the world's deepest river.

C. Do you know which is the deepest river in the world?

D. The Blue Nile originates from(发源于)Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

E. Without rivers, there would be no living life in and along them.

F. And it flows through the second largest rain-forests in the world.

G. Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are its sources.

    Let's face it, most of us are really busy. So busy that we don't make time for creativity. Even those who work in creative fields are probably at a point where true creativity is being pushed behind more pressing tasks. This doesn't necessarily have to be so. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Schedule It

    Put your creativity tasks into your calendar-you have a very important meeting with yourself! {#blank#}2{#/blank#} All you really need is about 15 minutes a day and that can really start to swing the pendulum (钟摆) in the other direction. I find that 15 minutes in the morning after a fresh cup of coffee is an ideal time for some creative work. You can plan a day to go out and explore something new to get inspired, whatever you feel is going to fuel your creative energy. Schedule these into your month, as well.

    Shift Your Mindset

    Like I mentioned, sometimes it has to start with your own belief. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, then it's not going to happen. I found that once I redesigned my business to free up more time for me, I was able to really let go of guilt and realize that creativity is self-care. Even if it's not going to better your career, it's likely going to "better" you, and that makes it all worthwhile.

    Make Space

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, but how about physical space? Is there a place in your home that you can devote to your creativity? Maybe it's in your office. You can have a spot with your art utensils, musical instruments, your favorite books. Or maybe it's in your backyard and you have a spot where you drink tea and practice writing. Sometimes it may be a corner of pillows in your bedroom that you snuggle in and listen to music. Having a devoted spot helps to foster it as a daily practice that you look forward to.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Just like all your good habits, you have to make them routine. Once you get used to carving out time and space for your creativity, you will wonder how you ever lived without it!

A. Be Curious

B. Make It Routine

C. It can be such a waste of time

D. But seriously, this really helps

E. We've talked about mental space

F. If you're not valuing your creative time

G. Here are some easy tips for making it a priority

    Britain's high streets are dying slowly

    Twenty years ago, the prosperous high street(繁华商业区) was the heart of most cities. It was crowded with customers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Nowadays, high streets are declining, with very few shops and shoppers. With about 14 shops down every day, Britain's high streets are dying little by little. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's fairly easy to understand. To start with, people are spending less because of the economic recession(衰退). On top of that, more and more people are using the Internet to do their shopping. And it is not easy for shopkeepers in the high streets, either. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Finally, there are the out-of-town retail parks with free car parking that sell just about everything at very low prices. What can be done? Prime Minister David Cameron has hired Mary Portas, a British business woman and star of TV show Mary Queen of Shops, to bring some life back into Britain's high streets. She's talked about creating "magnets(磁石)" to attract people back to the centre. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}In one town, a bicycle rickshaw(人力车) service is delivering people's shopping to their homes. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}where children can be cared for while parents are shopping. Members of the public have also voiced their opinions. "My ideal shopping center is one where there's a wide selection of attractive looking shops, with cheap parking and good public transport links," said a 28-year-old man. "I'd like to see Night Shopping evenings where shops are open through to 10 pm or later," said a 22-year-old girl.

A. They have to pay increasing high rents.

B. But he is not the only one to solve the problem.

C. But that's all changed.

D. In another town, they set up night shopping centers,

E. In another town, they set up a nursery,

F. They can make a fortune overnight.

G. Why are high streets in such a desperate situation?