If you need to call your parents but your smartphone(智能手机) is not with you, can you remember their numbers? To remember 11 numbers is not difficult. _______, many of us can't because of the smartphone. What's more, people are not good at giving directions and face-to-face talks because of smartphones. Even when friends are having a meal together, it's common to play with their phones. Smartphones weaken（削弱） our skills in many ways.

    According to a study, Chinese people spend about 170 minutes on their smart phones every day. For students, spending much time on smartphones isn't good for their study. The study shows children who spend more than four hours a day on their phones get much worse grades in school tests than those who play with their phones for 30 minutes.

    It's true that the smartphone makes our lives easier. But many people also think spending too much time on it is bad for their study or work. People are trying to change that.

    People make a new game called Forest. It lets users plant a seed that grows into a tree over the next 30 minutes. During it, users can't use their phones, or the tree will die.

    There is a restaurant in the USA. It gives people a discount(折扣) if they don't play with their smartphones during a meal. Owner Mark Gold said that he hoped it gave people a way to enjoy their meal and talk with friends and family.

    You know that eating a sensible diet and getting plenty of exercise help make your body healthy and strong.But do you know that there are ways to make your brain healthier and smarter? Here are some steps toward a smarter brain.

Limit your TV viewing

    ① Never spend too much time on TV viewing, for it needs very little brain activities.Your brain will become weak just as your muscles do.If you do watch TV, choose something educational and meaningful.

Travel

    Travelling to another country forces you to see and do things in a fresh way, bringing stimulation to the brain.

    Learn a new language

    Learning a new language involves different learning methods.Learning a language sharpens your brain and helps prevent memory problems that you may meet in later years.

Read often

    As you read, take the time to look up people or places that aren't familiar.Reading makes your vocabulary much larger if you always search for words and definitions that you don't know.Each week, choose an animal, a bird or fish, and read everything you can about it.Stretch your brain as you become an expert on the subject.

Calculate （计算）when you shop

    As you put things in your grocery cart, total everything in your head.See how close you get to the actual total.

    Use your non-dominant（不占优势的）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 different way will make your brain create new neural （神经）networks.

Wechat（微信）

    ② Read messages from various people.They have different interests.And some say that learning to express yourself in just 100 words is a great brain challenge.

    Have a try and do these every day.Little by little you can get into the habit of challenging your brain, and make your brain smarter!

    Two days ago, I had taken a test in Biology, and I knew that I would get my scores in the same class today.

    After the bell rang, every students sat in his or her seat impatiently. Then, one by one, the teacher called our names.

    As each paper was given back to the correct student, the front of the answer paper would always be turned to face the ground and the paper itself would be slightly folded (折叠) to prevent anyone from seeing.

    In fact, folding each test paper is a way to make sure that each student sees only his or her own scores. The scores are seen as private information not to be announced or shown to others. As a way to keep the students' score records secret, each student is given an online account (帐号) with which to check his or her grades posted on the official school website.

    Protecting students' private information always comes first in US schools that want to free students from unnecessary pressure. Academic (学业上的) reports are guarded closely to prevent poor academic grades from damaging a student's dignity and reputation (有损学生的尊严和声誉), which are for himself or herself only.

    However, some insist that although students' feelings and self-dignity are easily hurt, they cannot be forever protected. They say that school also teach their students to make themselves stronger in mind, and the classroom should show the reality of competition in society. Scores that everyone can see might better encourage students to work harder to be better than others.

    Confidence(自信)is very important in daily life. It can help you to develop a healthy attitude(态度). A study shows that the people who are more confident are much happier. They can have more chances to make themselves successful. But how to be more confident? Here are some suggestions:

●Speak loud

    When you are not confident，you can't do well what you want to do. You speak in a voice so low that other people can hardly hear you. Try to speak loudly enough so that people can hear you clearly. The. high voice can help you become more confident.

●Play sports

    Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed. A strong body helps you be full of confidence.

●Encourage yourself

    Write down a list of things you did during the day to see how many things you have done well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh? Give yourself praise for the good things you've done.

●Get rid of(消除)fear

    Fear comes along with failure(失败). But it's easy to overcome(克服)if you know that failure is part of your life. Don't hide your head just because you said something stupid last time. Try to start again and believe you can do better.

●Pick up a hobby

    If you like singing, sing as much as you can. In some ways, a hobby can make you outstanding. And it will make you happy and confident.

    We all have our own ways of sharing our life experiences with others. Photographers use cameras, artists use brushes, musicians use songs and writers use stories. Spencer Johnson's story Who Moved My Cheese? shows changes exist in(存在于) our life. Life changes and so we do. We must change ourselves to face the changing environment, or we will fail.

    Just look at the cycle of the seasons. Trees bud(发芽) in spring and in summer their leaves turn green. In autumn, their leaves start to fall onto the ground. When winter arrives, there are no leaves on trees. Next spring the cycle begins again. Since we know there are cycles in nature, we can prepare for them. We know it is colder in winter and hotter in summer, so we can dress properly.

    Since we accept the cycles of nature, we should also accept the changes in our life. We can prepare ourselves for changes by becoming more flexible(灵活的). We can regard the changes in our life as chances. As we keep changing ourselves, we can keep up with the changes in our life. So we should change ourselves when life changes.

Five tips for a successful yard sale

    Each summer, yard sales become popular and many people come to yard to get great deals on second-hand objects. Have you ever had a yard sale? What can you do to hold a successful yard sale? Here are five tips for you.

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    Every yard has its own advertisement. The best as is signs. Draw some big signs with just "Yard Sale" and a large arrow(箭头) on a board in front of your yard. Pointing customers(顾客) in the right way is always better than just putting your address on the sign and hoping they know how to get there.

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    The more organized you are, the less busy it will be in the morning of your yard sale. You want to make sure that you have everything set up before people arrive so you can have more time for answering questions and collecting money.

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    This is something a lot of people don't think about when preparing for a yard sale. You don't want to turn away customers because you don't have enough change. I suggest at least $50 in change, which means mostly $1's and $5's

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    Running a yard sale on your own can be really stressful, especially if you have a lot of objects to sell. It's hard to run inside to go to the bathroom or try to talk to and collect money from several customers at once. Ask a friend or two if they have something they'd like to sell too and that way you'll have some help in case things get busy or you need a break to get a drink or some food.

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    Yard sales are fun and you can make a good amount of money. It's also a good chance for you to chat with your customers, make them feel comfortable, and enjoy yourself.