Time for a Brainstorm

    A brainstorm is a session where a small group of people come together to solve a problem．People voice spontaneous ideas, sometimes just shouting , and a note-taker writes them all down．{#blank#}1{#/blank#}By getting different ideas out there, ideas are said to bounce off each other and even can help solve the problem at hand．Brainstorming is often a group exercise but individuals can also conduct personal brainstorms．

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}He defined it as using the brain to storm a creative problem and do so in commando (突击队）fashion，with each stormer attacking the same objective．According to him,, it was easier to tone down a wild idea than think up a new one．He placed importance on the collection of as many ideas as possible and dismissed scientific thinking．

    Brainstorming has become one of the most popular ways to solve problems and hold discussion in schools and businesses．Many students brainstorm for a group assignment or even for a personal essay． Sarah Grace, 24, is an Australian marketing analyst and uses brainstorming during all her creative duties． She thinks brainstorming is the best way to work as a team．The sessions get everyone on the same page，everyone moving together and with a clear understanding about the foundations of an event or idea．{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

However, a big problem with brainstorming is creating a mess that leads people further away from a solution．{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you don't have a strong moderator or leader of the brainstorm, can go really off track，and people just start discussing something totally different． Brainstorming can sometimes confuse the human brain． {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you brainstorm too much and your page is filled up with all the messy links, you can paint yourself into a bit of comer and get trapped with ideas． You need to move past brainstorming as soon as you have something workable．

A．The ideas can be smart，strange or crazy．

B．It is caused by a lack of direction from a leader．

C．Brainstorming really helps her organize her thoughts．

D．Brainstorming really is the best way to build team spirit．

E．It can open too many doors and not suggest a clear direction．

F．Brainstorms were popularized in the 1940s by American advertising boss Alex Osborn．．

G．They can be words, phrases, paragraphs and anything that can help answer the question．

    Although problems are a part of our lives, it certainly doesn't mean that we let them rule our lives forever. One day or the other, you'll have to stand up and say - problem, I don't want you in my life.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Problems with friends, parents, girlfriends, husbands, and children - the list goes on. Apart from these, the inner conflicts within ourselves work, too. These keep adding to our problems. Problems come in different shapes and colors and feelings.

    But good news is that all problems can be dealt with. Now read on to know how to solve your problems.

    Talk, it really helps. What most of us think is that our problem can be understood only by us and that no talking is going to help.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Talking helps you move on and let go.

    Write your problems.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} When you write down your problems, you are setting free all the tension from your system. You can try throwing away the paper on which you wrote your problems. By doing this, imagine yourself throwing away the problems from your life. Don't lose faith and hope. No matter what you lose in life, don't lose faith and hope. Even if you lose all your money, family… you should still have faith.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Your problems aren't the worst. No matter what problem you get in life, there're another one million people whose problems are huger than yours,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your problems might just seem big and worse, but in reality they can be removed.

    Go about and solve your problems because every problem, however big or small, always has a way out.

A. But the truth is that when you talk about it, you're setting free the negative energies that have been gathering within you.

B. When we have a problem, a pressing, critical, urgent, life-threatening problem, how do we try and solve it?

C. Tell yourself: when they can deal with them, why can't I?

D. Of course, we've been fighting troubles ever since we were born.

E. We can often overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack.

F. Having a personal diary can also be of huge help if you don t want a real person to talk with.

G. With faith and hope, you can rebuild everything that you lose.

    A major source of teen stress is school exams, and test anxiety is not uncommon. When you recognize your teen is under stress, how can parents help your teen stay calm before an exam?

    Be involved. Parents need to be involved in their teen's work.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}What they look for is your presence - to talk, to cry, or simply to sit with them quietly. Communicate openly with your teen. Encourage your teen to express his worries and fears, but don't let them focus on those fears.

    Help them get organized.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Together, you and your teen can work out a time-table in which she can study for what she knows will be on the test.

    Provide a calm setting. Help your teen set up a quiet place to study and protect his privacy. Give them a nutritious diet. It's important for your teen to eat a healthy, balanced diet during exam times to focus and do her best.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}If this happens, encourage your teen to eat light meals or sandwiches. A healthy diet, rather than junk food, is best for reducing stress.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Persuade your teenager to get some sleep and/or do something active when she needs a real break from studying. Making time for relaxation, fun, and exercise are all important in reducing stress. Help your teen balance her time so that she will feel comfortable taking time out from studying to spend time with friends or rest.

    Show a positive attitude.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Your panic, anxiety and blame contribute to your teen's pressure. Make your teen feel accepted and valued for her efforts. Most importantly, reassure your teen that things will be all right, no matter what the results are.

    World records can be set even if you are over 100 years old. Robert Marchand was born in 1911 in northern France. He enjoys riding a bicycle, and started cycling seriously when he was in his 60s. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    On Wednesday, a crowd gathered at the Velodrome National, about 30 kilometers outside of Paris. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The record for one hour is held by Britain's Bradley Wiggins, a former Tour de France winner. Wiggins covered 54.5 kilometers in 2015.Evelyn Stevens of the United States holds the women's record. She went almost 48 kilometers in an hour last year. In 2012, Marchand set a record for riders over 100 years old when he traveled almost 27 kilometers in an hour. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Marchand set off on his record attempt as sports lovers cheered and photographers watched. He moved slowly, but steadily, around the cycling track.

    Marchand is relatively small.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} When the hour ended, he completed 92 times around the track. That is just over 22.5 kilometers. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He did not see his trainers telling him he only had 10 minutes remaining.“ I would have gone faster. I would have posted a better time,” he said. But the news was still good, as he did set a new record for riders 105-years-old or older.

“I'm now waiting for a rival,” he said.

A. Marchand is now 105 years old.

B. Marchand does well in riding a bicycle.

C. They were there to see how far he could travel in one hour.

D. They knew Marchand could travel over 22.5 kilometers.

E. He is only 1.52 meters tall and weighs 52 kilograms.

F. After the event, Marchand said he could have done better.

G.So the question many people asked this week was: “Could he break his own record?”

    Most of us probably dreamed about becoming an astronaut when we were little. But how many of us actually became one, or are at least working toward it?

    The advice “Always follow your dreams” is something that is typically easier said than done.

    But still, this is the one piece of advice that Alyssa Carson wants to share with her peers. This 17-year-old girl from the US has become one of the candidates for NASA's 2033 project to go to Mars. If everything goes well, Carson will be one of the first human beings to ever set foot on the red planet.

    Carson has dreamed of going to Mars since she was only three years old. Watching an astronaut-themed cartoon and learning that humans have only been to the moon but not Mars, Carson decided that she wanted to be the first one to do so.

    Since then, she has worked hard toward this goal. At the age of 12, Carson became the first person to attend all three NASA space camps, and she sat with real astronauts in a NASA panel(座谈会) to discuss the future of Mars missions.

    Now 17, Carson is continuing with her space training while still taking on her high school work like a “normal” teenager, except that she studies all her subjects in four languages – English, French, Spanish and Chinese.

    “I don't think there's anything specific that makes it easier for me or makes it something that others can't do,” Carson said in an interview with Uproxx News. “I've just really focused myself on what I want to accomplish.”

    And Carson is willing to make sacrifices for her dream. She's fully aware of the danger of the mission and the possibility that she might never be able to come back. She also accepts the fact that she can't get married and start a family because any loved ones left on Earth may be a distraction for her and for the mission. But Carson believes that it's all worth it, summarizing her view with this ancient Greek proverb she once quoted, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they'll never sit in.”

    So after all the hard work that Carson has done and all the sacrifices she's made, everything still boils down to the simple phrase, “follow your dreams”. And while some people's dreams may sound out of this world, in Carson's case, they literally(毫不夸张地) are.

Life on a Ship

    We three children were very excited when we walked up the gangway (舷梯) of the British flagship China Star and saw officers, crew and staff rushing around. A Chinese housekeeper led the way and helped Uncle Jean and Aunt Reine with our luggage. Victor, Claudine and I lagged behind. The housekeeper was tall and thin and towered over everyone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} As we followed him down a narrow corridor towards our cabins, Victor whispered to me, "One thing about having no hair at all on your head, you always look neat!"

    Though I was still feeling nervous and tongue-tied because it had only been three days since Aunt Reine took me out of St. Joseph's, I laughed out loud. That was the effect Victor had on people. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} "Boys to the right and girls to the left," said Uncle Jean. Our two cabins were directly opposite each other. Inside, everything was neat, bare and clean. While Aunt Reine, Claudine and I were unpacking, there was a knock on the door.

    Victor stood there, wearing a bright-red and orange life-jacket. "Why are you wearing that?" Claudine protested. "Our ship hasn't even sailed yet!" "In case the China Star starts going down. Then you'll really be sorry you're not wearing one yourself. Here! Let me show you something!" {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Our cabin was below deck. Outside we could see nothing but deep dark water.

    Claudine became alarmed. "Mama, how often does a ship sink?" she asked. Before Aunt Reine had time to reply, Victor quipped with a straight face, "Only once!" Aunt Reine and I could not help laughing in spite of ourselves. But then Victor did something my brothers would never have done. He took off his life-jacket, slipped it on his sister and showed her how to adjust the straps. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} At night, our housekeeper brought in a tiny roll-out bed because there were three of us.

A. Once Victor hid in a lifeboat for half an hour while we searched everywhere.

B. His head was completely hairless, and he was obviously unsteady.

C. He and Claudine made me feel at ease as soon as I met them.

D. There were only two narrow twin beds in our cabin, each covered with dark blue sheets.

E. He parted the curtain and looked out of the round window of the ship.

F. He jumped out as we passed below him, scaring and delighting us at the same time.