A strong memory depends on the health and vitality （活力） of your brain. They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but when it comes to the brain, scientists have discovered that this old saying simply isn't true. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

      Give your brain a workout. Memory, like muscular strength, requires you to “use it or lose it”. The more you work out your brain, the better you'll be able to process and remember information.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

        Don't skip the physical exercise. While mental exercise is important forbrain health, that doesn't mean you never need to break a sweat. Physical exercise helps your brainstay sharp. It increases oxygen to your brain and reduces the risk for disorders that lead to memory loss.

        Get enough sleep. There is a big difference between the amount of sleep you can get by on and the amount you need to function at your best.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Keep stress in check. Stress is one of the brain's worst enemies. Over time, stress destroys braincells. Studies have also linked stress to memory loss.

        Have a laugh.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} That holds true for the brain and the memory, as well as the body. Unlike emotional responses, which are limited to specificareas of the brain, laughter engages multiple regions across the whole brain.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Just as the body needs fuel, so does the brain. You probably already know that a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, “healthy”fats and lean protein will provide lots of health benefits, but such a diet can also improve memory. For brain health, though, it's not just what you eat—it's also what you don't eat.

A. Eat a brain-boosting diet.

B. Play games with memory.

C. Laughter is the best medicine.

D. But oversleeping is not good for yourbrain.

E. Even skipping a few hours makes adifference!

F. You have to shake things up from timeto time!

G. The human brain has an astonishingability to adapt and change.

    Quick tips for better time management

    Are you a good time manager? If your answer is “no”, here are some tips on how to be a better time manager:

⒈Create a daily plan. Plan your day before it starts. The plan gives you a good description of how the day will go on. That way, you will be ready to deal with most of the things you meet. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒉Focus. Are you multi-tasking so much that you're just not getting anything done? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Only focus on what you're doing. You'll be more efficient that way.

    ⒊Stay away from your time wasters. What takes your time away from your work? QQ? Email checking? {#blank#}3{#/blank#}One thing you can do is make it hard to check them— remove them from your browser quick links.

    ⒋{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't take on more than you can deal with. For the distractions that come in when you're doing other things, give a firm no. Or do it later.

    ⒌Decide to be early. When you prepare to be on time, you'll either be on time or late. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}However, if you decide to be early, you'll most likely to be on time. For appointments, try to be early. For your deadlines, meet them earlier than required.

A. Learn to say “No”.

B. Most of the time you'll be late.

C. Great ways to know your time spent.

D. Cut off when you need to.

E. Stop checking them so often.

F. Your job for the day is to follow the plan as best as possible.

G. If so, focus on just one key task at one time

    Long ago, people believed that in the future we would work less, have more free time and get more relaxed. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Today we work harder, work longer hours and have more stresses than ten years ago. We walk faster, talk faster and sleep less than previous generations. And although we use machines that save us time, we have less free time than our parents and grandparents. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} An American journalist James Gleick in a new book, says that people are suffering from "hurry sickness" — we're trying to do more things in less time. As a result, our lives are stressful. He says that if we don't slow down, we won't live as long as our parents. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Newspaper articles today are shorter and the headlines are bigger. Most people don't have enough time to read the articles, so they only read the headlines. On TV and the radio, newspapers speak more quickly than ten years ago. In the USA, there is a book called One-Minute Bedtime Stories for children. These are shorter versions of traditional stories, specially written for "busy parents" who want to save time! Some answer phones now have "quick playback" buttons so that we can replay people's messages faster— we can't waste time listening to people speaking at the normal speed! {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ten years ago when people went to art galleries they spent seconds looking at each picture. Today they spend just three seconds! Nowadays, many people prefer faster and dynamic sports like basketball.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Our cars are faster but the traffic is worse, so we drive more slowly. We spend more time sitting in our cars, feeling stressed. Experts predict that in ten years the average speed on the road in cities will be only 17 km/h.

A.People didn't feel stressed ten years ago.

B.But unluckily, this has not happened yet.

C.Even when we relax we do everything more quickly.

D.But what is this doing to our health?

E.For most people, being faster doesn't mean being better.

F.The only thing that is slower than before is the way we drive.

G.Now everything is faster than before, which bring us more convenience.

    Air pollution is a killer. The World Health Organization says it kills an estimated seven million people around the world each year.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} , it can make us very sick.

    However, breathing dirty air may do more than hurt your body.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} .A new study shows that air pollution can cause a “huge” reduction in our intelligence. The researchers reposed that long-time exposure to air pollution can affect a person's mental abilities in two areas: language and mathematics.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} .Between 2010 and 2014, these Chinese men, women and children were given language and math tests. Then they compared the test results with measurements of pollution in the air, namely nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, and found that breathing polluted air can reduce a person's education level by about one year.

    It has found that the effect generally is worse for those over 64 years of age, for men and for those with little or no education.

    “{#blank#}4{#/blank#} .And we find, quite interestingly, males are more affected than females. And people working outdoors are more affected than people working indoors, ”one of researchers said.

    He noted that the youngest people in the study were 10 years old, while the oldest was 90.They came from 25 of China'S 33 provinces.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    The researchers also noted that the effect of pollution on verbal ability is even more serious as people age, especially among men and the less educated.

A. Even if polluted air does not kill us

B. The elderly people are more affected

C. Therefore, some measures should be taken

D. Air pollution is one of the major problems of China

E. It can also affect your brain and your ability to think

F. The researchers studied about 25, 000 people across China

G. This range of ages and locations provided a “good representative sample”

    Every minute, every single day, about a truckload of plastic enters our oceans. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} And to date, only 9％of that has been recycled.

    We buy a bottle of water, drink it for a few minutes, and toss its permanent packaging "away". We eat potato chips, finish them, then throw their permanent packaging "away". We buy produce, take it out of the unnecessary plastic wrap, then throw its permanent packaging "away".

    The cycle is endless, and it happens countless times every single day. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} As far as we try to toss a piece of plastic—whether it's into a recycling bin or not——it does not disappear. Chances are, it ends up polluting our communities, oceans or waterways in some form.

    For years, we've been told the problem of plastic packaging can be solved through batter individual action. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But the truth is that we cannot recycle our way out of this mess.

    Recycling alone will never stop the flow of plastics into our oceans；we have to get to the source of the problem and slow down the production of all this plastic waste. Think about it: if your home was flooding because you had left the tap on, your first step wouldn't be to start mopping. You'd first cut the flooding off at its source—the tap. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    We need corporations—those like Coca-Cola, Unilever, Starbucks and Neatlé that continue to produce throwaway plastic bottles—to step up and take their responsibility for the mess they've created. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We will continue to do our part, but it's time for the world's largest corporations to do theirs.

A. This is their problem to deal with.

B. Plastic pollution is becoming very serious.

C. But here is the problem—there is no "away".

D. In many ways, our plastic problem is no different.

E. We think that if we simply recycle we're doing our part.

F. It's impossible for us to get rid of plastic pollution completely.

G. Since the 1950s, some 8. 3bn tons of plastic have been produced worldwide.

    Recently, crazy rich Asians are posting photos of themselves facing down and surrounded by luxury goods in a new trend sweeping social media.

    Falling down in public is embarrassing for most people. However, the new social media craze(时尚)called the "Falling Stars Challenge" has turned falling into something fun to do.

    The craze began in Russia. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Items like handbags, accessories (配饰) and cash were spread out on the ground around them in the photos. People shared these photos to show off their wealth.

    The craze soon became popular around the world. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} People are using it to show off their hobbies and professional talent. The items in their pictures show what they do for a living and what they have achieved in their lives.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, students fall down on textbooks and test papers. Police officers fall in front of their police cars with handcuffs (手铐) in their hands. Famous people are also taking the challenge. Writer Liu Tong took a fall with dozens of copies of his new book.

    More than 1.08 million Chinese have taken this challenge on Sina Weibo. Their pictures have been viewed more than 2.22 billion times. Internet users also comment on these posts. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} One Weibo user wrote: "This shows the positive energy of fighting and working hard. Applause for these young people!"

    However, some also think the craze is just another example of a successful internet meme (网络爆红). {#blank#}5{#/blank#} What do you think? Will you try this challenge?

A. They think people are just imitating others.

B. Most of them speak highly of the craze.

C. However, in China, it is taking on a new meaning.

D. The challenge is particularly popular among young people.

E. The biggest reason for the success of the challenge is simple.

F. People from all walks of life are taking part in it.

G. People posted pictures of themselves faking a fall.