Creativity is a skill that you can work on with time, training, and effort. There are many areas you can focus on to improve your overall creativity.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

     Doodle(信手涂鸦) in your spare time. Doodling can increase creativity by increasing your engagement with the world and attention span.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}The more information you're able to absorb, the more creative you will be.

    Listen to music. Simply playing music in the background can inspire you creatively. It can help you focus better and increase your overall concentration. Classical music tends to work particularly well for creativity and concentration.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}While classical music has beneficial effects for many, experiment a little to find the music that best helps you concentrate and feel creative.

    Play video games.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Interactive games that require movement help with creative thinking as they stimulate multiple senses. Things like Wii Tennis or Dance Dance Revolution would work well. Avoid games that require you to sit for long periods.

    Read more. Make a habit of reading regularly. Pick books from multiple types and styles of writing to expand your horizons and really cultivate your creativity. Try to make time to read every day.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}This will help direct your reading if you're unsure what kinds of books to start with.

A. Try joining a book club.

B. Not every type of music works for everyone.

C. Some video games are actually good for the creative mind.

D. Creativity is really important to your life as well as to society.

E. Video games do harm to our creativity instead of helping with it.

F. The following are some creative approaches you can involving yourself in.

G. It helps you stay engaged during activities where you would otherwise zone out.

How to Overcome Depression

    Suffering from depression means more than just dealing with a bad week or even a bad month. Depression is a weakening condition that can make it impossible for you to enjoy your daily existence. To overcome your depression, you have to first determine if what you're feeling are the symptoms of depression.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}While medications can help relieve symptoms, it is still important for depressed persons to understand the disorder and develop healthier strategies for coping with it.

    Keep yourself busy. Fill your schedule with events and activities you love. Keeping a busy schedule will force you to stay active, focused, and thinking about the next thing on your plate. You can draw up a schedule for each day at the start of the week, or simply plan out each day the night before.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Improve your diet{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Even if you're losing your appetite, you need to be determined to eat three meals a day. You don't need to try to lose weight or be incredibly healthy-conscious when you're dealing with your depression, but eating healthier food regularly will improve your mental and physical state.

    Think positively. Being a more positive thinker will help you look at your life and world in a way that fills you with hope instead of despair. To think more positively, you should learn how to recognize your negative thoughts and to fight them with stronger positive thoughts whenever you can. For a jump start, find at least five things to be grateful for{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Neglecting personal hygiene (卫生) is a common side effect of depression. While you will not beat your depression by transforming your looks, if you take time to maintain your appearance and hygiene every day, you will feel better about yourself. Shower daily, brush your teeth and wash your hair.

A. Control your emotions.

B. Improve your appearance.

C Most importantly be happy about every single day.

D. Whichever method you choose, make a goal of sticking to it.

E. However, not everyone knows depression has a positive side.

F. Eating a healthy, balanced diet can also help you beat depression.

G. If you are feeling sad, lonely, or worthless, you may be suffering from depression.

    You're growing up. That means you're probably experiencing lots of changes all at once. Your body is changing. It might even seem as if your entire self is changing. It can be confusing and even scary.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} And it's good!

    Growing up means that you can do more, learn more, and start to make your mark on the world. In order for that to happen, your body produces chemicals called hormones that help both body and mind grow. Hormone levels change constantly, rising and falling.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} But it's partly to blame for intense emotions, surprising reactions, and mood swings.

    Because of the way your brain develops, it is somewhat ruled by emotion now and through your teen years. As a result, growing up can seem like an emotional roller coaster！{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Take care of yourself. If you eat right, sleep enough, and get good exercise, your brain will be much more able to deal with the stress.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When you feel your moods swinging or you're upset, or confused, some quiet time will allow you to gather your thoughts and get calmer.

    Practice relaxing your body and deep breathing when you go to bed and when you wake up.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Plus, when stuff happens during the day, you'll be able to calm yourself quickly with a deep breath or two before you react. Your body is changing.

A. Take a time-out.

B. But the truth is, it happens to every teen.

C. Work out regularly to keep physically fit.

D. This changing is needed for your body's development.

E. It will help you fall asleep—and start the morning right.

F. Here are a few things you can do to make the ride smoother.

G. Usually, these feelings settle down when you realize what is going on.

How to Find Something You Like to Do

    Finding something you enjoy doing can improve the quality of your life and reduce your stress levels.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It can also help you make friends or even provide a purpose in your life. Then how can you find something you like to do?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Some hobbies, such as albums and gardening, can take up a lot of time. Other hobbies, such as video games or reading, can be done at your own pace and do not require any extended time.

    Research the hobby or activity you would like to get involved in. Find out how much time and money you will need to devote to starting and continuing the activity. For example, some sports—related interests might require special equipment. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Your local library or phone book should also have information on hobbies and activities in your area.

    Talk with other people who are involved in some of the activities you are interested in.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ask if you could tag along (跟随) to a meeting or spend some time with this person while he is involved in his hobby to see if it is something you would enjoy.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Challenge yourself to try a new activity you are interested in for a week or so. Allow yourself to learn about the hobby and determine whether you will enjoy the activity or not.

A. Think about how a hobby benefits you.

B. A hobby can connect you with other people.

C. Take a chance on a hobby and see how it turns out.

D. Think about how much free time you can devote to a hobby.

E. You can find information about hobbies and interests on Find My Hobby's website.

F. You can get first—hand knowledge by interviewing someone about a particular hobby.

G. It takes a long time and energy to decide whether a particular hobby is right for you.

    Much meaning can be conveyed clearly in our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} On a bus you may look at a stranger, but not for too long. And if he senses that you are staring at him, he may feel uncomfortable.

    The same is true in our dailylife. If you are stared at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Eyes do speak, right?

    Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If a man stares at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to look away from her, his intentions are obvious. He wishes to attract her attention, and let her know that he is admiring her.

    However, when two persons are engaged in a conversation, the speaker will only look into the listener's eyes from time to time to make sure that the listener does pay attention to what the former is speaking. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking as if he's trying to control you, you will feel awkward. A poor liar usually exposes himself by looking too long at the victim. He wrongly believes that looking straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Actually, eye contact should be made based on a specific relationship and situation.

A. On the contrary, it will give him away.

B. Do you have such a kind of experience?

C. That's what normal eye contact is all about.

D. Actually, continuous eye contact is limited to lovers only.

E. After all, everybody likes to be stared at for quite a long time.

F. But things are different when it comes to staring at the opposite sex.

G. If nothing goes wrong, you will feel annoyed at being stared at that way

    I've come back to check on a baby. Just after dusk I'm in a car down a muddy road in the rain, past rows of shackled(戴镣的) elephants, their trunks swinging. I was here five hours before， when the sun was high and hot and tourists were on elephants' backs.

    Walking now, I can barely see the path in the glow of my phone's flashlight. When the wooden fence post stops me short, I point my light down and follow a current of rainwater across the concrete floor until it washes up against three large, gray feet. A fourth foot twisted above the surface, tied tightly by a short chain and choked by ring of metal spikes(尖刺) When the elephant tires and puts her foot down， the spikes press deeper into her ankle.

    Meena is four years and two months old, still a child as elephants go. Khammon Kongkhaw, her caretaker, told me earlier that Meena wears the spiked chain because she tends to kick. Kongkhaw has been responsible for Meena here at Maetaman Elephant Adventure, near Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, since she was 11 months old. He said he keeps her on the spiked chain only during the day and takes it off at night. But it's night now.

    I ask Jin Laoshen, the Maetaman worker accompany in me on this nighttime visit, why her chain is still on. He says he doesn't know.

    Mactaman is one of many animal attractions in and around tourist-crowded Chiang Mai. Meena's life is set to follow the same track as many of the roughly 3, 800 captive(被捕获的) elephants in Thailand. When Meena is too old or sick to give rides-maybe at 55, maybe at 75she'll die. If she's lucky, she'll get a few years of retirement. She'll spend most of her life on a chain.