How to Create a Mind Map

    Most of us think visually but we write textually. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It also makes the information we list more difficult to process, remember, and share.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It combines the brain's visual nature with our tendency to write down words. We end up with a diagram that combines logic and order in a less structured manner. This promotes clearer thinking and better comprehension.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    So, how do you create a mind map? The most basic method is to just use a pen and paper, or a marker and whiteboard. It begins with a central topic or idea, then flows outward.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} The next level of topics is represented by branches extending from it.

    There aren't really any rules for creating mind maps. While most flow outwardly from the central topic, some users prefer to build mind maps in one direction.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This can make groups of ideas easier to identify and remember. It also makes a mind map more enjoyable to create and use.

    Mind maps are extremely effective for taking notes, planning a project, brainstorming an idea, presenting information to others, and many other uses. Take out your pen and have a try.

A. They help to clarify thinking.

B. This goes against how our minds actually work.

C. They help us save time by focusing on key issues.

D. A mind map is the perfect answer to this dilemma.

E. Think of it as a tree, where the central point is the trunk.

F. It's also a lot more enjoyable than simply writing down lists.

G. Others like to add colors, pictures, or symbols in their mind maps.

    Winter is a really fun time of the year—it's great to have snowball fights and build snowmen{#blank#}1{#/blank#} When it's cold outside and you're not prepared, you can feel uncomfortable. Lucky for you, learning how to stay safe is not difficult.

    ●{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Wearing thick clothes is the best way to stay warm in the cold. Depending on where you live and how cold it is, some kids may need more clothes, some less.

    ●Take that hat. You maybe wear a large overcoat and ready to go, but are you forgetting something?{#blank#}3{#/blank#} You'll stay much warmer with a hat than without one—tons of body heat escapes right from your head.

    ●Drink up. Sounds like advice for hot weather, not cold weather, right?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} When you're outside in the cold and breathing hard, your body loses a lot of water through your breath. And the best way to get that water back is to drink up!

    ●Take it easy. Sometimes if you're out having fun, it's easy to forget to pay attention to your body. But if your body temperature drops even 4 or 5 degrees while you're out side, it can make you feel terrible{#blank#}5{#/blank#} And if you ever feel weak, those are signs that you have to take it easy indoors for a while.

A.Love those clothes.

B.Have a snowball fight.

C. Pull a hat onto your head.

D. That's why you need to be careful with your body s signals.

E. Well, the truth is that it's good advice for both kinds of weather.

F. but you have to know how to be safe while you're out having fun.

G. You can stay outside as long as possible to fully enjoy your snow days.

    Cross-country skiing can be enjoyed by a wide range of students, from the youngest kindergartners to those secondary students. It is really a fun activity, providing students a gentle workout outside in winter. While having fun, students can gain physical and mental benefits.

    The physical benefits of cross-country skiing are well-known. If we look at Olympic cross-country skiers, we can see the positive effects on the body that result from training for cross-country skiing.

    The average best female cross-country skiers carry 11 percent body fat, and best male skiers carry 5 percent. These percentages are well below the average people who are considered to be athletic—17 percent for females and 10 percent for males. Burning a high number of calories while skiing helps to keep skiers slim in a healthy and attractive way.

    Cross-country skiing is also an efficient way to exercise a large number of muscles at once. The upper body gets much more of workout because skiers use ski poles as a means of propulsion (推进), the force that drives skiers forward. Of course, the leg muscles also do their fair share. People who use cross-country skiing as a workout over several weeks will discover that the muscles of their whole body increase in strength.

    Cross-country skiing on a regular basis has a tremendous effect on a person's cardiovascular (心血管的) system. In addition to gaining strength in the muscles of the upper and lower body, people who use cross-country skiing as a workout method over several weeks will also discover that their heart is stronger. A strong heart pumps more efficiently, sending out more blood to the muscles with each contraction (收缩). Through weeks of skiing, people often discover that their resting heart rate has decreased. Highly trained Olympic cross-country skiers have resting heart rates between 28 and 40 beats per minute. Compare that to the resting heart rate of the average person, which is 60 to 80 beats per minute!

    The benefits of cross-country skiing extend beyond overall general health. A lot of evidence exists showing that regular physical activities increase the release of mood-lifting endorphins  (内啡肽) in the body. After fun skiing lessons, students will be full of energy; they will be relaxed and in a better mood than when they started class. Students will leave class with a sense of accomplishment, knowing that they have developed new skills in a fun activity.

Cross-country skiing is a great way to exercise the whole body. Now more and more students are taking part in this exercise outside during the winter months. They are enjoying it and benefiting from it!

    Are you suffering from FOMO—that is, Fear Of Missing Out? Research shows that a growing number of young people are, with worrying reasons for their sleep and schoolwork.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You aren't able to do your best unless you sleep well. Most experts agree that the optimum（最适宜）number of hours is eight, and this has been accepted as common sense for as long as I can remember. However, I was young once and know most of you get much less sleep than that.

    I read an interesting article in a teachers' magazine recently. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Worryingly, the results showed that teenagers are facing a new problem. They may go to bed and get up at appropriate times, but a growing number are waking up in the middle of the night, not to use the bathroom or have a snack, but because of FOMO.

    According to the article, the number of students waking up during the night to check social media is growing. Afraid of missing a comment or opportunity to take part in a chat, teenagers are waking at all times of the night, going online and getting involved. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Experts are worried about this growing trend and the report reveals some worrying statistics: 23% of 12-to 15-year-olds wake up nearly every night to use social media. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} One in third of the students are constantly tired and unable to function to their full capacity.

    So I'd like to ask you to be responsible when it comes to social media. Switch off your devices at night. The world won't end and your social media will be waiting to greet you in the morning! {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. But things are getting out of hand.

B. They did a study of 848 students in Wales.

C. Another 15% wake up at night once a week for the same reason.

D. I give you my word that you won't have missed anything important.

E. All happens when they should be sound asleep.

F. FOMO is the fear that everyone else is having more fun and more excitement than you.

G. Everybody knows how important it is for students to get a good night's sleep every night

    In the 19th century, millions of European went to the USA because they wanted to find a better life. Many of them couldn't find work in cities like New York. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The people, called settlers, travelled west through the mountains on the Oregon Trail.

    Some of these people hoped to find gold in California. The journey sometimes took more than one year. There are a lot of films, called Westerns, about the settlers on the trail. In most of the film, we see the Native Americans (American Indians) attacking the settlers, and the "Indians" killing many white people.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In fact, most of them were very helpful to the settlers.

    It is true that the settlers' journey was extremely difficult. Many of them walked 3, 200 kilometers, the whole length of the trail. They had wagons(马车), but the wagons were often too full, so people could not travel in them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The people were very poor and many did not even have shoes-they walked the whole trail barefoot in extremely cold temperature.

    More than 50, 000 people, including many women and children, died on the trail. A lot of people died from illnesses like cholera, because the drinking water wasn't clean. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Many people died under the wheels of wagons, for example, and from accidental gunshots.

A. They hoped they could make more money.

B. So they left and went to find farmland in the west.

C. Many parents also had to carry their small children.

D. But the truth is that the native Americans were not the biggest problem for the settlers.

E. Many of them lost their home.

F. There were also a lot of accidents.

    In my teens, I went far from home to study at TWU in America. Due to limited financial resources from my parents, I worked part-time on campus to pay for my bills. I did cleaning every Friday for an American family. If I was lucky enough, I could occasionally babysit a child for extra money. In addition, like most poor people, I had to be careful with every penny I spent, from food and clothing to rent and transportation. Because of a tight grocery budget, I couldn't afford to buy fish, beef or certain other nutritious food. Due to an imbalanced diet, I would easily feel weak and lacking in energy.

    As soon as Dai Mom realized that I was having financial hardship, she lovingly invited me to her home for dinner every Friday and weekend. What's more, whenever it was time to return home, she would always prepare me with some homemade desserts to take home. Her actions greatly changed my life. In particular, there was one event that I would always remember.

    One early evening, while I was walking out of the library, I felt my blood sugar running low. I started to feel dizzy, and my hands began to shake a little. Searching my pocket, I found that I only had a few dollars left. I was dying for a free and tasty dinner. Without a second thought, I quickly headed for Dai Mom's home, rather than go back to my apartment.

    As I got to the door, Dai Mom immediately noticed my extreme tiredness. She seated me at the dinner table, and before long, a plate of food was set in front of me on the table. "My boy, have dinner. Don't make yourself work so hard." she said to me with a nice smile.

    Staring at the meat, vegetables and fish on my plate, I suddenly felt so carefully taken care of that tears started welling up in my eyes, rolling down on my face, and dripping to the food on the plate. I gobbled up all the food with indescribably bitter-sweet feelings.