While some lucky people are born with the gift of artistic power, others have to study to become fluent in the language of art.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If the artistic path is calling you, begin the journey with tiny steps and follow it. Here are some ways to show you how to become a true artist.

    Try a generous choice of differing forms of art. If you have never spent much time creating art, it may feel challenging to try to become an artist.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They just need to express their creative ideas in a great way. If there is a specific type of art you would like to learn more about, go for it, but don't be afraid to branch out and try other forms as well. Some of the most basic forms of art include drawing, painting, sculpting, and photographing.

    Do your research and learn the basics.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Learn as much as you can about the medium-read books and articles, watch educational videos, and research various methods and other artists. One of the best ways to learn is by studying the work of others who have come before you. If you put effort, it is completely possible to teach yourself how to be a great artist. Need help?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} I'll work for sure.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Many artists devote their lives to creating art. While you do not have to spend every single second of your day working on a painting, do try to dedicate some time each day (or every other day) to working on your project, whatever it might be.

A. Make creating art your favorite.

B. Make time for your art every day.

C. The truth is that all people are artists.

D. Pick up some books on your chosen form(s).

E. You can always further your research with an art class.

F. A key part of being an artist is observing the world around you.

G. Whichever path you are on, be clear that everyone is an artist.

Meat-free Mondays

    In the United Kingdom, vegetarianism (素食主义) is becoming very popular, with around 3 million people in the UK vegetarian.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, here in France, I often struggle to find a meat-and-fish-free choice on a menu, which can make eating in restaurants a bit of a challenge.

    People are often curious why I choose to limit my diet in the way I do. There are many reasons why people may choose to be vegetarian. Many people give up meat or fish simply because they do not enjoy the taste. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They believe it has a bad effect on the environment or it is bad for health. Furthermore, many people are vegetarians to avoid wasting food. In addition, some religious beliefs forbid eating certain meats. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}However, although sometimes vegetarian food requires a little more creativity, it is very easy to enjoy a healthy and balanced diet as a vegetarian especially when meat substitutes (替代品) are becoming much easier to get.

    Meat-free Mondays is a campaign (运动) to encourage every family to eat just one main meal a week which does not contain meat or fish. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}This is a great challenge for anyone who would like to try out some vegetarian cooking and is a wonderful way to contribute to slowing down climate change.

A.   Young kids prefer meat and fish than vegetables.

B.   Some feel that killing animals for meat is wrong.

C.   Vegetarian food can be delicious and easy to prepare.

D.  The city where I grew up is known as the „vegetarian capital' of the UK.

E.   Overall, vegetarians usually have different reasons for choosing their lifestyle.

F.   The purpose of the campaign is to protect the environment and to improve health.

G.  A common misunderstanding about vegetarian food is that it is not tasty or healthy.

    Most successful people attach importance to why learning from mistakes is important. Every unsuccessful attempt can help you gain important experience. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Here are some of the top reasons why mistakes are valuable.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Do you remember your first bad grade for a test? Do you remember an embarrassing moment when a teacher caught you cheating during an exam?

    These are common struggles but they are actually a great way to build good future habits. Once you have the experience, you will no longer make the mistakes you did before. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Encourage different thinking

    As we make mistakes, we remove certain ways of reaching our goal. When an approach is proven wrong, people immediately start looking for different ways to resolve a situation. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If your initial idea did not work, you are more likely to take a different stand and think of ideas you wouldn't have thought if that didn't happen.

    Build characters

    This is quite the tricky benefit since people can go either way when it comes to building characters. Very often, too many mistakes make people depressed. Too many failures convince them to just give up on their dreams. However, once you start learning from mistakes, you'll gain confidence from them. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. And they will help you become a more passionate, successful person.

A. Give us experience

B. Reveal weaknesses

C. As we make mistakes, we learn from them

D. We have to practice, fail and rise up again

E. They will help you build a stronger character

F. Basically, mistakes encourage you to find a new solution

G. And mistakes can even be more valuable than achievements

Sleep and Teens--Biology and Behavior

    How much sleep do teens need? And how much sleep are they realistically getting? Based on current data, most teens need about 9-plus hours to have the best or most suitable sleep night. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Many factors combine to decrease sleep in adolescents. We can think in general of two major factors: biological, the brain processes that regulate the amount and timing of sleep, and behavior, all the psychological, parental, societal, cultural features of teen's life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}These changes lay the ground work for the biological night to occur later during the teen years than before. Circadian Rhythms (daily biological clock) seems to slow down as young people progress through the middle school years. At the same time, the sleep pressure system appears to change in a way that makes it easier to stay awake longer, though without changing the amount of sleep that is needed.

    Moreover, many teens have a "technological playground" in their bedrooms: television, computer with 24/7 Internet access, telephones, electronic game stations, MP3 players, and so forth. These technologies provide instant and constant contact with peers. Societal and media pressure to consume these technologies is now higher than ever. Yet society also requires that teens go to school at a time of day that is at odds with their biological and social lives. So we see teens turn to caffeine, late-night Internet and cramming in activity after activity as a means to keep awake.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Problems emerge for lack of sleep. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}For some, grades begin to suffer as they struggle to keep awake during class and while doing homework. And others may simply feel moody, never knowing how to feel or do their best. Worse still, many teens suffer from both physical and mental illness.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The earlier teens can start this good sleep habit, the easier it will be for them to stay healthy, happy and smart.

A. Sleep experts recommend teens keep consistent sleep and wake schedule

B. Teens may schedule sleep like any other daily activity and make sleep a priority

C  Then they are trapped into a terrible situation where they would never get enough sleep

D. The sleep-wake bio-regulatory factors appear to change significantly during adolescence

E. Some teenagers struggle to wake up in the morning  often resulting in late or missed school

F. Teens may be driven to things that can wake them up because they'll fall asleep if they do not

G. However, it is indicated that most teens fall short of this goal, many by a considerable amount.

    Violent Games: Fun or Harmful?

    If you play lots of video games, you've probably blown a zombie(僵尸) into tiny bits. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many adults worry that playing such games could make children act violently in real life. Is that true?

The American Academy of Pediatrics(儿科) says that violence in any kind of media — from TV to music to video games — presents a risk to kids' health. A number of studies have shown a link between video games and aggression, including one published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2014, which found that kids who played violent video games showed an increase in aggressive thoughts and behaviors. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    But not all studies agree that violent games cause kids to act out. Another study replaced violent deaths with evaporation(蒸发) in a game. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} People who played the non-violent game without any training were more aggressive afterward than people who played the violent version but learned to control themselves first.

    And here's an even stranger fact: When violent video games are released, people carry out fewer violent crimes! Why? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Steve Levitt, coauthor of the book Freakonomics, said, “If you can make video games fun enough, then kids will stop watching TV, and they'll stop going out and creating violent disorder on the street.”

What do you think? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. One possible explanation: potential criminals are at home playing the new game.

B. Then, before playing the game, some people received training and others didn't.

C. More than 3,000 kids answered survey questions during a two-year period.

D. For example, thinking it's OK to hit someone you don't like.

E. Have you ever played any violent video games?

F. Do violent video games cause bad behavior?

G. Some games even pile up dead bodies.

It's no secret that reading good news feels a lot better than reading bad news. Like, would you rather bite into a lemon, or sip on a fresh glass of lemonade?

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The world is full of problems and conflicts and we need to stay informed and alert （警觉的） to what's going on around us. While reading traditional, more negative news is important, consuming good news is also part of staying informed. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And it also brings meaningful benefits, like reduced stress and anxiety, higher rates of engagement, community building skills, and inspiration for creating a better world. Plus, knowing what to look for in the good news landscape is a key part of improving our media literacy skills and being thoughtful news consumers. 

In fact, good news, known as solutions journalism, is becoming more popular, as publishers and news stations discover the benefits of sharing positive stories. GoodGood Good is one of them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A team of reporters and editors there work daily to deliver stories that make readers feel hopeful and equipped to do more good with possible solutions. 

"If it bleeds, it leads. has long been a saying used in the media to describe how news stories about violence, death and destruction draw readers' attention. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The thing is, however, there's also good stuff out there-the delightful and kind parts of humanity. "Beautiful stories are happening worldwide.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When you do find them, the world can suddenly feel like a very different place. Good news is a vital part of how we learn about the world and solving the world's problems. "Hervey, one of Good Good Good's editors said. 

A. Share good news with people around you. 

B. It's just that we don't hear as much about them. 

C. But the "bad news" has its place in the world. 

D. It provides a more balanced view of the world. 

E. And so, negative news stories are everywhere on news media. 

F. Heartwarming stories make you cry and feel good. 

G. The news media company is devoted to providing good news intentionally.