Five ways to improve creativity

    Creativity is the ability to go beyond traditional rules, ideas or relationships and create something new through imagination or progressiveness. There are many ways to improve your creative mind.

    Exercise the mind. Exercising your mind is an ideal way to boost creativity. Like the body, the mind needs exercise to work the creative muscles and make them stronger. Exercise your brain by learning new subjects, getting into a debate about politics and talking to other creative and intelligent people.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be passionate. One aspect of creativity is passion.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Find your internal motivation and follow your passion to improve your creativity.

    Change your routine.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}To boost your creativity, consider changing one to two elements of your daily routine. If you are working on a certain project, consider stopping one project to work on another project at regular intervals throughout the day or week.

    Read. While reading provides many intellectual benefits, reading is also beneficial for boosting creativity, exercising your brain and provide creative inspiration.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Consider reading about subjects that were previously uninteresting to you. This change in the norm might spark your creative interest.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Our packed schedules have no room for creative thinking. Take a certain amount of time every day to quiet, refresh and clear the mind while relaxing the body. This quiet time can consist of a yoga workout, meditation or simply sitting still in a dark and quiet room, in a peaceful garden or on a beautiful beach.

A. Schedule quiet time.

B. It can become weak due to stresses

C. Creativity is a natural quality

D. Often, creativity is blocked due to a too familiar routine

E. These activities will encourage a flow of creativity.

F. Read as much as possible about several different subjects.

G. Typically, students will do well in subjects they are interested in

    Hobbies let you explore interests outside your work. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are plenty of options available to you. How can you choose the hobby that suits you from these options? Here are some tips.

    Look at what interests you. And examine what takes up your spare time, when you have it. Do you enjoy reading books? Maybe you want to try your hand at writing them. Do you like a cool beer at the end of the day? Maybe your hobby could be trying to make beer at home. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Think about what you value most. What qualities do you think important? Do you value wisdom or courage? Do you admire artistic expression? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For instance, maybe you could volunteer at a library as a hobby because you value education, or maybe you could take up painting because you admire people who can express themselves with art.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Certain hobbies require certain skill sets. If you don't have much patience, then maybe hand sewing isn't something you'd enjoy. However, if you love building things, maybe you should consider a hobby like building furniture.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Ask your friends and family what you seem to talk about the most. Now, think about what it is about that subject that you enjoy so much and determine how it can be turned into a hobby.

A. Help others to choose a hobby.

B. Examine your skills and personality.

C. Turn what you already love into a hobby.

D. Decide whether you're interested in one thing.

E. Think about the topics you go on endlessly about.

F. They let you be creative and try all kinds of new things.

G. Let those qualities guide you when you're choosing a hobby.

Ways to protect eyes from screens

    Too much screen time may cause serious eye strain(眼疲劳) and even a sharp decline of eyesight. That's a big problem a lot of people are faced with nowadays, especially those who work on a computer. The following tips may be helpful.

Get regular eye tests.

    Experts recommend having a comprehensive eye exam every year to detect (探测) problems before they develop. During this test, you should tell the doctor how often you use your phone and your computer. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Tell your doctor about it, and your eyes can be tested more accurately at that distance.

Give your eyes space

     {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Studies on computer-related eye strain suggest that screens should be no closer than 40cm from your face. If this makes it hard for you to read, consider increasing the size of the text rather than moving the screen closer.

Take breaks

    This may not always be practical if you're quite busy, but it's important not to stare directly at a screen for too long.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} While surveys have shown that many office workers take no more than half an hour a day away from their computer, it's recommended that you take a 15-minute break after every two hours spent at your screen.

     {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Staring at a screen continuously for hours on end may make it difficult for you to focus. To avoid this, many eye experts recommend the “20-20-20 rule” --looking away from your phone/computer screen every 20 minutes and focusing on an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. The science behind his trick is that looking at objects at a distance relaxes the focusing muscle in the eye.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

Kids' health: Four steps for fighting stress

    Everybody gets stressed from time to time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some ways of dealing with stress — like screaming or hitting someone — don't solve (解决) much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.

    Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed：

    ⑴Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult，such as a parent or other relatives. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They might have had similar problems，such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.

    ⑵Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear，that's not a good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⑶Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends，it's time to get down to business. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Even if you can't solve all of it，you can solve a piece of it.

    ⑷Be positive. Most stress is temporary (暂时的). Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.

    These steps aren't magic，but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time，you'll help yourself feel better even faster. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation.

B. Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them.

C. Different people feel stress in different ways.

D. Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone.

E. You need to figure out what the problem is.

F. And don't forget about your friends.

G. Then, find a way to calm down.

    "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." — Lao Tzu

    If you are in a city where everyone rushes, realize that you don't have to be like everyone else. You can be different. You can walk instead of driving in rush hour traffic. Your environment doesn't control your life — you do. I'm not going to tell you how to give you a step-by-step guide to moving slower. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    ⒈Do less.

    Cut back on your projects, on your task list, on how much you try to do each day. Focus not on quantity( 数量) but on quality(质量). {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Save smaller, routine tasks for later in the day, but give yourself time to focus.

    ⒉Have fewer meetings.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And they eat into your day, forcing you to squeeze the things you really need to do into small windows, and making you rush.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    When you do the some things with focus, without rush, there will be things that get pushed back, and that don't get done. And you need to ask yourself: how necessary are these things? What would happen if I stopped doing them?

    ⒋Practice mindfulness.

    Simply learn to live in the present, rather than things so much about future or the past. When you eat, fully appreciate your food. When you are with someone, be with them fully. When you are walking, appreciate your surroundings, no matter where you are.

    Try these things out. Life is better when unrushed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Start to put off or cancel the unnecessary.

B  Meetings are usually a "big waste of time".

C. The world likely won't end if you don't pass one of the examinations.

D. But here are some things to consider and perhaps adopt, if they work for your life.

E. Remember the quote: if nature can get everything done without rushing, so can you.

F. Pick 2-3 important things — or even just one important thing — and work on those first.

G. Give yourself more time to get ready and get there.

    Going back to school can be a stressful time for children and families. Everyone must make the transition (转变) from easy holiday life to routines, schedules and homework. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    * Arrange school events and programs.

    Many schools have events and programs to help cut down on students' stress. At these events, parents can meet teachers and see what their children are learning. Families can attend activities held on different sites in the school. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    * Make connections in the classroom

    Communicating with students is good advice for teachers. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Teachers can share details about themselves or invite children to talk about what they did over the holiday.

    * Don't schedule too many activities for your children

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Instead, help them set clear goals and keep schedules organized. If someone in the family has a learning style close to that of the student, that person could help because they have something in common.

    * {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Everyone needs a break from work. Family meals and outings can help everyone relax. A family game night or walk in a park together can give parents and children a chance to have fun as a family. If a student has hours of homework to complete, taking several 10-minute breaks can reduce stress.

A. Take a break.

B. Have fun with family.

C. In this way, students can become more familiar with the environment.

D. Conversations can reduce nervousness and stress among the students.

E. Older students help younger ones understand the rules and culture of the school.

F. Fortunately, schools, teachers, parents and children can all help to relieve the stress.

G. Parents are advised not to overload their children with extra-curricular activities.