The Science of Risk-Seeking

    Sometimes we decide that a little unnecessary danger is worth it because when we weigh the risk and the reward, the risk seems worth taking. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some of us enjoy activities that would surprise and scare the rest of us. Why? Experts say it may have to do with how our brains work.

    The reason why any of us take any risks at all might have to do with early humans. Risk-takers were better at hunting, fighting, or exploring. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} As the quality of risk-taking was passed from one generation to the next, humans ended up with a sense of adventure and a tolerance for risk.

    So why aren't we all jumping out of airplanes then? Well, even 200, 000 years ago, too much risk-taking could get one killed. A few daring survived, though, along with a few stay-in-the-cave types. As a result, humans developed a range of character types that still exists today. So maybe you love car racing, or maybe you hate it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    No matter where you are on the risk-seeking range, scientists say that your willingness to take risks increases during your teenage years. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} To help you do that, your brain increases your hunger for new experiences. New experiences often mean taking some risks, so your brain raises your tolerance for risk as well.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For the risk-seekers, a part of the brain related to pleasure becomes active, while for the rest of us, a part of the brain related to fear becomes active.

    As experts continue to study the science of risk-seeking, we'll continue to hit the mountains, the waves or the shallow end of the pool.

    Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment，the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty per cent of Americans worry about losing eyesight，but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight：

    Schedule yearly exams{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eyeglasses.

    Protect against UV rays(紫外线)．Long­term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is，it's extremely important to wear sunglasses.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}  Give your eyes a break. Two­thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Experts recommend that people practise the 20/20/20 rule：every 20 minutes，take a 20­second break and look at something 20 feet away.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}As part of a healthy diet，eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins(维生素) C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.

    Practise safe wear and care of contact lenses(隐形眼镜)．Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses，many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Otherwise，you may have problems such as red eyes，pain in the eyes，or a more serious condition.

A．This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness

B.  Eye care should begin early in life.

C．Eat your greens.

D．They can properly protect your eyes.

E．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins.

F．Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight.

G．Always follow the doctor's advice for appropriate wear.

    While everyone overthinks situations once in a while, some people are troubled by thinking all the time. Overthinkers rethink conversations they had yesterday, second-guess every decision they make, and imagine disastrous outcomes-all day. Their minds are like a movie where they imagine their car going off the road or they replay distressing events over and over again.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Keep the focus on problem-solving

    Keeping the focus on your problems isn't helpful-but looking for solutions is. If it's something you have some control over, consider how you can prevent the problem or challenge yourself to identify five potential solutions.

    If it's something you have no control over-like a natural disaster—think about the strategies you can use to cope with it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Schedule time for reflection

    Worrying about your problems for long periods of time isn't productive, but brief reflection can be helpful. Thinking about how you could do things differently or recognizing potential traps to your plan, could help you perform better in the future.

    Add 15 minutes of “thinking time” into your daily schedule. During that time let yourself worry, or think about whatever you want.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Learning mindfulness skills

    It's impossible to rehash（反复推敲）yesterday or worry about tomorrow when you're living in the present. Mindfulness will help you become more aware of the here and now.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}There are classes, books, apps, courses, and videos available to help you learn mindfulness skills.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Do this in your brain by changing your activity. Exercise, engage yourself in a conversation on a completely different subject, or work on a project that draws away your attention. Doing something different will put an end to the negative thoughts.

A. Change the channel.

B. Change your attitude.

C. Focus on the things you can control, like your attitude and effort.

D. Just like any other skill, mindfulness takes practice, but over time, it can decrease overthinking.

E. Overthinking can become such a habit that you don't even recognize when you're doing it.

F. There are four tips that can help you stop overthinking.

G. When your time is up, move onto something else.

How to Remember What You Read

    Reading is important. But the next step is making sure that you remember what you've read! {#blank#}1{#/blank#} you may have just read the text. But the ideas, concepts and images（形象）may fly right out of your head. Here are a few tricks for remembering what you read.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    If the plot, characters, or word usage is confusing for you, you likely won't be able to remember what you read. It's a bit like reading a foreign language. If you don't understand what you're reading, how would you remember it? But there are a few things you can do... Use a dictionary; look up the difficult words.

    Are you connected?

    Does a character remind you of a friend? Does the setting make you want to visit the place? Does the book inspire you and make you want to read more? With some books, you may feel a connection right away. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} How willing are you to make the connections happen?

    Read it; hear it; be it!

    Read the lines. Then, speak them out loud. And, put some character into the words. When he was writing his novels, Charles Dickens would act out the parts of the characters. He'd make faces in the mirror and change his voice for each character. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    How often do you read?

    If you read frequently, you'll likely have an easier time with remembering what you're reading and what you've read. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} As you make reading a regular part of your life, you'll make more connections, stay more focused and understand the text better. You'll learn to enjoy literature- as you remember what you read!

A. Are you confused?

B. Practice makes perfect.

C. What's your motivation?

D. Memory is sometimes a tricky thing.

E. Marking helps you remember what you read.

F. But other books require a bit more work on your part.

G. You can do the same thing when you are reading the text!

I have met many westerners who do not feel anything to put their feet on the table while sitting on the chair.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}They don't feel like it is a strange or rude thing to do it. And I-know that they don't mean to be ill-behaved. However, in the eyes of a Myanmarese, it is really a very rude thing.

For Myanmarese, the head is the most sacred (神圣的) part of the human body while the feet are the most inferior part.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They touch ground, dirt, mud and garbage. Just think of all the dirty things lying on the ground. So the Myanmarese regard feet as the most dirty and smelly part of one's body.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}When you put that dirty part of your body onto other people's clean table, it is like an insult (侮辱) to that person if that person is a Myanmarese. There is nothing more insulting to a Myanmarese than to point your feet towards him.

So, if you want to win the heart of your Myanmarese friends, next time when you drop in on him or he visits you, try not to put your feet on the living room table or point your feet towards him. Indeed, your feet should never be pointing to the direction of a person or a sacred place.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Possibly, your Myanmarese friend will not say anything even if you do it. But it does not mean that he is OK with your behavior or approves of your behavior.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Even if that person is your employee or your house maid, you should never do it to him or her.

A. This seems a normal habit to them.

B. In his heart he will consider you as a rude person.

C. Whatever you do, don't touch the head of a Myanmarese.

D. This is the rule that you must strictly follow in Myanmar.

E. Being the lowest part, they are also considered the dirtiest part.

F. For Myunurese，the dirty part should only be in the lowest place.

G. Myannmarese people do not express themselves as directly as Westerners.

There comes a time when every parent struggles with how best to discipline their child. Whether dealing with a screaming child or an angry teen, it can be hard to control your temper. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}And the bottom line is that shouting and physical violence never help.

Thankfully, there are other, more effective ways and one of them is positive discipline. We consulted Lucie Cluver, a professor at Oxford University, to explore how it can help parents build positive relationships with their children. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Why positive discipline? The evidence is clear: shouting and hitting simply do not work and can do more harm than good in the long run.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The "toxic (有毒的) stress" it creates can lead to a host of negative outcomes. "Parentsshout or hit their kids because they're stressed and don'tsee another way," says Professor Cluver.

The good news for every parent is the positive discipline approach works and here's how you can start putting it into practice.

As parents we often focus on our children's bad behaviour and call it out. Children may read this as a way to get your attention, continuing poor conduct rather than putting a stop to it. Actually, children are eager for praise. It makes them feel loved and special. "Watch out for when they're doing something good and praise them," recommends Professor Cluver. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Part of growing up is learning that if you do something, something can happen as a result. Defining this for your child is a simple process that encourages better behaviour while teaching them about responsibility. Give your child a chance to do the right thing by explaining the consequences of their bad behaviour. Being consistent is a key factor in positive parenting, which is why following through with the consequences is important.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}"You can take a teenager's phone away for an hour but taking it away for a week might be difficult to follow through on."

A. And so is making them realistic.

B. What's really important is to focus on your child.

C. No parent wants to find themselves in such a situation.

D. Calm consequences have been shown to be effective for kids.

E. This can encourage good behaviour and reduce the need for discipline.

F. Repeated shouting and hitting can even negatively impact a child's entire life.

G. And hopefully it can also teach skills like responsibility, cooperation and self-discipline.