Time for a Brainstorm

    A brainstorm is a session where a small group of people come together to solve a problem. People voice spontaneous ideas, sometimes just shouting, and a note-taker writes them all down.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}By getting different ideas out there, ideas are said to bounce off each other and even can help solve the problem at hand. Brainstorming is often a group exercise but individuals can also conduct personal brainstorms.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}He defined it as using the brain to storm a creative problem and do so in commando (突击队）fashion, with each stormer attacking the same objective. According to him, it was easier to tone down a wild idea than think up a new one. He placed importance on the collection of as many ideas as possible and dismissed scientific thinking.

    Brainstorming has become one of the most popular ways to solve problems and hold discussion in schools and businesses. Many students brainstorm for a group assignment or even for a personal essay. Sarah Grace, 24, is an Australian marketing analyst and uses brainstorming during all her creative duties. She thinks brainstorming is the best way to work as a team. The sessions get everyone on the same page, everyone moving together and with a clear understanding about the foundations of an event or idea.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    However, a big problem with brainstorming is creating a mess that leads people further away from a solution.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you don't have a strong moderator or leader of the brainstorm, can go really off track, and people just start discussing something totally different. Brainstorming can sometimes confuse the human brain.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you brainstorm too much and your page is filled up with all the messy links, you can paint yourself into a bit of comer and get trapped with ideas.

    You need to move past brainstorming as soon as you have something workable.

A. The ideas can be smart, strange or crazy.

B. It is caused by a lack of direction from a leader.

C. Brainstorming really helps her organize her thoughts.

D. Brainstorming really is the best way to build team spirit.

E. It can open too many doors and not suggest a clear direction.

F. Brainstorms were popularized in the 1940s by American advertising boss Alex Osborn.

G. They can be words; phrases, paragraphs and anything that can help answer the question.

    How to deal with your homework

    Write it down.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Make a note on your notebook. Always be sure to write down any homework for school so you won't forget anything.

    Create a homework station. Find somewhere comfortable and quiet to work.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}It will take twice as long to get the homework done. Shut off your cell phone, log off(退出) your computer(unless you will need it for your homework) and close the door.

    Do homework as early as possible. Don't leave homework to die last minute.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The earlier you start your homework, the sooner you will finish! Do all your homework as early as you can, so you don't have a pile of(一堆) homework the next day.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Think about how long it will take you to complete each homework subject. For example: English-ten minutes, science-ten minutes, math-forty minutes, history-twenty minutes.

    Treat yourself. You can easily get tired by sitting through an hour or two of homework without stopping. Once you finish homework for a subject, take a small break. Just make sure it's quick(no more than 15 minutes). Do not turn on the TV, or you'll never go back and finish your homework.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Use your time wisely

B. Start as soon as you get home

C. Start your hardest homework

D. Never do your homework in front of the TV

E. You can take a walk or find something to eat

F. After short breaks, return to finish up the last of your work

G. Keep a homework notebook where you record all your homework

A memorable science project

    If someone tells you to remember a phone number or address, it feels like an easy task at first. You repeat the numbers to yourself, either aloud or in your mind. But after just a few seconds you might find yourself starting to doubt your own memory.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Thus, it will try to throw away information that seems old or irrelevant. There are ways of helping our minds retain (记住) information, however, and in this activity you will explore ways that we lose and keep memories.

    Short-term, or working memory, is a way of describing most people's abilities to store a small amount of information for a brief period of time in a readily accessible form{#blank#}2{#/blank#} People don't have to stop and think to remember something in short term memory.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Such techniques include visualizing (观察) the information in a surprising way or linking pieces of information together so that one reminds you of the other. In the case of visualizing information, this could be as simple as remembering you parked your car on the fifth floor in the D section by picturing five dogs sitting in your car!{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you need to purchase cereal (谷物), milk, fruit, cheese and eggs, you could imagine the cereal in a bowl, with milk pouring over it and pieces of fruit on top. Then imagine cracking an egg over everything, and it's full of melted cheese! These may seem simple or even silly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} In this activity you'll test the recall of a few friends or family members, and learn a few tricks for improving memory!

A. There are many techniques for improving memory.

B. Our brain is always seeking new and useful information.

C. Short-term memory has a short duration but is quickly and easily accessed.

D. In addition, linking information could help you remember your grocery list.

E. Retaining that information over longer periods of time becomes difficult yet.

F. Your short-term memory has a limited amount of space to store information.

G. However, they are proved to be good ways for improving memory by scientist.

    The Art of Slow Reading

    If you are reading this article in print, chances are that you will only get through half of what I have written. And if you are reading this online, you may not even finish a fifth{#blank#}1{#/blank#}They suggest that many of us no longer have the concentration to read articles through to their conclusion.

    So are we getting stupider? Actually, our online habits are damaging the mental power we need to process and understand textual information. Round-the-clock news makes us read from one article to the next without necessarily engaging fully with any of the content. Our reading is frequently interrupted by the noise of the latest email and we are now absorbing short bursts of words on Twitter and Facebook more regularly than longer texts.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}But we are gradually forgetting how to sit back, think carefully, and relate all the facts to each other.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A desperate bunch of academics want us to take our time while reading, and re-reading. They ask us to switch off our computers every so often and rediscover both the joy of personal engagement with printed texts, and the ability to process them fully. What's to be done then? Most slow readers realize that total rejection of the web is extremely unrealistic. They feel that getaway from technology for a while is the answer{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Personally, I'm not sure whether I could ever go offline for long. Even while writing this article, I am switching constantly between sites, skimming too often, absorbing too little. Internet reading has become too rooted in my daily life for me to change. I read essays and articles not in hard copy but as PDFs. I suspect that many readers are in a similar position{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can download a computer application called Freedom, which allows you to read in peace by cutting off your Internet connection. Or if you want to avoid being disturbed by the Internet, you could always download offline reader Instapaper for your iPhone. If you're still reading my article, that is slow reading.

A. The Internet is probably part of the problem.

B. Now some campaigns are advocating slow reading.

C. These are the two findings from the recent research projects.

D. But if you just occasionally want to read more slowly, help is at hand.

E. Some of them have suggested turning their computers off for one day a week.

F. Slow reading can help connect a reader to neighborhood and become popular.

G. Because of the Internet, we have become very good at collecting information.

Why Walking is Good for Weight Loss

    The best form of exercise is walking. Casual walk for thirty to forty minutes can do wonders for the body. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Displayed below are reasons.

    Help to burn calories（卡路里）

    A daily walk routine can help to burn calories. Walking for thirty minutes a day can help to burn about three to four hundred calories per day. A daily walk helps to burn 100 calories per mile. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Help to improve energy level

    There could be a possibility of drying up with other stressful forms of exercises. This is not possible with walking. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. With burning calories, it helps to stay active and fit throughout the day.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Walking helps to decrease the risk of health related diseases and infections（传染病）. In fact, with weight loss it helps to maintain a normal heart rate. Walking for weight loss is good as it helps to stay active and fit. It burns fat, but helps to strengthen the immune system of the body.

    Help in planning

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It doesn't like gym and other types of exercises. There is no proper planning required for walking. The progress is easy to track, there are many smart apps which are available for walk and weight loss. It helps to keep a track on calories burned to lose weight.

A. Help to stay energetic

B. Walking doesn't cost much

C. Help to decrease health risks

D. It is best to walk daily to keep a good body shape

E. Walking is perhaps the easiest form of daily exercise but benefits us a lot

F. Walking helps in weight loss, but at the same time it improves your energy

G. Starting a particular weight loss plan is easy, but continuing with the plan is difficult

    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 wake up and when you go to bed. {#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.