Walk Out of the Comfort Zone and Try New Things

    For most high school students, free periods are useless. From what I have seen, few do homework, instead many are on their phones and talking, making it impossible for those who actually want to do work to complete any. As a senior next year, I think extra periods should be used to take optional subjects.

    Our school offers many classes. Now is the time to experiment in different fields of study. We will never know if we are interested or talented in a subject if we don't try it.

    In my 8th grade, I was told that I had to take an art class as a graduation requirement; so in the 9th grade I took Studio and Art. One of the projects was to build a clay pot, but I built mine incorrectly, so it broke in the kiln (窑). I found out that I have no artistic ability at all, and now I know for sure that I do not want to be an artist. However, the class was one of my favorites that year. I was able to try new activities and test my ability.

    Walk out of our comfort zone and try new things! College is when we should focus on a specific major, but high school is when we have to figure it out.

    Half of all college students change their major at some point. By doing that hundreds of dollars are wasted on classes that they would have never needed to take. So use our extra periods to find out what we want to do in college. The classes we choose can impact us in future. Taking optional subjects will enrich our mind. It will also show colleges we are diverse students.

    Confidence is a skill that many folks want to master, but have a hard time acquiring. Have you ever wondered why? Possibly you were born confident. You were talked to negatively as a child or maybe you were rejected many times. Whatever the case is{#blank#}1{#/blank#} But how to boost your confidence?

    Begin to act as if you are confident. Act as the person you would want to be like{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Surround yourself with people who you think are confident and have high value. You will learn so much from observing other confident folks.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}One of the most areas that you need to pay attention to is your self-talk. Your thoughts about your capabilities and self-worth need to be positive and encouraging. Whenever you notice you think negatively, pause and take a moment, and shift your focus to something that can help you feel better about yourself.

    Go after your goals. If you are really serious about building self-confidence, you need to identify your goals and go after them. The more you add to your accomplishments, the more confident you will feel about your abilities and skills{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    By using these steps to boost your confidence{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Always stay positive.

B. Improve your self-talk.

C. Begin to think and behave like them.

D. This requires you to know what a confident person looks like.

E. you will be on the path to improving your self-esteem (自尊) and self-worth.

F. You'll begin to trust your inner self more and appreciate yourself more.

G. you should know you can improve your self-esteem and build confidence.

    Six Things You should Never Do Before the Queen

    ※Don't show up empty handed.

    What do you get the woman who already has everything? Sure, the Queen has several homes full of priceless trinkets（饰品）, but bringing a gift is necessary. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So if she's paying a visit to your hometown or country, something which reflects local culture might go down better than W.H. smith's vouchers（优惠券）.

    ※{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

You may be dead on your painful feet—but you should always stand when the queen enters the room. You may only sit once she has taken the seat, so keep a close eye on when the Queen sits down herself.

    ※Don't ignore the dress code.

    Regardless of how late you're running or how tempting it is to stay in your casual clothes, make sure you dress accordingly when meeting HRH. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ※Resist the temptation to refer to her by her first name.

    While the Royal family may be extremely familiar to us, and while we may have our own nicknames for them, we common folk still aren't on a first name basis with them. So, when you meet the Queen she should be addressed as “Your Majesty” and “Ma'am” consequently after. When she leaves, however, you must address her as “Your Majesty” once again.

    ※Only speak if the queen speaks to you.

    Remember when you were a small child and all your elders would drop wisdom such as “don't speak unless spoken to first” and “children should be seen and not heard”? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This rule exists so Her Royal Highness can control every aspect of the conversation-- including exiting it swiftly.

    ※Don't eat before she does.

    No matter how tasty and tempting the banquet morsels spread in front of you look, you can only start eating once the Queen does. So perhaps have a quick snack beforehand, in case any speeches go on for a long time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Stand to attention.

B. Watch out for Queen.

C. Oh, and if she has finished eating, you'd better be full too.

D. If the event is black tie, wear black tie.

E. You are supposed to listen to them though you've grown up.

F. This gift must also be appropriate to the occasion.

G. The same applies to meeting the Queen.

How to save a friendship

    Friends are like stars. Even if you don't see them, you know they are there. And while a shooting star is a beautiful thing to observe, a dying friendship is one of the most painful things to experience. However, if you believe that it is worth trying to save it, then it is worth it. So if you are still moved by a friendship that has given you priceless moments and treasured memories, at least try to save it. While problems are unavoidable, if both of you see the value in saving what you have, focusing on fixing things may just be effective, and your connection may even come through this test stronger than before.

    The moment you realize that the two of you have started growing apart, do something about it. Waiting will only bring about an unavoidable permanency of the loss of your friendship. Be prepared to be the one who makes the first steps; your friend may be laboring under the belief that it is something you have done to harm the friendship, so you shouldn't wait around for them to solve things.

    As life changes around us, friendship change too. However, changes in your life don't mean that your life has to destroy your friendship. Talking openly about the changes is important, as well as accepting that the two of you have changed but still have space, love and respect for one another in your lives. If your friend has distanced himself or herself from you because of changes in your lives, take the chance to show that while life has changed, the importance of your friendship has not.

    Make sure your friend has talked and listened, and both of you have looked for ways to reach compromises（和解）on the things that have weakened your friendship and set the relationship back on track. If you mean as much to this person as they mean to you, you will have at least made some progress in the right direction through mutual（彼此的）compromises in the end.

    Once you have worked through the challenges facing your friendship and come to a shared solution, show your friend how much they mean to you. Start creating new memories and precious moments that will make the unpleasant page in your common history look insignificant and never worth mentioning again.

Why Do People Enjoy Extreme Sports?

    In recent years, the term extreme sports has evolved on grand scale. It can be divided into three main types: Air, Land and Water. Now you'll start wondering how they work and why people enjoy them.

    Often popular in younger-than-average crowd, the extreme sports are not organized by schools. These sports are practiced mostly on individual level, while in many cases professional coaching is also available.

    Now we tell you the secret recipe of their popularity:

    Control and Physics: The reason why people enjoy these sports is that they are normally played, exercised or practiced in free or uncontrolled environment like base jumping and sky diving. It means while traditional athletes play in controlled environment like fields and gyms, extreme athletes have to operate and display their skills in free-flowing natural environment. For this reason, the understanding of laws of physics and how to apply and use them are really crucial for success.

    Thrill: This is the single most attractive factor in people's interest in extreme sports. It makes extreme sports different from any other type of sports. The thrill one can get from extreme sports is the highest. But the athletes are fully exposed to direct danger. Thus, you have to fully understand the consequences before you decide to enjoy the thrill.

    Pushing the Limits: Extreme sports, as the name goes, is about pushing the limits. The response, nerves and the control over the un-controllable are the main reasons why people enjoy it.

    Man against Nature: As we mentioned earlier that it is about natural elements—Air, Water and Land, these games are loved because the natural elements react to human extreme. The passion of man to overcome the natural barriers is an addiction for these athletes.

    Some of the mainstream extreme sports are base jumping, bungee jumping, sky diving, gliding, extreme skiing, mountain biking, cliff diving, scuba diving and wind surfing. No matter what extreme sports you may enjoy, the No. 1 rule is to know your limits, or you'll be pushed.

Ready for final year

    Even though they're anxiously awaiting their gaokao, Senior 3 students feel relieved after having survived their busiest year of high school.

    Your milestone year begins in just two months, so how can you make the most of it? Here, three graduates offer some practical advice to help you navigate (航行) your final year in the right way.

    Sun Hairuo, High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, Beijing:

    Think ahead about your major. Even though some universities allow students to switch to a new major after enrollment, it still involves a lot of effort to do. So while you're preparing for the gaokao, start to consider what field you want to major in at the same time.

    When I was aware of my interest in social science, I began to collect information on the internet about what courses I'd like to take in university and what life would be like on campus if I chose this direction. Don't judge a major before you know everything about it, since your entire future depends on it.

    Qian Wenjing, Hangzhou Foreign Language School, Zhejiang:

    Enjoy a hobby alongside your studies. It's important to get high marks in all subjects, but if you have nothing that can distract you from the piles of homework, you'll have no motivation.

    For example, I run a WeChat public account, which you can find by searching for “大嘴小个儿” on WeChat. On it, I share my reflections on life, recommend good books and introduce learning methods to others. I also make videos on how to write an interesting daily journal for the video platform bilibili.com.

    So, keep on top of your schoolwork, but make sure you find time to let your hair down sometimes too.

    Wang Zixin, Beijing No 4 High School, Beijing:

    Create your own system of knowledge using a notebook. In the review stage, find your weak points on every science subject after each exam. Summarize the knowledge behind the errors in your notebook — this will not only identify the problem, but will also save you time when you don't have to spend so long figuring out the answer.

    As for liberal arts subjects such as Chinese and English, write down any memorable sentences you come across in your notebook.

    And keep it in mind that improvements don't happen right away — it takes time to get better.

    Ready for final year