Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp

    Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit — and that can be a very annoying thing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Read on for some techniques worth trying.

    ⒈ {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性痴呆症), according to a recent study. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.

    ⒉ Go for a walk.

    Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ⒊ Learn something new.

    Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Or go dancing with your friends.

A. Focus on the future.

B. This can be especially harmful to the aged.

C. It should be something like learning gardening.

D. So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.

E. But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.

F. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.

G. In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.

How to Build Healthy Interpersonal Relationship

    Human beings are social creatures and thrive(茁壮成长) in relationships with others. A healthy part to be a well-rounded, happy individual is engaging in healthy relationships with others.These friendships can provide safe environments in which individuals can thrive and help promote general well-being. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

1)．Know your worth.

    One of the first steps in building healthy interpersonal relationships is understanding one's value. When an individual is aware of and treasures what he or she has, the building of relationships can be founded on that knowledge. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Everyone has talents. When this worth is discovered, a person can then make use of these skills in approaching interpersonal relationships. If someone is a good listener, showing how to develop this skill can attract relationships with individuals who have a need for this talent.

2)．Recognize the value of others.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In a healthy interpersonal relationships, both parties should be respected and feel as if they are valued in the friendship. When contributions to the relationship become one－sided, the relationship will move from healthy to unhealthy.

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    Another way to build healthy relationships is to make friends with someone who shares the same value systems and lifestyles. Knowing that a friend will not request something from an individual will help to foster trust in the relationship. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The relationship can grow on this familiarity. Trust can also develop from these similarities and go a long way in fostering a healthy friendship.

A. Everyone has worth.

B. Be true to yourself.

C. Seek out individuals with similar value systems.

D. A healthy interpersonal relationship cannot be built on dishonesty.

E. Also, having the same lifestyle can provide a link of familiarity.

F. Here are some tips to build healthy interpersonal relationships.

G. Along with understanding one's worth is recognizing and understanding the worth of others.

How to Introduce Yourself Before Giving a Speech

    Greet the audience and state your name. If you're giving a speech, it's important to state your first and last name. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Don't state down or at some aimless point in the corner of the room. If you don't like the thought of looking into that many eyes, look at their eyebrows or noses—they won't be able to tell the difference.

    Share some relevant（相关的）information about yourself. After you provide your name, share why you and the speech are relevant, making sure you provide something believable. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you're giving a speech about the importance of eating organic foods, tell people that you're a scientist, chef, or environmental professional. If you're giving a speech about child development, be sure to include that you are a child psychologist.

    Communicate effectively. From the very start, make sure your voice is loud enough for everyone to hear you. You can even ask the audience if you are speaking loudly enough for all to hear. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Move your body. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Stand up tall, move your shoulders back, and keep your hands free, using them to gesture when necessary. You can walk around to show the crowd how comfortable you are and to make yourself look less stiff.

A. Make eye contact with a few people.

B. Focus just on what you are going to talk about.

C. Stand with good posture（姿势）, and move freely while you speak.

D. As you say hello and give your name, remember to speak clearly and confidently.

E. It depends on the context of the conversation, but start off by telling something about yourself.

F. People will not be able to understand you or respect what you are sharing if they cannot hear you.

G. The sort of information you share will depend on the audience and the subject you'll talk about.

    Having a busy schedule can result in chaos (混乱) as well as the lack of not completing various tasks at hand. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Below are some tips of how to improve it.

    Set up a planning system

    There are several planning systems you can use. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} With a planning system in place, when you have a task to do, you need to record the details of the task. Record what you need to do, the date it should be done and the time to complete the task.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Having a busy day can result in disorganization and many tasks will not be done. When you check your planner before starting your day, you will know what should be done, at what time and for how long.

    Complete tasks at the scheduled time

    In your planner, you have organized every task to be done at a specific (特定的)time and at a specific date. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you don't complete a task at a specific time or spend too much time completing a task, you will disorganize everything.

    Clean your work-space

    You need to be organized, therefore clean your work-space before and after you have completed the task. If the books were for a past homework, you need to clean up first before starting the new task. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Remember, an organized day in your life will save a lot and will help you enjoy your life.

A. Check your planner ahead of time

B. Finish your task as soon as possible

C. Don't deal with many tasks at a time

D. This will ensure every item is at its proper place

E. In order to have an enjoyable day, you need to start being organized

F. Make sure that every task is completed at the time and date scheduled

G. They include notebooks, a planning book and a smartphone with a to-do app

    May the first is an important date in the college admission process in the United States. This is the last day for high school seniors to accept or reject offers of admission in the fall. But according to a recent report, there is a great change. Acceptance rates at the top colleges this year were lower than ever. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    These days, college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}On the other hand, deciding students for top colleges to accept can be difficult because it takes much time. Students may not like being put on waiting lists. Also, common colleges work more to get the students they accept to accept them. Some colleges hold visiting days that offer a chance to attend classes and stay overnight. Some universities send gifts. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    For many families, the most important thing colleges can do is show them the money, especially this year; the weak economy makes parents nervous. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The recent problems that spread from the housing market to credit markets have even affected student's loans. So lately, top schools have to spare lots of money to increase their financial aid for students. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The Education Department expects the number of high school graduates to start to go down. This will happen as the last of the children of the baby boom generation finishes high school. The number is not expected to start rising again until 2019.

A. What contributes to it?

B. Besides, top colleges are facing changes in the population.

C. But a mistake can be costly if it happens.

D. It can mean several acceptances to choose from.

E. They have international students who know English.

F. But top colleges ignore them.

G. They cannot afford college as planned.

    Everyone knows that fish is good for health. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But it seems that many people don't cook fish at home. Americans eat only about fifteen pounds of fish per person per year, but we eat twice as much fish in restaurants as at home. Buying, storing, and cooking fish isn't difficult. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This text is about how to buy and cook fish in an easy way. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Fresh fish should smell sweet: you should feel that you're standing at the ocean's edge. Any fishy or strong smell means the fish isn't fresh. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When you have bought a fish and arrive home, you'd better store the fish in the refrigerator if you don't cook it immediately, but fresh fish should be stored in your fridge for only a day or two. Frozen fish isn't as tasty as the fresh one. There are many common methods used to cook fish. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}First, lean it and season it with your choice of spices(调料). Put the whole fish on a plate and steam it in a steam pot for 8 to 10 minutes if it weighs about one pound. (A larger one will take more time.) Then, it's ready to serve.

A. Do not buy it.

B. The easiest is to steam it.

C. This is how you can do it.

D. It just requires a little knowledge.

E. The fish will go bad within hours.

F. When buying fish, you should first smell it.

G. The fats in fish are thought to help prevent heart disease.