Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it?Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind.How can you use this to increase your brain power?Start writing.

    By putting thoughts into words,you are telling yourself the logic behind what you think,feel,or only partly understand.Often,explaining a thought is the process of understanding.In other words,you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power”.

    Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember.Many,if not most,highly productive people are always taking notes.You can try keeping it all in your head,but if you keep a journal of your ideas,the next time you're working on a big project,you'll probably have more success.

    Want to understand a topic?Write a book about it.That's an extreme example,but if you are learning something new,write a letter to a friend about it,and you will understand it better.Want to invent something?Write an explanation of the problem—why you want to solve it,and why it is worth solving,and you're halfway there.

    Writers don't always write because they clearly understand something beforehand.Often,they write about something because they want to understand it.You can do the same.Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.

I really love this saying, "Love is endless and unlimited." For me, there's a story behind it. When I used to hand out chocolates with beautiful paper bags, my friends always told me, "You are wasting time and money. No one here believes in nameless gifts." To be honest, I have noticed that people here do donate (捐赠)in temples. They give food to the poor, and provide clothes and other things for whoever is in need.

    I think maybe I am the one who starts to think of the dogs in our neighborhood. When I moved into this new community, I noticed that there were two street dogs. They were wounded and homeless, and everyone used to stay away from them and hit them when they came any closer. They were becoming thinner and thinner and they would did of hunger sooner or later.

    But my habit of loving dogs has changed all these things. I began to walk close to them and give them food regularly. When I touched their heads and gave love to them, I could see tears in their eyes. My friends noticed, and now even kids and elders in the community provide them with food and also love them. I am really glad to see that I saved their lives.

    What I started will lead to beautiful memories with them. They enjoy playing with me and they even have a particular pose when they see me. I see a sparkle in their eyes and a smile on their faces. They are priceless for me.

    During my third year of university, I spent six months studying in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Many are worried about travelling to Rio but I promise, it is worth a visit. Now I want to share my top recommendations (推荐) for experiencing Rio less as a tourist but more like a native Brazilian.

    Pedra Bonita

    Rio is full of hiking routes, and some Brazilians love to spend an afternoon hiking. My favorite route of all has to be Pedra Bonita. Pedra Bonita involves a steep climb of about an hour through tall trees, and I admit it is difficult in Rio's heat, but you are rewarded at the top with a wonderful view of the city, standing high above the green landscape and blue sea below.

    Mureta da Urca

    One thing you are sure to find in Rio is an amazing sunset, but a lot of the best spots tend to be full of tourists. In my opinion, Mureta da Urca is the most relaxing place to watch the sun set over the silver sea, with the figure of Christ the Redeemer standing tall in the background.

    Pedra do Sal

    Pedra do Sal is a historical area in the city centre and on Monday nights it is brought to life by the sound of samba. Hundreds of people gather in the street, food and drink stalls are set up and it becomes a giant street party with everyone enjoying the happy sound of live samba!

    Picanha

    If there were one Brazilian food I could bring back to the UK, it would be picanha. It is the tastiest cut of steak I have ever tasted, served alongside rice and beans.

    Skiing has always been a big part of Kamikaze shiffrin's life. Her dad ski raced all through college and her mom raced and coached skiing. The Siffrins taught Mikaela and her brother, Taylor. To ski at a very young age. At two and a half years old, Mikaela made her first ski run down her driveway on plastic skis.

    Mikaela loved skiing. From ages 8 to11, she did hundreds of training runs on small hills to learn the skills of slalom skiing (障碍滑雪). When Mikaela was 11, she began to learn at the Burke Mountain Academy, a Vermont boarding school for skiers. She took classes, studied, and practiced her skiing. According to Burke Mountain Academy headmaster Kirk Dwyer, "What separated Mikaela from others was the degree of her commitment (投入) to be the best. Mikacla practiced more than anyone and believed in herself then and now." At age 14, Mikaela began her international career when she raced in the world championship for13 and 14 -year-olds. And she won!

    By the time she was17, she had already won her first World Cup race. "Living away from home four and five months at a time can be difficult" Mikaela says. "But it can also be exciting. I'm getting to see the world." When Mikaela began ski racing in Europe, her mother, Eileen, stayed with her. She worked as her high school teacher while they were on the road. "She has always been a super-hard worker," says Eileen.

    For Mikaela, working hard is a full-time job. Even her off-season is work time. "If you want something, just try your best," she says. At the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, 18-year-old Mikaela Siffrin became the youngest slalom skier ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

    Alison Malmon was trapping up (完成) the end of her freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, US when she got the news: Her older brother Brian, a student at Columbia University, was suffering from mental illness.

    Inspired by this, Malmon formed a group at her university to empower (使能够) students to talk openly about mental health. It soon blossomed into a national organization that today has more than 450 campus chapters. Leaders with the organization spend their time talking with college students about the pressure that today's young people face.

    "What you hear often is just a need to be perfect," said Malmon, "and a need to present oneself as perfect."

    And a new study in the UK proved that this need for perfectionism is simply part of today's society. In the study, two researchers studied more than 40,000 students from the US, Canada, and the UK. They found that what they called "socially prescribed(社会定向型的) perfectionism" increased by a third between 1989 and 2016.

    Lead researcher Thomas Curran said that while so many of today's young people try to present a perfect appearance online, social media isn't the only reason behind this trend. Instead, he said, it may be driven by competition in modern society, meaning young people can't avoid being sorted and ranked in both education and employment. That comes from new norms(准则) like greater numbers of college students, standardized testing and parenting that increasingly emphasizes success in education.

    For example, in 1976, half of high school seniors expected to get a college degree of some kind. By 2008, more than 80 percent expected the same. The researchers also said changes in parenting styles over the last two decades might have had an impact. As parents feel increased pressure to raise successful children, they in turn pass their "achievement anxieties" onto their kids through "excessive(过多的) involvement in their child's routines, activities or emotions"

    Those in the mental health community like Malmon say they're concerned about the impact the culture of perfectionism has on mental health on campuses. "Mental health has truly become this generation's social justice issue," she said. "It's our job to equip them with the tools and to let people know that it's not their fault."

Elephants might be the most well－known and well－loved animal in African wildlife. But conservation (保护) of the African elephant faces special difficulties. While the elephant population is half of what it was 40 years ago, some areas of Africa have more elephants than populated areas can support. That's why AWF scientists are studying elephant behavior, protecting habitats and finding ways for humans to live peacefully with elephants in Africa.

Years ago, overhunting and the ivory trade were the biggest threats to elephants' survival. Luckily, ivory bans (禁令), hunting rules and protected areas protect elephants from these dangers today.

The 21st century brings a different challenge to elephant conservation—land－use. Elephants walk across borders and outside parks and other protected areas. So they often destroy crops, causing conflicts (冲突) between local farmers and these big animals.

Successful conservation strategies (策略) must allow elephants to walk freely in their natural habitats while reducing conflicts between elephants and local people.

AWF researchers are searching for a way to give both elephants and people the space they need. The AWF is collecting information on elephant habitats and behavior. The information they gather will help to develop the widest possible space for elephants.

The AWF is helping elephants by protecting their habitats. And they also work with local farmers to improve their life in order to encourage them to protect rather than destroy elephants.