One of the biggest challenges {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (face) students today is how to concentrate on studies. Almost all of them are struggling for their concentration power. In an age {#blank#}2{#/blank#} mobile phones and Internet are eating up most of our time and energy, one can understand how different it is to focus attention and energy on studies.

    One of the most important {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (factor) for developing concentration on a task, whether it is study or anything else, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (be) to develop an interest in that task. We are able to focus {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (easy) and more long periods of time on tasks that we find more interesting. If you ever want to concentrate on anything and studies are no {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (except), you need {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(ensure) that the environmental around you is distraction (注意力分散) free. So the question is not how to concentrate on studies {#blank#}8{#/blank#} how to avoid distractions that have swallowed up mankind today. The only way to guarantee {#blank#}9{#/blank#} distraction free environment is by getting rid of all the unnecessary things around you, including the electronic gadgets (小器具) {#blank#}10{#/blank#} mobile phones.

    From the first day I arrived in Kunming, I had my understanding of China {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(change). Far from being narrow-minded and hostile to {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(foreign), people came up to talk to me the first time I went out on the street. It happened to be all in Chinese, so I didn't understand much, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}it did cause me to rethink my assumptions.

    As my Chinese improved, this continued throughout my stay, from my landlord introducing me to people who could help us learn Chinese to {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(get) to know the couple who ran a noodle restaurant nearby.

    If you're interested in other people, their culture, and their language, they'll be{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(friend) to you. China isn't {#blank#}6{#/blank#}exception.

    Don't judge a country by its media coverage, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(especial) some Western media, which have much prejudice.

    I saw a very different kind of China with my own eyes. Kunming, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} I lived for most of my stay, wasn't much polluted. I had frank conversations with Chinese people about almost everything.

    Still China {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(develop), but the economic growth means that most people {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(see) their living standards improve rapidly in the last 20 years. People I spoke with were generally optimistic about the future.