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.

How to Live a Happy

    Happiness is what we need most with the increase of Pressure in modern life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Fortunately, this is not the case, everyone has the ability to hang on to happiness with his own efforts. The following methods may lead you to long- lasting happiness

    Take exercise. Other than health benefits that are too numerous to mention, exercise makes you smarter, happier, improves sleep, and makes you feel better about your body. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Keeping in touch wilt nature can help you reduce stress, make you more creative, improve your memory and may even make you a better person

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Relationships are worth more than you think. Not feeling socially connected can make you stupider and kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke and diabetes. On the other hand, studies have shown that the longest-lived people on the planet all place a strong emphasis on social engagement.

    Challenge yourself. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging your beliefs strengthens your mind. Increasing willpower just takes a little effort each day and it's more responsible for your success than IQ. Not getting an education or taking advantage of opportunities are two of the things people look back on their lives and regret the most.

    Laugh. Laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and the feet. It can even reduce the effect of pain on the body. Humor is a good way to cause laughter, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Spend time with friends and family

B. Do something kind for the people you care about

C. However, sometimes it seems far away from us

D. Learning another language can keep your mind sharp

E. Life is always full of hope

F. It would be better if you take exercise in nature

G. Just thinking about funny moments or things can help a lot.

Five steps to make a difference to the oceans

    The oceans are being seriously polluted now. Plastics are harming the marine (海产的) life. Carbon pollution is warming the oceans and increasing their acidity(酸度). Waters are being overfished. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some steps we can take to help make a difference.

    ⒈Bring our own bags. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try carrying a reusable bag at all times, including while traveling, and bringing our own things to work to avoid relying on plastic items.

    ⒉Talk about it now. We should carry that conversation into public places. Talk to our friends and family about why the ocean is important and why we take steps to help it, and challenge them to do the same.

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#} A good way to make a difference is to organize a garbage cleanup now. Whether it's an inland cleanup or one near the coast, plan one in our community.

    ⒋Throw away our cars. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When we hang out, we should reduce our carbon footprint, which may help slow global warming and ocean acidification as well as conserve energy

    ⒌Recycle, obviously. Experts say recycling is an obvious action to take. Check on what can be recycled in our community, and make sure you're separating out your plastic.

    In summary, think about it more and act on it more. The more someone thinks about plastics and plastics pollution, the environment and the consequences of our actions, the more likely they are to act on it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Plan a cleanup.

B. Choose public transportation over driving our cars.

C. Driving cars is not a good way to protect the oceans.

D. However, experts say there's still hope to make a difference.

E. However, marine life plays a very important role in the oceans.

F. If everyone can contribute to the oceans, the oceans will be well preserved.

G. Whenever we put something, we should bring our own bag, but not a plastic one.

Making Short Videos

    "A picture is worth a thousand words or so", they say. Well, motion (运动) pictures can contain even more memories. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some apps you can use to make your own short videos.

    Qupeiyin.cn

    Reciting lines from movies is an effective and classic way to learn English. So what if you could dub (配音) recordings accompanied by movie clips (剪辑) and then share them with friends? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You name it. By contributing your voice, you can either mimic (模仿) the original soundtrack or create something completely new of your own.

    Shorts

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}With the help of the Shorts app, you can make pictures in your album into a slide show. Choose from any of the off-the-shelf themes—"holiday", "travel", "friendship" and "party" for example—each matched with its own theme music and slide background. But if you're not satisfied with the combinations, feel free to do a little change by adding text to the pictures or replacing the music with something in your own playlist.

    Viva Video

    Video making and editing once seemed awfully hard. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But this app will ease you into the field with straight-forward functions and clear direction to help you "create your own video story". Apart from filter, stickers and text, the coolest part of this app is that you can write the narratives yourself and add your own voice to the video. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Viva Video requires a relatively powerful phone to run smoothly.

The Four People You Don't Want to Sit Next to on a Plane

    Let me begin by promising you that I am not an angry person. I would actually vow that I am inherently happy and all-around quite friendly and nice. But one thing that really grinds my gears, is being seated next to a nightmare neighbor on an airplane.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Perhaps you normally like them, but when you are sitting next to them on a plane it's a different thing. They usually spend all the flight moving around and dropping their toys on the floor, and when they're drinking their orange juice it ends up on your trousers. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. So you can't have the little sleep that you were planning.

    Conversation makers

    You recognize this type as soon as you sit down. They immediately start talking about the plane, or the weather, or they ask you a personal question. It's very difficult not to talk to these people. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Nervous fliers

    These are the people with white faces who sit down and immediately ask for something to drink. Every five minutes they call a flight attendant to ask if there are any problems with the plane. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The best thing to do is to pretend to sleep.

    Space invaders

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. But they have a terrible habit of taking up all their room, and some of your room too. They usually sit so that you can't move, with their arms and legs in your space.

A. Naughty kids

B. Well-behaved parents

C. They also tell you about air crash

D. Some people want to talk all the time

E. The people are not necessarily very large

F. Then they decide they want to have fun with you

G. You'll probably have to keep talking until the plane lands

Three simple keys to success

Being successful means different things to different people. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} My point is, the specifics involved in finding success can vary greatly, depending on your goal.

There are three basic components necessary for finding success, regardless of the specifics of your pursuit. And, since the desire for ownership is the driving force behind acquisition, I'll use the word OWN as my simple three-item method for success.

⒈ O-Opportunity: one of the most important components in finding success is being able to identify opportunity. It is to success what wind is to sailing. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Identifying opportunity is the first step; awareness sets your sails for success while your motivation provides the wind.

⒉ W-Wisdom: By definition, wisdom is the accurate application of knowledge. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It requires clear understanding, great insight and good judgment. Once opportunity is identified, you must use all your inner resources to seize it and make the most of it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Finding success when opportunity presents itself often means reaching out for help in areas where you have weakness.

⒊ N-Never give up: This might possibly be the most important for success. The key is to first break your goal down into workable parts so you don't feel pressured, and then to work each part at ease with both enthusiasm and purpose. It takes a lot of time, effort and determination to succeed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Being successful demands doing well.

B. But wisdom involves more than just knowing.

C. You simply can't have one without the other.

D. Having this attitude keeps you moving in face of trouble and becomes the driving force.

E. Besides, wisdom means knowing your limitations.

F. You'll finally succeed if you follow these steps.

G. The road to success is being largely determined by what result you want to achieve.