Real-life Room Escape Games

    Real-life room escape games are a type of physical adventure game in which people are locked in a room with other participants and have to use the things in the room to settle a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape the room within a set time limit.

    The game are based on Escape the Room video games, such as Crimson Room and QP-Shot, created by TAKAGISM Inc. By Toshimitsu Takagi in 2005, in which the player is locked inside a room and must explore his or her surroundings in order to escape. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Other inspirations include adventure board games and movies. Real-life room escape games are becoming popular in the United States, Japan, and China. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} For example, some games require you escape prison cells while others require you escape space stations.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Soon, they were exported to North America, Asia and Australia. Examples include the two pioneer companies Hint Hunt and Adventure Rooms.

    The games were so successful that new locations began opening up across China, in cities big and small, according to Want China Times. In the southern city of Shenzhen, for example, the first escape game location opened last August. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} "These real-life escape games can help those who stay at home on their computers and iPads all day to experience real social circles," Tian Xiaochuan, who owns two room escape game stores in Jinan, told Want China Times. Earlier this year, The South China Morning Post said the real-life escape games are a hit among "highly stressed students and overworked young professionals". {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some players get so involved that they tear down equipment or decorations inside their "prisons", as Zhu Yumeng, chief operating officer of Beijing room escape game store Taoquan told China Daily.

A. Each game adds local themes to settings.

B. And seven new game locations quickly followed.

C. They should also be brave enough to face their fears.

D. Sometimes the excitement becomes a bit much, though.

E. Weekend or day event escape games have been held in some stores.

F. Permanent real life escape games in a fixed location were first opened in Europe.

G. Players must be observant and use their critical thinking skills to escape the room.

    If you need to interview someone for an article but you have never interviewed before, it can be frightening. Here are some tips for preparing for and conducting a successful interview.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If the person is a known author or speaker, take the time to read or listened to his/her work, or at least get familiar with his/her most recent or most important work. If the interview will cover events, review whatever is known publicly about those events.

    Being a recording device(录音设备). You can use your phone or an audio recorder. In this way you needn't struggle to write things down. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And this will make it easier to include direct quotes when you start writing.

    Remember to make it a conversation rather than a list of questions. Prepared questions are just a guideline. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. You can also try to ask your interviewee about his/her personal thoughts and reactions to events and people they deal with.

Appropriate feedback(反馈) is also important. Feel free to say words that show you are listening, like “yeah” and “Mmmm”. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also give more facial feedback like smiling.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If the interviewee changes suddenly from one line of thought to another, lead them back to the area you are focusing on. Guide the interview but don't keep interrupting with many questions.

A. Politely ask if you can interview them.

B. Do your homework before you pick up the phone.

C. Then you can focus all your attention on the interview.

D. Consider how all the questions can be asked in a short time.

E. Nodding your head can be an encouragement to the interviewee.

F. In order to get the information you need, you should guide the interview.

G. You can try to ask questions based on what they have said to you in previous responses.

    Is college really worth the cost? Let's explore some of the pros and cons. It takes money to make money.

    Do college graduates make a higher salary? In general, yes. Those with a bachelor's degree make nearly twice the income of someone with only a high school diploma.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Among the majors that make the most money out of college are engineering, math and computer science. Not surprisingly, some of the lowest include art, religious studies, and early childhood and elementary education.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The average cost of a year of tuition (学费) in the United States is more than $30,000.That's just one year. Because of that, many college graduates come out with debt that annoys them for years after they graduate.

    For many tradesmen, a special skill in their specific field is all that's needed to make not only a fairly good living, but a comfortable one. The average electrician, for example, makes $58,933, whereas the average preschool teacher, after college, makes around $30,000. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    College grads have higher job satisfaction.

    Another plus for going to college? In general, college graduates are more satisfied with their jobs — 57 percent of college graduates are satisfied in their careers as compared to 37 percent of people with just a high school diploma. What's more, college graduates are less affected by job cuts when economy is weak. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    They also have a better social network.

    College also provides numbers of social benefits, providing social networks that stay with people throughout their lives. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The college years are formative years in our lives.

A. But college tuition is pricy.

B. Better universities cost more but bring more.

C. That being said, not all college majors are created equal.

D. They really have a better sense of achievement in their career.

E. They are more marketable and can generally find another job more easily.

F. How many people do you know who met their future wife or husband in college?

G. And that salary doesn't factor in the cost to pay back student loans from four years of college.

    The word “diary” comes from the Latin word “diarium”, which means “daily allowance”. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}And it is used for business notes, planning activities, keeping track of scheduled appointments, or documenting what has already happened. Some doctors suggest that writing in a diary is a good form of self-study.

    In America, from the 1940s through the 1980s, a diary was thought of mostly as a way to privately express one's deepest thoughts while keeping notations about the day.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Many times, movies would show a teenage girl beginning to write in her diary while she said aloud, “Dear diary”

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A diary kept by a young German Jewish girl by the name of Anne Frank provides us with invaluable lessons about history, for she documented her experiences while she hid from the Nazis during their occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. Her diary became one of the world's most widely read books and is the basis for many films.

    Samuel Pepys, who lived during the 17th century, is the earliest diary keeper that is famous today. His diary is also an important documentation of history, for it gives personal insight （洞察力） into London's Great Plague and the Great Fire. His diary is being published on the Internet, and it's interesting to note that there has been a new entry every day since January of 2003. It will continue over the course of several years to come. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Today's electronic version of the diary, the web log or “blog” has once again stretched the diary to be much more than a personal account of the day's events. There are blogs to document recipes, traveling, movies, independent news, product announcements, photos, and anything else that needs to be recorded over time. Search engines like Technorati.com have been created to keep track of the more than 112 million blogs that are currently public.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It refers to a book for writings by date.

B. In its newest form, the diary has become more popular than ever.

C. Reading his diary is fascinating, and it makes his life all the more real to us.

D. People love to write diaries, so whenever they are free, they will write a few lines.

E. Those private reflections may have historical significance long after the author's death.

F. Nowadays, the blog has taken the place of the diary and becomes more and more popular.

G. In those times, and even continuing on today, writing in a diary was like writing to a special friend.

    Green lifestyle is becoming increasingly popular nowadays.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}You don't have to completely change the way you live, you just need to make a few small changes. From recycling to green shopping, each small change you make can really make a difference. Here are some benefits of living a green lifestyle.

    Help the environment. By being energy-efficient and using green products you can reduce your influence on the environment. You can help preserve our natural resources and reduce pollution.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It does feel very rewarding when you start making positive changes and feeling as though you're making a difference to such an important cause.

    Live a healthier life. If more people commit to being green then we'll be able to live in a healthier environment, with less pollution and better air quality. You're also more likely to make better choices when it comes to food and you could find yourself leading a more active lifestyle. Growing your own vegetables is a very healthy way to live as well as buying green, natural foods. Cycling and walking to places instead of using your car can have a big influence.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Save money on bills. You can greatly reduce your energy bills by using energy efficient equipment.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Recycling is also another great way of saving money and helping the environment.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Once you have picked up some good tips and green living techniques you can pass them on to other people. You can also talk to friends and family and inform them of the benefits of going green. Your children will grow up understanding the importance of living a green lifestyle and will learn how to reduce their influence on the environment.

A. Educate others.

B. Meet like-minded people.

C. It will also make you much fitter.

D. There are lots of ways of saving money.

E. You can also do your part for wildlife conservation.

F. Living a green lifestyle isn't as hard as it might seem.

G. If you grow your own produce, you needn't spend as much on food.

Scientists and spiritual teachers alike agree that the simple act of smiling can transform you and the world around you.It can make us appear more attractive to others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So before you read on,slap a nice,genuine smile on that face of yours.

How Smiling Affects Your Brain

The act of smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and happiness.For starters,smiling activates the release of neuropeptides(神经肽) that work toward fighting off stress.The feel-good neurotransmitters(神经介质) are all released when a smile flashes across your face as well. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

How Smiling Affects Your Body

You're actually better-looking when you smile.A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia reported that seeing an attractive,smiling face activates the region in your brain that processes sensory rewards. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It also explains the 2011 findings by researchers at the Face Research Laboratory.They found that both men and women were more attracted to images of people who made eye contact and smiled than those who did not.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Did you know that your smile is actually contagious(传染性的)?In a Swedish study,subjects were shown pictures of several emotions:joy,anger and surprise.When the picture of someone's smiling was presented,the researchers asked the subjects to frown.Instead,they found that the facial expressions went directly to what subjects saw. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If they don't,they're making a conscious effort not to.

A.How Smiling Affects Those Around You

B.Each time you smile,you throw a little feel-good party in your brain.

C.So if you're smiling at someone,it's likely that they can't help but smile back.

D.And it can even lengthen our lives.

E.How Smiling Affects Your Facial Expressions

F.They not only relax your body,but also lower your heart rate and blood pressure.

G.This suggests that when you view a person smiling,you actually feel rewarded.