Creativity is a skill that you can work on with time, training, and effort. There are many areas you can focus on to improve your overall creativity.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

     Doodle(信手涂鸦) in your spare time. Doodling can increase creativity by increasing your engagement with the world and attention span.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}The more information you're able to absorb, the more creative you will be.

    Listen to music. Simply playing music in the background can inspire you creatively. It can help you focus better and increase your overall concentration. Classical music tends to work particularly well for creativity and concentration.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}While classical music has beneficial effects for many, experiment a little to find the music that best helps you concentrate and feel creative.

    Play video games.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Interactive games that require movement help with creative thinking as they stimulate multiple senses. Things like Wii Tennis or Dance Dance Revolution would work well. Avoid games that require you to sit for long periods.

    Read more. Make a habit of reading regularly. Pick books from multiple types and styles of writing to expand your horizons and really cultivate your creativity. Try to make time to read every day.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}This will help direct your reading if you're unsure what kinds of books to start with.

A. Try joining a book club.

B. Not every type of music works for everyone.

C. Some video games are actually good for the creative mind.

D. Creativity is really important to your life as well as to society.

E. Video games do harm to our creativity instead of helping with it.

F. The following are some creative approaches you can involving yourself in.

G. It helps you stay engaged during activities where you would otherwise zone out.

    Both men and women are living longer these days in industrialized countries.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} In general, they can expect to live six or seven years more than men. One reason for this is biological.

    One important biological factor that helps women live longer is the difference in hormones between men and women.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Between the ages of about 12 and 50, women produce hormones that are involved in fertility(生育能力). These hormones also have a positive effect on the heart and blood flow. In fact, women are less likely to have high blood pressure or to die from heart attacks.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They help the body defend itself against some kinds of infections. This means thatwomen generally get sick less often and less seriously than men. The common cold is a good example: women, on average, get fewer colds than men.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Scientists are still not exactly sure how influence aging, but they believe that they do. Some think that a woman's body cells have a tendency(倾向) to age more slowly than a man's. Others think that a man's body cells have a tendency to age more quickly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. However, women, on average, live longer.

B .The biological factor plays an important part.

C. Women are also helped by their female genes.

D. The female hormones also protect the body in another way.

E. Recent research seems to support both of these possibilities.

F. Therefore, women are more healthy than men and can live a better life.

G. Hormones are chemicals which are produced by the body to control carious body to control various body functions.

    A student's life is never easy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}A lot of preparations are needed so you can be sure to go back home with a diploma and a bright future waiting for you. The following are some basic things you need to do before seizing your passport and boarding the plane.

    Knowing the country.

    You shouldn't bother researching the country's hottest tourist spots or historical places. You won't go there as a tourist, but as a student. It'll be helpful to read the most important points in their history and to read up on their culture.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You surely don't want to face legal problems, especially if you're away from home.

    Studying their language.

    Don't expect that you can graduate abroad without knowing even the basics of the language. Before leaving your home country, take online lessons to at least master some of their words and sentences.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Doing this will also prepare you in communicating with those who can't speak English.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Check the conversion（兑换）of your money to their local currency, set up your bank account so you can use it there, get an insurance, and find an apartment. The Internet or your intended school will be very helpful in finding an apartment and helping you understand local currency.

    Remember, you're not only carrying your own reputation but your country's reputation as well. If you act foolishly, people there might think that all of your country men are foolish as well.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}．

A. Packing your clothes.

B. Preparing for other needs.

C. Most importantly, read about their laws.

D. This will be useful in living and studying there.

E. That would surely be a very bad start for your study abroad program.

F. Going with their trends will keep it from being too obvious that you're a foreigner.

G. And it is even more difficult if you have to complete your study in a foreign land.

Cold weather is good for you

    With winter approaching, people begin to complain about cold weather. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There's plenty to love about cold weather. And there's plenty of evidence that cooler temperatures can be part of a healthy life.

    First, cooler temperatures can help you lose weight. It can also help you sleep better.  You might feel uncomfortable at first if you cool your bedroom down. But if you, for example, switch your bedroom temperature from 72 down to 62 degrees gradually over a few weeks, your body will adjust. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    I have long kept my winter house temperature at 62 degrees. How did I find that number7 Well, I experimented on myself about eight years ago. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} I started at 66 and turned it down one degree every few days until 60. I found when the temperature was colder than 62, I couldn't focus. But 62 was perfect. Another benefit for me was that it also kept me clear-headed while working at home.

    Interestingly, science also says 62 degrees is the magic number for brainwork. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It said 62 degrees was the temperature at which the schoolboy subjects of the study functioned perfect. And while we're speaking of work and school, other research shows that people study better when the weather outside is "bad".

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But according to a Harvard Health Letter from 2010, proper cold temperatures could be good for skin because it trains blood vessels in the skin to be responsive. So, rosy cheeks! There's no reason to be afraid of winter weather. Hug it and you, too, can enjoy the season.

A. I recently read a 1972 study.

B. And you'll save money on energy costs as well.

C. Many people like to use cold water to wash their face.

D. At that time, I worked at home and liked warm temperature.

E. Most of us think cold weather leads to dry skin and wrinkling.

F. The reason was that I hated spending money on heating bills.

G. But if you're active and healthy, it doesn't have to be a negative thing.

    The world is a colorful landscape of different languages, skin colors, and different cultures. It's important to have a good understanding of different cultures in order to become a well-rounded person{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One way is to read hooks written by authors from a particular culture. Reading works by authors who have a close relationship with a particular culture allows people to gain an authentic glimpse into the food, music, language, religion, and way of a life of a particular group of people.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Another way to learn about different cultures is to try to learn a foreign language. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}A person can choose a language she has always wanted to learn and locate learning programs to help her master the language. Besides, one can enroll in a foreign language class in order to learn in a more formal setting. One can also try to visit areas of the city to establish social connection with native speakers of the language.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Seek out restaurants that feature authentic food from a variety of countries. Food is an important part of different cultures and allows people to gain deep understanding into a particular cultural group's way of life.

    Communicating with people from other countries through email or snail mail is another useful way to become familiar with different cultures. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Various websites offer pen pal services, offering to connect individuals with pen friends around the world.

A. Stories based on a local culture expose one to a different culture.

B. Trying authentic food from a specific cultural group is also a great idea.

C. There are several ways to become knowledgeable about different cultures.

D. A variety of language-learning books, software, and audio programs is available,

E. The Internet has made it possible to communicate with others from different countries.

F. Making contact with native speakers of the language allows one to gain firsthand knowledge.

G. One way to develop this appreciation is to try to team about other cultures around the world.

How long does a year last?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Your parents might say that a whole year can pass―in the blink of an eye. Why does time seem to pass faster as we get older?

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} This physical change causes the rate at which we take in and process new information to decline. Babies, for example, move their eyes much more often than adults because they're processing images at a faster rate. They take in a lot of information and do many things in a single day.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}However, as people's brains degrade over time, fewer images are processed in the same amount of time. Therefore, older people receive less information during a day than younger people. This causes things to seem as though they're happening more quickly.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}People may measure time by the number of memorable events that can be recalled within a certain period. Have you ever noticed that when you recall your firsts, they seem to be in slow motion? That's because when something is a first, there are many exciting things to remember. Recalling these memories makes you feel like they took forever.

For many adults, life is routine. When they look back, they might feel like there are not many novel things to remember.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Children might say that a year lasts forever.

B. Different people have different feelings toward time.

C. Therefore, time seems to be moving faster to them.

D. As we grow older, we become less interested in new things.

E. This makes them feel like a single day lasts for a long time.

F. According to scientists, our brains degrade and change over time.

G. In addition, people may also feel time differently due to psychological reasons.