【推荐1】Simple Ways to Improve Your Written English

Many people think it is really difficult to improve their writing in English. Don’t worry, though. Here are some simple steps that you can take to improve your written English.

●Increase your vocabulary

To express yourself clearly, you need a good active vocabulary. That’s not just being able to know lots of words—it means actually being able to use them correctly.     1    

●    2    

People often say that we learn to write best by reading. Reading in English is useful in many ways. It is a great way to get an idea of the different writing styles.

Reading shouldn’t be boring.     3     You are more likely to remember the beautiful words in your favorite books and use them in your writing.

●Double check your writing.

    4     The first time, look for general mistakes and the second time look for mistakes with the grammar points you are studying at the moment.

●Just do it!

    5     The best way to improve your writing is to get a pen and paper and write. Be prepared to write several versions of each text.

【推荐2】The human brain is the command center for the nervous system and enables thoughts, memory, movement, and emotions. As the population ages, the challenges for the preservation of brain health increase.     1     Here are some tips for them to understand how to protect it.

Exercise regularly. Regular physical exercise tends to help fight against the natural reduction in brain connections that occur during aging. Multiple studies show that physically active people are less likely to experience a decline in their mental function and have a lower risk of developing brain disease.     2    

Have a “right” nap. Having a nap after lunch can be good for your brain and many seniors have developed such a good habit for long.     3     While a 30-min to 90-min nap has brain benefits, anything longer than an hour and a half may create problems with cognition, the ability to think and form memories.

    4     Your brain is similar to a muscle - you need to use it or lose it. There are many things that you can do to keep your brain in shape, such as doing crossword puzzles, reading, or playing cards. You can also learn something new such as musical instruments, drawing, or even digital devices. Combine different types of activities to increase the effectiveness.

Eat a Mediterranean diet. Studies show people who closely follow a Mediterranean diet are less likely to have brain disease than people who don’t follow the diet.     5     However, we at least know that omega fatty acids found in olive oil and other healthy fats are vital for your cells to function correctly.

【推荐3】When you see someone you know, the easiest way to recognize them is by their face—but not everyone can do this. Many people have prosopagnosia, or face blindness, which is a neurological（神经病学的）condition where the part o the brain that recognizes faces fails to develop. It can stop people recognizing partners, family members, friends or even their own reflection. It was once though to be caused by brain injury (acquired prosopagnosia) but now a genetic link has been proved (development prosopagnosia).

Acquired prosopagnosia is a very rare but as many as one in 50 people may have developmental prosopagnosia. There’s no specific treatment, but training programmes are being developed to help improve facial recognition.

For many, the situation can be dangerous. I’ve heard stories of people being robbed by strangers claiming to be family members, or of children wandering off strange men.

It was only is this century that researchers began to realize exactly how many people in this world were quietly living with the condition.

Like a blind person who can recognize family members by their footsteps, prosopagnosics are forced to develop unusual ways of discovering who it is they’re meeting or talking to. From the obvious markers like hair and voice, to the way one sits, stands or walks, they rely on dozens of means to get through ordinary life.

Faces are an important part of identity. Not to be recognized feels terrible—it’s as if you’ve been overlooked, like someone’s saying you don’t matter. But it’s nothing to the pain of knowing that you’re hurting people’s feelings constantly, and yet being completely unaware that you’re doing it in the moment. To be alienated（隔离的）from the world of faces is a strange position to be in, but I’m comforted by the thought that articles like this will do a little to help people forgive me and others like me.

【推荐1】Buying books on the Internet is a great way to save time and money. Online bookstores offer new books and used books that can save you lots of money. They are far better compared to traditional bookstores as they offer much broader kinds of books. Another advantage of shopping online is that you can also read the book reviews as well as readers’ reviews to get an idea whether the book is worth buying. Online bookstores offer great discounts (折扣) to regular customers, which is a big attraction for book lovers.

For book lovers, the most important thing is to get books on time. Therefore, you need to find a reliable (可靠的) online bookstore that will be able to provide fast deliveries (送货).

Here are some tips to use when choosing an online bookstore. Some online bookstores are popular for fiction books; some are for non­fiction books or novels, etc. Understanding their specialization will help you get the right kind of books in time. Check whether you will be buying the books from a third­party seller or directly from the website. Although the website could be reputable (声誉好的), third­party sellers advertised on their site may not have a good reputation. Never jump at stores that offer super cheap prices, as books sold at such low prices could be in very bad condition.

Most of the popular online bookstores offer useful tools. One tool is a wish list tool on its website. You can update (更新) the list of books you wish to buy in the future. The bookstore will know what you want and will email you immediately when the book of your choice is available.

【推荐3】Reading is the key to success. Apparently every successful person develops a passion for reading. This is because reading is a key element to obtain the information required to understand something. For instance, lawyers have to study and learn every established law on their specific branches. Sometimes the law changes according to people’s needs. A good lawyer has to be informed about the latest news in the court. A doctor has to be informed of the latest advances in medicine.

Reading is very important for all mankind. Everything is relative in this world, especially reading. Reading can open any doors and it can lead you into a path of success. Studies have confirmed that reading to your unborn child is very good. This way your child will develop a passion for reading.

How do you develop a passion for reading? There is only one way you can boost your passion for reading. Let me explain this to you. If you want to learn how to ride a bike, you have to get on the bike as many times as possible until you have learned. It works the same way with reading. If you want to boost your reading, take a book and read it all the way through. When you finish reading your first book, take another book and do the same. Try to read as much as you can. If you are going out, grab a magazine, a book, an article or something to read.

There is a very important factor behind the reading—reading comprehension. It’s what makes you understand the meaning behind the text. Let’s assume that you read a document and you are supposed to explain the meaning of the document. How would you explain the document if you couldn’t capture the message of the author?