【推荐2】For those of us in school who are trying to figure out the most effective way to study, science is here on hand to help.

First of all, an unlikely helper is exercise.     1     Well, exercise releases an important blend of mood altering hormones. This neural cocktail (化合物) greatly enhances brain performance required for study and information memory. So in between study sessions, we should seriously consider hitting the gym, swimming some laps, kicking a ball around, or even dancing a few steps because any kind of exercise greatly improves brain power.

You must also vary your study program.     2     Although this may seem like the easiest way, it is totally working the opposite. A study from Washington University compared the effectiveness of repeated testing over repeated studying and found that testing is far more effective than simply rereading.     3    

Finally, get as much sleep as you can. When awake for the first few hours in the day, our alpha brain waves which are beneficial to acquisition of information and knowledge are most active.

A nap in the daytime will give you two bursts of alpha brain waves for one day’s study.     4     When you acquire information, brain cells grow new connections. Slee p helps these cells grow and connect.

    5     Our ability to process information is hindered (妨碍) by our restlessness, and the information overloaded is simply overbearing. We should take breaks every hour and not work straight through.

【推荐3】How to Achieve a School Goal

Setting goals can help you stay on top of your studies and earn good grades, but it's important to set the right kinds of goals. Realistic goals can help you succeed in school and in life.     1    

●Decide what type of goal you want to set. There are many possible goals you could set, but the type of goal refers to how you'll measure your progress and success.     2    Process goals focus on the work that you'll do in a given time period. Outcome goals focus on the results of your work.

●Find out the reasons why your goal is important.     3    If that’s the case, it may be important to remind yourself of why that goal is meaningful to you, and why you hope to achieve it. Reflecting on the outcome of that goal may help you stay more focused and driven over time.

●Set up a reward system to stay motivated. Some people work best when they know there is some type of reward to be had.     4    At the same time, it tracks your progress so you'll know whether or not you deserve your "treat" for the day, week, month or term.

●    5    Having support can make a huge difference in your success rate. Not only will the people in your support network help you stay active, they can also celebrate with you once you’ve achieved your goal.

【推荐2】There is increasing evidence that sitting down too much can be a risk to our health.     1    

These studies have shown sitting for long periods can slow the metabolism (新陈代谢), which affects the body’s ability to control blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat.     2     Being overweight and obese, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers are the most common ones.

Experts recommend breaking up long periods of sitting time with light activities, for example, walking, jogging, swimming and so on.     3     We are advised to exercise regularly at least 150 minutes a week, and reduce sitting time. However, there is currently not enough evidence to set a time limit on how much time we should sit each day.

However, some countries have made suggestions that children limit screen time, such as TV and video games, to 1 to 2 hours a day. This is to reduce the time spent sitting. For children and teenagers aged 5 to 18, reducing sitting time includes anything that involves moving in or around the home, classroom or community.     4    

*Agree a family limit to screen time per day.

*Make bedrooms a TV, electronic device, laptop and phone-free zone.

*Set “no screen time” rules to encourage other activities.

*Encourage participation in house chores, such as setting the table or taking the bins out.

*Choose gifts such as a scooter, skateboard, ball or kite to encourage active play.

    5     Researches seem to point to the fact that less sitting and more moving contribute to better health. We might start by simply standing rather than sitting when we have the chance.

【推荐3】Mouth bacteria grow fast in airless conditions. Oxygen rich saliva (唾液) keeps their numbers down. When we sleep, for example, the saliva stream slows, and sulfur producing bacteria gains the upper hand, producing classic “morning breath”.

Alcohol drinking, too much talking, breathing through the mouth during exercise, anything that dries the mouth produces bad breath.    1    . Some people’s breath turns sour every time they go on a job interview.

    2    . This explains why the elderly have more bad breath trouble than younger people. Babies, however, who make plenty of saliva and whose mouths contain relatively few bacteria have characteristically sweet breath.

For most of us, the simple, dry mouth variety of bad breath is easily cured. Eating or drinking starts saliva and sweeps away many of the bacteria.    3    . Those with constant dry mouth find that it helps to keep gum, hard candy, or a bottle of water or juice around. Brushing the teeth wipes out dry mouth bad breath because it clears away many of the offending bacteria.

    4    . The liquid can mask bad breath smell with its own smell, but the effect lasts no more than an hour. Some mouthwashes claim to kill the bacteria responsible for bad breath. The trouble is, they don’t necessarily reach all offending germs. Most bacteria are well protected from mouthwash under thick layers of mucus (粘液). If the mouthwash contains alcohol—as most do—it can worsen the problem by drying out the mouth.