【推荐1】We all grew up hearing parents and teachers tell us to do well in school. The fact is that if so, we’ll have many more choices in the future. However, no matter how far you are in your education, it can be a challenge.     1    

Take notes while you listen or read.     2     Besides, it also helps your brain stay active and absorb information adequately. If your teacher allows you to take notes while they’re talking in class, write down key points in the text, or make note of questions you have about the material while you read.

Ask questions if you don’t understand something. It’s your teachers' job to help you learn and understand.     3     Asking questions will not only help you learn the material better but will also show your teachers that you’re engaged and interested.

    4     This may seem pretty obvious, but it can be easy to get swamped (不堪承受) and lose track of all the work you’re supposed to be doing. Make sure to complete your assigned reading and stay on top of any work you’re required to hand in. Not only will your grades suffer if you don’t do your homework assignments, but you also won’t learn as much!

Participate in after-class activities. Consider signing up for school clubs, sports teams, or student committees. These activities can be fun and enriching, and they’re also a good way for you to get to know your teachers and fellow students.     5    

【推荐2】Ways to maintain a long-distance friendship.

Long-distance friendship is a friendship between two people who live quite far apart-far enough that they don’t see each other on a regular basis.     1     . Here are some ways to keep a long-distance friendship going strong.

Stay in touch.

Social media provide many ways for us to stay in touch with our beloved ones.     2     Sharing photos with your friends makes them feel that you are still part of each other’s daily life, especially if it is a picture that you took for them.

    3    

Showing friends that you care about them doesn’t need expensive goods, lots of money or hours of planning. Something plain, like a card or a small gift, can mean a lot more to them than you may think. A little extra effort on your end could make their entire day.

Remain reliable.

Even though you can’t bring them ice cream and a copy of their favorite movie after they’ve had a bad day.     4    

Visit them when possible.

Try to find an appointed time when both of you can meet and catch up as regularly as you can, whether it’s visiting each other in new homes or planning a weekend away.

Remember important dates

Anniversaries and birthdays carry weight. Although technology might make day-to-day communication possible, on special occasions, extra effort goes a long way. Sending a birthday card remains a popular way to send a birthday greeting.     5    

Remember even if you’re not living next to your friends any more, it doesn’t mean your friendship has to end. Take time and effort to maintain it.

【推荐3】Ways to help kids explore nature

Summer is the best time for kids to spend time in nature. Here are some ways to help kids explore nature in the summer holidays.

    1     You don’t have to teach kids to love nature because they already do. Young children naturally love the outdoors and are fascinated by dirt, rocks, trees and so on. Therefore, the parent’s role is more about removing distractions like phones and tablets to enable that exploration to take place.

Allow for full engagement with nature.     2     Bug bites will eventually disappear. Cuts and broken bones heal in time. Let your kid throw themselves into the natural world freely and resist (忍住) the parental urge to shout, “Be careful! Put that down! Ew, that’s dirty!”

Set a goal for the summer. Make it your family’s mission to spend as much time outside as possible in summer. Sit down with your kids and brainstorm ways of doing so. Create a list of places in your area that you can visit and check them off the lit.     3    

Prepare an outdoor exploration kit (工具包). Make your nature adventure easy and safe by putting together an exploration kit in advance. Keep it in a box or a bag in your car or on your bike.     4     They can include hats, sunscreen, snacks, rain jackets and a water bottle.

Have a positive attitude.     5     Instead, consider it a welcome escape for yourself as well. Kids are the best possible excuse to get away from your desk, away from the piles of laundry and dishes, and out of the house for a few hours.

【推荐2】Why do people seek out information about an ex's new relationships, read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painful? Because humans are born with the need to resolve uncertainty, according to a recent study in Psychological Science. The new research reveals that the need to know is so strong that people will seek to avoid their curiosity even when it is clear the answer will hurt.

In a series of four experiments, the students were tested on their willingness to expose themselves to disgusting stimuli（刺激物）in an effort to satisfy curiosity. For one trial, each participant was shown a pile of pens, half of which would deliver an electric shock when clicked. Twenty-seven students were informed of the exact pens; another 27 were told only that some were electrified. When left alone in the room, the students who did not know which ones would shock them clicked more pens and brought more shocks than the students who knew what would happen. The following experiments copied this effect with other stimuli, such as the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and photographs of disgusting insects.

The drive to discover is deeply-rooted in humans, just like the basic drive for food, says Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago, a co-author of the paper. Curiosity is often considered a good instinct（本能）—it can lead to new scientific advances, for instance—but sometimes such inquiry can backfire. “The insight that curiosity can drive you to do self-destructive things is a profound one,” says George Loewenstein, a professor of economics and phychology at Carnegie Mellon University who has pioneered the scientific study of curiosity.

Morbid（病态的）curiosity is possible to resist however. In a final experiment, participants who were encouraged to predict how they would feel after viewing an unpleasant picture were less likely to choose to see such an image. These results suggest that imagining the outcome of following through on one's curiosity ahead of time can help determine whether it is worth the risk. “Thinking about long term consequences is key to reducing the possible negative effects of curiosity,” Hsee says. In other words, don't red online comments.