1 . There are many scholarships rewarding particular talents, so just find the right one that works for you.

■Spirit of Giving Scholarship

Deadline: July 31, 2021

Award Amount: $1,000

Overview: It is available to high school seniors and current college students. You must submit an essay of between 500 and 750 words on one of the following three topics: How have you advanced the spirit of giving? How has the spirit of giving affected you personally? How will your present education allow you to be of service to others?

■Ocean Awareness Contest

Deadline: June 15, 2021

Award Amount: Up to $1,500

Overview: It is open to students between the ages of 11 and 18. Students are invited to learn about the climate crisis and its impact on oceans, discover solutions and create work that explores hope in action.

Submissions are accepted in visual art, film, music, or poetry.

■Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

Deadline: September 19, 2021

Award Amount: $25,000

Overview: Essay contest on Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged. There are 59 prizes, and first prize is $25,000! To enter, submit an 800 to 1,600word essay on one of the specific topics about the novel, which can be viewed on the scholarship provider’s website.

■Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship

Deadline: October 31, 2021

Award Amount: $20,000

Overview: It is a scholarship awarded to graduating high school seniors, who are recognized for their capacity to lead and serve, as well as their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities. Applicants must be expecting completion of a high school diploma at the time of application and planning to pursue a degree at a postsecondary institution.

4 . According to a study done by University of Michigan, shopping to reduce stress was 40 times more effective at giving people a sense of control and shoppers were three times less sad than those only looking at items.

More than half of the 1,000 consumers surveyed by Credit Karma, head researcher of the study, said they have shopped to deal with feelings of stress or depression. About 48 percent of men and 31 percent of women who have stress shopping said they had purchased alcohol when stressed. About 82 percent of women spend on clothing compared to 52 percent of men. Women also lead shopping for jewellery, 42 percent, compared to 22 percent for men.

In some sense, stress shopping can actually help you live a healthier life by making sure that your blood pressure is lowered. The survey found 82 percent had only positive feelings about their purchases and that the positive mood was long-lasting. However, stress shopping, for many, could grow into a drive that uses up money, causes conflict, and therefore adds great stress to life.

Despite the in-time joy from purchases, stress shopping never proves a long-lasting cure to stress or depression. Actually it needs to be avoided anyhow. Whether you’re purchasing Christmas presents or buying groceries having the items you need written down will provide you with brightness while shopping. Reward yourself for sticking to your list and you’ll be more likely to commit to it.

In addition always think about what you struggle with most financially. Do you spend too much money at the mall? Eating out? Vacations? Make a list of where your money is going and take necessary steps to resist your desire. For example, if you spend too much money on dining out on weekends, stuff your cupboard with food on Friday. So you’ll be more likely to stay in and cook. And you need to give up the need to keep up with others. Everyone’s financial situation is different and comparison may lead to debt and dissatisfaction with what you already have.

7 . We humans love to stare into our smart devices. We gaze for hours—about 10 hours and 39 minutes a day—at our computers, smartphones, tablets and televisions. Is all this staring bad for us?   It might be, mainly because as we stare at our devices we are exposing ourselves to blue light.

Blue light is a type of electromagnetic radiation with a very short wavelength that produces a high amount of energy. While it’s true that light can damage our eyes under certain circumstances, there’s no scientific evidence suggesting that blue light is harmful to our eyes. But many people still think it is, which is why blue-light-blocking glasses are so popular. So, do the glasses work?

“Everyone is very concerned that blue light may be causing damage to the eye, but there’s no evidence that it may be causing serious damage, ” Dr. Rahul Khurana, a clinical spokesman, told Business Insider.

Blue light exposure is nothing new. In fact, the sun is the largest source of blue light. Moreover, blue light is also present in LED light. But if blue light isn’t harmful, then why are we constantly rubbing our eyes when we’re looking at our screens?   The answer is eyestrain (眼疲劳). More than 60 percent of people experience eye problems associated with digital eyestrain. And blue light, it seems isn’t the cause. Instead, our eyes are so strained because most of us blink less when we stare at our digital devices. So, if eyestrain is the real issue, blue-light-blocking glasses are probably of little use.

8 . Vijay Gupta is known to classical music lovers across the United States. He serves as the first violinist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In that job, he often plays to large crowds, including many very rich people. When he is not performing, he organizes concerts for homeless people. “They have reminded me why I became a musician.” He said.

Last week, Gupta was recognized for being a founder and the artistic director of Street Symphony. The group has performed at homeless shelters, jails and halfway houses for about eight years. Gupta is among the 25 winners of the 2018 MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the “Genius Grant”. Each winner will receive $ 625,000 over five years to use as they wish. The money is coming from a private group, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. It awards grants (补助金) to people whose work it considers exceptional and whose work “inspires hope in us all”. Gupta said he got the idea for Street Symphony while teaching Nathaniel Ayers, a trained musician whose mental illness led to his homelessness.

The 31-year-old winner said he did not know yet how he would spend the money. He has been a performer since the age of seven and the award will give him “space to breathe, plan and look ahead”.

Another winner is Rebecca Sandefur, an associate professor (副教授) of sociology and law in the University of Illinois. The Associated Press says her research actively supports new ways to involve poor communities in the U. S. justice system.

47-year-old Sandefur created the first national mapping of civil legal aid providers. It shows which states have the financial(金融的)resources to provide such aid and which don’t. She also found that the cost of legal services was only one of the things preventing poor people from getting lawyers. Among the others were fears of unfairness(不公平)in the legal system. Sandefur noted that a lot of attention had been paid to problems with the criminal justice system, but more attention must be paid to the civil side of the law, which also affected millions of people.

9 . Chloe Smith is a 6-year-old girl from Atlanta, Georgia. One day, while taking a walk with her father near their home, she _________ something shiny under a pile of rubbish. She picked up the _________ to take home, as she often did on her treasure-hunting walks. Chloe was later _________ to discover she had found a stolen Olympic gold medal.

The medal belonged to former canoeist (划艇运动员) Joe Jacobi, who won gold while _________ for Team USA in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. The medal, along with other personal belongings, was _________ in May of 2016 when someone broke into Jacobi’s house. Though police managed to _________ some of his stolen items, they hadn’t been able to find his _________ Olympic medal. It may have been lost forever, if not for a 6-year-old girl’s treasure — hunting _________.

Chloe’s dad had seen Jacobi’s story on the news, and _________ realized it was his stolen property. He found Jacobi’s email and sent him pictures of the treasure. After __________ the medal, Jacobi was astonished, just speechless.

Chloe was __________ to give it back after speaking with Jacobi on the phone. __________, Jacobi promised to speak to her class when school begins again this fall. The __________ of this little girl reuniting an Olympian with his beloved possession is __________. When we talk about character and doing the __________ thing, Chloe represents the Olympic values in every sense of the word.