3 . If you’ve ever emerged from the shower or returned from your walk with a clever idea or a solution to a problem you had been struggling with, it may not be a surprise. Rather than constantly concentrating on a problem, research from the last 15 years suggests that people may be more likely to have creative breakthroughs when they’re doing a habitual task that doesn’t require much thought.

“People always get surprised when they realize they get interesting, novel ideas at unexpected times,” says Kalina Christoff, a scientist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, “because our culture tells us that we should do it through hard work.”

Now researchers begin to understand why these clever thoughts occur during more passive activities and what’s happening in the brain. They have found that the key is a series of brain activities—within what’s called the default mode (DM) network—that occur while an individual is resting or performing habitual tasks that don’t require much attention.

“Simply put, it is a state that your brain returns to when you’re relaxed,” explains Christoff. “By contrast, when you’re working on a demanding task, the brain’s executive control (EC) systems keep your thinking focused, analytical, and logical.”

Researchers find that the DM network is also involved in the early stages of idea generation, drawing from past experiences and knowledge about the world. When your mind wanders, you’re allowing thoughts to playfully cross your mind, which helps you combine information and ideas in new ways and something clicks.

“A cautionary note: While the DM network plays a key role in the creative process, it is the EC systems that help you to evaluate and apply the creative ideas effectively to your problems in the real world,” Christoff says. “So it’s unwise to place blind faith in the discovery that creative ideas can be generated in the shower or during any other kinds of mind wandering. Instead, you have to do the work to set the groundwork for creative ideas to emerge in the first place.”

4 . Coffee shops are cool, but in Wilmington, Bitty&Beau’s Coffee enjoys a good reputation for its warmth.

At the heart of the shop’s popularity is its_______ staff: Almost everyone has an intellectual(智力的) or developmental disability.

The coffee shop was opened in 2016 by Amy Wright and her husband, _______ by two of her four children Beau and Bitty, who have Down syndrome(唐氏症).

When the couple discovered that most people with intellectual and developmental disabilities could never find an employer who would even give them a(n)_________, they decided to do something about it.

“It _______me like a flash of lightning: a coffee shop!” Wright said.“It would be the perfect environment for bringing people together. Seeing the staff_______customers at the door, preparing food, serving orders and cleaning tables, people would realize how _______they are.”

When the shop opened, it immediately had _______ out the door. National press attention _______ , and six months later, it had to move to a_______ space.

Today, the store employs 40 people with disabilities, who are really good at their jobs.

What makes Amy most proud is the__________it has built in the community.“Every day, people say,’You’ve made my day. Thank you. ’ That’s a feeling of happiness most people don’t get elsewhere, and it’s what__________people back here,” she said. “This is a place where people can ________with those with disabilities and realize how much more alike we are than different. It’s__________a cup of coffee. It’s a human rights movement. It’s given our employees the respect and a sense of being ________ that they deserve. For many employees, it’s their first job, and their__________fills the air.”

5 . When you measure the distance between towns on foot, and walk to places that you thought could only be reached by car, it will change your mind.

I live in the suburb north of San Francisco, and _________is considered the main transportation for most people here. I still remember how _________ I was when I first learned to drive. While driving with music gently _________my heart, I was filled with joy. However, as time went by, that excitement _________. I feared driving, and felt worried and upset. Everyone seems to be in my way especially when I am in a _________. One night, a deer ran out from the dark, knocked against my moving car, and_________ across the street. I didn’t dare to get out of my car to see her. Crying on the _________, I hated my car.

When I joined the 21-day mindful walking _________, I began to walk with a mind. During the walking days, I smiled at every stranger _________ by me. I walked to the streets that I __________, would not pass through and __________ a tiny free library on the sidewalk. I began to__________ if I had really lived in this town all these years. It’s a completely __________ town that I know so little about!

I felt deeply __________ for the walking challenge. Maybe I will set foot on far lands again, yet I know the __________ is right here and right now.

6 . Central Park

Explore Central Park, one of the largest city parks in the world and one of the most famous symbols of New York. Let’s have a look at its main sights.

Central Park is New York’s largest city park and one of the biggest in the world, with an area of 843 acres (about 3.4km²). This park is home to man-made lakes, waterfalls, grass and wooded areas. You will also find the Central Park Zoo, among other attractions in this greenspace of New York.

Besides being the city’s primary green lungs, Central Park is also a favorite spot for many New Yorkers. It is perfect for sunbathing, going for walks, or doing any outdoor sports. Something that we found curious is seeing so many people running with their babies in prams (婴儿车).

To get to know some of the wildest parts of Central Park we suggest walking. However, to get a general feel for the whole park, the best thing to do is hire a bicycle and enjoy the scenery.

If you decide to hire a bike, you will find lots of bike rental stores around Central Park that are not very expensive.

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.

From 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Entry to the Park is free. But if you visit some parts like Central Park Zoo, you need to buy a ticket.

Subway: Line 5, 6, 7, A, B, C and D．

Bus: Line M1, M2, M3, M4 and M10.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (447 m)

Guggenheim Museum (564 m)

American Museum of Natural History (688 m)

Whitney Museum of American Art (1 km)

The Frick Collection (1.3 km)

I thought I knew a lot about Hamlet. As     1     high school student with English literature as one of my main subjects, I have to! Shakespeare’s Hamlet is probably the most important play by the     2     important writer in English. Almost everybody knows “To be, or not to be”, right? Having s    3     quite a few productions of Hamlet and read the play many times, I was full of c    4     until the Peking Opera came to town!

D    5     back to the 18th century, Peking Opera has over two hundred years of history. Does this mean it’s easier than a Shakespeare play to understand? To find out the answer, I just had to go and see The Revenge of Prince Zidan — the Peking Opera v    6       of Hamlet.

Easily my favourite part of the show was how the characters moved on stage. I had never seen Prince Hamlet do a backflip before! That was simply i    7     . It was so dazzling and energetic that I wasn’t sure if the characters were performers     8     athletes! Everyone was clapping.

Before experiencing The Revenge of Prince Zidan, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it. But, in fact, I was on the     9     of my seat! Feeling the strong emotions of love, anger, fear and grief in the performance, I could easily recognise the theme of Hamlet. So, if you want to see a show that combines music, singing, drama, poetry and costume design with explosive effect, The Revenge of Prince Zidan     10     all the right boxes!

10 . Traveling to watch their team play at the World Cup took a little longer than usual for two French fans. Mehdi Balamissa and Gabriel Martin decided the best way to travel from France to Qatar was on two wheels. The friends spent three months traveling 7,000 kilometers by bicycle to reach Qatar 2022 and watch their beloved France defend its title.

“It was a crazy idea, but we’re the kind of people that have big ideas and don’t want to have any regrets,” Balamissa said, as both spoke to CNN Sport a day after arriving in the country. “So, since we are both self-employed, we decided to block off three months of our time and come to Qatar.”

The pair started their mammoth (庞大的) journey at the Stade de France in Paris, home of the French national team, and finished at the stunning Lusail Stadium, the venue that will host the final at Qatar 2022. They would travel on average 115 kilometers per day, taking appropriate rest days when needed. They battled through the heat of the desert in Saudi Arabia as well as flooded woodland areas in Hungary as they made their winding way to Qatar, stopping off at campsites, lodges (乡间小舍) and hotels to sleep.

The idea came about after cycling from France to Italy to watch their country play in the UEFA Nations League last year and they wanted to test themselves with a much longer trip. They hoped their trip would promote the benefits of eco-friendly travel and said they plan to offer cycling workshops to children from disadvantaged backgrounds when they eventually arrive home.

The two cyclists encountered many problems along the way, including dozens of flat tires, but relied on their infectiously positive attitude to get them through. The pair laugh as they recall the time they had to travel 15 hours to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in order to find a bike repair shop before traveling 15 hours back to the exact point where they had stopped.

“We had many troubles, but we fixed them as we went,” Martin told CNN.