1 . My husband and I made an agreement to help each other stay off social media platforms as much as possible. We left our accounts up instead of deleting them, but consciously stopped using them.     1     Now, I’m glad to report that they have worked.

Tired of being the last to hear of things, we downloaded a few news-specific apps that provide timely information.     2     Instead of relying on articles shared by my friends, I now have access to a steady stream of headlines that span far broader than my pre-specified interests.

Staying updated on our social circle has also been a more conscious effort. Previously I was kept up-to-the-minute on engagements, weddings, new jobs and babies through updates and pictures.

Without social media, I now learn of these important events only when actually meeting the people involved.

    3     The effort taken to sit down and write is far challenging, but when I do take the time to journal, my reflections go far deeper.

I still log in occasionally.     4     Based on the screen time tracked by my phone, I used to spend an average of over 24 hours a week on various social media platforms. That is down to just 20 minutes every month now, freeing up a large amount of time for sleep, hobbies and offline interactions.

    5     I might know less about my acquaintances now, but have more time to keep directly in touch with my closest friends. Walking home last week, I was greeted by a dramatic purple-pink sunset. I would have immediately reached for my phone a year ago. Now, it was enough to simply watch it darken into the night.

2 . Some young people are blocking their parents on social media. Would you add your parents on Wechat?     1    

Some children say they feel uncomfortable with their parents keeping an eye on their everyday activities and photos, as their parents either don’t support the things they do for fun, or would constantly worry over what they consider unsafe or inappropriate behavior.     2     . However, parents’ feelings would be hurt if they discovered their children restricted their access to this part of their social life.

So, what is your opinion? Should young people share their everyday activities with heir parents through social media like WeChat?

Some are for it. Young people can be friends with their parents.     3     Regular phone calls are still necessary, but with social media parents can keep current on their children’s daily activities,and nothing pleases parents more than that. In fact, many parents surprisingly understand young people’s thinking and lifestyles. So by treating each other as friends and equals on social media, families can overcome any previous sour feelings and work to rebuild their relationships.

    4     Many Chinese parents are in the habit of worrying about every little thing their children do, which can hurt relationships. Social media would only worsen this problem, allowing parents to keep a close eye on their kids’ every move.

Most young adults desire independence from their parents.Kids need to make their own choices.

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4 . Whether you want to impress a new teacher, or just chat with a new acquaintance, knowing how to start a conversation can help you feel more comfortable and confident.

    1    . To take an example, when you go into a room full of strangers, most people there are just like you in their hopes and fears. So when you approach someone to start a conversation, you’re helping him, because he wants someone to talk to as much as you do.     2    , you can acknowledge and accept them, which will be to your advantage.

No matter what the situation is, you can find something positive to say. Comment on the weather, the food, or the event itself. Saying something as simple as you hope your conversation partner has a good time also is a good way to get a conversation rolling. People tend to respond better to a positive subject rather than a negative one. Staying positive also helps put others at ease.     3    .

It can be difficult to try to talk to someone when it feels that you have little in common. In these situations, getting the other person to talk about his or her own interests, work, or expertise can be a useful way.     4    , so expressing a genuine interest in the things that other people enjoy can be excellent fuel for a great conversation.

Learning how to start a conversation is an important skill that can help you build social connections. It can be difficult initially, particularly if you struggle with shyness or social anxiety.     5    . The more often you start to interact with others, the stronger your conversational skills will become.

5 . For years, planet-hunters have been searching for a planet other than Earth that can support life. They may have found one.

The planet is the sixth found orbiting a star called Gliese 581. Steven Vogt, one of the scientists involved, expects the new planet to have water. On Earth, when we find water, we find life.     1    

A planet that can support life has to be just the right size for its system and just the right distance from its star. Some planets orbit so close to their stars that they’re much too hot for liquid water—or for life as we know it.     2    

But a right-sized planet that's neither too close nor too far might be just right for water. Gliese 581 is probably just right. It is about three times as huge as Earth.     3     Because it’s so close, one side of it always faces its star, and the other side is always dark.

The new planet is 20 light years away, which is as far as 250 million trips to the Moon and back.     4     Only light can go that fast. So even at the fastest speed we could manage, it would take a spaceship from Earth more than 200 years to go that far.     5     But that doesn’t mean we can’t study it. Thanks to powerful new telescopes and new techniques for searching the skies, scientists can learn a lot about distant planets without even leaving Earth.

Gliese 581 is an exciting discovery—and astronomers are likely to find more soon, thanks to new, powerful telescopes specifically designed to look for planets.

6 . Scientists and spiritual teachers alike agree that the simple act of smiling can transform you and the world around you. It can make us appear more attractive to others.     1     So before you read on, slap a nice, genuine smile on that face of yours.

The act of smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and happiness. For starters, smiling activates the release of neuropeptides (神经肽) that work toward fighting off stress. The feel-good neurotransmitters (神经介质) are all released when a smile flashes across your face as well.     2    

You’re actually better-looking when you smile. A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia reported that seeing an attractive, smiling face activates the region in your brain that processes sensory rewards.     3     It also explains the 2011 findings by researchers at the Face Research Laboratory. They found that both men and women were more attracted to images of people who made eye contact and smiled than those who did not.

Did you know that your smile is actually contagious (传染性的)? In a Swedish study, subjects were shown pictures of several emotions: joy, anger and surprise. When the picture of someone smiling was presented, the researchers asked the subjects to frown. Instead, they found that the facial expressions went directly to what subjects saw.    5     If they don’t, they’re making a conscious effort not to.

7 . Cloning is defined as using the cells of one living subject, plant or animal, to create another duplicate subject. A cloned subject will be the same as its parent. This technology could be useful for laboratory studies and for creating satisfying animals.     1    

One of the biggest disadvantages of cloning is that the technology is still so uncertain. Dolly the sheep, the first mammalian clone, was born in 1996. While she was initially successful, she died young of a disease not normally seen in sheep of her age.     2    

Losing gene diversity is another disadvantage of cloning. Gene diversity is what keeps an entire species from being wiped out by a singular virus.     3     If gene diversity is lost due to excessive cloning, there are no mutations to allow some of the cloned group to survive a newly introduced disease.

Another of the disadvantages of cloning is that there are a lot of moral considerations that would cause most people to protest.     4     Another concern is the treatment of clones. Clones would have the same needs as non-clones of their species. Humane treatment guidelines would still apply.

    5     For example, imagine what a corrupt officer could do with cloning. There will always be someone looking to use cloning for their own personal use, and many feel that the best way to prevent this is not to pursue cloning at all.

The disadvantages of cloning are seen by many to far outweigh any benefits that might be seen. Because of the risk involved in cloning, it is a technology that many experts say may be better left alone, at least until it is better understood.

10 . The Benefits of Digital Art

Digital art is the process of creating artwork using computers and software.     1     Lets have a look.

Digital art is often quicker to finish.

Take oil paintings for example. If you create one in the traditional way, you will need all kinds of tools like paper, water, paints, etc.     2     But with my computer and the right software, I can start a digital oil painting in less than 10 seconds.

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A computer with the right apps and software might cost you $1, 000, but physical art is pretty expensive. Pencils, paper, paints, paintbrushes and all of the other things you need soon get expensive. And they all need replacing — things can easily reach that $1, 000 and beyond.

Digital art avoids using much space of your room.

Drawings and paintings can take up lots of physical space. I have many physical drawings which are stored in boxes in my room. Some of the drawings took me weeks to complete.     4     It sounds crazy to say this but they just kept building up. Joyfully, digital art will not take up much space of the room.

Digital art makes it easy to deal with mistakes.

Digital art gives you the wonderful ability to correct your mistakes. Any time you make a mistake, you can step back from it right away with a push of a button. As for traditional art, it’s not easy to correct a mistake. For example, when your pen accidentally falls on your painting, you may not be able to deal with it.     5