2 . If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter density (灰质密度). This is the area of the brain which processes (加工) information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles. The study also found the younger people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.

A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London (UCL), took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.

Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.

“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.

Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible.” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”

The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learnt English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.

5 . Freshman year of high school is a big transition (过渡) for any student.

Luckily, you’re not the only person going through this. and plenty of others have made the transition before you too.

One of the ways in which high school is different from middle school or junior high the most is the higher expectations. You’ll find that you’re expected to keep closer track of your own schedule and responsibilities with fewer people checking up on you. At the same time, your classes are likely to become more challenging, and you might be participating in new school activities as well.

Some students find it hard to keep up with everything at first, which is totally normal. One way to prepare in advance for these higher expectations is to make sure that you have organized schedules in place before you start high school.

Another important skill for meeting these higher expectations is building a strong support network. No matter how strong a student you are, at some point you will need some help. Keeping healthy relationships with your friends and teachers is a great way to make sure that you have people who are willing to help when you need them.

Try to get to know at least some of your teachers beyond your classroom communication. Be an active learner during class and stay after class to ask questions. Take advantage of email or class messaging systems. The better your teachers know you, the better prepared they’ll be to help when you need them.

It’s important for you to keep in mind as you start high school that no one is perfect. Transitions are hard for everyone, and starting high school is a big transition. These challenges provide a great chance to reinvent yourself.

My Parents and I had been planning my brother’s birthday party since the beginning of March. Johnny would be six years old in two weeks. My mom was going to bake her special chocolate cake with white icing. As I watched her, I thought, “I wonder what I can do to make my brother’s birthday special.”

I knew my parents had already bought a present for me to give to Johnny, but I wanted to buy him something I had chosen myself and with the money I had saved. After giving it some thought, I wanted to buy him the paint-by-number kit (数字涂色小套装) I had seen at the store around the comer.

I decided to empty my coin jar (存钱罐)   and see how much money I had saved. However, I was disappointed to find there was much less than I had imagined. “Oh, no, I only have about three dollars,” I muttered to myself. The set cost more than I had saved.

Suddenly a “great” idea occurred to me. I slid into my parents’ bedroom where my dad kept loose change (零钱) on top of the dresser (梳妆台). I stood on my tiptoes and saw some coins. I carefully counted out what I needed to make up the difference. “I'm sure Dad won't mind just this once,” I thought.

However, I was soon overcome by guilt (负罪感). Even though there was no one else in the bedroom, I felt like I was being watched. Mom was always telling us about the importance of honesty. Maybe my plan wasn't such a great idea after all. However, I still put all the change I found into my own pocket.

I slid out of my parents’ room and headed toward the door. “Where are you going, Arwen? ” Mom asked, “Oh, just up to the corner store,” I replied. “Well, don't stay out too long, Daddy will be home soon.” “Okay, Mom” I ran out of our house.

Once I got to the store, I took the paint-by-number kit from the shelf.

“Can I help you, young lady?” the saleswoman asked.

“No. I'm just looking, thank you,” I said.

“That's a really nice paint kit. We sell a lot of them and, as you can see, that's the last one.” she said.

9 . What makes you cry? Being moved by a sad movie, waving a loved one off, or getting emotional after splitting up with your partner can all cause tears to roll down our faces.     1    

When you think about it, shedding tears from your eyes can cause embarrassment or confusion. But it seems to be an automatic reaction when we get sad or upset.     2       However, the feeling is the same – your cheeks puff up, your eyes tighten and before you know it, tears are streaming down your face. Some of us may weep a little while others might cry like a baby.

A study in the UK in 2017 found that women admitted they cry 72 times a year. This was, on average, more than men. Adam Rutherford, lead researcher, says that the result has been pretty much consistent with previous research.     3    Are they just more embarrassed about showing their true feelings? The debate continues.

One place where we experience emotional and tearful outbursts is in the workplace.    4     Someone might be stressed with a heavy workload. And, as therapist Joanna Cross put it, “crying is often a build-up of frustration and undealt-with situations and it’s a bit of a final straw moment.” She describes how someone might start weeping when they’re just asked to make a cup of tea. Actually, their stress has accumulated to the breaking point.

But crying in the office or elsewhere can be an effective stress reliever. It can actually make you feel better.    5    Crying your eyes out shows others how you feel, so perhaps it’s a crying shame that more of us, particularly men, don’t cry more often.

My great-grandfather, my grandfather and my father are farmers, and so are all my family. My father has a fixed idea that I would become a farmer too. Although I respect him and am indeed skilled at doing some farm work, I don’t agree that I should automatically follow in my father’s footsteps.

When I was a teenager, my father happened to take me to an airport which belonged to one of his friends. It was the first time I had seen an aeroplane in real life. Knowing that I had never been on board, my father’s friend Tom offered me an opportunity to fly with him in his small aeroplane. I quickly accepted his offer! When we took off, I felt nervous but thrilled. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I had ever felt. I was just enjoying it. I assumed being a pilot would be the most awesome thing in the whole world. From that day a thought crept into my mind that I wanted to become a pilot, but I doubted whether my father would support me. After all, it was a totally different path from what he had planned for me. Therefore, I put the thought to the back of my mind, because I knew he would still insist on holding onto his previous idea.

Anyway, besides helping my father on the farm, I would frequently visit Tom’s airport. Gradually, I got familiar with every button and switch on the aircraft and I learned a lot about planes, such as how to fill the plane with fuel, how to check the engines and so on. But what I had learned just left me wanting more, so I decided to go to college to become a professional pilot.

This time I would not hide my desire any more.

At the graduation ceremony, with my father present, I, as “Best Pilot”, had to deliver a speech.