2 . Getting and staying focused can be a challenge even in the best of times. But with everything going on in the world, concentrating can often feel down-right impossible. Below are some tips to help you find your flow.

Distract (使分心) your brain. Schedule into every workday some breaks from all that focusing and allow your mind to travel into what’s called the “default (默认的) mode network” for a bit of freestyle activities.     1    . It’s the place where our minds find innovation and creativity and often make better decisions than the focused mind.

    2    . This involves first turning your attention inward. Try traveling with your mind to someplace enjoyable — maybe it’s a walk through an imaginary forest or sunbathing on a warm sandy beach. Doing this several times a day can offer your mind a fresh approach to the job at hand.

Block interruptions before diving into deep work.     3    . To help, turn off text messaging, notifications and social media alerts. Be vital when you want a deep dive into focus. Your important work benefits when you shut off or put away your phone and other screens.

Know your body clock. Whether you are sharp in the morning or a night owl, don’t spend your day — in particular your peak brain hours — doing busywork.     4    .

Try new hobbies. Engaging in hobbies not only is fun but can help us come up with new solutions to problems we’re facing at work or home.     5    .

Emily was a student, who was always shy and lacked confidence. She struggled to make friends and believed that she wasn’t good at anything. That started affecting her academic performance and overall happiness. She said to herself, “I’m a loser. I can’t get anything done.” She felt worried and tried to find solutions. However, unfortunately, all she had done was in vain.

One day, Emily’s teacher, Ms. Johnson, noticed her attitude and decided to help her regain her confidence. She said to Emily, “No one is born confident and strong. You have to make a change, so take the first step forward.” She encouraged Emily to participate in classroom activities and group projects. At first, Emily was hesitant, fearing that she would embarrass herself in front of her classmates. But with gentle encouragement and support from Ms. Johnson, she slowly started to overcome her fears. So she started to open up and take action to be better.

Ms. Johnson also noticed that Emily had a talent for writing. She suggested that Emily join the school newspaper team. Emily felt nervous about contributing her work, but the positive feedback from her peers and teachers improved her confidence. She saw that her unique views were value d by others. She started writing some essays to show everyone the desire for beauty in her heart. And the readers were amazed by her writings.

As Emily gained more confidence in her writing, she decided to take on new challenges. She joined the debate team, despite her fear of public speaking. With regular practice and guidance from her teammates, Emily gradually overcame her stage fright and found her voice in expressing her opinions. Obviously, she was successful in her speeches as well.

Outside of school, Emily discovered her passion for community service. She started volunteering at a local animal shelter, where she was able to make a positive impact on the lives of abandoned pets. The experience not only gave her a sense of purpose but also allowed her to connect with like-minded persons who shared the same love for animals.

Over time, Emily’s confidence began to come out in other aspects (方面) of her life.

At the end of her high school, Emily looked back on the journey she had taken.

Diesel engines (柴油机) work on the same basic principles     1     gasoline engines, but they do the work differently. Let’s take a closer look.

The story of the diesel engine actually begins with the invention of the gasoline engine. Nikolaus August Otto     2     (invent) the gasoline engine in 1861. His invention used the four-stroke combustion (四冲程燃烧) principle, also known as the “Otto Cycle”,     3     is the basis for most car engines today. In its early stage, the gasoline engine wasn’t very efficient, and other major methods of transportation, such as the steam engine, performed     4     (poor) as well. Only about 10 percent of the fuel     5    (use) to power these types of engines actually moved a vehicle. The rest of the fuel simply produced useless heat.

Rudolf Diesel created an engine with high efficiency, and he devoted much of his time to     6     (develop) a “combustion power engine”. By 1892 Diesel had obtained a patent for     7     we now call the diesel engine.

For decades, diesel engines had a reputation for being dirty and loud. While Europe adopted the technology pretty widely, most     8    (drive) in the United States said, “No, thank you.” By the 21st century, though diesel engines became far cleaner, much     9     (quiet) and even more efficient, they experienced a setback in popular opinion because of a scandal (丑闻) in 2014. Thanks to     10     (they) proven efficiency, though, diesel engines are regaining some ground.

8 . When Belquer first joined a team to make a better live music experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, he was struck by how they had developed workarounds to enjoy concerts. “What they were doing at the time was holding balloons to feel the vibrations (震动) through their fingers,” Belquer said. He thought the team could make something to help hard-of- hearing people enjoy live music even more with the technology now available.

Belquer, who is also a musician and theater artist, is now the “Chief Vibrational Officer” of Music: Not Impossible, which uses new technology to address social issues like poverty and disability access. His team started by tying vibrating different cell phone motors to bodies, but that didn’t quite work. The vibrations were all the same. Eventually, they worked with engineers to develop a light haptic (触觉的) suit with a total of 24 vibrating plates. There are 20 of them tied to a vest that fits tightly around the body like a hiking backpack, plus one that ties to each wrist and ankle. When you wear the suit, it’s surprising how it feels.

The vibrations are mixed by a haptic DJ who controls the location, frequency and intensity of feeling across the suits, just as a music DJ mixes sounds in an artful way. “What we’re doing is selecting and mixing what we want and send it to different parts of the body,” said the DJ. The haptic suits were just one component of the event. There were American Sign Language interpreters; the music was captioned on a screen on the stage.

The suits are the star attraction. Lily Lipman, who has auditory processing disorder, lit up when asked about her experience. “It’s cool, because I’m never quite sure if I’m hearing what other people are hearing, so it’s amazing to get the music in my body.”