1 . The Importance of Handwriting is Becoming Better Understood

As primary-school pupils and PhD hopefuls return for a new school year, many will study with reliance on computers to take notes and write papers.     1    University professors complain of rampant distractions in classrooms, with students reading and messaging instead of listening to lectures.

    2     Studies have found that writing on paper can improve everything from recalling a random series of words to imparting a better conceptual grasp of complicated ideas.

The benefits of using a pen or pencil lie in how the motor and sensory memory of putting words on paper reinforces that material. The arrangement of squiggles (涂鸦) on a page feeds into visual memory.     3    

One of the best-demonstrated advantages of writing by hand seems to be in superior note-taking.When primary-school pupils and PhD hopefuls take notes, handwriting forces students to synthesise (合成) ideas into their own words. This aids conceptual understanding at the moment of writing.     4    

Many studies have confirmed handwriting’s benefits, and policymakers have taken note. Though America’s “Common Core” curriculum from 2010 does not require handwriting instruction past first grade (roughly age six), about half the states since then have required more teaching of it, thanks to campaigning by researchers and handwriting supporters.     5     England’s national curriculum already prescribes teaching the rudiments of cursive by age seven.

2 . You are certain to enjoy chatting to your friends.     1    . Make sure to ask your friends some more personal and interesting questions next time.

What Are Your Best Childhood Memories?

Ask your friends to find out what stands out as their most impressive memory from their childhood: watching the same cartoons on Saturday mornings, playing with the same types of toys, or winning a school spelling competition?     2    

Where Should We Hang Out Next?

Come to an agreement on what to do that will be fun for everyone. Ask your friends for their activity ideas and give your own.     3     Perhaps you can suggest a day trip to a Disneyland park in a nearby city, or maybe some of your friends want to take a night camping trip.

What Does Your Future Hold?

Ask your friends about their plans after high school graduation, Let them discuss whether they want to go to college, or go to work directly.     4     Perhaps some of your friends wanted to become doctors after hearing a speech from a famous medical worker. Share your own dream jobs with them and give your reasons.

What’s Your Riskiest Experience?

    5     Ask your friends about their most unforgettable experiences. It will be interesting to discuss any extremely frightening but often exciting stories. Perhaps one of your friends rode on the world’s fastest roller coaster (过山车) while another friend may have bungee jumped off a cliff (悬崖). Maybe someone even took a ride in a hot air balloon.

3 . Each place on this planet has its own unique traits culture and customs. In addition, different locales have their own languages and dialects.     1    

As people travel more frequently, they exchange goods and ideas. Thus, the blending of cultures has become easier and more commonplace. In the age of globalization, one may argue that language acts as a barrier to communication. Individual dialects may divide people even further.     2     Dialects are important for international business. Read on to learn how.

DIALECTS RETAIN IDENTITY

Many cultures use different words or pronunciations for the same thing.     3     Many times, exact translations are impossible. For example, one language may have a specific word for something, while another does not. If each language were standardized with the same set of words and pronunciations, cultures would lose their identities.

DIALECTS HELP SPREAD CREATIVITY

New words spread freely throughout different cultures thanks to world travel and the internet. In our modern society, each person can travel to experience new things. By learning new languages and dialects, a person expands his or her mind. Opening one’s mind promotes creativity.     4     Therefore, as we interact internationally, these exchanges lead to innovations.

DIALECTS INCREASE INDEPENDENCE

    5     Even though a small group is part of a larger whole, their unique form of expression sets them apart. Their uniqueness provides them a sense of independence. Oftentimes, people from a specific area take pride in their dialect. Differences enhance cultural diversity and increase independence. Without diversity, our world would not progress in business or technology.

Our world needs dialects and individual expression to keep cultures alive for future generations. Preserving dialects is good for creativity, innovation, and business.

5 . How tall are you? Do you tower over your friends and family - or are they people you literally have to look up to?     1     But do you know that there’s a possibility that we’re all getting taller?

Of course, our height is out of our control.     2     The idea that being taller gives you more power and authority might be a tall story, but according to David Robson, writing for BBC Future, “on the basis of first impressions alone, taller people may have the edge.” He adds that various studies have found that the greater your height, the higher you score on measures of happiness and enjoyment of life.

    3     Scientists have known for a long time that humans with good diets and reliable access to food tend to grow taller and mature more quickly. Adult height in some countries has rocketed as they transformed into a developed society.

In a recent study scientists have discovered a brain receptor, called MC3R, linked to our growing process.     4     “It tells the body we’re great here and we’ve got lots of food, so grow quickly, have puberty (发育期) soon and make lots of babies. This discovery could lead to drugs to improve muscle mass and treat delayed growth,” UK researchers say.

For those eager to be taller, we need to look at the Dutch, who stand head and shoulders above the rest of us as the tallest people in the world. But, of course tall people have to stoop (俯身) through doorways and struggle to fit in cars and can have joint and cardiovascular problems.     5    

8 . Curiosity is rooted in our DNA. We are fascinated by the future; we are impressed with the unknown that surrounds us; we are amazed at all that we have to explore. The mysteries of the world have always been a push for us to watch.     1    .

Children are known for sticking their fingers in places where young fingers should never be. They are famous for putting all kinds of objects and substances in their mouths, everything from plastic blocks to any object in the room.

    2     It holds our hand as we move into old age and the unknown of the future. By and large, we are determined question-askers. We want to know more than we know; we want to expand our horizons, try out the new and undiscovered, and pursue experiences that deepen our comprehension of the world we live in.

    3     It is also the generation of possibilities. When we look at the world from multiple perspectives, we give ourselves permission to examine a wider range of resolutions. We open up our minds to explore the unexamined and unknown.     4     Ian Leslie explains it this way, “Curiosity is essential to an exploring mind; it opens our eyes to the new and undiscovered, encouraging us to seek out new experiences and meet new people.”

Curiosity is the catalyst(催化剂) for questioning, and questioning is what urges us to seek out the unfamiliar and the unknown.     5     It does not move forward, nor does it have sufficient power to dig what may lie just below the surface or just slightly out of reach. Curiosity is the fuel necessary for creativity to prosper and succeed.

9 . Thinking about the past week, did any of you forget where you put your phone? Did you have a word stuck on the tip of your tongue? You couldn’t remember the name of the movie a friend recommended? What is going on here? Is your memory failing?

It’s not.     1    Despite memory’s extraordinary, necessary and common presence in our lives, it is far from perfect. Our brains are not designed to remember people’s names, to remember to do something later or to catalogue everything we experience.     2     Even in the smartest heads, memory is likely to be wrong. So what determines what we remember and what we forget?

    3    Your memory is not a video camera recording a constant stream of every sight and sound you're exposed to. You can only remember what you are concerned about. Accordingly, one major reason for forgetting what someone said or where you parked your car is lack of attention.

The other has something to do with stimulus(刺激物). For example, the tip of the tongue is one of the most common experiences of memory failure.     4    Why does this happen? The tip of the tongue can occur when there’s only partial or weak activation(激活)of the nerve cells that connect to the word you’re looking for.

So when you walk into a room and suddenly don’t know why you’re there, you’re not going crazy or getting Alzheimer’s disease, and your memory isn’t terrible. Go back to the room you were in before you landed in this one and imagine the clues that were there.     5    

10 . You will have an opportunity to meet your new neighbors after you move into the neighborhood. And getting to know your neighbors will help you feel like you're at home and settle into your new space.     1    

Careful observation.     2     Note those who seem to have kids» those who are elderly, those who seem to be always in the garden, or even those who only seem to come out at night. If you can find some common interest, this will make it much easier to approach the person.

    3     A great way to meet your new neighbors is to spend time outdoors, in your garden or by raking a walk around the block. You'll be surprised how easy it is to meet people when they approach you first. Make sure you spend time outside after work hours or on weekends.

What if you have nothing in common? No problem. There's absolutely nothing wrong with just walking up to the from door, and introducing yourself or inviting them to a small get-together. Let them know you just moved in and where you moved from. If that still feels uncomfortable, then ask about garbage pick-up or recycling centers in the neighborhood. Remember that you live on the same street, in the same neighborhood.     4    

Host a get-together. Though it might be the last thing you warn to do while you're still unpacking, hosting a casual get-together is a great way to meet your neighbors all at the same time.     5     Ask people to bring snacks or drinks or chairs or all three. Everyone knows you've just moved in and don't expect much, plus they'll want to help out.