Students always have lots of school work     1     (do), and then there are tests and exams     2     (worry) about. While it’s OK to worry a little, be careful not to worry too much. If you’re living with high levels of stress, you’re putting your health at risk. You should find time     3     (relax), but you should also pay attention to your ways of relaxation. One day, a student complained to me that her eyes often hurt. I asked her what she did every day, and she told me she studied during the day and then watched soap operas on her smartphone in the evening. Of course, I guessed immediately what the cause of the eye pain might be.

You see, during the daytime, she was using her eyes     4     (study) from books, and during the evening, she was using her eyes to watch soap operas on her smartphone. No wonder her eyes were hurting-she chose the wrong way to relax! When she relaxed by watching soap operas, she was able     5     (rest) her brain, but at the expense of her eyes.

    9     (remember): All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. With these techniques, you should feel much more relaxed, allowing you     10     (perform) much better in your schoolwork.

3 . With smiling eyes, quick minds and good humor, Jia Ling seems like a natural crosstalk performer (相声演员).

Jia Ling was born _______ April 29th, 1982 in the city of Xiangyang, Hubei Province. Having studied acting _______ she was 11, Jia Ling entered the nation’s top drama college — The Central Academy of Drama at the age of 19, but she _______ to learn crosstalk there.

Jia Ling is not an overnight success. After graduation in 2003, she was living in a basement (地下室) that was just eight square _______ and without a bathroom. However, Feng Gong, who is one of the top crosstalk performers in China, opened the _______ to her success. He provided her with chances to perform. Jia Ling seized (抓住) the chances and worked hard to improve her skills.

As an excellent performer, the young lady first _______ the Spring Festival Gala in 2010. With her unique style and great sense of humor, Jia Ling _______ by many people. Since her crosstalk is unique, fashionable and attractive, she becomes _______. Besides _________ as a crosstalk performer, Jia Ling is also a talented actress. She has ______________ acted in several TV series. “My acting experience has given my crosstalk more ideas and creativity,” Jia Ling ______________.

Now, Jia Ling has become one of the top crosstalk performers in China. She is trying hard so that crosstalk can ____________ to more people. She has set up her own club called New Laughter Inn. There people can enjoy traditional or ____________ crosstalk performances. She hopes it can influence her generation and even the next generation and ____________ more and more people love crosstalk.

Jia Ling ____________ being a crosstalk performer and she says she is confident about the future of crosstalk because people will always want to laugh.

4 . A decadelong study of older adults in China has found that a healthy lifestyle is linked to slower memory decline even when people carry a risky gene for Alzheimer’s.

Memory loss is a common part of aging. While there is no cure for most conditions that cause cognitive decline, lifestyle has received increasing attention as it is relatively easy to manage with potential benefits for overall health, including memory.

In a report in the latest issue of British Medical Journal, researchers from China’s National Center for Neurological Disorders and other medical institutes followed 29,000 people aged at least 60 years with normal cognitive abilities for up to 10 years. Forty-nine percent of the participants were women.

The participants were from 12 provinces from the north, south and west of China, representing the geographical characteristics, degree of urbanization, economic status, dietary patterns, and cultural and social differences in China.

At the beginning of the study in 2009, the researchers tested participants’ memory function with the Auditory Verbal Learning Test, one of the most widely used word-learning tests. They were also tested for the APOE gene, the most common gene linked with Alzheimer’s. Around 20 percent of the participants were carriers of the risk gene.

The participants received assessments in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019. In the follow-ups, six healthy lifestyle factors were analyzed: a healthy diet (adherence to recommended food items), regular physical exercise (at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercises per week), active social contact (for example, seeing friends and family at least twice a week), active cognitive activity (for example, reading, writing, playing chess at least twice a week), non-smoking and never drinking alcohol.

6 . According to a study published this week, habitual napping (打盹) appears to be associated with a large brain volume in adults although experts stressed that further research was needed. It reduces the cost caused from the lost time and the fatigue-related errors. The work followed previous studies that suggested a brief doze could improve people’s ability to learn.

Arianna Huffington, a co-founder of Huff Post and the founder and chief executive of Thrive Global, said, “Given the latest science on the effectiveness of napping and the clear link between employees feeling well rested and their productivity, it’s long past time that businesses embrace short naps at work.”

Some businesses, including Thrive Global, have already introduced facilities for employees to take naps. Google introduced sleep pods as far back as 2014 and companies like Nike and Ben & Jerry’s introduced nap rooms. The practice has even been adopted by the NHS, with a growing number of hospitals introducing sleep pods for staff in an effort to help them get more rest. Employees, it seems, are enthusiastic. Sean Greenwood, of Ben & Jerry’s, said, “If a quick nap gets employees more involved and creative, we’re happy to provide that for our team members.”

Unfortunately, the practice of napping still suffers from our collective concept that sleep equals weakness and laziness. However, the performance-enhancing benefits of naps have been no secret to many leaders throughout history. It also gives the higher-ups the chance to acknowledge the 24/7 culture and come up with top-down   solutions that encourage workers to take care of themselves in and out of work.

While sleep experts stressed that a daytime doze could be beneficial, they said it was crucial to get enough shut-eye at the end of a day. It is the late stage of sleep, sometimes missed by early risers, that strengthens the nerve circuits that make for learning and memory, allowing the brain to make and consolidate new neutral connections. Additionally, prioritizing sufficient sleep during the regular nightly sleep period is essential for overall well-being.