4 . The Enrollment of International Students of Xi’an University of Science and Technology (XUST)

Application Procedure

1. Log in to the website (gjjl.xust.edu.cn) to download and fill in the Application Form for International Students;

2. Provide digital photocopies or scans of valid (有效的) regular passport.

Charge List

1. Registration fee ( not refunded) : ￥200 per person (under 3 months), ￥400 per person (over 3 months)

2. Tuition and other charges

Medical Insurance

According to the regulations issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education, all international students are required to purchase the Comprehensive Insurance & Protection scheme for Foreigners Staying in China on the registration day. Students who do not have valid medical insurance will not be allowed to register.

Medical insurance fee: ￥800 per person per year

Contact Information

Room B202, Admission Division, International Exchange and Cooperation Office, Xi’ an University of Science and Technology, 58 Yanta Road, Xi’ an, Shaanxi, 710054, China.

Tel: + 86-29-85583033

Fax: + 86-29-85583719

E-mail: luc@xust.edu.cn

Website: www.xust.edu.cn

6 . Francesca Gino, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, explores a range of fascinating subjects in her new book. Gino's new book also highlights the science of gratitude.

In two of the gratitude experiments, Gino worked with Professor Adam Grant of the Wharton School. They first asked 57 students to give feedback to a fictitious (虚构的) student, Eric, regarding his cover letter for a job. Half were emailed a brief confirmation without gratitude. The other half received gratitude: “I received your feedback on my cover letter. I am really grateful.”

When Gino and Grant measured the students' sense of self-worth afterwards, 25 percent of the group that received just an acknowledgement felt higher level of self-worth, compared with 55 percent of the group that received thanks.

In a follow-up experiment, participants received a message from another fictitious student Steven, asking for feedback on his cover letter. Would participants who had received thanks from Eric be more likely to help Steven? Indeed, more than half of the students in the gratitude group (66 percent) helped Steven, compared with just 32 percent of those in the no-gratitude group.

“Receiving expression of gratitude makes us feel a heightened (增强的) sense of self-worth,” Gino said.

Gino built on the research in a field study that looked at 41 fundraisers (募捐人) at a university, all receiving a fixed salary. The director visited half of the fundraisers in person, telling them, “I am very grateful for your hard work.” The second group received no such expression of gratitude. Gino said that “the expression of gratitude increased the number of calls made by that group of fundraisers by more than 50 percent” for the week, while fundraisers who received no thanks made about the same number of calls as the previous week.

By missing chances to express gratitude, organizations and leaders lose relatively cost-free opportunities to motivate their employees, Gino said.

“The work behind my book really makes me think more carefully every time I am the one expressing gratitude to others. I don't want to miss opportunities. I have learned from my own research and now try to say ‘thank you’ much more often”, Gino added.

7 . Studies on the importance of sleep for health and the various effects of not having enough sleep have long been well-known. Being short of sleep can lead to poor memory and daytime sleepiness. It’s also been connected to diseases and weakens immune(免疫的)function. However, more than three-quarters of us fall asleep after 11pm and nearly a third stay up until 1am.

The concept(概念)of sleep procrastination was introduced in a 2014 study by Utrecht University in The Netherlands, which explained that it meant “failing to go to bed at the intended time, while nothing prevents a person from doing so”. If so, it will bring terrible results.

Studies have shown that “bedtime procrastination” is connected with a person’s working life during the day. “They feel out of control in their day life and the night is when they can be free,” says Dr Saliha Afridi. “It is full of things they ‘have to do’ rather than what they ‘want to do’. ” Studies have also found that increased working hours and the reduced leisure time may cause much stress and sleep procrastination. On occasion, people have trouble with feelings, concern and loneliness, so they were controlled by using social media, making them stay up late.

So how to avoid it? People should avoid thinking too much before bedtime and stay away from digital devices. Besides, taking a warm shower before bed and going to bed at the intended time are also important.

8 . Take a class at Dulangkou School, and you’ll see lots of things different from other schools. You can see the desks are not in rows and students sit in groups. They put their desks together so they’re facing each other. How can they see the blackboard? There are three blackboards on the three walls of the classroom!

The school calls the new way of learning “Tuantuanzuo”, meaning sitting in groups. Wei Liying, a Junior 3 teacher, said it was to give students more chance to communicate.

Each group has five or six students, according to Wei, and they play different roles (角色). There is a team leader who takes care of the whole group. There is a “study leader” who makes sure that everyone finishes their homework. And there is a discipline (纪律) leader who makes sure that nobody chats in class.

Wang Lin is a team leader. The 15-year-old said that having to deal with so many things was tiring.

“I just looked after my own business before,” said Wang. “But now I have to think about my five group members.”

But Wang has got used to it and can see the benefits (好处) now.

“ I used to speak too little. But being a team leader means you have to talk a lot. You could even call me an excellent speaker today.”

Zhang Qi, 16, was weak in English. She used to get about 70 in English tests. But in a recent test, Zhang got a grade of more than 80.

“I rarely (很少) asked others when I had problems with my English. But now I can ask the team leader or study leader. They are really helpful.”

9 . If knowledge is power, then books are fuel and libraries are power stations! Here are four amazing libraries that can get you positively charged.

New York Public Library—New York

Opened in 1911, New York Public Library was the largest marble building in the world. Over the years the library has a collection of 53 million items, including rare first edition books, 300 million pages of historical newspapers and around 40 ,000 restaurant menus dating back to 1850!

Chetham's Library— Manchester

Founded in 1653, Chetham's Library is a free public library with the longest history in the UK. The building itself is even older —built in 1421, it's one of the most well—protected medieval buildings in England!

With 100 ,000 + books lining the shelves, the special atmosphere of the library attracts students and scholars alike to attend guided tours offered throughout the year.

The Library of Congress Washington, D. C.

Located on Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress is considered the national library of the US and the second largest library in the world. The library has around 168 million items, adding 10 ,000 to this number every day.

Need to catch up on the news? The Library of Congress, which was founded in 1800, holds the world’s largest newspaper collection, with some dating back as far as 1659!

The British Library—London

The British Library was founded in 1973. With around 170 million items spread across 750 km of shelving, it's the largest library in the world. And this number is continually growing and 8 km of shelving has to be added every year! This is partly because the British Library must receive a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland, by law.