Need inspiration？Happy background music can help people get the creative juice flowing.

Simone Ritter, at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and Sam Ferguson at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, have been studying the effect of silence and different types of music on how we think.

They divided 155 volunteers into five groups. Four of these were each given a type of music to listen to while taking a series of tests, while the fifth group did the tests in silence. The tests were produced to judge two types of thinking: divergent thinking, which refers to the process of creating new ideas, and convergent thinking, which is how we find the best solution to a problem. Ritter and Ferguson found that people were more creative when listening to music they thought was positive, coming up with more special ideas than the people who worked in silence.

"We also performed other types of music that were sad, anxious and calm, and didn't see this effect, " says Ferguson. "It seems that the type of music present is important, rather than just any music." In addition, no type of music helped convergent thinking, suggesting that it's better to solve problems in silence.

Ritter and Ferguson write that their finding could be used to improve creative thinking in places like educational institutions or laboratories, but Irma at the University of Helsinki in Finland, says happy music may help creativity by setting off the release of dopamine, a brain chemical involved in pleasure and relief." Dopamine also increases creative thinking and goal-directed working, "says Irma. And she also thinks happy music may not help convergent thinking because this kind of thinking relies more on logic and less on creativity.

   You are to feel pitiful if you go back from Europe without visiting some wonderful theatres. The theatres listed below may be one of the choices on your journey.

Brownsea Open Air Theatre

DORSET

The only way to this theatre is by boat. Each June volunteers travel there to begin building the set.

"The people come here for the love of the island, "says BOAT director Denise Mallender. "We're a charity, and we help the work on the island by holding a regular Shakespeare play."

Visit brownsea-theatre.co.uh for details.

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

LONDON Each summer, almost 140, 000 people visit the park to watch one of the four yearly plays. This year's plays include J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

With the stage and seating both completely uncovered, the actors and the audiences are left at the mercy of the British weather although this hasn’t prevented stars such as Jeremy Irons and Benedict Cumberbatch from performing here.

Visit openairtheatre.org for details.

Scarborough Open Air Theatre

SCARBOROUGH

Enjoy the sea air and sights of Europe's largest open-air playhouse. The stage and seating are separated by a lake.

"It's a unique place, "says Janet Deacon, area director of Welcome to Yorkshire. The theatre now plays host to concerts by big names such as Elaine Paige and Tom Jones, who are both performing this month.

Visit scarboroughopenairtheatre. com for details.

Rutland Open Air Theatre

RUTLAND

This theatre is home to the Stamford Shakespeare Company, who this year celebrates its 39th year of outdoor plays with performances of Romeo and Juliet and Henry V.

In all its years, ROAT has never cancelled a performance because of rain -and although the stage and actors are left open to the weather, the audience can shelter in the covered hall.

Visit stamfordshakespeare.co.uk for details.

I'm very glad you are so interesting in our school. Recent our school is launching an activity to call for thrift（节俭）and go against waste. Every student was required to save paper, water, electricity or food. All waste paper must be collected and sold to help poor student. Water must be made full use with and now you cannot find any tap what is left running without students around. And each student should get into a great habit of turn off the light on time. What's more, all of us are called on not to use our pocket money buy some things unnecessary and some students even use their saved money to help the students in the need.

Yours,

Li Hua

The Case for and Against Homework

Homework is typically defined as" any tasks given to students by school teachers that are meant to be carried out during afterschool hours". Homework has been a hot topic of debate in education. Throughout the first decade of the 20th century, educators commonly believed that homework helped create disciplined（遵守纪律的）minds. 【小题1】Since then, arguments for and against homework have continued to grow.

A number of studies have been carried out on homework. Two analyses by Cooper and his colleagues are the most comprehensive（全面的）.They concluded that the relationship between homework and students' achievements was found to be positive. 【小题2】

【小题3】The authors of How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It criticized both the quantity and quality of homework. They provided evidence that too much homework harms students’ health and family time. They insisted that teachers reduce the amount of homework and avoid homework over breaks and holidays.

One of the most controversial（有争议的）problems in the homework debate is the amount of time students should spend on homework. Researchers have offered various suggestions.【小题4】 Another question regarding homework is the degree to which schools should involve parents. Some studies have reported minimal positive effects or even negative effects of parental involvement.【小题5】

Finally, homework should cause students and their parents or other family members to take part in conversations and thus help the students' learning.