Five Ways to Make Studying More Fun

Pick an area of the house you haven't used before. Use a stand-up desk instead of the kitchen table. Set up a space in your bedroom or home office that is just for studying. Put some time into making it a place you want it to be. 【小题1】

Getting together with a friend or a group of classmates can help you learn new study skills while you are still getting a few laughs in. 【小题2】 Pick one person and each of you choose a side to argue. If you have a group, they can join and vote the winner.

Plan scheduled study breaks every hour and take part in an activity you enjoy. Go for a quick walk, watch a short video, or eat a snack. 【小题3】 Before you take a break, write down what you have learned during your study time and add to this list each time you take a break.

By activating the left and right sides of the brain at the same time, music maximizes（使最大化）learning and improves memory. It's no secret that music helps with concentration and creativity.

【小题5】 If the weather is nice, head to a park or the beach. Study at your favorite coffee shop or bookstore. If you're active, you might want to try exercising to improve memory and thinking skills. Some of your best thoughts and moments of clarity（清晰）come when you're moving your body.

   If you're the kind of person who loves travel but finds it difficult to break down language barriers，you may want to check out ICONSPEAK，a T-shirt covered in basic pictographs（图画文字）ranging from clocks to bathrooms. Simply point to the symbol associated with your need，and hopefully，the person you're talking to will understand you soon. I can tell you that it's better than having to make gestures to strangers.

ICONSPEAK is the brainchild of friends George and Florian. They were traveling through Asia in 2013 and found themselves in a remote（偏远的）village with no vehicle，no tourism，and just some locals. The problems they had while trying to express their needs to the locals inspired them to start working on a simple yet effective solution to the language gap. Two years later，they came up with the ICONSPEAK T-shirt.“In the furthest and deepest corners of our world we were repeatedly left with no words，either in breathtaking awe（赞叹）due to the scenery or in empty silence due to our lacking linguistic talents，”its website states.“Such situations got us thinking about how to bridge language barriers with simplicity on a global level. The answer came to us after a remarkable experience in Vietnam: ICONs. Because with ICONs, you can SPEAK, and you can SPEAK to the world.”

The ICONSPEAK collection consists of three types of T-shirts — long, short, sleeveless — as well as large bags and hats that feature fewer icons. The products are available internationally through the website, with the founders attesting that they work anywhere in the world.“I have used it in Norway,”said George.“It works beautifully — the people you ask are surprisingly quick in getting what you want or mean since they are anyway thinking in a certain context. If you point to the bus and the clock on the shirt and you do this at a bus stop, anybody will know that you want to know when the next bus leaves.”

ICONSPEAK is a clear example that the answer to complex problems can be very simple. I have yet to try the shirt, but somehow I have no doubt that it actually works. It might not always help, but for common problems, like finding a telephone, the nearest hotel or an ATM, ICONSPEAK seems like a good solution.

Four Ways to Beat Summer Weight Gain

When we think of the summer holiday，most of us think of outdoor fun. So it seems like we should naturally lose weight over the summer holiday. In reality，the summer holiday isn’t all beach volleyball and water sports. Therefore，we can gain weight easily in the summer holiday.【小题1】 Here are four ways to beat summer weight gain.

1.【小题2】 When we don’t have a plan，it’s easy to spend the summer holiday moving from the couch to the computer，with regular stops before the fridge. Avoid this by aiming for a specific goal，like volunteering，mastering a new skill，or working at a job. Just be sure to plan for some free time so you can relax a little！

2. Stay busy. When we’re bored，it’s easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing and then feeling low on energy. In addition to helping you avoid the cookie jar， filling your days with stuff to do can give you a sense of accomplishment.【小题3】

3. Beat the heat. Don’t let summer heat put your exercise plans on hold.【小题4】 If a gym isn’t your scene， try bowling or an indoor climbing wall. If you love being outdoors， move a regular run or soccer game to early morning or evening.

4.【小题5】 With school out， we lose our daily routines. If you don’t have a specific job or an activity to get up for，it’s easy to sleep late， watch too much TV，and snack more than usual. Make sure your summer days have some structure—like getting up at the same time each day. Plan activities for specific times，like exercising before breakfast.

   "Keeping the body in good health is a duty，otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear." This saying by Buddha is a life motto of highly healthy people. 【小题1】The following four habits will significantly improve your health.

They are organized and disciplined.

If you want to be healthy，you should try to become organized. 【小题2】It will help you succeed in everything and do things on time.

【小题3】

In our busy lives，it's very easy to ignore the healthy habits that keep us feeling great and eating right. Highly healthy people usually have a habit to prioritize（优先考虑）their health. They are particular about their nutrition. They always avoid fast food because they find it very harmful.

They have an exercise schedule.

Exercise and other physical activities are not only good for you，but they are also a fun way to spend time. 【小题4】That's why they set aside time for exercise in the mornings or evenings. Due to the high level of self-organization，they easily stick to the exercise schedule. They think that active lifestyle and regular sports will help them live longer.

They get enough sleep.

Sleep plays an important role in immune（有免疫力）function，memory，learning and other important functions. 【小题5】 It is very important to wake up and go to sleep at the same time，because your body works according to a certain rule.