Brain fitness has basic principles：variety and curiosity. When anything you do becomes second nature，you need to make a change.If you can do the crosswords（纵横字谜）in your sleep，it’s time for you to move on to a new challenge in order to get the best workout for your brain. Curiosity about the world around you，how it works and how you can understand it will keep your brain working fast and efficiently.【小题1】

Play Games

Brain fitness programs and games are a wonderful way to tease and challenge your brain. Sudoku，crosswords and electronic games can all improve your brain’s speed and memory. These games rely on logic，word skills，math and more.【小题2】 You’ll get more benefit by doing these games a little bit every day—spend 15 minutes or so，not hours.

Think Deeply

Thinking deeply every day is perhaps the single greatest thing you can do for your mind or body health.【小题3】

Eat for Your Brain

【小题4】 Focus on fish oils from wild salmon（鲑），nuts such as walnuts，seeds such as flaxseed and olive oil. Eat more of these foods and less fats. Remove trans fats（反式脂肪）completely from your diet.

【小题5】

Stories are a way that we strengthen memories，explain events and share moments. Practice telling your stories，both new and old，so that they are interesting，attractive and fun. Some basic storytelling techniques will go a long way in keeping people’s interest both in you and in what you have to say.

How to Say Short-Term Goodbyes

Knowing when and how to say goodbye is often difficult, even in informal situations. But learning to say goodbye appropriately is a skill that will help you maintain（维持）your relationships. 【小题1】 Read on to learn how to recognize chances when you leave.

Recognize when to leave. When you’re at any kind of party or gathering, or even in a one-on-one conversation, it can be difficult to get away. Learning to recognize good chances to leave will make a short-term goodbye much easier. Notice if the crowd seems to be decreasing. 【小题2】

【小题3】 Overstaying your welcome is rude, but it can often be difficult to distinguish. People don’t like telling you that they’d like you to leave, so try to watch for signals. If the host of a party starts cleaning up, or withdraws from the conversation, gather your friends or belongings and make your exit.

Make plans to see each other again. Even saying “See you at school tomorrow” keeps the goodbye light and focused forward. If you haven’t already made plans, use it as a chance to make them. 【小题4】 Set up a coffee date or meeting for lunch later in the week if it makes the goodbye easier, but don’t promise anything you don’t want to do.

Tell the truth. It can be tempting to come up with a “good excuse” when you’re ready to leave. You don’t need to. 【小题5】 It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that.

   The holidays can be one of the happiest times of the year. However, all of that holiday happiness comes with high costs. The good news? 【小题1】 Here are some ideas to get you started.

♦ Book your flight early and on “off” days.

The price of travel during the holiday season increases. However, strategically (战略性地) booking your flight can help save big on your airfare. 【小题2】 For Christmas, aim to fly on Dec. 17 or 18. This might allow you to escape the high fares.

♦ Make DIY gifts that people will actually like.

It’s possible to make gifts that are inexpensive but valuable. Homemade gifts offer a personal touch that a store-bought item can’t.【小题3】 Maybe you have an uncle who loves golf and you love to paint. You could paint him a portrait (画像) of his favourite golf course.

♦【小题4】

Instead of flying, you can use many other cheaper ways of travelling. One idea is to take a train back to your hometown, which offers both beautiful views and low prices. You can also make friends along the way with other locals who are heading for your hometown !

♦ Find other ways to celebrate.

【小题5】 You can find tree lighting ceremonies, Christmas light displays, free concerts, and perhaps charities where you can donate your time. There’s nothing like volunteering to help you to experience the real meaning of the holiday.

   Communicating with your child's teacher is one way to help him succeed at school. But just how often should you contact the teacher，and what questions should you ask？How can you help your child succeed in school？

Jerry Parks，a social studies teacher is. to share his thoughts. Parks keeps in touch with parents through emails，class websites，and phone calls. " Parents who take an active interest in their children's work and school well-being are one of the biggest contributors to my students' success，"Parks says. Children of involved parents typically have higher self-esteem（自尊）and have fewer behavior problems in school. And students' grades usually improve when their parents become involved.

Parks suggests the top 6 ways parents can help their children succeed in school: first，make sure your child is at school every day possible. Missed work is generally more of a loss than made-up work is a gain；second，set a time and a place for your child to do homework. If he does not have homework，have him use the time to read；third，keep in touch with teachers，but don't do it too much. Most teachers appreciate parents caring enough to keep in touch a few times a term but do not appreciate parents expecting to contact on a regular basis. Besides，it seems appropriate to ask the teacher whether she thinks your child is giving his best effort in class and whether she has noticed any significant changes in your child's behavior or grades. More importantly，teach your child to build a character—it will improve social and academic skills more than anything else. Some things are simply wrong，and the world your child will grow up in will punish crimes，so give your child a head start. Last but not least，make time every day to talk with your child about the day's activities. Let him know you care，and really listen to what he has to say.

   You should always prepare for an interview whether you are about to face a traditional question-and-answer interview or a behavioral interview. There are things you can do before a behavioral interview that will put you at ease,make you feel and look more confident and make you stand out from the competition.

The first thing you must try to do is determine what competencies（技能）the prospective employer is looking for in a candidate（申请者）. Carefully read through the job announcement even  if you've already done this. It usually includes clues about the type of candidate the employers are seeking. This information may simply be listed under job requirements or it may be hidden within the list of job duties. If it's the latter,you will have to figure out what competencies are needed to perform those duties.

Another way to learn what competencies the employer desires is to talk to a recruiter（招聘人员） if you get through one. You should also use your network to connect with people who know about the prospective employer and you will know what qualities he most values.

If you cant get definitive answers about the particular position for which you are applying, try to make some educated guesses about the qualities needed for similar jobs.

You can consult job announcements for similar positions to find out what qualities other employers are seeking.

Once you have figured out what competencies the employer wants, you will have to come up with specific examples of how you used them. Try to answer some of the sample questions that follow. Do not be unclear in your responses. You will have to give enough information to prove that you possess a particular competency.