Lots of people avoid books. They read emails, websites and papers for work, but not books. They are busy, but even if they have time, they would rather relax on their computers or in front of the TV. 【小题1】 However, I think there are lots of benefits of reading, which screen-based activities don’t have.

【小题2】 Looking at screens can be very stressful for your eye muscles, and clearly you should avoid looking at screens for an hour before bed to get a good night’s sleep.

【小题3】 I often forget the time or things around me! Reading is a great way to switch off before you go to bed, because you think more about the world of the book, rather than the real world, so you can truly relax. I know you can be transported to a different world in a film or a TV show, but I think books do it better.

I also enjoy hearing what people are doing and finding out what they think. Reading gives me the chance to get to know hundreds of new people! It also teaches you to see things from other people’s point of view, and understand other people’s decisions or opinions. With a book, you can hear everything a character is thinking or feeling. 【小题4】

So my challenge for you is this: to read a book for 15 minutes every single day for a month. Take 15 minutes when you are waking up, going to bed, eating lunch, or having a coffee. If you read a lot, why not try 15 minutes of an English book? 【小题5】 Good luck, and happy reading!

Successful people have a few common characteristics that make them great. Now look at the following common traits exhibited by successful people that I have observed across various fields including sports, business and arts.

I put this at the top of the list simply because without self-discipline nothing is possible. Self-discipline is a quality that can be developed by having a clear idea on what we want and then ensuring the desire to succeed is greater than the consequences of not doing it. If we want to exercise 5 times a week, then we can imagine the enormous benefits of exercise and visualise that while trying to keep the end goal in mind. 【小题1】 It is resolving to do what we have set out to accomplish in both our personal and official lives.

Angela Lee Duckworth says that grit is the single quality that guarantees success, based on her groundbreaking studies. There are going to be setbacks, like we may not get the promotion we wanted, but having patience and perseverance never goes out of fashion. Talent will not take the place of persistence and resilience. 【小题2】

【小题3】 We can look no further than Tiger Woods to understand the value of passion. Tiger Woods who had already reached the apex (顶点) of sporting achievement actually changed his style of swing because he wanted to get the extra edge. This was after winning the Masters tournament by a record of 12 strokes in 1997. Passion can ignite reservoirs of resilience that may lay latent (隐藏的). Tiger Woods didn't play golf for the money though that helped, he played it for the love. Passion can happen when we do something we love,but as a beginning, we should start loving what we do and giving our very best every single day.

One of the best kept secrets of the highly successful is the ability to keep learning something new every day in their field or related fields. The hallmark of learning is curiosity. Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, is an excellent example of someone who kept learning till the end of his life. 【小题4】 When we learn something everyday, it keeps our mind sharp and it also gives a sense of accomplishment as we are using our time wisely. There is no end to this journey of continuous learning.

There is a popular saying (格言) in the English language: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Well, that is not true. Unkind words, name calling or even the so-called “the silent treatment” can hurt children as much as being physically hit, sometimes even more so.

Martin Teicher and his team studied young adults aged 18 to 25. The researchers asked the young people to assess their childhood exposure to verbal abuse (辱骂) from both parents and other children. Then the researchers performed imaging (成像) tests on these young adults.

The images showed that the individuals who reported suffering verbal abuse from their peers (同龄人) in middle school had poorly developed connections between the left side and the right side of the brain. The researchers tested the mental and emotional condition of all the young people in the study. The tests showed that this same group of individuals had higher levels of fear, depression, anger and drug abuse than others in the study.

The middle school years are a time when the brain connections are developing. We cannot control what other people say to our children, but we can prepare them. A website called CreativeWithKids.com offers 60 things that all children need to hear.

Here are the top 5.

1. I am curious to know what you think.

2. You are creative. I believe in you.

3. You can ask for help. I’ll always be there.

4. You are a good friend.You make me smile.

5. You are imperfect. So am I.

Share one or more of these statements with a child in your life. Actually, maybe we all need to hear some of these statements.