Managers across nearly every industry believe distraction soars as the temperature rises. 【小题1】. More than anything, our environment impacts our productivity

【小题2】. Think about your morning commute: It’s sticky and humid even at 8 a. m., and by the time you get into your air-conditioned office, you’re already exhausted. Heat causes many people to feel lethargic, making it much more difficult to focus on that meeting you have first thing.

Sure, people travel and do other fun activities year-round, but many people have more going on between May and September than they do any other period. 【小题3】. “Even if you’re not taking an exciting vacation, perhaps your coworkers are out of the office a lot,” Schinke says. “This can impact the productivity of the whole team.”

【小题4】. The sun won’t set until past 8 p. m., so it’s natural to want to soak up every moment after you escape your overly air-conditioned office.

During these months, you’re far more likely to stay up later, meaning you feel sleepy when it’s time to clock in. It’s not too different than the decline in productivity that follows the Super Bowl or St. Patrick’s Day. 【小题5】.

Have you ever looked at a fashionable item of clothing and felt confused? If so, your confusion may have made sense.

Several months ago, high fashion brand Balenciaga released a “T-shirt shirt”, which is a shirt sewn on the front of a T-shirt. The unusual design has certainly confused a lot of people.

But the “double shirt” isn’t fighting alone on the frontier of strange fashion. Ever since US shoe manufacturer Crocs released its famous hole-filled foam shoes, the so-called “ugly fashion” hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down, the Business of Fashion website noted.

British designer Paul Surridge believes that the rise of ugly fashion is a sign that people are bored with looking perfect all the time. “Fashion thrives(蓬勃发展) on novelty”, he told the Financial Times.

Indeed, fashion is all about changes. Something that’s considered uncool one minute can then turn out to be the latest must-have fashion item the next.

And in the eyes of US fashion writer Megan Collins, ugly doesn’t necessarily mean the design of the item is ugly. After all, ugly is something subjective. “Ugly fashion means ‘not the mainstream’——it is not what everyone’s wearing; it is not what the general population considers as ‘in’ right now,” she told style news site Fashionista.

But throughout the history of fashion, when any new trend appears, most people tend to hate it, before it eventually becomes loved. As Italian designer Miuccia Prada told The New York Times, “Maybe because it is newer, ugly is attractive. Ugly is exciting.”

Meanwhile, popular social media fashion bloggers also help people to pick up new ugly fashion trends. These bloggers express themselves through their clothes, showing their unique personalities and making comments on their clothing choices. However, as Clever-ish Magazine noted, just being comfortable in your own skin could actually be “the best look”.

“I personally love having a unique expression because without ugly fashion and diversity, we’d all look the same,” Australian fashion influencer(网红) and model Zanita Whittington told Fashionista. “I appreciate anything that’s out of the norm(规范).”

Should We Fear Maths?

How good are you at maths? Some people love the challenge of algebra (代数) or enjoy working out number puzzles. But many dread the moment when they have to deal with numbers and figures and feel a real sense of worry and confusion. It can seem depressing(令人沮丧的), but this maths anxiety is perfectly normal, and you’re definitely not alone. And anyway, our worries and fears don’t necessarily reflect our ability.

Research has found that maths teachers who are nervous about teaching the subject can pass on their anxiety to the pupils, and girls maybe more likely to be affected. The Programme for International Student Assessment found around 31% of 15-and 16-year-olds across 34 countries said they got very nervous while doing maths problems, 33% said they got tense while doing maths homework, and nearly 60% said they worried maths classes would be difficult.

Psychologists (心理学家) have been trying to work out why mental arithmetic (心算) can bring us out in a sweat. That seed of fear may come from many sources, but some suggest that expressing your fears can loosen their hold on you, and encourage children to see a maths test as a challenge, not a threat. In fact, we need to think positively about maths and give it a second chance.