Being a teenager can be challenging, but it can also be exciting. You’re becoming more independent and making decisions for yourself. You are also leaning to take risks and solve problems better. And changes are happening throughout your body, even in your brain.

The changes in your brain are influencing how you develop into an adult. Imagine the structure（结构）of your brain is like a big road map. Lots of roads lead to different destinations（目的地）. When you were a child, as you learnt new things, your brain created more and more roads to different destinations. By the time you become a teenager, many different roads lead to the most important places on the map. Now your brain’s job is to make that map more efficient.

As a result, your experiences as a teenager actually influence the way that your brain develops. If you spend hours playing video games, what skills do you learn? You learn to see something with your eyes and respond to（回应）it with your hands. As you develop those skills, your brain is making sure that the roads leading to them are especially fast and efficient. So, your video-game playing could be preparing you for a career such as a pilot.

This is a great time for you to practice new skills and discover what you’re good at and try what you love doing. Go out and try different activities and stick to them if you think they’re useful. Remember that with everything you do, you’re shaping your brain for the future.

Do you know growing pains? Growing pains are not a disease (疾病). Sometimes you don’t have to see a doctor. Usually children can get them between the age of 3 and 5 or 8 and 12. When children are over fifteen, most of them don’t get growing pains. Children often get growing pains in their legs. They often start before bedtime and sometimes in the middle of the night. But they go away by the morning. Doctors don’t know why. They think when children run, climb or jump a lot during the day, they may have pains in their legs at night.

Parents can help children feel better by buying some medicine. But it is not good for children. Here are some ways that may help children feel better:

1. Put a piece of warm cloth on the place where children feel painful.

2. Ask children to stretch the legs like what they do in P. E. class.

3. Ask somebody to help massage (按摩) the painful legs.

Do you laugh every day? Most people do.【小题1】 That is a lot of laughter.

In India, there are hundreds of laughter clubs.【小题2】 First they put up their hands above their heads. Then they pretend to laugh. Soon everyone is laughing happily. People say they feel good after laughing together.

Scientists believe that laughter is good for you. Why? For one thing, laughter is good exercise.【小题3】 Scientists say that one hundred laughs equals ten minutes of running. Laughing helps you relax. That's good for you, too.

Why do we laugh? That is a hard question to answer.【小题4】 They don't laugh very often when they are alone. Many scientists believe that we use laughter to get on well with other people. Laughter helps us feel part of a group.

【小题5】Some think that laughter makes sick people get better. Do you think so, too?