Four remarkable inventions
For more than half a century, the Consumer Electronics Show(CES) has been the place for companies and inventors to display their newest and coolest gadgets.
Here are our picks for some of the most interesting and creative inventions.
The Sweet Little Rolling Robot
Samsung has released Ballie, a tennis-sized robot that can follow you around the house, answer your questions, and entertain your pets. Since it's equipped with a camera, it can keep an eye on your home while you're away. It's like a smart assistant that goes wherever you do, rolling into your bedroom to ring your wake-up alarm, rolling to the kitchen to turn on the toaster and giving you the weather report as you brush your teeth.
The Insoles to Pick Up Your Pact
Any runner knows the right shoes are key to your speed. But Nurvv insoles promise more than mere cushioning. The insoles transmit data to a coaching app, which offers information on your technique and performance. It measures your foot strike and assesses your injury risk. The app then generates personalized workouts to set targets and help you beat your best speeds. Half marathon, here you come!
The No-Studio-Needed Yoga Class
Can't keep up your commitment to a yoga studio membership? The Yoganotch personal yoga assistant 1ets you drop into a virtual class any time you want. Follow along with a set series while3-D sensors tell you whether you need to straighten your legs a bit more. The idea is that it improves your form while reducing the risk of injury.
The Dau-Enhanced Grill
While working by sight, smell and feel, a chef may appreciate Weber's new Smart Grilling Hub. It can monitor your pork and turkey while an app gives advice about cooking technique and safe temperatures.
Though leaders from the International Olympic Committee(IOC) have announced a first-of-its-kind postponement of the Tokyo Summer Olympics because of the corona virus pandemic, people all over the world are still concerned about its preparations. Officials from the Tokyo Olympic Committee say they are sparing no effort and announce the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021 is going green. The 5,000 medals Japan has made are more special than most.
One novel focus of the Tokyo Olympics is to be "sustainable"—to avoid using too many natural resources, so that the games are easy on the environment.) As part of this goal, the organizers decided to make all of the Olympic medals out of metal recycled from old electronics.
Almost all electronics are made with small amounts of "precious metals", like gold and silver. But collecting enough of these metals to make 5,000 medals was a huge challenge. That's because the amount of metal in each device is tiny. It would take about 20,000 cell phones to get just 1 kilogram of gold.
Beginning in April 2017, the organizers placed collection boxes around the country, and asked people to turn in their old electronic devices. Soon people began to respond to the initiative(倡导)，turning in smart phones, digital cameras, handheld games, and laptops. At first, collection went slowly, but soon more and more areas began to take part. By the end, 1,621 local governments had helped out with the collection process.
Then came the job of breaking those devices down into smaller pieces. After being taken apart and sorted, the small electronics were smelted(熔炼) to get all the gold, silver, and bronze elements. This is a tricky job, which calls for careful attention and good skill. It's also dangerous, because some of the metals and other things aren't safe for people to touch or breathe.
By the end of March, 2019, the organizers had hit their targets of getting enough metal for the medals. They had collected around 32 kilograms of gold, 4,100 kilograms of silver and 2,200 kilograms of bronze. And now all the 5,000 medals are available for the would-be winners.
Let's face it. You're likely reading this article in an effort to avoid some other tasks you're procrastinating (拖延) to learn how to stop procrastination, but the clock is ticking. So why can't you seem to get rid of that?
Though the psychological causes are still debated, there's a human tendency to over or underestimate the value of a reward based on its temporal proximity (时间接近). This is often referred to as temporal discounting. For example, if I offered you $100 today or 110 in a month, most would take the hundred and run. But what if instead I offered you 100 dollars in a year or 110 in a year and one month, you might say to yourself if I can wait a year, I can wait the extra month.
But the time and value difference are the exact same in each example. It turns out that human motivation is highly influenced by how near the reward is meaning. The further away the reward is, the more you discount its value. So being online is more appealing than preparing for your test. The problem is surfing the Internet provides many small quick and continuous rewards unlike your test scores which are a future one.
So how do you overcome the urge to put off so many tasks?
Unfortunately, there is no definite answer, but try rewarding yourself with a timely snack or other enjoyable activities. The Pomodoro Technique makes use of a timer to work for 25 minutes straight and when you've done, this gives yourself the reward with a 5-minute break. Then start the working clock again. Gradually increasing the amount of work time you put in will improve your time management skills.
It's been shown that creating a costly deadline is also an effective way to manage your working habits. And try to enjoy the process of achieving something instead of thinking only our minutes of suffering.
September is an exciting month in every college freshman's life. For many, i's the first time that they've lent home to live in a new environment. But after the hustle and bustle of a few weeks, excitement gives way to less enjoyable emotion homesickness.
Homesickness manifests itself in many ways. You may miss mum's coking your pet, or even your old bed. All this becomes a fond memory of the past. Homesickness can be a biter feeling for many students, especially when faced with the challenges of settling into an unfamiliar environment.
But remember, you're not alone. According to a recent BBC article, 70 percent of British college students experience homesickness. In this increasingly globalized world in which people migrate to faraway places for a relationship, education or work, homesickness is a feeling shared by many adults.
Homesickness can have similar symptoms to depression and in extreme cases it can develop into a panic attack. As for the term, homesickness or nostalgia wasn't invented until the 17th century. It was considered a disorder by a Swiss physician, who attributed soldiers' mental and physical discomfort to their longing to return home, “nostos" from Greek, and the accompanying pain, “algos".
Studies in recent years, however, have shown that nostalgia may have some benefits to our mental health. After a decade of surveys and researches, Constantine Sedikides, a US social psychologist, found that nostalgia is what makes us human. He explains that nostalgia can resist loneliness, boredom and anxiety. Therefore, it's necessary for college students to learn some ways to overcome the uncomfortable feeling.
You've got mail…and it's a postcard
Paulo Maglhaea, a 34-yearold Portuguese computer engineer, loves to open his mailbox and find a brightly colored picture of Rome's Colosseum. Or Africa's Victoria Falls. Or China's Great Wall.
“ I often send postcards to family and finds." he says to China Daily, "but you can imagine that after a while, you never receive as many as you send, and you realize that not everyone is into it.” Seeking other like-minded souls, however, Paulo started looking in a somewhat unlikely place: online. Mary would say the Internet is a place for people who have given up on the traditional postal service, but Paulo's hunch(直觉) paid off.
Today his hobby has developed int the website postcrossing.com, a social network that has grown to 575,217 registered users in 214 countries and regions since he started it 10 years ago.Running the website has almost turned into a full-time job.
Language is certainly a harrier for many people. For postcrossing to work worldwide, a common communication language is needed so that everyone can understand each other. As cool as it may be to receive a postcard written in Chinese, the concept doesn't work if one doesn't understand it.So a common language is required and in postcrossing that's English since it's widely spoken.
"Many people in China have limited exposure to English. That said, we know of many postcrossing members, including Chinese, who have actually improved their English skills through their use of postcrossing," Paulo says.
A. And that's totally fine.
B. That makes it extra hard to learn and practice it.
C. He likes to think of sending postcards as a family-friendly hobby.
D. Many love to make a connection with someone from across the world.
E. On August 5, the number of postcards exchanged by members topped 31 million.
F. Similarly, if you speak only Chinese, receiving a card in Swedish takes part of the fun away.
G. In short, he loves postcards, and the excitement of getting a hand-written note from someone far away.
Since it was uploaded to Internet in June, the video of Nigerian ballet dancer Madu dancing in the rain has been 1 hundreds of thousands of times over. In a moment when social media channels have been filled with upsetting 2, the scene of the 11-year-old pirouetting (单脚旋转) over puddles (水坑) is especially3.
Madu is one of a dozen students at Daniel Owoseni's Leap Academy(学院) of Dance. Owoseni 4the ballet school three years ago. He5 himself after watching Save the Last Dance at 13.“I basically learned all the fundamental 6of ballet through Internet," says Owoseni. A7 later, Owoseni was outstanding enough to8 the best in the county.9, his hopes for an international career were quickly ruined, for he was told an African was not qualified. It was then that Owoseni decided to10a ballet school in his hometown for kids like himself who couldn't.11 ballet classes. Owoseni started teaching at his home before a local businesswoman offered him a free.12 where he now holds weekly lessons.
Beyond the 13 that the academy has received from all over the world, he's most impressed by the 14 of his own pupils. "Nothing makes a teacher. 15than a student who wants to learn," he says. "Even though it rains cats and dogs outside they're getting ready for class. Who wouldn't be proud of these children?"
This is not a voyage that many travelers experience; it's often overlooked in favour of more accessible and famous destinations in China. But for adventurous travelers looking for something (true) different, backpacking the Chinese Silk Road brings glorious rewards.
In history, the Silk Road included many routes that connected east and south Asia to Mediterranean Europe, so (name) because the largest goods traded down the route were Chinese silk.
Several historical(branch) in the road mean that you have options when (decide) your route. China's northwest is historically one of (it) least connected regions. The Jiayu pass, where the impressive Jiayuguan Fort was built in the 1370s, (mark) the end of the Great Wall.
The region spreads over 2,400 km, most of is separated by vast areas of desert. The region is now connected by high-speed rail, making getting around easy thing. If taking an overnight train trip, equip yourself food and plenty of bottled water before you start. Trains also usually sell beer and wine, but at high prices, so be sure to pack your own, as having a ganbei is a great way (meet) locals and make friends while traveling.
篇发言稿，内容包括:
1）表示欢迎；
2）介绍活动安排；
3）表达祝愿。
注意：
1）词数80左右；
2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3）请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A funny thing happened to Arthur when he was on the way to work one day. As he walked along Park Avenue near the First National Bank, he heard the sound of someone trying to start a car. He tried again and again but couldn't get the car moving. Arthur turned and looked inside at the face of a young man who looked worried. Arthur stopped and asked," It looks like you've got a problem," Arthur said.
“I'm afraid so. I'm in a big hurry and I can't start my car.”
“Is there something I can do to help?” Arthur asked. The young man looked at the two suitcases in the back seat and then said, “Thanks. If you're sure it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could help me get these suitcases into a taxi."
“No trouble at all. I'd be glad to help.”
The young man got out and took one of the suitcases from the back seat. After placing it on the ground, he turned to get the other one. Just as Arthur picked up the first suitcase and started walking, he heard the long loud noise of an alarm.
It was from the bank. There had been a robbery (抢劫)!
Park Avenue had been quiet a moment before. Now the air was filled with the sound of the alarm and the shouts of people running from all directions. Cars stopped and the passengers joined the crowd in front of the bank. People asked each other, “What happened?" But everyone had a different answer.
Arthur, still carrying the suitcase, turned to look at the bank and walked right into the young woman in front of him.
She looked at the suitcase and then at him. Arthur was surprised. “Why is she looking at me like that?" He thought. "The suitcase! She thinks I'm the bank thief!”
Arthur looked around at the crowd of people. He became frightened, and without another thought, he started to run.
注意：
1）续写词数应为150 左右；
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As he was running, Arthur heard the young man shouting behind, “Stop, stop!"
The taxi stopped in front of the Police Station and Arthur rushed into it with the suitcase.
