COVID-19(新型冠状病毒肺炎)has cast a spell on the year 2020 and taken the world into a mess. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 has influenced human being's life in many (way) since its outbreak. But interestingly, according to the (late) science study, San Francisco birds start singing differently in the quiet of the COVID-19 shutdown. The study found that city birds were almost three times loud as village birds before, but the noise levels in city areas are much lower now. Because the shutdown, traffic flow in cities drops and people communicate less, which bring quiet living conditions.
These quiet are good news for bird populations. According to the research, birds have trouble (have) babies because of noise pollution. Noise can also lower birds' ability (hear) other birds' warnings of enemies and help calls from (they) own babies. Both of the reasons have likely played role in the drop of bird populations.
noise levels are lower, birds will be found sing more softly. Even though the birds sing more softly, the communication distance nearly doubled. Scientists believe more birds will be found flying in the sky in the near future!
No one likes crowded places. Plants feel the . But when we feel crowded, we can say something about it to others. What about plants? (surprise), plants can "talk" with their roots (根), scientists say.
How do they do that? Here is a little story. It may help you find out.
Jack and Mike are two plants. They are neighbors. One day, Jack's (leaf) touch Mike. Mike is (worry).
"Jack is so close to me," Mike thinks. "I might be under his shadow. I can't get enough sunshine (grow) well."
Mike decides to do (anything). He (produce) chemicals (化学物质). The chemicals go into the soil. Then, they go to Jack. Jack gets it. He finds that Mike is upset. He is sorry about that. "Oh, I have to grow to direction," Jack thinks.
Do you see? This is plants talk. So don't touch plants fun. It may blame its neighbor.
Have you ever heard of "train spotting"? It's one of the most unusual (hobby) in Britain. It's usually men over the age of 40. but not always. You'll see men (stand) around at railway stations and other places where trains pass by, and you'll see (they) taking photos and exchanging notes with each other. So, what are they doing? They're collecting information trains — the number on the front of the trains, or the make and model of the locomotive(火车头). These men collect and exchange all kinds of details about trains and railways.
The idea goes back as far as 1942. That year a young man (name) Allan was working at Waterloo railway station in London. It was his job (answer) letters about trains, and quite a lot of the questions he received were very similar. He found himself getting a little annoyed at replying to same questions. So he started to write a booklet (小册子) giving the answers to (common) questions of all. And by the 1950s, a million copies of 'British Railways Locomotives' were selling every year. He died in 2015, his train spotting hobby lives on.
It seems that China's food delivery (送货) workers are always racing against time. Recently, article in the Chinese magazine Portrait shows difficult this job can be. The article Food Deliverymen: Stuck in the System shows the pressure that delivery workers face. One of the biggest challenges (be) their delivery time limit (限制). Delivering an order late, even by one second, results in a fine (罚款).
The time limit for each order (set) by an algorithm (算法). The algorithm will cut down the limit for everyone if a delivery worker (finish) an order within the time limit. the algorithm doesn't consider real-life situations, such as red lights and speed limits.
In response to the article, food delivery company Eleme said it would add a new choice to (it) delivery app (应用程序). Customers can choose a button that says " I'm ready (wait) longer" . This way, delivery workers can have (much) time to deliver their orders.
"We hope (thing) work out," says the company. However, this change hasn't pleased everyone. Many customers have pointed out that the apps should change the algorithms.
Learning hanzi (Chinese characters) can be hard for foreigners and even for young Chinese. The good news is that Chinese Character Origin Cards (字源卡) can make learning and fun.
The pictures make the 108 Chinese characters such as ren (person) and niao (bird) come alive(活的) right in front of our eyes. They tell us how the characters became they look like today from the oracle bone inscriptions (甲骨文).This may sound strange, but it's just what the cards promise their users.
Richard Sears, a 70-year-old American man, is really interested in Chinese characters. Chinese people call him Uncle Hanzi for he (study) them for about 20 years. He and Shiwangme, accompany in Nanjing, worked together (make) the cards. They used both 2D animation and3D AR to show the evolution (演变) of Chinese characters in a right way.
We are going to make more cards, with 324 hanzi in all," "said Uncle Hanzi. This will be for Chinese learners around the world. His team will also put out the cards in more languages. And the Eng1lish version will come out soon.
Deal with exam stress
It is normal to feel a bit worried about exams, especially if you're under pressure from school or family. Exam stress can cause you to feel nervous or depressed(沮丧的), and this might influence your sleeping or (eat) habits.
If you have any of these (feel) or are worried that exam pressure is taking over your life, you are not alone. Here are some things you can do.
Firstly, let your trusted friends and family know if you're having hard time, so they can be there to support you, encourage you and offer a listening ear. You don't have to go through this alone. Keeping it all in will only make things worse, don't be afraid to open up.
Secondly, think about all the practical support you need, and be honest with yourself about it. You (allow) to ask for help. Tell your teachers about your worries. They may have talked to lots of students are going through similar things, so they can give you some (help) advice.
Last but not least, be kind includes yourself. Think about all the things you have achieved so far. It can be helpful to write a list of all the things you like about , and the things other people value about you too.
If people around you— like your parents — are putting pressure on you, it can help to tell them you feel able to achieve, and let them know that your expectations(预期) are different from (they). You can also talk to a teacher you trust about the pressure you are under at home.
It's never been a better time to be a Plant Parent. There is a new book for our plant friends. It (include) three short stories. You can read aloud to your plants before you go to sleep.
Actually, talking with plants isn't new idea. Back in 1848, there was a German teacher named Gustav Fechner. It (write) in his book that talking to plants was good for (people) health and growth.
Prince Charles, who talks to his plants every day, says, "I talk to the plants (happy), and listen to them. I think it's really relaxing. They are my (listener) and friends. Every plant has a meaning for me."
Plants can also change the feel of the house. Having a house your own seems like a dream for many young people. It is wise of people to decorate(装饰) their space with plants. They're just like pets that you can talk to.
Of course, all the books in the world won't help the plant. you don't remember to water it. The best thing people can do (help) their plants grow is provide them with light, water and nutrition(营养). Don't be embarrassed to talk with your plants at night because it's not a strange thing. It certainly has no harm to your plant's growth it might just help your own growth.
2021 is called the Year of the Ox by Chinese. But why is it? The oxen have been (faith) friends of mankind. They are considered as "boats on land" for (they) ability to carry goods. Besides, the whole body of ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can (use) to make clothes and shoes. With all these advantages, the oxen are regarded as generous creatures.
The oxen (play) an important role in Chinese culture for ages. For example, the symbol (标志) of Shenzhen is the Pioneer Ox, or named "Tuo Huang Niu" that stands for the hard-working Shenzhen people and their spirit of never (give) up. And "the spirit of ox" remains (high) valued by Chinese people. Today, in daily life, when someone gets a great (succeed) through hard work, people will use "niu", meaning "Good Job", to describe him or her. Were you born the year of Ox? so, then you'll be a lucky one with a bright future.
This year is the Year of the Ox (牛). In China, you can find that many ox images made of gold, wood, plastic, paper and stone in stores are on sale and on streets (celebrate) the return.
But why was the ox chosen to be one of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs (生肖)? Centuries ago, most people made their living working on the farm. The ox was used to help plow (犁地) and carry heavy goods. The ox has long played important role in Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese poets and writers often described the ox in their (work). The animal (mention) many times by the poets in the Classic of Poetry.
The ox is considered as a symbol of diligence (勤奋) in Chinese culture. The phrase "the spirit of ox" means (solve) the problem that may present itself as an obstacle (障碍). The spirit is (great) valued and many people follow it in their work. When someone made a great (achieve) through hard work, people often use "niu", meaning "great", to describe him or her. Oxen never bully (欺负) the weak fear the strong. Those who were born in the Year of the Ox are often expected to be hardworking, honest and modest (谦虚的). It is almost impossible for(they) to try to get attention or look for praise.
We might have to face a fact： Sometimes life can become pretty (bore). Here (be) just a few easy ways to make your life more interesting.
Listen to some different kinds of music. If you're still listening to the same songs that you listened to years ago,it's time(try)something new-rock, jazz or country music. With thousands of(artist) out there, there is always somethings new.
Talk to people. This is probably one of the (easy) things you can do, but it's amazing that so many people don't do this. The best part is that you can do this anywhere. you're shy, just start by saying hello to people. An easy way to do this is to talk about something in the environment around you. You'll meet some very interesting and funny people.
Try a new kind of food. Go somewhere to try some food you have never (eat) before.You can always ask the people who work thereto order. They know what is popular on the menu. New food may make you feel good.
Learn a foreign language. It's interesting to see how another language works. Take Russian asexample. Its pronunciation and spelling are very differentEnglish. You can find some websites that show you words and their pronunciation of a new language.
