Four Best Films of the Year
Soul
In the first Pixar cartoon to have an African-American lead character, Jamie Foxx provides the voice of a music teacher who dreams of making it as a jazz pianist in New York. But just after a successful audition, he falls into a hole in the street, and finds himself in a spiritual world where human spirits are given their personalities.
Nomadland
Fem packs her few belongings and drives off into the Nevada desert. She soon discovers that she isn't alone: there is a large community of senior citizens forced to live on the road, supporting themselves with short-term jobs along the way. What makes Nomadland unique is that while Fem is played by an Oscar-winning actress, Frances McDormand, nearly all of the people she meets are real nomads (游牧民).
Wolfwalkers
The year's finest animated film doesn't come from Dreamworks or Pixar, but from Cartoon Saloon. Their latest fairy tale is set in the mid-17th century, when English soldiers are trying to control the wild woods near Kilkenny. One hunter's daughter named Robin learns that there aren't just wolves in the forest, but wolfwalkers, who can change into wolves at night.
The Croods: A New Age
The prehistoric family from the cartoon of 2013,The Croods, makes a welcome return. In the sequel (续集), they meet another family, the Bettermans, whose advanced lifestyle and technology make the Croods look even more primitive. "The Croods lead with their heart while the other with their brain," says Joel Crawford, the film's director. "Of course, there's conflict, but they learn to appreciate each other's differences. There are some deep and powerful themes, but it's a comedy too."
The disability supporter, broadcaster, comedian and writer Stella Young died aged 32. The ABC, for whom Young had worked, reported her death on Monday morning. In a statement her family said she died unexpectedly, but in no pain. "With great sadness we accept the passing of Stella Young, our much-loved and irreplaceable daughter and sister," the statement said. "Our loss is a deeply personal one. We request privacy during this difficult time."
She was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (成骨不全症), but it did not automatically make her exceptional. "Disability doesn't make you exceptional, but questioning what you think you know about it does," she said in a TEDx talk in April. The ABC's managing director, Mark Scott, said the Victorian was "an unforgettable communicator and an enthusiastic supporter."
"The nation came to know her through her writing for the ABC, her appearance at TEDx and on Q&A. Stella helped us understand disability issues by sharing with real honesty about her own life...She took great delight in challenging traditional wisdom and lazy thinking." The former Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Twitter Young was a "shining light" for action on disability. We mourn her passing and rededicate (再次奉献) ourselves to her spirit.
Those who loved Young were very sad when hearing this bad news. Young was the former editor of the ABC's disability news and opinion website, Ramp Up. She had been scheduled to record more ABC radio this week. She was a member of numerous disability bodies.
Young was named the best newcomer at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival for her show Tales From The Crip. She was set to tour nationally and take her act to London next year, AAP reported. Friends, ABC news, politicians and disability organizations voiced their sorrow at the news and appreciation of Young's life.
Although temperatures are pushed to unheard-of extremes, my un-air-conditioned apartment stayed tolerable. The tile (瓷砖) floors seemed to emanate coolness. The greenery surrounding my windows blocked direct sunlight and helped bring down the temperature of the outside air. I didn't have a temperature meter, but I guess the temperature inside never got above 80 degrees.
"You saw for yourself the power of passive cooling," buildings scientist Alexandra Rempel told me. "It really can be amazingly, amazingly effective." Rempel studies how to design buildings that can stay cool "passively". Passive cooling can help protect people without access to air conditioning and lighten the load on the electrical grid from those who do. It can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by burning fossil fuels for power.
It's important to understand why buildings get hot. During the day, heat comes from solar radiation—the sunlight that streams through windows and beats down on roofs and walls. At night, the big problem is environmental radiation—the energy releasing from concrete and any other surfaces that had been absorbing sunlight all day. Passive cooling is about effectively managing these sources of radiation. And timing is everything.
As soon as the sun rises, window shades should come down. Window glass is "one of the weakest links" in a building's defense against solar radiation, because it readily transmits heat. Having vegetation around your building can prevent the walls from heating up as well. Trees not only provide shade, they can bring down the surrounding air temperature through a process called evaporative cooling (蒸发冷却)."Cool roofs"also make a big difference. Topping a building with light-colored, highly reflective materials prevents it from soaking up the sun's heat.
"If you can limit the amount of solar radiation your home absorbs during the day, you will have less environmental radiation to worry about once the sun sets. The techniques that helped my apartment beat the heat—shade, building materials, and strategic ventilation—can be used in almost any home," Rempel explained.
Going through social media can quickly convince you that everyone's life is more interesting than yours. During a particularly adventurous week on social media some months ago, I saw water skiing in Maui, and swimming with wild pigs in the Bahamas. Wild pigs! I started searching flights to new places online, imagining adventures. Then I ordered food from the place I eat at every week and... felt bad about not trying somewhere new.
Recent research about repeat and novel experiences suggests that we ought to reconsider those negative feelings associated with repetition. Ed O'Brien, a professor at The University of Chicago, launched a series of studies on this topic. "There's a general belief that if you want to seem like an interesting, cultured person, the best thing you can do is to showcase that you're open to new experiences," he says. "That may be true, but I think we take for granted the value of really digging deep into one field."
To test this hypothesis (假设), O'Brien and his team exposed all participants to the same stimulus (刺激), including museum visits, movies, and video games. Next, some people were asked to imagine repeating the experience, while others actually did repeat what they had done. The researchers found that on the whole, participants said that repeating experiences was often far more enjoyable than they had predicted.
There is joy in repetition partly because every human mind wanders. Consequently, we miss a good part of every experience. Repeating things can really be seen as another opportunity to actually experience something fully. O'Brien's studies show that people are too quick to assume that they've "seen all the layers" even in those cases where they haven't. It's safe to assume there are more explorable layers in any experience. When we're noticing new things in any experience, our brain becomes engaged. All we need to do is approach whatever task is at hand by searching for the things that we didn't see in it the first time around.
If you make a list of the world's top ten most challenging jobs, chances are that being a teacher will not be included among them. But what millions of educators are facing each day is really challenging when they attempt to change a group of kids difficult to educate into intelligent, well-rounded individuals.
Unfortunately, we seldom pay enough attention to these all-important individuals in daily life. That was what Project Ed and Participant Media's teaching campaign asked filmmakers of all ages to film for their recent activity.
The theme of this activity was A World Without Teachers which was to inspire more young people to become teachers.They reminded us of how serious things would be if we didn't have these selfless teachers guiding us through life. We needed someone to tell us what to do.
A high-school student Savannah Wakefield showed what art would be without teachers in the world. Los Angeles-based Miles Horst, who won the 1,000 USD prize for his best work in the adult group, imagined a world where teachers were replaced by a "brain box" in his fun lively entry.
Marina Braham also described a fact we all know but often forget. Teachers don't just teach. So the next time when you think your teacher is being "mean" for trying to guide you in the right direction, imagine a life without teachers. We feel it not optimistic when they disappear! This can affect your work.
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A. What else is more important than teaching? B. Students shared the same idea in the video. C. But what if they disappeared from our lives? D. We even would rather that teachers disappeared. E. That surely has to be the toughest job in the world! F. Sixty-two amazing videos were shown in the activity. G. They can educate students on something that no electronic device can do! |
Andre Bouvier hiked in a snowstorm to reach a trapped woman. The retired 1is being praised as a hero for2the woman and three other cars likewise.
Many have had the same3as Shannon St Onge even when looking at a yellow4of snow—that they have time to5their daily tasks. So she drove to work and she had6left when the snow began to fall. She7a dirt road to provide better8for her tires, so she quickly became lost. She stopped and called 911, with the operator suggesting she9the snowstorm. The operator took her10and told her an officer would call back. Almost 14 hours had passed, and nobody had called her yet to check in.
"What if I fell asleep and the tailpipe was11? Would the gas tank last until morning? What if I didn't12it home at all?" St Onge wondered. Determined to ensure the13end, she went out in the snowstorm and discovered her location on a road sign. Then she was14enough to find a neighborhood Facebook group for the area she was passing through—informing those it15of her trouble through a Google Maps pin.
That's when Andre Bouvier, an 80-year-old retired teacher, learned about St Onge's situation.16his own safety, the 80-year-old went out to find her on foot,17he couldn't manage to start his tractor. On the way he found three other trapped18, totaling seven people. Walking a quarter mile19, he led the helpless cars one by one to his home. He remarked that everyone would have done the same, and that it took very few thoughts or20to help.
Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?
In1969, the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio. It was unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so(pollute) that it actually caught fire and burned. Now years later, this river is one of the most outstanding(example) of environmental cleanup.
But the river wasn't changed in a few days even a few months. It took years of work (reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work (pay) off and now the water in the river is cleaner than ever.
Maybe you are faced an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don't know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an (likely) situation, don't you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?
While there are (amazing) interesting stories of instant transformation, for most of us the changes are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just have(patient).
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
My 71-year-old grandpa run a small food stand in a night market in my city, provide local snacks for people working overtime. Receiving payments has always been a problem for him before my help. He often had to feel in his pocket for changes on cold nights while keeping eye on food in the oven. After learning this I helped him set up with mobile payment apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay. My grandpa is content with which I did for him, for about 95 percent of his customers now pay with his phones. Mobile payment has become an essential part of our everyday life. It not only deep changes the life of young people, but also provides convenient for the elderly.
