Four Online Events
The handshake:an anthropologist's (人类学家) guide
What is its biological (生物学的) purpose? What are the best and worst handshakes? In this talk, scientist Ella Al-Shamahi examines the power of touch and argues the handshake is at least 7 million years old. This event will start at 18:00 pm on 25 March and will last one hour. Standard ticket price：£15( A 20％ discount for those who buy the ticket before March 20. )
A rescue plan for nature
What do we need to do to restore the planet 's biodiversity (生物多样性) and prevent the next pandemic (疫情)? Join scientist Cristian Samper as he talks about how our ignoring nature caused the pandemic and how we can seize a unique opportunity to build back better. This free event will start at 18:00 pm on 15 April.
Origins of life
Why is the planet the way it is? How did we get here? Does everything happen for a reason or are some things left to chance? Research shows we live in a world driven by chance. In this talk, biologist Sean B Carroll will tell the stories of the mother of all accidents, and the surprising power of chance in our lives and the world. This event will start at 19:30 pm on 22 April and will last two hours. Standard ticket price：£18( A 10％ discount for those who buy the ticket before April 17. )
The truth about exercise
Should we all be hitting the gym three times a week? Should we worry about sitting too much? If you are strong and fit, can you get away with being inactive? In this talk, specialist Jason Gill introduces what science can really tell us about how much we need to move to live a healthy life. This event will start at 19:00 pm on May 13 and will last one hour, Standard ticket price：£12( A 15％ discount for those who buy the ticket before May 8. )
I first began experiencing anxiety and depression at age 14 after being bullied(欺凌) at school for years. While at first anxiety and depression would come and go, it eventually became constant part of my life.
I was so set on finding the solution to overcoming it that I tried everything from when I was in college to graduate school：mood-changing medication, special teas, yoga, anything I read about in books, and advice given by doctors. Despite this, I still felt I hadn't even come close to managing the problem.
But one afternoon, I spotted an article in a magazine talking about how dogs were able to help people with anxiety and depression. The next day, I managed to get a dog—corgi(柯基犬).
However, once the "puppy excitement" went away, my anxiety and depression came back as usual. One morning, I woke up with those familiar feelings again. I didn't want to get out of bed. I turned to pull the covers back over my head and give up. That's when I saw my pet—Buddy.
Buddy started jumping all over me, licking(舔) my face, and letting me know that it was time to go outside. It was as if he were saying, "There's no time to be sad! The world is amazing!" And for the first time in my life, on a day when my anxiety and depression were strong, I got out of bed. I put on my winter clothes and went for a walk in the snow with my new friend. I realized at that moment, walking down the street in winter, my life was changing. I was really a new girl.
Sure, I still have days when I feel down or anxious. But with Buddy by my side, I've finally learned how to manage these feelings and emotions.
A year ago, I decided to create a more environmentally friendly kitchen, focusing on reducing the single-use products such as plastic bags and paper towels. I'm not going to sugarcoat my experience. It takes commitment and a willingness to change long-held habits. In creating my kitchen, I tried a lot of different alternative products and some plain old common sense. The result, however, has been worth the effort. I'm recycling more and relying less on single-use products and I'm saving money too.
I'm not kidding when I say that I used to really love plastic storage bags, so this was, perhaps, the biggest challenge for me. Switching to reusable storage bags is a financial investment, but the cost is reasonable considering that I previously spent at least $ 100 annually on single-use plastic bags and wrap. I will check online periodically for recycling updates, where a zero-waste box for kitchen items is offered, from party supplies to mixed-material food containers.
I'm a clean freak (怪人) and used to go through an amount of paper towels on a daily basis, but it's easy enough to take old T-shirts or towels and cut them up to use to wipe down surfaces. I'm also a fan of bamboo paper towels, which have the look and feel of traditional paper towels, yet are made from a highly renewable source and also break down in just 45 days. Better yet, they can be reused up to 100 times. As for kitchen sponges (海绵擦), I keep an eye out for those made with natural and recyclable materials.
When purchasing household items online from companies like Amazon or Jet, I will ask to have them shipped in as few boxes as possible or as small a box as possible if a single item is to be sent. I'll let the company know that they should pay more attention to how it is packaging items for delivery.
Have you ever wondered if you see the same colours as other people? Most people know what blue is when they see it. They call it "blue" because they were taught the word and connected it with what they saw. But how do you know what you see as blue isn't someone else's red?
The ability to perceive (感知) different colours is up to receptors (接受器) in our eyes. Light waves hit these receptors and they react (反应) depending on which colour the light is, sending signals to the brain. The brain then reads these signals to determine which colour light the eyes are receiving.
Some people's receptors are more developed than others. The inability of the receptor to feel the light waves correctly means that some people cannot tell the differences between similar colours. Those with more developed receptors can see more colours. We sometimes hear people having an argument about whether something is dark blue or black. It might be because one person has stronger receptors to feel the light than another.
In the past, most scientists would argue that everyone saw colours in the same way. However, research was conducted on monkeys, in which their receptors were changed. This enabled them to see more colours than usual. Normally monkeys can only see blue and green, but the change allowed them to see red. Their brains automatically (自动地) got used to new colours. This suggests that our brains may find new colors of the things we see. Colours could be a very personal experience , unique(独特的) to everyone.
So, the next time you talk about your favourite colour, just remember if yours is blue and your friend says red, you two might actually be thinking about the same colour. What if everyone in the world has the same favourite colour, but just calls it different names?
The Internet has opened up a whole new online world for us to meet, chat and go where we've never been before.
But just as in face to face communication, there are some rules of behavior that should be followed when on line. Imagine how you'd feel if you were in the other person's shoes.
For anything you're about to send: ask yourself, "Would I say this to the person's face? ". If the answer is no, rewrite and reread.
If someone in the chat room is rude to you, your instinct (本能) is to fire back in the same manner. But try not to do so. If it was caused by a disagreement with another member, try to fix the situation by politely discussing it. Remember to respect the beliefs and opinions of others in the chat room.
Offer advice when asked by newcomers, as they may not be sure what to do or how to communicate. When someone makes a mistake, whether it's a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If it's a small mistake, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before saying anything. Having good manners yourself doesn't give you license to correct everyone else. At the same time, if you find you are wrong, be sure to correct yourself and apologize to those that you have offended.
It is not polite to ask others personal questions such as their age, sex and marital status. Unless you know the person very well, and you are both comfortable with sharing personal information, don't ask such questions.
A. You should either ignore the person, or use your chat software to block their messages.
B. If you do decide to tell someone about a mistake, point it out politely.
C. Repeat the process till you feel sure that you'd feel comfortable saying the words to the person's face.
D. When you send short messages to a person online, you must say something beautiful to hear.
E. Everyone was new to the network once.
F. The basic rule is simple: treat others in the same way you would want to be treated.
G. It's natural that there some people who speak rudely or make mistakes online.
Alia
Baker is a librarian in Iraq. Her library used to be a1place for all who loved books and liked to share knowledge. They2various matters all over the world. When the war was near, Alia was3that the fires of war would destroy the books, which are more4to her than mountain of gold. The books are in every language-new books,
ancient books, 5a book on the history of Iraq that is seven
hundred years old.
She had asked the government for6to move the books to a7place, but they refused.
So Alia took matters into her own hands. 8, she brought books home every night, 9her car late after work. Her friends came to10her when the war broke out. Anis who owned a restaurant11to hide some books. All through the12, Alia, Anis, his brothers and neighbors took the books from the library,
13them over the seven-foot wall and 14them in the restaurant. The books stayed hidden as the war15. Then nine days later, a fire burned the 16to the ground.
One day, the bombing stopped and the17left. But the war was not over yet. Alia knew that if the books were to be safe, they must be18again while the city was19. So she hired a truck to bring all the books to the houses of friends in the suburbs (郊区). Now Alia waited for the war to end and20peace and a new library.
I remember the first day when I saw Sally playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she struggled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. She seemed so1, but she managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her2nobody could.
I began to notice Sally at other times, basketball in hand, playing3. She practiced dribbling(运球) and4over and over.
One day I asked Sally why she5so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, "I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a 6. I'm going to play college basketball and I want to be the best one. I believe that if I am7enough, I will get one. My father has told me that if the dream is big enough, the facts don't 8. "
I 9her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her team to10. One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting on the grass, her head11in her arms. Slowly and quietly, I12and sat down beside her. "What's wrong? "I asked. "Oh, nothing, "came a soft reply, "I am just too short. "The13told her that at 165 cm she would probably never play for a top team—still less she would be14a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college.
I felt she was extremely15. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were 16. They didn't understand the 17 of a dream.
The next year, Sally was seen by a college basketball coach after a big game. She was18offered a scholarship and 19to the college team. She was going to get the college education that she had 20and worked toward for all those years.
It's true: if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count.
The chime-bells of Marquis Yi of the Zeng State(曾侯乙编钟) isunique Chinese ancient instrument. People, near and far, who come to Hubei Museum, can't wait(admire) it with their own eyes.
This ancient Chinese(music) instrument is made up of 65 bronze bells of different sizes, are hung at three levels and divided into 8 groups. All of the bells(decorate) with some delicate sculptures(雕刻). When facing the chime-bells, you will find them(stand) there silently like rows of warriors, but elegantly like ancient women.
The instrument was usually played for important(festival) or great ceremonies, sacrifice, feasts or harvests in ancient times. It was very popular, (particular) during the Warring States Period. The music of High Mountains and Running Water played by the chime-bells (be) amazing. It highly represents the wisdomChinese people.
1）时间和地点；
2）内容：学习日常汉语、了解中国历史和传统文化、参观博物馆等；
3）报名方式和截止时间.
注意：1）词数：100左右. 2）可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯.
Dear Tom,
Here comes a piece of good news.
……
I'm looking forward to your early reply!
Yours,
Li Hua
