Why You Should Visit the Four Imperial Cities of Morocco
Fez
Fez is arguably the most storied of the four imperial (皇家的) cities. It was founded in the late 9th century and it served as a capital seven times, most recently in 1912. Thanks to its long run as a capital in different eras, the city is home to numerous historical museums and important monuments. Visit Fez to learn more about Morocco's history, check out its unique architecture, and experience its energetic culture.
Marrakesh
Marrakesh was founded in the late 11th century and it served as the capital for four different dynasties. It is now considered the No.1 tourist destination in Morocco, with visitors from all over the world coming to see its luxury imperial palaces, splendid gardens, and ancient markets and try some of the best food in this part of the world.
Meknes
Meknes was Morocco's capital between 1672 and 1727. Even this short period was enough to leave a lasting mark on the city in the form of old imperial palaces, castles, and gates. The city also has plenty of other fascinating things to check out, like the Museum of Moroccan Art, several old mosques (清真寺), old markets, and nearby Roman Ruins.
Rabat
Rabat is the current capital of the country. It was founded by the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century with this purpose, although it took until 1955 for the city to claim this status officially. There are numerous historical tourist attractions to check out in Rabat, including the Mausoleum of Mohamed V, the unfinished Hassan Tower, and the Chellah Roman Ruins. Being situated at the seaside also means that you will be able to have other activities besides sightseeing.
It was a dream born in fire. Andrea Peterson was five when she and her mother were trapped on the ledge (窗台) of a burning building.
"Throw the kid down!" said one of the firemen below, and little Andrea leaped into lifesaving arms and a life-long ambition: She wanted to fight fires like her rescuers did.
She told that to the men who had saved her, and they laughed good-naturedly the way grown-ups do when a kid says they want to be an astronaut or a sports star. But this was back in a time when little girls weren't even allowed to fantasize about such grand goals.
"You'll be a good mommy," the firemen told her, "you'll be a good teacher, maybe you'll be a nurse, but you can never be a fireman."
And then, as it tends to do, life sidelined her dreams. She was studying for a degree in aviation (航空) technology — the only female in her class — and that's where she met her husband, Dennis.
Later, Dennis was diagnosed with cancer, and Peterson spent 31 years caring for him. At 61, she went on an ambulance ride-along. It turned out to be a life-and-death situation, and Peterson felt that long-ago childhood calling. She earned her emergency medical technician license and responded to fire calls with the ambulance. She found that her years of tending to Dennis had prepared her for dealing with various hurts and ills.
After a year, she told her boss she wanted to be a firefighter.
The fact that everyone else in her training unit was between 18 and 21 didn't stop her. She passed the written test, she cleared the physical and, finally, that little girl's dream became a reality.
Removing footwear before going into someone else's house is seen as a sign of respect in certain cultures. Yet in the U.S., many worry that this request comes across as rude. But there may be good reason for you to ban shoes indoors.
A 2018 survey showed that a significant 87% of Americans report taking off their shoes while at home. 31% say they will "always" remove their shoes inside their house, while 26% say they do so "most of the time."
But when it comes to asking guests to do the same, the prevalence is much lower. Around 50% of Americans admit that they never ask guests to take off their shoes. And out of those who specifically say they always take off their own shoes at home, only 25 % said they expect that the same from their visitors.
Maybe you think it's rude to do so. Or maybe you see it as an inconvenience. Regardless of the reason for your hesitation, experts say you really should be making sure people leave their footwear at the front door. A no shoe policy can help maintain cleanliness and hygiene (卫生).
According to Godoy, a cleaning expert, banning outdoor footwear can "significantly reduce" the amount of dirt being tracked indoors.
Wearing shoes indoors can introduce bacteria and other stuff to your floors, which can build up over time and turn into a real problem. In fact, a major study from microbiologist Charles Gerba found that harmful bacteria such as coliform and E. coli can be detected on the outside of 96% of shoes. These contaminants (污染物) can then be spread throughout the home when people walk around indoors with their shoes on.
"Removing shoes at the door can help prevent the spread of these contaminants and promote a cleaner, healthier living environment," says Zeeshan Afzal, a medical doctor.
A study conducted by Cornell University examined how the use of AI in conversations impacts the way people express themselves and view each other.
The researchers have found people have more efficient conversations, use more positive language and perceive each other more positively when using an Al-enabled chat tool.
However, the group also found that when participants think their partner is using more AI-suggested responses, they consider that partner as less cooperative.
"I was surprised to find people tend to evaluate you more negatively simply because they suspect you're using AI to help compose text, regardless of whether you actually are," said Jess Hohenstein, the lead researcher. "This illustrates the continuous overall doubt that people seem to have around AI."
For their first experiment, participants were asked to talk about a policy issue and assigned to one of three conditions: both participants can use smart replies; only one participant can use smart replies; or neither participant can use smart replies. Researchers found that using smart replies increased communication efficiency, positive emotional language and positive evaluations by communication partners. On average, smart replies accounted for 14.3% of sent messages.
But participants who their partners suspected of responding with smart replies were evaluated more negatively than those who were thought to have typed their own responses, consistent with common assumptions about the negative implications of AI.
"While Al might be able to help you write," Hohenstein said, "it's altering your language in ways you might not expect, especially by making you sound more positive. This suggests that by using text-generating Al, you're giving up some of your own personal voice."
Malte Jung, an associate professor, said, "What we observe in this study is the impact that Al has on social dynamics and some of the unintended consequences that could result from integrating AI in social contexts. This suggests that whoever controls the algorithm(算法) may have influence on people's interactions, language and insights into each other."
We are now having face-to-face chats with friends instead of talking online. But have you ever been in a conversation that you wish you could run away from?
A research team surveyed 806 participants about a recent conversation they had with someone close to them. The participants were asked about the actual length and their expected length of the conversation, and how long they thought the other person wanted to talk for.
According to the team's paper published in the journal PNAS, about one-third of the conversation length was unwanted. On average, they continued talking for 3.87 minutes before they sensed that the other speaker, too, wished to end it. Situations are similar when it comes to strangers. Only about 1.6 percent of the conversations ended when both parties wanted them to.
The paper pointed out that when they talk to strangers, what makes people "mask their desires" may be their politeness. When talking to close friends and family, it may be their kindness as ending the chat too soon may hurt the other's feelings.
Saying you only have a certain amount of time to talk at the start of the chat is a good place to start. "Remember conversations don't end because people don't know when the other person wants to go," Adam Mastroianni who led the study told the Inverse website. For example, clearly communicate that you had a nice time and would like to talk again.
However, in some ways, this may not be a bad thing. Conversation is a good way to make these connections happen.
|
A. After all, people need social connections. B. It's difficult to run away from a conversation. C. So what is the best way to end a conversation? D. Scientists have proved that you might not be alone. E. And some participants felt trapped in the conversation. F. You should make your partner feel good about the end of the chat. G. Also, more participants believed they wanted to end the conversation first. |
Something interesting happened at my home recently. In a hillside suburb, I am lucky to be1by a lot of trees, and even luckier that those trees are home to a2of birds.
One of those birds is called the laughing kookaburra, a big kingfisher, which certainly does like to3snakes and lizards in its strong and powerful beak (喙).
The kookaburra's head and chest are white4its wings and back are brown. What I love most is that the kookaburras laugh at sunset. My bird book5their call as a "loud chuckling laugh." Often they laugh in6with each other so that their laugh7around the trees a bit like the "wave". How wonderful it would be.
I was inside my home when there was a loud8against a window one day. I9out the door and around the veranda (走廊) to see what had happened. A kookaburra was10on the wooden floorboards of the veranda, looking extremely scared. As I11back a little distance, wondering what to do, the12kookaburra shook its head, raised its beak in the air, opened its mouth, and13into a loud, hearty laugh. I thought what a14thing it would be to learn how to15your head up and laugh after such a frightening surprise.
A few days ago, the Palace Museum and the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe signed a cooperation agreement on promotion of the Kunqu Opera. The cooperation has created effective way to promote traditional culture
The Palace Museum is one of the (large) museums of ancient Chinese culture and art in China. It used to be the Forbidden City, the emperors of China's Ming and Qing dynasties lived and conducted state (affair), and was turned into a museum later.
The Kunqu Opera is one of the oldest types of opera in China. (feature) mild and emotional melodies, poetic lines and graceful gestures, it can best represent the traditional Chinese arts. The Kunqu Opera (be) under state protection since the PRC was founded.
The cooperation the Palace Museum and the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe is a good attempt to preserve this opera, which is (real) worth encouraging.
According to the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, this cooperative project is "a dream coming true after three years. We aim to bring to life the opera relics (house) in the Palace Museum."
Some traditional plays recorded and kept in the Palace Museum will be selected and put on show. In addition, the Troupe will also recover a series of plays and perform (they).
NOTICE
"Why can't I just get a dog, Mum!"
"Because of your allergies (过敏)! How many times do I have to tell you, Violet!"
Violet was filled with anger. The rain started to fall. Large raindrops slid down the window, just like the tears on her face. There was violent anger in Violet's eyes. She walked angrily to her room and threw herself onto the bed. Her anger was now like an angry bull.
She screamed into her pillow as loud as she could and threw it onto the ground with all her strength. She dialed her best friend Darla, who happened to also be her neighbor.
Darla picked up in an instant.
"I could hear everything." Darla immediately chuckled. "I've known you and your mum since primary school. She's not letting you get a dog."
"Was I that loud?" Violet questioned herself in disbelief.
"You've been asking for a dog since you were seven! There's no chance she was going to just give it to you. Plus, you have so many allergies that I've even lost count."
"It's just not fair. You get two dogs and I'm stuck with my younger sister who has basically a rat." Violet announced unappreciatively.
"You have to be grateful for what you have. Anyway, I've got to have dinner with my family. I can call in half an hour, see you later."
After the call disconnected, the words from Darla's mouth about being grateful sunk into Violet like a dry sponge (海绵) filled with water, She remembered the countless times that she was admitted to the hospital for an allergic reaction while her family stayed and cared for her. Violet never really thought about the things she had, she only thought about the things she didn't have. Violet had a tamily which accounts for more than everything, even a dog. Family love is stronger than any love. Violet knew she was blessed to have this love.
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。
From that day onwards, Violet stopped asking for a dog.
The allergies were disappearing with age.
