Some of the greatest discoveries in science have been completely accidental. Then again, maybe science had a little help...
Ice Candy
One of America's favorite summertime treats came about thanks to a particularly cold night in the San Francisco Bay area in 1905. That's when 11-year-old Frank Epperson forgot a glass containing powdered soda mix, water and a wooden stick out at the doorway overnight. The next morning, Frank discovered the mixture had frozen around the stick. He popped it out of the cup, licked it…and summers were never the same!
Safety Glass
In 1903, French chemist Édouard Bénédictus accidentally dropped a glass bottle. To his surprise, the glass cracked but wasn't broken into pieces. Out of curiosity, he checked it carefully. As it turned out, the bottle hadn't been cleaned properly and was coated with a thin film of a kind of liquid plastic. A happy accident led to the discovery of safety glass.
YInMn Blue
In 2009, Mas Subramanian, a professor of materials science at Oregon State University, was testing out new materials for electronics in his lab with graduate students. A mixture of metal s went into the furnace. What came out was a striking blue mixture. The first new blue since cobalt (深蓝) was discovered in 1802, is called "YInMn Blue."
Penicillin
In 1928, Scottish researcher Alexander Fleming returned to his lab after a two-week vacation only to discover that mold (霉菌) from an open window had made an uncovered dish of bacteria dirty. Strangely enough, the mold stopped the bacteria from growing, giving the world its first antibiotic.
Occasionally, doctors become patients too. While I wouldn't wish ill-health on anyone, it can be an inspiring lesson for medical professionals to suddenly be on the other side.
This happened to me a few months ago when I had a kidney stone, which had decided to make its unwelcome presence known in a rather romantic fashion just as I was going out for dinner. The pain came from absolutely nowhere but within minutes I was incapacitated. I was quite taken ab ack by how astonishingly painful it was.
As a doctor, I initially refused to believe that anything was seriously wrong, because I have witnessed countless individuals come to the emergency room convinced they are dying only for nothing more than trapped wind and then creep (蹑手蹑脚) out as they burp (打嗝) loudly and the pain disappears. However, the unbearable pain continued to exist, forcing me to acknowledge that this was indeed more than just a stubborn burp,
I was particularly pleased to read afterwards in a medical textbook that renal colic, as the pain is known, is the "most painful event a person can endure, often described as being worse than childbirth." It's no wonder chronic (慢性的) pain drives people mad. While doctors talk about pain and its management, it's hard to put into words how exhausting it really is until you've experienced it for yourself.
During my time in hospital, I interacted with numerous doctors, each exhibiting professionalism and kindness but one stuck out in my mind. He was actually the most junior of them all, but something about his manner was incredibly calming and comforting. Whenever he came to my bed to speak to me, he knelt down so he was at my eye level. This simple act rid me of the stress that other healthcare professionals unintentionally projected. Just kneeling down made all the difference.
Experiencing the role reversal of doctor-turned-patient provided me with profound insights into the realities of pain and effective patient care.
US forests could become a "substantial carbon source" by 2070, suggesting that forests could worsen global warming instead of easing it, a new Agriculture Department report says.
US forests currently absorb 11 percent of US carbon emissions (释放), equal to the combined emissions from 40 coal power plants. The report predicts that the ability of forests to absorb carbon will start declining after 2025 and that forests could emit up to 100 million metric tons of carbon a year as their emissions from decaying (腐烂) trees go beyond their carbon absorption.
The prediction suggests that this will require the US to cut emissions more rapidly to reach net zero, according to Lynn Riley, a senior manager of climate science. "Eleven percent of our domestic emissions. That is a really significant portion," Riley said. "As we work to decarbonize... forests are one of the greatest tools available. If we were to lose that, it means the US will contribute that much more" in emissions. The report also assesses and predicts the extent of renewable resources provided by the nation's forests and undeveloped landscapes, including farmlands, wetlands and grasslands.
According to the report, the loss of carbon absorption is driven in part by natural disasters which are increasing in frequency and strength as global temperatures rise. Development in forested areas, which the report predicts will continue to increase, is having the same effect as people increasingly move to the so-called wildland urban areas. Aging forests also contribute as older, mature trees absorb less carbon than younger trees of the same species, and the US forests are rapidly aging.
More aggressive forest management can help by cutting down a small portion of aging forests to make ways for younger trees that absorb more carbon. A thorough study of each forest should be done before removing older trees, Riley said.
Artists everywhere are getting "understandably nervous" about recent advances in artificial intelligence. Last month, a winner of an art prize at the Colorado State Fair "sparked a violent protest" when he posted the news and explained that he'd created his image using an AI program. Critics quickly accused 39-year-old Lance Allen of cheating. To be fair, Allen had won in the digital art category and made no secret of how the image had been produced. But the rules of art making are clearly changing.
Allen's creative process, to be clear,"was not a push-button operation,"said Jason Blain in Forbes. He claims to have spent 80 hours on his entry, first on fine-tuning his text prompts(提示), then by touching up the final image using Photoshop and similar tools, then arranging to print the image on canvas. He made the finished product using AI much as a photographer creates an image using a camera.
But Allen, a tabletop game developer, is awed by AI's capabilities and urges artists and illustrators to welcome the technology rather than fight it. "Art is dead," he says. "AI won. Humans lost." A more inspiring lesson to take from his victory, though, is that image generators are likely to "expand the appreciation for and creation of art" by opening the field to people, like him, who could never draw anything as detailed as his award-winning image. "If anything, we will have more artists," and as the technology progresses, "we might see the emergence of art styles that none have seen before."
You can't blame traditional artists if they're unhappy. Image generators work their magic, after all, by analyzing the aesthetics (美学) of millions of pre-existing images. One of the most complicated image generators "makes crystal clear just how destructive this technology will be," said Loz Eliot in New Atlas. Given a specific prompt, it can produce an image of just about anything you can imagine and even follow the style of a favorite artist's work. Its arrival marks "an incredible popularization of visual creativity" while aiming "a knife to the heart of anyone who's spent decades improving their artistic techniques hoping to make a living from them."
Do you ever find yourself saving the good things in life for some distant moment in the future? Maybe you have a collection of fancy plates that only see the light of day on special occasions, or perhaps you're waiting for the perfect time to wear that beautiful dress put away in your closet.
In a recent conversation with leading psychologist Dr. Alison McClymont, we explored the idea of giving ourselves permission to enjoy the good things now, rather than waiting for an uncertain future. So saving pleasure for the future may be pointless.
But why do we feel the need to save things for best? It's typically British to save our crockery or clothes for "special" occasions. This mindset may have originated from times when resources were not enough and has been passed down through generations. However, when we feel abundant, we are more willing to use and appreciate our favorite things regularly.
Welcoming the joy of everyday life can be seen as an act of self-love. We are supposed to surround ourselves with things that bring us happiness, even in ordinary moments. It's also about finding ways to renew our worth, fighting the negative thoughts that we don't deserve to enjoy the good things in life.
Take out those fancy plates for a simple weeknight dinner. Wear that beautiful dress to run errands or pick up your kids from school. Celebrate the small moments and make them extraordinary. Because in the end, life is too short to deny ourselves joy. Let's break free from the mindset of waiting for the perfect moment. Embrace the joy of everyday life and make every day a celebration.
A. So, why not start now?
B. Well, it's time to reconsider.
C. By doing so, we can boost our overall well-being.
D. After all, there will be more happiness in store for us.
E. Actually, cultural and generational factors play a crucial role.
F. The reason may be that our well-being is closely related to abundance.
G. If we deny ourselves small moments of joy, we may never get them again.
When Darrell Worthy was growing up, Thanksgiving meant 30 neighbors sharing a potluck meal in the family driveway. "My parents worked at a golf course. They'd 1 all the workers to come to Thanksgiving dinner. They would never turn anybody away," he says. "If there was a kid in the 2 who needed dinner, he got it."
Today, Worthy carries on the 3 at his restaurant, where a combination of barbecue and community 4 has made it a hot spot, Locals 5 the restaurant for its burgers and meatloaf. For many, it is also a stop on the road to 6 . It has a program that brings former 7 into the kitchen for the first time to help them 8 service industry skills. The effort was 9 by manager Casey DeGuise, who arrived there with drug problems. "He had been rejected for 35 jobs," Worthy says. "We said ‘Let's take a chance,' and he's never 10 ."
Worthy himself knows that a little help can go a long way. "I had a time when I was definitely drinking too much," he 11 . Now, he offers to others the 12 he once needed. He keeps a cooler by the front door of his restaurant with 13 food for anyone who wants it. But his favorite pastime is still watching 14 plates turn to dirty dishes.
"If we can pay the bills and staff, we're happy," says Worthy. "If we can 15 the community, we're happier."
Originating in southwest China, tea enriches and nourishes the life of Chinese people, and gives rise to a unique and profound tea culture.
Dating back to over 2000 years ago, tea has risen above differences in diets and cultures and enjoyed worldwide (popular) with its unique fragrance. Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese tea has made way to the world, through the Ancient Tea Horse Road and the Ancient Silk Road, (shape) different tea drinking customs and cultures along the way. After the 18th century, Chinese tea seeds (introduce) to India, Sri Lanka and later other countries, and now more than 60 countries are growing tea.
Chinese tea falls into six categories, (name) green tea, white tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, black tea and dark tea, (base) on different production methods and fermentation (发酵) degrees. the only country in the world capable of producing and processing sixteen categories, China (develop) an automated and standardized way with great innovation. In 2016, China exported 271,000 tons of green tea, quality has won world recognition.
In tea, we find art, prosperity and our journey ahead. Chinese tea culture values harmony and sincerity, spirit that shares the same origin with the Silk Road.
注意：1.写作词数应为80个左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Troubled, From your letters I've learnt that your parents care too much about your study, which annoys you a lot. Loving Editor |
Born into a medical family, Amar, a 15-year-old boy, was expected to be a doctor, but deep down in his heart, he was eager to take up writing as his future career. He was in a great dilemma whether to pursue his dream or live up to his parents' expectation. until one day when his father gifted him a parrot.
The parrot had two hazy lines in her neck: black and red. Amar knew the hazy lines mark the stage of learning. "When there is a good teacher, how can his student be stupid" ,he used to believe. It was absolutely true.
Metto's cage was yellow with a big door and a shiny silver rod (杆) running through the centre. Metto's world was fantastic, surrounded by eight-foot white walls with some plum trees. And a lawn, with a palm tree in the middle, was dotted with multiple-color roses.
Back home from school every afternoon, Amar always slid the door of the cage up for Metto to set her free nearby the palm tree. Metto could set herself free because she learned how to slide up the door but she had never tried to do so. It was either love with Amar or, might be, she had never tasted the taste of a bigger world.
Amar always talked with Metto in Pashto (普什图语). Whenever Amar fished out peanuts from his pocket, Metto talked frequently "Toti choori khore" —parrot! Wanna eat choori. She had learned one more sentence after meeting with a friend belonging to jungle outside the white walls. She always said that at the end of meal "Da wakht bam teer she"—this shall to be passed, which Amar had never taught her.
Amar saw her friend coming daily and sitting in the plum tree nearby Metto's cage. He let them and did nothing. "The new one can never succeed in winning her. After all, I feed her well. She will never leave me", Amar murmured. But he didn't know the new teacher had taught her something the old one hadn't. It was the outer world with untouchable horizon.
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
One day, on the way to feed her, Amar was shocked at what Metto was doing. …… His head hanging down; Amar came back home after long running. |
