If you have a passion for music, art, history and more, indulge it on a Yoyo Odyssey Cultural Tour!
How we travel can make the difference between just visiting a place, or really experiencing it from the inside out, which is why Yoyo has created its new Odyssey Cultural Tours collection.
These small-group, luxury tours offer a deep div e into history, art, music, literature, dance and astronomy, while enjoying everything that a destination has to offer, from exceptional places to stay to the best of local food.
Each holiday has the service of a Yoyo tour manager and we'll take care of you every step of the way, providing a VIP car service to your UK departure point for overseas trips, flights and transfers, all transports to accommodations, travel insurance and much more.
For music lovers; Yoyo has partnered with the Royal Academy of Music to create unique short breaks in London with concerts by talented young musicians from the Academy.
You'll be in expert hands-each tour is accompanied by a specialist in their field who's skilled at sharing their expertise through insight-packed talks throughout the holiday. Backstage, behind-the-scenes visits give a fascinating perspective on new places as well as cities that you may already know and love, all in the stimulating company of like-minded travellers.
ABC Music readers will receive an exclusive 5 per cent discount on all Yoyo Cultural Odyssey Tours-just quote the code ‘ABCR' when booking. To find out more please visit yoyo.uk/COT.
In 1835, William Talbot finally succeeded in producing a photograph of his country house. He declared that his was the first house ever known to have drawn its own picture. The drawing was formed "by the action of light upon sensitive paper." Photography offered nature a "pencil" to paint herself through optical （光学的） and chemical means alone.
By the mid-nineteenth century, people no longer needed to hire a draftsman to draw detailed images because the process could be completed instantly with a camera. Advocates for the technology stated that not only was it more precise than the human hand-it was faster and cheaper.
The removal of human fallibility in the creating process was one of photography's biggest selling points, but this also started debates about the new medium's implications for visual culture. Could images made largely by a machine be considered art? If so, where did human creativity, fit in this process?
As the twenty-first century becomes increasingly automated （自动化的）, more and more people attempt to identify where human agency exists in the technologically driven world. Images generated with artificial intelligence by companies like OpenAI are stimulating questions like those that emerged with the coming of the photograph. By typing a sentence, users can generate "new" images composed from images collected across the internet. The result has been a flood of Al-generated images in places that are previously unique to human authors. Painting competitions, commercial graphic design and the fashion of portraiture（肖像） have all since collided with the technology in troubling ways.
The fine arts were thought to be a final hold-out of human creativity, but the surprisingly high quality of Al-generated images is producing deeper questions about the nature of originality. If the history of photography tells us anything, it's that the debate won't be settled quickly; straightforwardly or by the institutions we typically associate with cultural gate-keeping.
There's a useful concept from psychology that helps explain why good people do things that harm the environment: the false consensus effect. That's where we overvalue how acceptable and prevalent（普遍的） our own behavior is in society. Put simply, if you're doing something （even if you secretly know you probably shouldn't）, you're more likely to think plenty of other people do it too. What's more, you likely overestimate how much other people think that behavior is broadly OK.
This bias（偏见） allows people to justify socially unacceptable or illegal behaviors. Researchers have observed the false consensus effect in drug use and illegal hunting. More recently, conservationists are beginning to reveal how this effect contributes to environmental damage.
In Australia, people who admitted to poaching（偷猎） thought it was much more prevalent in society than it really was, and had higher estimates than fishers who obeyed the law. They also believed others viewed poaching as socially acceptable; however, in reality, more than 90% of fishers held the opposite view. The false consensus effect has also shown up in studies examining support for nuclear energy and offshore wind farms.
Just as concepts from psychology can help explain some forms of environmental damage, so too can they help address it. For example, research shows people are more likely to litter in areas where there's already a-lot of trash scattered around; so making sure the ground around a bin is not covered in rubbish may help.
Factual information on how other people think and behave can be very powerful. Energy companies have substantially reduced energy consumption simply by showing people how their electricity use compares to their neighbors. Encouragingly, stimulating people's natural desire for status has also been successful in getting people to "go green to be seen", or to publicly buy eco-friendly products.
As the research evidence shows, social norms can be a powerful force in encouraging and popularizing environmentally friendly behaviors. Perhaps you can do your bit by sharing this article!
The message is drummed into us from childhood: forgive people who've wronged you, because it's the right thing to do. Forgiveness is a virtue, we're told—the only way for us to truly move on and heal, freed from the baggage of bearing ill will.
However, I'm not buying it. Forgiving someone can indeed be a beautiful thing, but it's not always what's best for us. In fact, if someone has hurt you deeply and the relationship isn't healthy, trying to "fix" things can do more harm than good.
Most of us would probably agree that forgiving a wrongdoer means letting go of negative feelings—like anger and resentment—towards them, as if nothing happened. Actually this isn't helpful. It pressures us to minimize our feelings—to say "it's OK" when for us, it isn't. While it's not a good idea to focus on negative thoughts, recognizing and processing all of that pain is an important part of the healing journey.
A 2010 research paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that folks who forgave partners that didn't make them feel valued had less respect for themselves. Letting minor offences（冒犯） that happen now and again slide can be great for any relationship, but repeatedly forgiving bad behavior can encourage that person to keep hurting you.
At least, that's what 2011 research by psychology professor James McNulty argues. He found that when a partner was more likely to forgive those acts, the aggressor was more likely to keep committing them. McNulty suggests that this is because facing the consequences of their actions is what motivates people to change their ways, and being offered a clean slate can be a kind of pass to avoid making changes. So forgiving frequent and major offences, like verbal or physical abuse, can do more harm than good.
For me, this speaks to the core tension in the idea. Instead of looking to forgiveness like a magic medicine, we can focus on recognizing what happened and coming to terms with it, however that looks for us and without any sense of obligation towards our offender.
Based on his own research at Washington University in St. Louis and other scientific studies, psychology lecturer Bon o offers the following tips for getting and staying happier in your life.
Looking forward to an enjoyable experience can make it all that much sweeter. Wait a couple of days before seeing a new movie that just came out, plan your big vacation for later in the summer, and try to take time to enjoy each bit e of dessert. On the opposite, get negative tasks out of the way as quickly as possible —any delay will only make them seem worse.
People who focus more on process than outcome tend to remain motivated in the face of setbacks. They're better at sticking with major challenges and prefer them over the easy route. Because it celebrates rewards that come from the work itself. Focusing only on the outcome can lead to premature burnout if things don't go well.
Find an activity that allows you to get together with friends on a regular, ongoing basis. A weekly happy hour, poker night, or TV show ensures consistency and motivation in your social interactions. People with high-quality relationships are not only happier, but also healthier. .
The next time you are attracted to use your phone to look through social media, look through your list of contacts instead. The happiness you get from a real connection with another person will be far greater than any comments or likes you get on social media.
A. Anticipation itself is pleasurable.
B. Decrease unnecessary socializing.
C. Find someone to call or Face Time.
D. This "growth mindset" helps people stay energized.
E. Facebook and Instagram often overstate how much better off others are.
F. Nothing is more important for our psychological health than high-quality friendships.
G. They recover from illnesses more quickly, live longer, and enjoy more enriched lives.
Kwan e Stewart, a devoted vet（兽医） in San Diego, had reached a point of burnout in his career. The animal 1 where he worked was full of abandoned pets as people 2 to deal with the ongoing economic decline. In those days, animals would be euthanized （安乐死） if they. weren't 3 in seven days. The cruel reality deeply troubled Stewart, even leading him to consider 4 his profession.
One fateful day, outside a convenience store, he 5 a homeless man with a dog suffering from a visible skin issue. The man, 6 for a solution, shared his dog's suffering. Stewart examined the dog and then 7 some medicine to him. In tears, the man thanked Stewart, saying "Thank you for not 8 me". The very words served as a wakeup call to Steward and inspired his next 9 .
Stewart began working as a street vet during his free time, determined to 10 on his own. Over a nine-year period, he provided 11 medical care for over 1,000 homeless people and their pets and in 2020, he created a nonprofit organization Project Street Vet.
For Stewart, the most rewarding aspect of his work lies in the one-on-one 12 with the homeless. By 13 helping their cherished companion, Stewart helps 14 their faith in humanity. Their gratitude fuels him to continue his mission, offering 15 to those facing awful circumstances.
We've all heard the advice to "get out of your comfort zone" by taking on a new challenge. A recent study goes a step further: Make discomfort a direct goal. That's more likely to motivate you if you only focus on what you hope to learn.
In the first of five experiments, the researchers assigned several hundred students training at Second City Chicago （participate） in a small-group improvisation（即兴） exercise, and then instructed half of the group that their goal during the session was "to feel awkward and uncomfortable." The rest, （that） in the control group, （tell） to "feel yourself developing new skills." Members of the first group kept at the exercise longer than the others did and took （great） risks.
Experiments （involve） other dimensions of personal growth—engaging in expressive writing, learning about gun violence, and hearing about opposing political （belief）—produced similar results.
Reframing anxiety as excitement has been proven a way to improve singing in front of strangers, and thinking of stress as means to boost achievement demonstrated a stress-management technique.
"When people reinterpret negative experiences as （function）, they are more willing to engage in tasks that call forth those experiences," the researchers explain. "Instead of seeing discomfort as unrelated to the goal a signal to stop, they will start perceiving it as a sign of progress toward their goal."
1）阅读的乐趣；
2）介绍一本你喜欢的书；
3）你喜欢的理由。
注意：
1）写作词数应为80左右；
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
One sunny afternoon, Alice and I were walking home from school, lost in our girlish conversation. Alice, with her curious eyes sparkling, casually asked about my friendship with Judy. In a moment of thoughtlessness, I responded, "I only hung out with Judy because she asked me and I wasn't keen on being friends with her. She was rather dull." The unkind words just escaped my lips before I could catch them, like marbles rolling off a table.
Little did I know, Judy had been just around the corner somehow. When I glanced up, Judy appeared right in front of me, having accidentally overheard everything. All the color faded from her face. Her eyes widening with shock, without a word, she rushed off. Alice and I were left standing there, exchanging a look of shame and discomfort. I knew I should run after Judy and apologize, but with my mind blank, I was frozen. Alice's face turned red, too. We walked home in silence, each step heavier than the last.
The following days were filled with awkwardness. I felt terrible for what I'd said and was dying to mend our friendship. An honest apology was desperately needed. But what should I say? Unintentional as I was, I indeed hurt Judy's feelings. Every time I saw Judy in the halls or during classes, I'd quickly look away.
Fate threw me a curve ball in our speech class. On Tuesday, Mr. Thomas announced that we would be giving improvised（即兴的） speeches. He had written our topics on slips of paper and put them into a secret jar. Each of us was asked to blindly choose one without knowing what it would be about. I couldn't say I was not nervous. As I reached into the jar of topics, my fingers closed around the slip that read, "Share your most embarrassing moment." My heart pounded like a drum roll in my chest. It was as if the universe had come my way to give me a chance.
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。
Knowing what I had to say, I calmed myself down and walked to the platform.
That day marked a turning point.
