Ways to save money at the cinema
There's nothing quite like seeing a new film on the big screen! Here's how to make a few savings at the cinema.
Get two tickets for the price of one
Buy an insurance (保险) policy from Compare the Market and you'll get free access to Meerkat Movies, which offers two for the price of one on tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday. Fortunately, there's a chance to get this for around £1. All you need to do is buy a single day UK travel insurance!
Get some free tickets
The Club Lloyds current account offers six free tickets to use at Odeon or Vue and you'll get these within a month of opening the account. You'll need to add £2,000 to the account to cancel out a £3 monthly charge, but that money doesn't need to be in one go or stay there—you can draw it straight back out.
Buy special offer tickets
From time to time there are deals running that offer cut price tickets. Sites like Groupon often sell bundles (套票) for the likes of Odeon and Vue that work out around £4 or £5 each. Other deals include National Cinema Day (usually in September) when all tickets are £3.
A few years ago I took my sons for ice cream, and while my older son went inside to buy us our milk shakes, my younger son and I waited on the bench (长椅) outside.
At a certain point I realized that sitting right next to me were a little girl with a facial deformity (畸形), her friend (or sister), and her mother.
When my younger son looked up and saw her, he reacted exactly the way you might think a three-year old would react when seeing something that scared him: he started to cry—pretty loudly, too. I hurriedly tried to push him away in the stroller (婴儿推车), not for the benefit of him but to avoid hurting the girl's feelings, and in my haste I caused my older son to knock over the shakes, and, well, it was a scene quite different from what I had hoped for. But as I pushed my younger son's stroller away I heard the little girl's mom say, in as sweet and calm a voice as you can imagine, "Okay, guys, I think it's time to go." And that just set me thinking.
For the rest of the day, I couldn't stop thinking about how that scene had played out. It occurred to me that they probably went through something like that hundreds of times a day. What would that be like? What could I be teaching my children so they could understand how to respond better next time? What I should have done, instead of trying to avoid the situation, was involve the girl and her mother in conversation. If my son cried, so be it: kids cry. I should have set a better example for him, and shown him there was nothing to fear.
As I was thinking about the scene, the song Wonder by Natalie Merchant came on the radio that night, and something about the words to the song just got to me. That very night, I started writing Wonder, a story about a boy with a facial difference.
Every day, we face a range of decisions, from picking a shirt for work to choosing a job. Some of these decisions have far-reaching consequences that may impact the rest of our lives. These choices can be difficult, and we aren't often aware of the reasons behind why we make certain choices. A new study explores how we make decisions when it comes to short and long-term rewards (回报). It found that we were more impulsive (冲动) with decisions that may bring about an immediate reward than those that have longer-term consequences.
The study was conducted by Professor Pleger from Ruhr University Bochm. The team wanted to know how we make decisions about what to eat and how to make a profit. They asked subjects to choose between smaller immediate rewards and larger rewards that they had to wait for. The longer they waited, the bigger the reward. Brain activity was observed using functional MRI, which shows which parts of the brain are active during decision-making.
The brain observation revealed interesting differences when it came to each type of reward. When people made decisions about money, brain areas responsible for thinking about the future and self-control were more active. When deciding about food, the areas that are linked to immediate satisfaction were more involved. This means that our decision-making pattern depends on the type of reward that we are presented with.
By understanding how our brains respond to different types of rewards, we may develop better tools that control how we make those decisions that may have serious consequences in our lives. Professor Pleger believes that understanding these differences can lead to new treatments for impulsive behaviors and addictions. For example, Neurofeedback (神经反馈) can observe real-time brain activity to help individuals manage their brain functions, which can help them make particularly difficult decisions, specifically surrounding unhealthy or addictive choices.
A heated theme around AI in education is that students could use these generative tools to complete their homework. Educators are worried that students may not build essential skills if it becomes too easy to misrepresent machine-generated work as their own. In addition to concerns that such use may contribute to cheating, it's also known that AI can provide misinformation that may mislead students. As a result, many schools have banned (禁止) generative AI completely. But is that reasonable?
The answer is no, says Sebastian Rao, a Virginia STEM school senior. Instead, he supports AI policies that make the technology accessible to students and educators but provide appropriate edges. "How do we structure a classroom that uses AI?" asks Rao. He says the focus should be to thoughtfully integrate (合并) AI technology in classrooms so that students can use it to enhance their education and build new skills.
When schools place strict bans on AI, students may be confused and unsure about what they can and can't use. Many students use AI in ways educators didn't consider, worsening the problem of managing their use in the classroom. Meanwhile, the technology is evolving quickly and becoming integrated into an ever-growing range of tools. Academic tools like Grammarly now use AI, as do search engines like Google and Bing. Khan Academy recently built a free AI-powered app, Khanmigo, to provide one-on-one homework help to students who may not otherwise have access to a live tutor (家庭教师). "A lot of students don't really know what to think about a lot of these technologies. Some are confused about 'What does AI mean? Is it cheating in certain cases?'" explains Rao.
Rather than viewing the use of AI as cheating, the U. S. Department of Education is integrating AI into policy because the technology allows educators to support students with a valuable, personalized approach to learning. Knowing how to use AI effectively and properly will be necessary for students' future development.
Today, the electric light is considered one of the greatest human inventions and helps us in many ways. However, the overuse of electric light sources causes pollution too, which is known as light pollution.
Light pollution is a global issue. The problem became obvious when a map of the Earth was published in 2016. Vast areas of North America, Europe, and Asia glow (发光) with light. Only the most hard to reach regions on Earth, such as the Amazon in South America, are in total darkness. Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky. It happens mostly in cities and causes people living there to have a hard time seeing more than a handful of stars at night. It also reduces astronomers' (天文学家) ability to view stars and planets.
Light pollution can cause problems in humans. Usually, light guides day and night activities and influences body processes. It causes sleep disorders, headaches, stress, anxiety and other health problems.
Light pollution also has an impact on animals. Insects drawn in by electric lights die when they contact light sources. Birds are also attracted to light. Even animals living under the sea may be influenced by electric light. The National Park Service studied night sky brightness in about 100 national parks. Nearly every park had at least some light pollution.
Fortunately, several groups work to reduce light pollution and many states have applied laws to control outdoor lighting. Just use outdoor lighting only when it is needed and keep lights down in bedroom.
A. It shows how and where our globe is lit up at night. B. Everyone can take steps to reduce light pollution at home too. C. Many cities are now taking measures to reduce light pollution. D. It influences night sky observation, human health and wildlife behavior. E. However, the extra nighttime light confuses the clocks inside our bodies. F. Light pollution even influences places that attempt to protect natural habitats. G. But even a small amount of light can greatly change the natural processes at night. |
I've always wanted to be a millionaire. I believed money would give me more fun, more choices, and more 1 .
I carried the value of sacrifice (牺牲) and hard work with me as I sought my dream. I took part in various types of football competitions, 2 my skills to the point where I was invited to play overseas. At 21, a serious 3 forced me to leave football field. 4 , I sought my dream and built a social media—Instagram following. At 25, I had 50,000 followers and was gifted a 5 watch.
But I felt deeply unhappy. I thought about all the effort I'd spent and what I'd 6 in return. I always wanted to post something on Instagram. It was like Instagram had 7 me. The likes, the comments, and the 8 made me feel as if I'd "succeeded", but I didn't have any freedom or calmness within.
I 9 to get serious and focus on real growth and building real 10 . I sold my expensive watch and used the 11 to invest (投资). To find calmness, I walked and rode through the woods, where the fresh air 12 my mind. The biggest move I made was to quit Instagram totally. I 13 myself from negativity, stopped spending money on non-essentials, and 14 myself with those on the same mission (使命). Then it happened.
I turned 29, and my investment 15 . I'd made my first million. The success wasn't just about the money. I experienced how sacrifice and hard work provides for real growth too.
Qinqiang opera is a local Chinese opera. It is considered the (large) and the most ancient musical system of all Chinese operas. According to historical records, Qinqiang opera first appeared in the Qin Dynasty, experienced great (improve) in the Yuan Dynasty, was formally developed into an opera form in the Yuan Dynasty, gained significant recognition during the Qing Dynasty.
Its repertoires (曲目) usually feature themes such as anti-wars and struggles, as well as a number of other topics of strong human interest (reflect) honesty, generosity, bravery, and other characteristics of the local people.
Qinqiang is also one of the earliest operatic musical systems show the emotions of human beings. (equip) with a set of performing skills created by the artists, Qinqiang (influence) other operatic forms greatly since it came into being.
its unique performance recognized, four main roles in Qinqiang opera: sheng, dan, jing and chou are familiar to people. The different accents (口音) of different areas and types of folk music have contributed to the slight differences in the opera (it) in terms of pronunciation, music, and so on. In recent years, the major types in and around Xi'an has played important role in innovating and developing the art form.
settle postpone survive appreciate gentle opportunity remark |
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。
Dear Allen,
I'm writing to share with you the Happy Dumpling Festival held last Friday at our school.
Yours,
Li Hua
