Top 4 Mid-Range Mobile Phones

If you don’t want to, you don’t need to break the bank to have a quality smartphone. Actually there are a wealth of choices in the more affordable range. Here are four phones that stand out.

Honor 70

The Honor 70 is a bit of an upgrade on the Honor 50, with much the same features, including a high-quality OLED display, though the 70 is slightly bigger. It has a fast-processing chip and is made for multitasking, so slow performance shouldn’t be a problem.

Samsung A53

The A53 comes in at slightly smaller than the A13 but also has some of the same features, a quad camera system, and a similar battery. However, the A53 does have a better full HD display and better peak brightness, ideal for watching movies and videos on the go.

Oppo A94

The A94 comes with very fast 5G capability, making long waiting times for downloads when watching video a thing of the past. Coupled with intelligent power consumption for longer use and a colourful, vibrant AMOLED display, it’s perfect for entertainment on the go.

iPhone 12

Powered by 5G and Apple’s A14 chip to enable faster downloading, streaming and overall boot up (开机) time, the iPhone 12 is a speedy and powerful device. Also featured is a HDR display for clear viewing and Nano Ceramic Crystals in the glass display to protect the screen from the occasional drop and from scratches.

When Spring cleaning season arrived this year, I decided that it was time to get rid of more than just a Winter’s worth of dust and dirt. It was the time to get rid of years worth of accumulated (累积) stuff as well. This stuff was lining my walls, filling my shelves, and crowding my closets. This stuff was filling my home and my mind and not bringing me one bit of happiness. I couldn’t even remember how I got some of it, but I knew I wanted it gone.

It turned out to be an even bigger job than I thought. Twenty-year-old bills and receipts were thrown in the trash. Piles of papers were no longer necessary or needed. Broken bowls, dented pans, and cracked knickknacks (小摆件) were finally thrown away. Unworn clothes were taken out of the closet and packed to be given away to the local charity. Old books were boxed up to be passed on for others to read and enjoy.

It took several days to get it all done, but in the end I was able to walk through a home that seemed a little less messed. My heart was a lot lighter too. It felt so good to be able to get rid of all the junk and to just focus on the essential stuff in life again.

What is the essential stuff? What is the stuff that brings meaning to our days? A loving heart is essential. A joyful spirit is essential. A soul full of goodness and god is essential. And a life full of sharing all of these things is absolutely essential. The essential stuff can’t be bought, sold, or stored. It can only be chosen, created, and given away. The essential stuff is the stuff we all really want. It is the stuff we all really need.

In 2022, Americans spent 8.3 billion hours trapped in traffic. During traffic jams, the average car used an extra 19 gallons of gas. This amounts to $190 billion in lost time and fuel each year. Fortunately,   researchers are working to reduce the traffic jams, whether by the development of driverless cars or the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in traffic lights.

Lack of traffic signal timing is a main cause of traffic jams. A new system uses software to decide when the traffic signal timing is not doing well or when it is making progress. The method was better than all other former approaches in testing.

The researchers built an advanced traffic simulator (模拟器) to train their program, teaching it to deal with different traffic and weather conditions. When the system was tested on a real crossroad, it adapted to real traffic crossings. It could be effective in many real-world environments in the future. The researchers hope to begin testing their system on real roads this year.

Dr. George Vogiatzis, a professor of Aston University, said, “This program can understand the situations it hasn’t experienced before. We have tested this with a physical obstacle (干扰) that causes traffic jams instead of the traffic light waiting time, and the system still works well. As long as there is a cause of traffic jam, the computer will finally find out what the cause is.”

We don’t know how different our life will be in the future. We can only try to imagine it. At first we think about human relationships. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day. We will be making new friends through the Internet even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won’t be as important as they are today—we will feel a little lonely.

Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be much more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.

Spending holidays will also be completely different. Travelling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will be using solar-powered cars, which will be much more environmentally friendly.

We could expect that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn’t true. We will pay more attention to the environment protection. Scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as our health will be in better condition.

Although we can’t predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children’s future; we have expectations, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen.

Whether you want to have more successful relationships, a better career or just be able to turn down chocolate, overcoming your weaknesses is essential.

To overcome your weaknesses, you have to identify them first. So try listing events with unfavorable outcomes in your life.     16    

Once you know your weaknesses, ask yourself how each of them serves you.       17     They are created in an attempt to protect you or serve you in some way. The sooner you understand what it is, the sooner you can find a more positive way to deal with your weaknesses.

    18     For example, develop a detailed plan of action. If your public speaking skills are weak, you can plan out workable steps like writing a speech, delivering the speech to an empty room, then to one person, and then to several people.     19    

It’s also a good idea to use your strengths to build confidence. When you’re working to overcome a weakness, work on things you’re good at.     20     For example, if your public speaking skills are weak but you’re really good at writing speeches, you could help others write their speeches until you feel comfortable delivering your own.

One cool morning my mother and I went to several garage sales (宅前旧货出售) to find something that our family might want. We finally stopped at a pleasant house in the woods. The elderly ______ walked out of their house and told me that he and his wife were ______ teachers and they had left their posts for many years. As we were searching, I heard the gentleman’s wife say ______ name to someone, and I ______ realized who she was. She looked at me and said, “You’re Lisa Miller.” I looked at her in surprise, for it had been nearly thirty ______ since I had been in her ______ .

My mother immediately said sorry to her for any trouble I might have made. She did that ______ after learning that I wasn’t the sweet little child. She thought that ______ this woman remembered me after so many years, I must have ______ for her. My teacher looked at my mother and softly said. “Oh, no. She was very good.” My teacher ______ that during the last week of school, I bought her a plant from my mother’s garden. It was a lamb’s ear. She took us to her garden where she ______ the lamb’s ear. Over the years it spread. As I looked down her driveway with lamb’s ear on both ______ , she said, “Every day when I leave my house and drive up the driveway, I think of you.”   ______ came into my eyes. There at her home was a piece of my life that she had raised.

At that moment, she taught me more about life than I could imagine. We give pieces of ourselves every day without thought. We seldom imagine the effects that we have on others’ ______. That piece may grow and _____ , becoming a necessary part of a life. In the end it isn’t the big things that matter, but the small things that make all the difference in the world.

My Most Admirable Person

That’s all. Thank you!