Is Climate Change Consuming Your Favorite Foods?

Due to climate change, the world’s endangered lists are no longer just for animals. We may not only need to adapt ourselves to living in a warmer world but a     21     (tasty) one as well.

As the increased amount of carbon dioxide in the air linked to global warming     22     (continue) to affect weather, we often forget that they are also impacting the quantity, the quality, and the growing locations of our food. Some foods have already felt the impact while     23     may even become scarce within the next 30 years.

Whether or not you try to limit yourself     24     one cup of coffee a day, the effects of climate change on the world's coffee-growing regions may leave you little choice.

Rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns are reported to have been threatening coffee plantations in South America, Africa, Asia, and Hawaii. The result? Significant cuts in coffee yield.

According to organizations like Australia's Climate Institute, half of the present coffee-producing areas     25     (estimate) not to be suitable by the year 2050, if current climate patterns continue.

With temperatures continuously rising, oceans are absorbing some of the heat and undergoing warming of their own,     26     (cause) a decline in fish population, including in lobsters that are cold-blooded creatures, and in salmons (鲑鱼)     27     eggs find it hard to survive in higher water temperatures. Warmer waters also encourage some poisonous marine bacteria to grow and lead to illness in humans whenever     28     (take) with raw seafood, like oysters.

And how about that satisfying “crack” which you get when you are eating crabs and lobsters? It could be silenced     29     shellfish have been struggling to build their calcium carbonate (碳酸钙) shells, which is a result of ocean acidification.

Even worse is the possibility     30     we will have no seafood to enjoy at all. In a 2006 Dalhousie University study, scientists predicted that if over-fishing and rising temperature trends continued at their present rate, the world's seafood stocks would run out by the year 2050.

Workforce of the Future

The workplace is changing rapidly. Rather than the standard working day of nine to five, employees are working more flexibly to meet their busy home lives. Advances in technology are     31     the very nature of the tasks and skills required in the workplace.

To gain a full perspective of how the workplace is set to change over the next decade, employee benefits provider Unum UK     32     with The Future Laboratory to survey 3,000 workers across several industries. They also interviewed industry experts and business leaders on topics from artificial intelligence and robotics to the increase of flexible working and an ageing workforce.

The result outlines some of the employment changes that businesses can expect to see over the next decade and predicts the     33     of two worker cultures which will dominate the workforce. They are the obligated and the self-fulfilled workers.

“Obligated workers” refer to people with dependents and the sandwich generation,     34     raising children with caring for elderly parents. Therefore, they value a career     35     to life stages and events and financial security. Joel Defries, 33, father of one kid and partner at London Vodka said, “A flexible employer will allow me to have a long paternity leave (陪产假) and to value my family just as much as I value my job.”

Self-fulfilled workers are committed to life-long learning and acquiring new skills rather than     36     to an employer. They actively look for personal development and want employee benefits that help them     37     both their personal and professional ambitions. They treat personal commitments and pursuits as     38     to professional commitments. Elly Kemp, 31,     39     a full-time employee, now working part-time in a caféand also assisting with her grandmother’s care said, “My approach to work allows me the freedom to     40     my career at my own pace. I want my work to be fluid so I can change it when I want and do whatever makes me happy at the time.”

Early decision you apply to one school, and admission is binding(有法律约束力的) seems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools _______ a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a better chance of being enrolled. And if you do, you’re done with the whole painful process by December. But most students and parents don’t realize that schools have hidden _______ for offering early decision.

Early decision, since it’s binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows _______ committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate (优秀学生率), which is often used as one of the ways to _______ college selectivity and popularity.

The problem is that this process effectively _______ the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under _______ admissions, seniors have to choose which school to attend until May 1; early decision effectively steals six months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni (校友) and make a more _______ decision.

For any given student in America, whatever their levels are, there are a number of schools that are a great _______. When students become too fixed on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to _______ severe disappointment if they don’t get in or, if they do, it is likely that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time for further ________, may not actually be right for them.

Early decision offers a genuine admissions edge. That advantage goes largely to students who already have ________ advantages. The students who use early decision tend to be those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more advantaged background. ________, there’s an argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how (招生诀窍) to ________ figure out the often confusing early deadlines.

Students who have done their research and are confident that there’s one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably ________ under early decision. For students who haven’t yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely ________ the field of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of thrilling options.

One recent night, while I was leafing through its pages of an old journal, my eyes met a quote by the British writer Graham Greene that I had marked. “A prejudice had something in common with an ideal.” In other words, ideals general descriptions of people’s expectations of themselves and others can often lead us to unreasonable ideas. It got me thinking about how we often allow ourselves to generalize about groups of people. We like to stereotype people by the color of their skin, the year of their birth or any other related factors.

I grew up in a multi-racial corner of America. The different groups were often subject to narrow stereotypes: Jewish people were “greedy,” Mexicans were “poorly educated,” and Asians were “good at math.” These labels were taught to us from a young age. They wormed their way into our belief systems, harming how we came to see others. It made me sad growing up to see people repeat these stereotypes as if they were true. The rush-to-judgment of people breeds a culture of discrimination (歧视).

You can also see these over-generalized description being made against today’s Chinese people. Whether it be a lack of interest or worry among millennials (千禧一代) being described as “monkish,” or “dad-fashion (复古作风)” which has given the “greasy middle-aged men” tag, stereotypes always seem to gain a foothold in the consciousness of our society. But these generalizations do real harm as these myths may become part of the wider population.

It’s about time that we, as a society, walked away from generalizations and stereotypes. I leave you with the words of Martin Luther King Jr. from his famous “I Have a Dream” speech: “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” By reserving judgment and really getting to know the individual, you might just find your irrational ideas have no foundation.

When you cross deep water driving too fast, you risk splashing water up into the air box and having it get sucked into the internal engine, which is more common than you think. There are a few steps you should take to clear the water out before you try to start it:

1. First, drain the fuel tank, fuel lines and the oil. While it's draining, put a fan on the wiring and dry it out. Remove and clean the carburetor (化油器).

2. Take the plugs out of the engine and turn it over to force any water out. Water will come out with the oil. Add oil to the engine and turn it over again, without the plug in. Let it sit for a while, then observe the oil to tell if there's any water in it (it will look like a white milky substance if there is water mixed with the oil). If it's there, drain it again and start over until there is little or no white showing in the oil.

3. Now re-install the spark plug, add gas, then try to start the engine. You should have a can of ether (乙醚) handy just in case it's stubborn, but don't use too much. If it starts, let it run for a few minutes without making it work faster.

4. After it runs for several minutes, shut it off, drain the oil and change the filter(过滤网). Run it again for a few minutes then shut it off and checks again for milky colored oil. If you have none, you should be good to go.

5. If you cannot start the engine, you may have already ruined it and you will probably need to seek a professional to repair it, or, more likely, you'll have to replace it.

One of the features of a successful business is its ability to employ creativity to constantly push into new territory. Without growth and innovation, businesses eventually fade away. Those with staying power, however, have mastered an often-overlooked factor that allows them to focus on the future clearly: empathy (共情). While that may surprise many, I am certain that the ability to connect with and relate to others—empathy in its purest form—is the force that moves businesses forward.

Though the concept of empathy might go against the modern concept of a traditional workplace competitive, the reality is that for business leaders to experience success, they need to not just see or hear the activity around them, but also relate to the people they serve.

Some may think they want the results from doggedly (顽强地) pursuing their goals without much thought for other people. This attitude works for some, but at some point often sooner rather than later everyone needs to rely on their relationships and established personal and professional connections. These relationships are the product of taking an honest and dedicated interest in others and their businesses. Successful people do not operate alone; each of us needs the support of others to achieve positive results that push us toward our goals. True empathy combines understanding both the emotional and the logical rationale(根据) that goes into every decision.

Effectively understanding empathy involves viewing it as each person’s connection to the people and marketplace that surround them. A biological principle known as co-evolution explains that the adaptation of an organism is caused by the change of a related object. Similarly, businesses and their leaders participate in co-evolution-type relationships. Business success depends on empathetic leaders who are able to adapt, build on the strengths around them, and relate to their environment. When businesses fail, it is often because leaders have stopped focusing on understanding their environment and instead stay separated in their own operations. Successful business leaders are receptive to disturbance and aware of what is going on in their organizations both internally and externally.

To develop an effective workforce, we must be willing to give in and meet people where they are. This can be frustrating and uncomfortable, particularly when you feel like your position makes more sense or offers a better solution. A critical part of developing empathy, however, is learning to understand, respect and implement another individual’s point of view rather than forcing your own.

We need to do more to help the teachers who are exhausted and stressed

Teaching should not be one of the most stressful jobs in the US. But it is. “The only other profession that comes close to us for stress is nursing and we still have the numbers… by a lot.     67    ”

“Nobody realizes how horrific working conditions are for teachers throughout the country,” Brice-Hyde says, an experienced teacher in New York who is part of the national group Badass Teachers Association (BAT).

    68     So they did a national study of teacher working conditions around issues like stress, work-life balance, respect, and more. The results are both surprising and not. If you’ve been seeing the stories about teacher walkouts and pay inequality, you probably aren’t all that shocked to see these things like: 61 percent of educators find work “always” or “often” stressful; 27 percent of educators said they’ve been threatened or bullied; 86 percent of educators feel disrespected by US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Teachers are stressed out, and turnover is high. No wonder we’re seeing more stories about the importance of self-care, classroom burnout, and mental health days for teachers. Yet, self-care doesn’t seem to come easily for people, and this is definitely true for teachers.     69    

We think it’s time to change that, though. So in honor of World Mental Health Day, we are working to change the dialogue about teacher mental health. Below are some of the top challenges people give for not seeking therapy, or even basic self-care, along with possible solutions and workarounds for each one.

We hope you share this article widely, giving support and love to your fellow educators.     70     And it’s pretty much guaranteed to help you do what you set out to in the first place be a good teacher.

Online Pharmacy (药店): A Foreseeable Trend

Online pharmacies may replace corner drugstores in the future, which would be of benefit to all of us. Sadly, current Federal Drug Administration (FDA) restrictions prevent many Americans from gaining access to the medicines they require online. Fortunately, online pharmacies offer these drugs and provide patients with more treatment options at lower prices. Those calling for the restrictions are wrong. Online pharmacies are crucial to numerous people.

While some drugs sold online aren’t FDA-approved, customers shouldn’t be prevented from buying them. Many of the herbal remedy (草药) online pharmacies offer have been used for hundreds of years, especially in Asian countries, and they have strong safety records. Other medicines may come from foreign countries, but they aren’t harming the people who use them in their own countries. Take depression pills as an example. It has been used safely for many years in France and other European countries, yet it’s just now being tested in the U.S.

Nowadays, just getting in to see a doctor seems to take forever, not to mention the time and money to get tests done and await the results. Thanks to the Internet, customers now know more about available medicines than ever before and are therefore able to take them without having to consult a doctor. The Internet, after all, is filled with information about all kinds of drugs. Much of it has even been written by doctors and pharmaceutical companies themselves.

Another issue to consider is money. Health care costs in America are rising every year, and pharmaceutical companies are making billions. Online pharmacies typically sell their drugs at lower prices than hospital pharmacies and corner drugstores. Consumers shouldn’t be blamed for seeking cheaper alternatives and refusing to line the pockets of already wealthy companies and stores.