When you choose to study abroad in Madrid, you choose to do so in a beautiful city with one hand firmly rooted in the past and one reaching confidently toward the future.

Geography of Madrid

Madrid is Spain’s capital and the most populated city. The heart of Madrid is a well-developed city with a perfect public transportation system, busy streets and sidewalks. Some of Madrid’s remoter districts, however, feel more like ancient villages. The city sees some snow in winter and plenty of rain in spring and fall. Summers are hot with minimum amounts of rain.

Language in Madrid

The majority of people in Madrid speak Spanish which is the official language of Spain. Most colleges and universities in Madrid are Spanish-language schools. However, many study-abroad programs in Madrid offer options of attending English-language schools. Also, when you’re in Madrid, you might take advantage of many high quality Spanish-language programs available to help you learn the language.

Cost of living in Madrid

The cost of living in Madrid depends on where you want to live. You need to pay three months’ rent in advance plus a deposit of ＄200 for the first time. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city center of Madrid costs about ＄650 per month. Rent for a three-bedroom apartment in the city center costs approximately ＄1,200. If you’re willing to live outside the city center, you can expect to pay approximately ＄450 to ＄850 for a one or three-bedroom apartment respectively(分别地).

A message appeared in my Facebook Messenger inbox. It was from a woman I met briefly through a friend. “Hello, lady. Invite you to join my next challenge group — we’ll be focusing on fitting in 30 minutes of exercise, balanced nutrition and motivation. Let me help you reach your goals!”

I laughed and ignored it. Though I’m a little fat, I’m healthy. But the meaning behind the message stuck with me all day. The more the day went on, the heavier her message weighed on me. The insecurity about my body was brought to life by one little Facebook message. That got me thinking about stepping away from social media.

But what drove the nail into my Facebook coffin was when I posted a photo — and five minutes later my son asked how many “likes” it got.

Likes equal acceptance and approval, which need to come from within. I unknowingly set a dangerous example as it won’t be long before he has his own phone and the freedom to post his own pictures. I didn’t want him to wait for his friends to “like” them and like and accept him. He should know his self-worth doesn’t rely on what others think or click.

I deactivated my Facebook account. At first I felt lost. I missed the mindless scrolling while waiting in lineups. I carried a book with me. I’d been in the habit of checking Facebook as first thing in the morning and last thing at night, so I had to come up with some new habits.

And the results were immediate once the fog of Facebook disappeared. We were much happier as a family because I was completely present and the break left me feeling better about myself, my family, my home and my life.

The number of birds in North America has declined by almost 3 billion since 1970, according to a study published in Science. The researchers estimated changes in the populations of 529 species using long-term bird-monitoring databases. Those data showed that the number of individual birds across all of those species had decreased by 29 percent, from around 10 billion in 1970 to just over 7 billion in 2017.

“The data they used provide probably the best long-term, large information on species abundances for any group of animals or plants anywhere in the world,” Natalie Wright, a bird biologist tells The Atlantic. “There’s always uncertainty, but if they are wrong, they are likely underestimating the size of population declines.”

The team also examined 10 years’ worth of data from a network of 143 weather radars, which pick up bird migrations, and found a reduction in migratory biomass of about 14 percent since 2007. “Two completely different and independent monitoring techniques thus signal major population loss across the continent,” the authors wrote in their paper.

The results are particularly concerning because many of the species showing declines are not considered rare or in danger, but are almost everywhere and potentially act as important contributors to food webs and ecosystem function. More than 90 percent of the loss in abundance in the survey data was due to declines in 12 families, including sparrows and blackbirds. Some other species, including many ducks, instead showed increases in abundance—possibly as a result of focused conservation efforts in recent years.

The findings should be a wake-up call. Many of the birds studied spend time in multiple countries within and beyond North America. What our birds need now is a historic, global effort that unites people and organizations with one common goal: bringing our birds back.

Self-driving cars are just around the corner. Such vehicles will make getting from one place to another safer and less stressful. They also could cut down on traffic, reduce pollution and limit accidents. But how should driverless cars handle emergencies? People disagree on the answer. And that might put the brakes on this, a new study concludes.

To understand the challenge, imagine a car that suddenly meets some pedestrians(行人) in the road. Even with braking, it’s too late to avoid a crash. So the car’s artificial intelligence must decide whether to swerve(急转弯). To save the pedestrians, should the car swerve off the road or swerve into oncoming traffic? What if such options would likely kill the car’s driver?

Researchers used online surveys to study people’s attitudes about such situations with driverless cars. Survey participants mostly agreed that automated cars should be designed to protect the most people. But there’s a dilemma( 困 境 ). Those same surveyed people want to ride in cars that protect passengers at all costs — even if the pedestrians would now end up dying.

Makers of computerized cars are in a tough spot, Bonnefon’s group warns. Most buyers would want their car to be programmed to protect them in preference to other people. However, regulations might one day instruct that cars must act for the greater good. That would mean saving the most people. But the scientists think rules like this could drive away buyers. If so, all the potential benefits of driverless cars would be lost.

Compromises might be possible, Kurt Gray says. He is a psychologist at the University of North Carolina. He thinks that even if all driverless cars are programmed to protect their passengers in emergencies, traffic accidents will decline. Those vehicles might be dangerous to pedestrians on rare occasions. But they “won’t speed, won’t drive drunk and won’t text while driving, which would be a win for society.”