【推荐1】For years, life went something like this: We’d grow up in one place, head off to college, and then find a city to get a job and live there for a few years. The final goal was to find somewhere to settle down, buy a house, start a family, and begin the whole cycle all over again. But now some people are increasingly choosing to move from city to city throughout their entire lives, sometimes as frequently as every month.

Just ask Alex Chatzieleftheriou, who has had a front-row seat watching this evolution unfold. Six years ago, he launched a startup called Blueground that rents out beautifully designed, fully furnished apartments for a month at a time, at rates that are cheaper than hotels. And it aims to make each one feel unique and comfortable, rather than standardized, like what you might find in a traditional hotel.

Today, the company has 3,000 properties(房地产) in six U.S. cities, along with Dubai, Istanbul, London, Paris, and Chatzieleftheriou’s native Athens, and a staff of 400. With the help of the Series B round of funding, the company landed $ 50 million, plus its previous total of $ 28 million, to continue its rapid expansion. It hopes to have 50,000 properties in 50 cities over the next three years.

Chatzieleftheriou first came up with the idea for Blueground while he was working as a management consultant for McKinsey. “The accommodation of choice for consultants is the hotel,” he says. “I had to spend five years in hotel rooms, living in 12 different cities. I loved seeing the world, but I didn’t love feeling like I didn’t have a home.” And what’s more, hotels aren’t a particularly cost-effective solution for companies either. In Chatzieleftheriou’s case, McKinsey sometimes paid $ 10,000 or more for him to stay in a major city for a month.

【推荐2】When a corporation(公司) is formed, it issues stock (股票), which is sold or given to individuals.Ownership of stock entitles you to vote in the election of acorporation’s directors, so in theory holders of stock control the company. In practice, however, in most large corporations, ownership is separated from control of the firm. Most stockholders have little input into the decisions a corporation makes. Instead, corporations are often controlled by their managers, who often run them for their own benefit as well as for the owners. The reason is that the owners’control of management is limited.

A large percent of most corporations’ stock is not even controlled by the owners; instead, is controlled by financial institutions such as mutual funds (financial institutions that invest individuals’money for them) and by pension funds (financial institutions that hold people’s money for them untilit is to be paid out to them upon their retirement). Thus, ownership of I Corporations is another step removed from individuals. Studies have shown that 80 percentof the largest 200 corporations in the US are essentially controlled by managersand have little effective stockholder control.

Why is the question of who controls a firm important? Because economic theory assumes the goal of business owners is to maximize profits, which would be true of corporations if stockholders made the decisions. Managers don’t have the same motivation to maximize profits that owners do. There’s pressure on managers to maximize profits, but that pressure can often be weak orineffective. An example of how firms deal with this problem involves stock options. Many companies give their managers stock options-rights to buy stock at a low price - to encourage them to worry about the price of their company’s stock. But these stock options dilute the value of company ownership and profits per share and can give managers an incentive (激励, 刺激)to overstate profits through accounting tricks, as happened at Enron, Xerox, and a number of other firms.

【推荐3】The world is full of tea drinkers. For many, they simply enjoy the taste. But new research suggests tea might help those who drink it live longer than those who do not. Tea is known to have substances that can help reduce inflammation(炎症). Past studies in China and Japan, where green tea is popular, have suggested several health benefits. Now, scientists say black tea may show similar benefits.

Scientists from the United States National Cancer Institute carried out the study. They examined years of data gathered about the tea-drinking behavior of almost 500, 000 adults in Britain, where black tea is the most common tea. The study found that high tea intake — two or more cups a day — was related to a certain benefit: a 9 to 13 percent lower risk of death from any cause than non-tea drinkers. The scientists said the lowered risk of death held true for study subjects with heart disease. However, researchers said there was no clear finding in connection with deaths from cancer.

There are various substances in tea, including polyphenols(多酚). They are considered responsible for the health benefits that have traditionally been related to tea, especially green tea. Green tea is reported to improve mental ability, alleviate digestive problems and head pain, and help people with weight loss. It has also been studied for possible protective effects against heart disease and cancer.

However, the study of British tea drinkers was based on observing people’s behaviors and health. This kind of research method cannot prove cause and effect. “Observational studies like this always raise the question: Is there something else that makes tea drinkers healthier?”said Marion Choi, a professor of food studies at New York University. The study did not offer enough evidence(证据) to advise people to change their tea behaviors. “If you drink one cup a day already, I think that is good,” said Inoue Nestle, who led the study.

【推荐2】Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.

Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup (基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.

Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.

Exploration also allows minerals and other potential (潜在的) resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other unexpected benefits including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communication systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products (副产品) of technological developments in the space industry!

While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers. The danger exists, but knowledge can help human beings to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.

While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.

【推荐3】SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER

“Are we alone? What’s out there?” Looking up at the stars, people have always wanted to learn more about space, and scientists work hard to find answers. They make vehicles to carry brave people into space to find out the secrets of the universe. They also really wish to discover other planets that are suitable enough to support life.

Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Before the mid-20th century, most people felt travelling into space was an impossible dream. However, some scientists were determined to help humans realise their dream to explore space. After many experiments, they succeeded in making rockets that could escape Earth’s gravity. On 4 October 1957, the Sputnik 1 satellite was launched by the USSR and successfully orbited around Earth. Afterwards, the USSR focused on sending people into space, and on 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in the world to go into space. Over eight years later, on 20 July 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, famously saying, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” Following this, many more goals were achieved. For example, America’s NASA space agency launched Voyager 1 on 5 September 1977 to study deep space, and it still transmits data today.

Although scientists try to make sure nothing goes wrong, accidents can still happen. All the astronauts on the USSR’s Soyuz 11 and America’s Challenger died during their missions. These disasters made everyone sad and disappointed, but the desire to explore the universe never died. This is because people believe in the importance of carrying on space exploration despite the huge risks. An example of this ongoing work is the International Space Station. It orbits Earth and has astronauts from different countries on board, providing a continuous human presence in space.

Challenger after the accident

China’s space programme started later than those of Russia and the US, but it has made great progress in a short time. China became the third country in the world to independently send humans into space in 2003, when Yang Liwei successfully orbited Earth in the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. Then Shenzhou 6 and 7 completed a second manned orbit and the first Chinese spacewalk, followed by the vehicle Jade Rabbit being sent to the moon to study its surface. After that, China launched the Tiangong 2 space lab into space and Tianzhou 1 to dock with it. This signalled one step further in China’s plan to establish a space station in the future. More recently, China has sent Chang’e 4 to explore the surface of the far side of the moon to make measurements and observations.

Jade Rabbit

The future of space exploration remains bright. Europe, the US, and China all have plans to further study and explore planets like Mars and Jupiter. Despite the difficulties, scientists hope future discoveries will not only enable us to understand how the universe began, but also help us survive well into the future.

From the passage, we know that people have ______________ to explore the space. The USA and the USSR have made great breakthrough in space ______________. China became the ______________country in the world in space exploration. It made great ______________ in a short time. Although many disasters ______________ in the process, people ______________ in the importance of ______________ on space exploration. Scientists hope future discoveries will not only ______________us to understand _____________ the universe began, but also help us ______________ well into the future.