【推荐2】Anyone who commutes (通勤) by car knows that traffic jams are an unavoidable part of life. But humans are not alone in facing potential jams.

Ants also commute — between their nest and sources of food. The survival of their colonies depends on doing this efficiently.

When humans commute, there’s a point at which cars become dense (稠密) enough to slow down the flow of traffic, causing jams. Motsch, a mathematician in Arizona State University, and his colleagues wanted to know if ants on the move could also get jammed. So they regulated traffic density by constructing bridges of various widths between a colony of Argentine ants and a source of food. Then they waited and watched. “The goal was to try to find out at what point they are going to have a traffic jam.” said Sebastien Motsch.

But it appears that that never happened. They always managed to avoid traffic jams. The flow of ants did increase at the beginning as ants started to fill the bridge and then levelled off at high densities. But it never slowed down or stopped, even when the bridge was nearly filled with ants.

The researchers then took a closer look at how the behaviour of individual ants impacted traffic as a whole. And they found that when ants sense overcrowding, they adjust their speeds and avoid entering high-density areas, which prevents jams. These behaviours may be promoted by pheromones, chemicals that tell other ants where a trail is. The ants also manage to avoid colliding (碰撞) with each other at high densities, which could really slow them down. The study is in the journal eLife.

Can ants help us solve our own traffic problems? Not likely, says Motsch. That’s because when it comes to getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, human drivers put their own goals first. Individual ants have to be more cooperative in order to feed the colony. But the research could be useful in improving traffic flow for self-driving cars, which can be designed to be less like selfish humans—and more like ants.

【推荐1】Where in the classroom do you prefer to sit,and why? Scientists have discovered that seating preference not only shows students’ personalities,but has a great influence on their school performance.Generally speaking,students show different attitudes depending on where they sit. Based on the research, scientists have developed a funnel-like(像漏斗的) model of “learning zones(区域)” to see the relationship between seating and active learning.

In this model,the mouth of the funnel(A) is the best position for learning. Students in this front area prove to be the most active learners.They show a greater desire(渴求) for learning,which leads them to focus(集中注意力) better and take a more active part than the rest of the class.Those in the neck of the funnel(B) don’t pay the same close attention,but they ask a lot of questions,partly because of the added confidence they feel from being in a safe zone, with others around them. Less desirable is the area “outside the funnel(C,D),” which refers to the side and the back rows,where students take a less active part in classroom activities and find it hard to focus their attention, falling asleep at times.

Studies about learning zones suggest that a change in traditional seating plans can benefit students. In fact, a growing number of teachers have begun less traditional seating plans,such as “U-Type”.There are no side and back areas,so teachers can expect their students to take part in activities more actively and increase student-teacher interaction(互动).

【推荐3】What’s your earliest childhood memory? Can you remember the first time you heard thunder or watched a television program? Adults seldom recall events much earlier than the year or so before entering school, just as children younger than three or four rarely maintain any memory of specific, personal experiences.

A variety of explanations have been proposed by psychologists for this “childhood amnesia”(记忆缺失).One argues that the hippocampus, the region of the brain which is responsible for forming memories, does not mature until about the age of two. But the most popular theory maintains that, since adults do not think like children, they cannot access childhood memories. Adults think in words, and their life memories are like stories. But when they search through their mental files for early childhood memories to add to this verbal life story, they don’t find any that fit the pattern. It’s like trying to find a Chinese word in an English dictionary.

Now psychologist Annette Simms offers a new explanation for childhood amnesia. She argues that there simply aren’t any early childhood memories to recall. According to Dr. Simms, children need to learn to use someone else’s spoken description of their personal experiences in order to turn their own short-term, quickly forgotten impressions of these experiences into long-term memories. In other words, children have to talk about their experiences and hear others talk about them. Mother talking about the afternoon spent looking for crabs at the beach or Dad asking them about their day at Ocean Park. Without this verbal reinforcement(强化), says Dr. Simms, children cannot form permanent memories of their personal experiences.

【推荐2】The Walt Disney Company wasn’t about to let COVID-19 stop the company from developing. In the past year, some Disney theme park innovation (革新) have been designed.

For example, Disney had always encouraged face-to-face interactions between cast members and customers. It made perfect sense since Disney spends so much time training its workers in providing good customer service. In fact, Disney is known for pleasing its guests, which explains why it scores so high in customer satisfaction surveys. Well, COVID-19 turned personal interactions into problematic exchanges, as they increased the risk of spreading COVID-19. So, quickly, Disney added cast member virtual chat to its app My Disney Experience. Now, you can rely on a cast member’s knowledge whenever you have a question about Disney visit. It's like having a tour guide on your phone!

There is also the Walk-Up Waitlist. Before 2020, Disney had made strict rules for its Table Service restaurants. Once something sold out, would-be diners had no means of booking a table. COVID-19 has affected park guests, though. Some of them booked tables but then decided not to eat there. This cost Disney money, and it prevented you from dining at your favorite places. So, restaurant managers felt unhappy about the poor business practice, and Disney’s IT department reached a solution. The Walk-Up Waitlist in My Disney Experience allows you to add your name at a restaurant. A previously booked restaurant will find a table for you to dine there. My Disney Experience shows the waiting time. You’ll know whether the wait will fit with your tour. For Disney, the Walk-Up Waitlist improves services and can make it earn more money while increasing customer satisfaction.

In the face of COVID-19, Disney somehow made its parks better and more modern. The company is really worth praising for such great innovations.

【推荐3】One of China’s greatest resources is no doubt its diverse food. One of the most popular foods to be found is no doubt the street snacks that make up a large part of everyday life. “Compared with A Bite of China, which show eases chefs’ cooking processes and delicious food on air, Chinese Barbecue (烧烤) is more down-to-earth in describing the people,” commented a viewer.

A new documentary series, called Chinese Barbecue, tells the story of this popular food option that sizzles over hot coals on just about every street corner in cities and towns across the country. Barbecued meat shining over hot coal containers, while not as elegant as some of the fine dining options in China, are an essential part of people’s night life. The pleasant smell and atmosphere surrounding the grilled (烤的) street food are “something that could entice a girl to fly downstairs at night wearing her pajamas,” the documentary claims.

In many Chinese’s eyes, barbecue, regarded as the most ordinary and common night street snack, is different from homemade food by mothers as that is a symbol of kinship (亲情). Barbecue is where you go to become connected to people in society. And unlike official business lunches, during which people are rather reserved and polite, barbecue lets people cut loose and relax with old friends and newly made friends, leaving a lasting impression (friendship).

On the other side of the world, in the United States, BBQ, well received by all ages, demonstrates the even more enthusiastic personality of Americans, who grill large steaks on their outdoor stoves at home and enjoy competing to see who has the better cooking skills. It’s safe to say that the world, as a whole, holds deep-rooted good feelings toward barbecue, either for the taste or the warmth generated by fire.