April Fool’s Day,     1     (celebrate) on the first day of April each year, is a day filled with laughter and pranks (恶作剧). It is a day     2     people play practical jokes on one another. Although the origin of April Fool’s Day is uncertain, it has become a beloved tradition in the world.

On this day, people engage in jokes with friends, family and even co-workers, It is a chance for everyone to show off their sense of humor and bring smiles to others’     3     (face). Common pranks involve harmless tricks like fake spiders and surprise balloons. The goal is     4     (create) light-hearted moments of laughter and amusement.

One popular prank on April Fool’s Day is the “fake news” joke. People come up     5     surprising stories or announcements. and trick others into believing them at first. However, it is important to remember the boundary of a joke and avoid     6     (cause) harm to others.

The joy and laughter shared on April Fool’s Day help strengthen relationships. It is a time for people to come together and enjoy the light side of life. Laughter     7     (know) to reduce stress and improve mood, making this day     8     perfect opportunity to spread some cheer.

In a word, April Fool’s Day is a reminder of the     9     (important) of finding joy and taking a break from the seriousness of everyday life. So, on April Fool’s Day, let’s follow the spirit of fun and enjoy the laughter it     10     (bring).

2 . Building artificial intelligences that sleep and dream can lead to more dependable models, according to researchers who aim to mimic (模仿) the behavior of the human brain.

Concetto Spampinato and his research members at the University of Catania, Italy, were looking for ways to avoid a phenomenon known as “disastrous forgetting”, where an AI model trained to do a new task loses the ability to carry out jobs it previously excelled at. For instance, a model trained to identify animals could learn to spot different fish species, but then might lose its ability to recognize birds. They developed a method of training AI called Wake-Sleep Consolidated Learning (WSCL), which mimics the way that our brains reorganize short-term memories of daily learning when we are asleep.

Besides the usual training for the “awake” phase, models using WSCL are programmed to have periods of “sleep”, where they analyze awake data from earlier lessons. This is similar to human spotting connections and patterns while sleeping.

WSCL also has a period of “dreaming”, which involves novel data made from combining previous concepts. This helps to integrate previous paths of digital “neurons (神经元)”, freeing up space for future concepts. It also prepares unused neurons with patterns that will help them pick up new lessons more easily.

The researchers tested three AI models using a traditional training method, followed by WSCL training. Then they compared performances for image identification. The sleep-trained models were 2 to 12 percent more likely to correctly identify the contents of an image. They also measured an increase in how much old knowledge a model uses to learn a new task.

Despite the results, Andrew Rogoyski at the University of Surrey, UK, says using the human brain as a blueprint isn’t necessarily the best way to boost AI performance. Instead, he suggests mimicking dolphins, which can “sleep” with one part of the brain while another part remains active. After all, an AI that requires hours of sleep isn’t ideal for commercial applications.

3 . At graduation ceremonies, it’s common to see parents proudly cheering and clapping for their kids. But have you ever seen it _________ the other way around? A heartwarming viral video shows a little girl named Shivaee _________ rooting for her dad during his graduation ceremony.

The video shows Shivaee’s dad, Aashish, walking up to the stage to _________ his master’s degree certificate from Teesside University in England. As the then 34-year-old _________ the stage, Shivaee shouts, “Congratulations, Daddy!” stimulating _________ from those in the room.

The dad,_________ by the act, replies, “I love you,” and blows her a kiss. Excited to _________ a moment with her dad, she replies, “I love you, daddy!” His smile grows even wider, and he looks deeply moved when his _________ is announced and he joins the rest of the _________ on the stage.

“This ceremony would have been __________ without my princess,” Aashish wrote on social media. “Asher __________ spread through the silent ceremony hall, my heart melted along with all the others present.__________ the graduation award, I felt ‘Being father to my daughter’ is the biggest __________ to me.”

Shivaee was barely 3 years old when the video was taken in 2022. That makes the __________ even more sweet, and it’s something her dad will never forget. He added, “This was the cutest moment during my whole graduation ceremony. It would stay __________ forever.”

4 . Initial conversations can have a huge impact on how relationships develop over time. People are often stuck in the impressions they think they might have made the minute they finish speaking with someone for the first time: “Did they like me or were they just being polite?” “Were they deep in thought or deeply bored?”

To find out whether these worries are necessary, we have conducted nearly 10 years of research. In our studies, participants in the UK talked with someone they had never met before. Afterward, they were asked how much they liked their conversation partner and how much they believed that their conversation partner liked them. This allowed us to compare how much people believed they were liked to how much they were actually liked.

Time and time again, we found that people left their conversations with negative feelings about the impression they made. That is, people systematically underestimate how much their conversation partners like them and enjoy their company — a false belief we call the “liking gap”.

This bias (偏见) may seem like something that would occur only in initial interactions, but its effects extend far beyond a first impression. Surprisingly, the liking gap can constantly affect a variety of relationships, including interactions with coworkers, long after the initial conversations have taken place. Having a larger liking gap is associated with being less willing to ask workmates for help, less willing to provide workmates with open and honest feedback, and less willing to work on another project together.

There are numerous strategies to minimize your biased feelings. One place to start is shifting your focus of attention. Try to direct your attention to your conversation partner, be genuinely curious about them, ask them more questions, and really listen to their answers. The more you’re zeroed in on the other person, and the less you’re focused on yourself, the better your conversation will be and the less your mind will turn to all the things you think you didn’t do well.

8 . I first met Kyle as a freshman in high school. That day I saw him walking home from school and ________ lots of books. A group of running boys knocked all his books out of his arms. His ________ also went flying. As he looked up, I saw this terrible ________ in his eyes. When I jogged over and handed him his glasses, there was a big smile on his face. Over the next few years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When Graduation Day came at last after four years, Kyle was chosen to give a ________ for graduation. He cleared his ________, and began his talk.

“Graduation is a time to ________ those who helped you make it through those tough years. Being a friend to someone is the best ________ you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.”

I just looked at my friend with ________ as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to ________ himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had ________ his locker (寄存柜) so his Mom wouldn’t have to do it later. He looked hard at me and gave me a smile.

“________, my friend saved me from committing suicide by chance.” The crowd were ________ as he told us all about his weakest moment. I saw this sunny boy’s parents looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize the ________ of my action.

Never underestimate (低估) the power of your ________. You do a small thing and you can ________ a person’s life. For better or for worse.

10 . With a few hours until curtain call, a quiet but noticeable energy fills the backstage dressing room of the famous Sunbeam Theatre, known as “Hong Kong’s Grand Palace for Cantonese Opera” Tonight, it’s the annual Rose family performance.

Some of the performers are eating takeout boxes of food, sure to sustain them through the bows-long show ahead. Others are getting a head start on their make-up. A few are being helped into their colorful costumes by eager assistants.

But there is something unexpectedly unusual about this particular performance that becomes obvious as soon as the curtains rise some of the people on stage aren’t Chinese.

Mike Brady, who comes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, stands on stage in full costume. But he has never seen a Cantonese Opera, let alone been in one. As a background character, he has no spoken lines.

This unlikely actor owes his first performance to Lyle Rose, a fellow American who stands next to him in a similar costume. When it comes to performing, Lyle, a native New Yorker who now lives in Hong Kong, is not as green of a performer as Mike; in fact, he is the mastermind behind tonight’s show.

The entire Rose family is on stage. Mike himself is actually a new addition to the group: his daughter recently married Lyle’s younger son.

Cantonese Opera is a family affair for Lyle. Every year, Lyle, his wife, Cynthia Hu-Rose, a Hong Konger, and two sons put on a performance to raise money for local charities. But their true purpose for doing it is simply to introduce people to it. Though Cantonese Opera remains an important part of Hong Kong culture, it has to compete with many other forms of entertainment for the attention of younger generations, who associate n with their grandparents. “We love Cantonese Opera,” Lyle said. “We want people of all ages to come and watch.”