1 . P. H. Hanes, founder of HanesBrands, came up with retail price in the 1920s. That allowed him to use ads in publications across America to discourage distributors from unfairly raising the price of his knitted underwear. Even today many American shopkeepers stick to manufacturers’ recommended prices, as much as they would love to raise them to offset the inflationary (通货膨胀) pressures on their other costs. A growing number, though, resort to more complicated pricing techniques.

Getting retail price right can be tricky. Set prices too high and you risk losing customers; set them too low and you leave money on the table. Retailers have historically used rules of thumb, such as adding a fixed margin (差额) on top of costs or matching what competitors charge. As energy, labour and other inputs go through the roof, they can no longer afford to treat pricing as an afterthought. To gain an edge, shopkeepers have been turning to price-optimisation systems.

At their core are mathematical models that use deal data to estimate price flexibility—how much demand increases as the price falls and vice versa—for thousands of products. Price-sensitive items can then be discounted and price-insensitive ones marked up. Merchants can fine-tune the algorithms (算法) to prevent undesirable outcomes.

These systems are becoming cleverer thanks to advances in artificial intelligence(AI). The latest crop of AI-powered ones can spot patterns and relationships between multiple items. Makers of pricing software are incorporating new data sources into their models, from customers’ tweets to online product reviews, says Doug Fuehne of Pricefx, one such firm. In February Starbucks, a chain of coffee shops, boasted about its use of analytics and AI to model pricing “on an ongoing basis”. US Foods, a food distributor, praised its pricing system’s ability to use “over a dozen different inputs” to boost sales and profits.

What pricing systems do not do is lead unavoidably to higher prices. Matt Pavich of Revionics, another pricing-software firm, calls this misconception “one of the biggest misunderstanding” about products like his. Sysco, a big food distributor which rolled out new pricing software last year, is a case in point. The firm says the system allows it to lower prices on “key value items”—as price-sensitive bestsellers are known in the trade—and raise them on other products. It can thus increase profits by expanding sales while maintaining margins.

In our family, we have a beloved pet named Max, a golden retriever (寻回犬) with a heart of gold. Max has been an integral part of our family for the past five years, bringing joy, laughter, and countless precious memories into our lives. His intelligence and adorable personality never fail to bring joy and laughter into our lives. Every day, when I come home from school, Max greets me at the door with his tail wagging and his eyes sparkling with excitement. He always seems to know when I need a comforting presence, and his playful bahavior never fails to cheer me up.

Max’s intelligence is truly remarkable. He has learned numerous tricks and commands over the years, and he never ceases to amaze us with his problem-solving skills. One time, I accidentally dropped his favorite toy behind the couch, and without any prompting (提示), Max fetched a stick and used it to fish the toy out. His creativity and resourcefulness never fail to impress us.

Max’s playful personality brings endless joy and laughter into our family. Whether we are flying disc in the backyard or going for walks in the park, Max is always ready for a good time. His boundless energy and enthusiasm are contagious (有感染力的), and he has a way of making even the simplest activity feel like an adventure. His playful barks and exaggerated jumps when he’s trying to catch a ball never fail to make us laugh.

Max’s ability to sense our emotions and respond with love and affection is truly remarkable. He seems to know when we are feeling down or stressed and always finds a way to comfort us. One warm summer evening, as the sun was beginning to set, I was sitting comfortably in my living room, buried in a captivating book. Max, my loyal golden retriever, was lying peacefully beside me, enjoying a well-deserved nap. However, as the day drew to a close, Max suddenly sprang to his feet, his ears got a lift, and his eyes fixed intently on something outside the window. Without warning, he let out a series of loud, urgent barks, as if trying to alert me to a potential threat or disturbance. Alarmed by his sudden outburst, I set my book aside and joined Max at the window, curious to see what had caught his attention.

As I approached the window, I witnessed my elderly neighbor, Mr. Thompson, lying motionless in his backyard.

In the days following Mr. Thompson’s accident, Max and I visited him at the hospital as often as we could.

As Valentine’s Day, a time for expressing affection through the exchange of presents, drew near, Kendra found herself seated at the kitchen table, carefully penning her name on Valentine’s cards for her classmates. She recognized her own hesitation; words didn’t come easily to her. While she envied the ease with which her peers talked and laughed, her shyness often kept her quiet.

Kendra grabbed another card. . Her eyes lit up at the phrase “You’re dynamite (引起轰动的人或物)!”—a term that would undoubtedly delight her Grammy, who frequently used the expression to praise their festive decorations. “Well, that looks dynamite!” Grammy would exclaim, her approval filling Kendra with warmth.

Just as Kendra was signing the cards, her mother came in, sharing the sad news of Elise, their neighbor, and her recent accident that led to a broken leg, restricting her to home schooling for the coming weeks. Kendra felt sorry for Elise, and quickly picked the most splendid valentine, hurrying to Elise’s home.

Upon arrival, Kendra’s look fell upon the life-sized deer statue decorating the front yard. She studied it, saying to herself, “Wouldn’t this deer look cool with a big heart around his neck? Elise could look out of the window and see it decorated for Valentine’s day.”

With this idea, Kendra got the sizable red heart her Grammy had given her, tied it with string, and hung it around the statue’s neck like a festive chain. The next day, she decorated the antlers (鹿角) with a variety of smaller hearts. It was during this act of kindness that Colin and Amy, Elise’s fellow classmates, happened upon the scene. “Are you decorating Elise’s deer for Valentine’s Day?” they asked. Kendra confirmed with a nod, explaining her intention to cheer up Elise. Despite her uncertainty about what to add next, Colin proposed adding some color, while Amy suggested putting decorations on the deer’s back and forehead. United by a shared purpose, they agreed to meet later.

That afternoon, they met to decorate the deer with the materials they had sourced.

Just then, Elise’s front door opened, and Elise stuck her head out.

It was after midnight last December and we were driving home from a party. The weather had been awful, with the rain pouring on our 40-minute journey there. Paul, my husband, was driving our Ford Ranger pick-up truck and my seven-year-old son, Silas, was in the back.

What was so frightening was the speed of water. One minute we were halfway home, the next there was water going up over the bonnet (汽车引擎盖). The rushing water lifted our car up and pushed it back against a hedge (树篱). I felt terrified of the power of the water, and Paul was trying to control the truck.

Water was instantly around my ankles. I reached my hand back and felt it around Silas’s too. Paul climbed out through a window, at which point Silas woke up, confused. I managed to pass him through the window to Paul, who was now on the truck’s roof.

Paul told me I needed to get out, but I couldn’t open my door. I attempted to push my body through the driver’s window and was left clinging on to the support between the windows. Paul grabbed my hood (兜帽) to help in vain and I could hear Silas crying, so I told him to let go—Silas needed him. He refused, but I insisted—I wanted to know Silas would be safe. As I saw his empty, outstretched hand, the water took me away. I was a strong swimmer but I had no option but to shoot down rapids. Shocked, I gasped for breath and tried to keep my head above water.

It was extremely dark but I could just make out trees. As I passed, I reached out and grabbed two slim branches, holding tightly. I hugged the tree with my knees. My plan was just to hold on. Not knowing if Paul and Silas were safe, I thought that if they did survive, they would try to save me. I wondered who would come to my rescue.

After nearly 40 minutes, I saw a small boat spotlight.

As I rose to my feet, I hugged my rescuers.

6 . The human eye can perceive about 1 million colors, but languages have far fewer words to describe those colors. Languages spoken in industrialized nations such as the United States, for example, tend to have about a dozen basic color terms, while languages spoken by populations in remote areas often have fewer. However, the way that a language divides up color space can be influenced by contact with other languages, according to a new study.

Among members of the Tsimane society, who live in a remote part of the Bolivian Amazon rainforest, the researchers found that those who had learned Spanish as a second language began to classify colors into more words, making color distinctions that are not commonly used by Tsimane who are monolingual (单语的).

In the most striking finding, Tsimane who were bilingual (会双语的) began using two different words to describe blue and green, which monolingual Tsimane speakers do not typically do. The researchers also found that the bilingual Tsimane became more precise in describing colors such as yellow and red, which monolingual speakers tend to use to include many shades (色度) beyond what a Spanish or English speaker would include.

Working with monolingual and bilingual members of the Tsimane, the researchers asked people to perform two different tasks. For the bilingual population, they asked them to do the tasks twice, once in Tsimane and once in Spanish.

In the first task, the researchers showed the subjects 84 chips (块) of different colors, one by one, and asked them what word they would use to describe the color. In the second task, the subjects were shown the entire set of chips and asked to group the chips by color words.

The researchers found that when performing this task in Spanish, the bilingual Tsimane classified colors into the traditional color words of the Spanish language. Additionally, the bilingual speakers were much more precise about naming colors when they performed the task in their native language.

“The bilingual speakers learned a different way to divide up the color space,” says Edward Gibson, the senior author of the study. “It’s a great example of one of the main benefits of learning a second language. You open a different world and understand different concepts that you import to your native language.”

Rudi Gonsalves could barely contain his excitement as he sped downhill. It was the first day of his holiday in the Romanian ski resort of Poiana Brasov and he was 6,000 feet up one of its highest mountains, breathing in the cleanest air.

Weather and snow conditions were perfect. An experienced skier, he tackled the difficult “black” run with ease, knees gently bent to meet the uneven surface of the snow.

Rudi, a part-time youth worker from Epsom Downs, Surrey, regularly booked a winter holiday with his wife Sue. But Sue was scared of heights and could not overcome her sense of foreboding as the skiing season approached.

So this time Rudi, a keen sportsman and fit for his 57 years, had come alone.

As he snaked his way down the mountain on that March afternoon last year, snowflakes began to fall—lightly at first, then more heavily until the clouds blotted out the sun entirely, transforming everything into a ghostly whiteness.

He could just make out other skiers descending the slopes as fast as they could. I’d better stay close to them for safety, he decided. This could be tricky.

Straining to see ahead, Rudi was only vaguely aware of a looming outline lumbering up the mountain.

“Did anyone see me fall? Where am I?”

He looked around him, trying to get his bearings, but in every direction there was only the same vast whiteness.

Then he took out his gold watch, a treasured present from his wife. It not only told him the time, 1.54pm, it also seemed to give him strength.

It was getting dark when Rudi finally gave up his attempt to scale the mountain and decided to head downhill instead. He knew it would mean moving away from the best route back to his hotel, but there seemed to be no alternative.

Despair began to dog Rudi as he faced up to the reality of spending a night in the open. It was 5.30 pm and the temperature was dropping fast. He began to shiver, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. He felt very alone.

After three hours he was very tired, colder than he had ever felt.

He was barely aware of two horses drawing a wagon along the lane towards him.

As a child, I distinctly remembered watching some PBS cartoon character get glasses; the poor girl was made fun of by her peers when playing basketball. I silently thanked God for my good eyesight — but I spoke too soon.

When I entered the sixth grade, I could no longer see writing on the whiteboard clearly. So, I received my first pair of glasses. I only wore them in the classroom, and didn’t mind them too much. Self-image was not important for the then little girl.

Entering my freshman year in high school, I began to miss basketball shots in games — more so than usual. My eyes were re-examined, and the doctor determined that my eyesight had become worse. I would either have to wear glasses full time, or try contacts (隐形眼镜). Being the passionate athlete I was, I bypassed the annoyance of glasses and began to wear contacts. My entire world was transformed. Trees actually had leaves. The faces around me radiated individual expressions. And I could see the basket a whole lot better now. I was overjoyed with my newfound sight — and appearance.

When my senior year came along, I began to have trouble with my right eye. It got to the point where whenever I wore my contacts, my right eye would suffer an intolerable, stabbing pain, forcing me to take the contacts out. It was physically impossible to wear them. I would be in the doctor’s office at least three times a month, trying to solve the mystery of the problem with my eye.

I was beginning to get frustrated. I didn’t mind wearing my glasses to see the board in school, but all the time? At dances? At basketball games? No. That was not okay with me. I couldn’t imagine how I would be laughed at by my peers on the court. I hoped and prayed the doctor would cure my illness soon. That hope was soon crushed. No medicine had worked, and there was nothing left to try. He advised that I wear my glasses full time. But I couldn’t hate my glasses more.

Whenever someone walked up to me, I would immediately be seized by embarrassment.

However, a kind girl named Anne also with glasses in the basketball team made me feel better.

To act with honesty and good faith was such a habit with Susan that she had never before thought of examining the Golden Rule:” All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” But the longer she thought about it, the more seriously she doubted that she did not always obey it. So she asked her mother about its meaning.

“It implies. ”said her mother, “in the first place, a total destruction of all selfishness (自私): for a man who loves himself better than his neighbors, can never do to others as he would have others do to him. We are bound not only to do, but to feel, toward others as we would have others feel toward us. Remember. it is much easier to blame others for their selfishness than to overcome temptation (诱惑) when we face it. ”

Susan thought carefully and seriously about what her mother had said. She told herself that she would remember and follow the Golden Rule.

It was not long after this that an opportunity to test Susan’s principles occurred. One Saturday evening when she went, as usual, to farmer Thompson’s hotel, to bring back the money for her mother’s washing for the boarders, which amounted to five pounds. She found the farmer in the yard.

He was apparently in a terrible rage (勃然大怒) with some horse dealers with whom he had been bargaining (讨价还价). He held in his hand an open handbag, full of banknotes, and didn’t see the child as she made her request, except to blame her, as usual, for troubling him when he was busy. After that, he handed her a banknote. Glad to escape so easily, Susan hurried out of the gate. and then, pausing to put the money safely in her pocket, she discovered that he had given her two banknotes instead of one. She looked around: nobody was around to see her discovery.

“It is mine, all mine.” she said happily to herself. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Suddenly she turned around and rushed along the road with breathless speed. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the campus of Maplewood High School, Lily, Tom, and Sarah faced their own challenges but got through in the tight-knit community of their school.

Lily, a shy and reserved girl, struggled with her studies. She often felt stressed by the coursework and was too embarrassed to seek help. Meanwhile, Tom a talented athlete, faced difficulties in balancing his academics with his sports commitments. And Sarah, an ambitious musician, lacked the confidence to perform in front of others.

One fateful day, their lives intertwined (交织) in unexpected ways. It started when Lily found herself in need of a tutor (导师) to help her grasp the concepts in math. Feeling hesitant, she reached Sarah, who surprised her by offering to lend a helping hand.

As Sarah and Lily spent hours together studying, they formed a deep bond of friendship. Sarah’s patience and encouragement helped boost Lily’s confidence, and gradually, she began to stand out in her math glass. Grateful for Sarah’s support, Lily wanted to repay he favor in any way she could.

Around the same time, Tom faced a dilemma (窘境). He had an important basketball game coming up, but his grades were slipping down, putting his quality to play in jeopardy (麻烦). Feeling sad, he turned to Lily for help, knowing that she had made significant progress in math. “Let’s meet up after practice and go over the material together,” Lily offered.

Together, Lily and Tom began a journey of academic improvement. With Lily’s guidance, Tom managed to raise his grades and maintain his spot on the basketball team. As they worked side by side, they discovered the power of teamwork and perseverance (坚持).

Meanwhile, Sarah got stuck in her fear of performing in front of an audience.

Her excellent performances impressed the audience.