Currently, many of the brainy gadgets being developed for the Internet of Things will anticipate our needs and make choices for us--without being told what to do--marking a(n)     1     transformation in our relationship with machine.

As we turn more of our decision-making over to the devices,they will     2     into our personal confidants (知己) and counselors, determining everything from the time we wake up and clothes we wear to the music we listen to and the route we take to work. In the process, experts say our reliance on these     3     tools will far surpass today's dependence on smart phones.These autonomous assistants are widely expected to help us stay healthier, take better care of our loved ones, live more comfortably, become more environmentally responsible and     4     our productivity by freeing us from an endless array of boring routines so we can concentrate on the most important ones.

But social scientists and others worry these computerized devices might make decisions that are     5     flawed or that we otherwise dislike, leaving us feeling less in control of our lives. More importantly, their     6     observation could result in an excessively conformist (循规蹈矩的)society, some experts fear一especially with the government and other entities (实体) exploring the use of these intelligent machines to assess and prevent "abnormal behavior."

Stanford University researchers believe society may be profoundly impacted by Internet-of-Things machines blessed with humanlike     7     . So in December they began a century-long study of the technology in part to     8     the implications “of systems that can make inferences about the goals, intentions, identity, location, health, beliefs, habits and future actions of people."

Understanding such     9     is crucial, experts say, because the technology is being rapidly adapted. About 13 percent of consumers already have got a smart thermostat, security camera or other devices installed in homes. Instead of just doing what we command, many of the devices being empowered with sophisticated software and micro-electronics to act on their own     10     as our personal advisers.

One of the most important New Year's resolutions     1     every parent should make for 2021 is to ensure everyone in the family spends less time with screens. Since last year, a number of new studies     2     (confirm) that the effects of technology on kids are even worse than many parents feared.

Children between the ages of 8 and 11 who spend more than two hours a day looking at screens were associated with lower cognitive function than those who engaged in less screen time, according to researchers who published a study in The Lancet in September. While researchers noted there is no causal link, they wrote,“Emerging evidence suggests that mobile device and social media uses have an unfavorable relationship with attention, memory, impulse control, and academic performance”--- perhaps     3     technology encourages multi-tasking and can cut into kids' sleep time.

The Times also reported many elite schools are moving towards eliminating or reducing screens, while many public schools are touting technology in classrooms.     4     fears of a technological divide were once centered on the high cost of technology and high-speed internet access, the concern is now that less affluent children     5     be spending more time with technology. Already, research by Common Sense Media has found that higher-income teenagers spend less time with screens for entertainment compared to lower-income teens. Of course, a total ban isn't necessarily a smart strategy, either. Some screen time can be important for helping kids learn to use technology they     6     (need) in their careers. They might also use it in beneficial ways     7     (access) educational games and programs, and stay connected to family and friends, for example.

And     8     parents blame their kids' bad behavior on their technology use, it's also important to take a look in the mirror. Moms and dads need to reduce their own screen time, too. A study published in June in Pediatric Research found that there's     9     vicious cycle: The parents' use of phones and its interference in parent-child interactions is associated with kids acting out(模仿).This might then prompt parents to continue using their phones as a way to cope with stress.

New Year's celebrations are the perfect time to get the whole family to look up from their screens       10     offering some fun alternatives like board games, scavenger hunts, baking treats or getting together with family and friends. Kids will soon discover that there are plenty of things that aren't on Facebook to "like."

4 . Gyms that profit most from the January rush

Every year, like clockwork, many people go through the same routine. On December 26^th and January 1^st, as the fog of cheese, chocolate oranges and champagne lifts, regret creeps（悄悄出现）in. Online searches for “get fit” and “lose weight” increase.    1    “Intent typically takes seven to 14 days to turn into reality,” notes Humphrey Cobbold, chief executive of Pure Gym, Britain’s largest gym chain. So this week will be one of the busiest for the gym industry globally.

Many gym recruits（新成员）will have their new sportswear on for high-intensity interval training. In the basement of Another Space, a club near London’s Leicester Square, music pumps and light flash as a trainer shouts instructions to a group of mostly young women. They are pushed through bursts of burpees, handclap push-ups and various kick and punches at boxing bags. The training is murderous.    2    Such high-end gym can charge up to eight times as much as low-cost ones, based on two visits a week over a year.

They are at one end of a fitness market.    3    America’s market leader, Planet Fitness, promises “the best value on the planet”, and has over 10 million members; its shares rose in 2017. One in seven people in Britain is a gym member, and 35% of private memberships are low-cost, up from 14% in 2013, according to Leisure DB, a data firm. Mid-range clubs, meanwhile, have fared less well. Virgin Active recently sold its less luxurious facilities in Britain to avoid being squished（压扁）in the middle.

Pure Gym expects soon to reach 1 million members. Part of its appeal is that, unlike traditional gyms, members are not bound by a long contract. “We have taken a £500 decision and turned it into a £20 decision,” says Mr Cobbold.    4    Most new joiners do not plan to spend much money. But gyms proper on non-attendance. According to IHRSA, an industry body based in Boston, fewer than half of gym members in America hit the treadmill（跑步机）at least twice a week—until the exercise cycle begins anew the following January.

The lost art of listening

Do you think you’re a good listener? Chances are that you do. But studies show that most people seriously overestimate their ability to listen. The truth is we are generally not good at listening, and our listening comprehension declines as we age.

This was proven by Dr. Ralph Nichols, who conducted a simple experiment to test students’ listening skills. He had some Minnesota teachers stop what they were doing mid-class, and then asked students to describe what their teachers had been talking about. While older kids with more developed brains, are usually assumed to be better listeners, the results, however, showed otherwise: While 90 percent of first-and second-graders gave correct responses, this percentage dropped rapidly as the students got older.

One reason for our poor listening concerns the speed at which we think. The adult brain can process up to around 400 words per minute, more than three times faster than the speed an average person speaks. This means we can easily think about something else while someone is talking to us, allowing our mind to wander or get sidetracked. The younger students in Dr. Nichols’s experiment were better listeners partly because their brains were less developed — they lacked the extra brain power to be distracted.

Another factor that contributes to our poor listening is our ever-decreasing attention span. According to a Mircrosoft study, the age of smartphones has had a negative impact here. In 2000 — around the time the mobile revolution began — the average human attention span was 12 seconds; by 2013, it had fallen to 8 seconds. Even a goldfish — with an average attention span of 9 seconds — can hold a thought for longer!

More and more people now realize that listening is a skill that can be developed through practice. Learning to observe a speaker’s body language and emotions, for example, can improve our active listening. Even the simple act of note-taking or making eye contact can help us stay focused while listening.

8 . There are often many assumptions made about young people aged 15 to 21, but only a few can be proved with hard evidence. Now, new research has been published to help people get a better idea of these _________ young people.

According to an international survey in 2016, young people in emerging (新兴的) economies like China and India have a _________sense of hope about the future, compared with those living in Europe, North America and Australia.

The survey was _________ between September and October by the Varkey Foundation, a UK-based non-profit organization. It surveyed 20,000 young people who were born between 1995 to 2001 in 20 countries. They were asked questions about their hopes, ambitions, personal views and community values.

It was found that 53 percent of those questioned in China thought the world was becoming a better place – the highest percentage among the countries surveyed. Some 93 percent of them also felt _________ for the future because of advances in technology, such as in medicine, renewable energy and computing.

Indian youth were the second most_________, with 49 percent taking a positive view of the world’s prospects.

_________, young people in France, Italy and Turkey had the most negative outlook on the future, with fears about extremism and the rise of global terrorism.

“At a time of nationalist and populist (民粹主义的) movements (such as Brexit (脱欧) or US President Donald Trump’s plans to build a wall along the US border) that focus on the _________between people, the evidence shows that young people share a _________ similar view of the world,” Vikas Pota, chief executive of the Varkey Foundation, told The Guardian.

“They are a generation that is deeply _________ about the future of the world,” he added.

As for young people in China, what they __________ most is the impact of climate change — some 82 percent of those who responded to the__________ said so.

Pota said it was __________ that young people in China were aware how serious the problem of climate change is.

“This is surely a hopeful development. The young population of China is more aware than anyone of the seriousness of the climate crisis – and will be__________ for change,” he told South China Morning Post.

The overall survey showed a sense of optimism in the __________ and opinions of the generation that is likely to shape the next few decades, according to Pota.

“They are more likely to travel, to migrate across borders and to forge (建立) friendships in other countries than any __________ generation,” he said. “Global citizenship is not dead. It could just be getting started.”