2 . An expert has revealed whether carrots truly help you see in the dark and if an apple a day actually keeps the doctor away.

Nutritionist Lily Soutter also clarifies if it really takes seven years to digest chewing gum (口香糖), whether you can swim after eating and if fish is good for the brain.

She confirms that while carrots contain lots of vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy vision, they don’t help you see any better in the dark. Similarly, enjoying an apple a day won’t in itself reduce your chances of needing to visit a doctor, and chewing gum doesn’t take seven years to leave your system. And sadly, eating celery (芹菜) doesn’t burn more calories than you gain from eating it, despite 23 percent believing it to be the case.

Yogurt maker Onken teamed up with Lily. They conducted a survey of 2,000 people, finding half of them are “confused” about food fact and fiction.

Onken said, “Many of us rely on what we remember from school when it comes to nutrition. But we’re learning new things all the time about what different foods do for our health, such as the benefit of fermented (发酵的) foods to our gut and immune system. While some of what’s passed down over generations is super advice, some of it isn’t.”

The study also found that swimming right after eating is wrongly believed by 34 percent of adults to be something you shouldn’t do. In fact, it’s exercising to high intensity immediately after eating that should be avoided, as it can give you a sudden pain.

Almost half believe fish is good for the brain. They’re right, as long as they’re eating oily fish, because essential omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish contribute to normal brain function. Other “fake news” wrongly believed by many of those surveyed include eating chicken soup helps if you have a cold (27%) and drinking fruit juice is as healthy as eating whole fruit (17%).

A total of 16 Chinese and Italian volunteers wore Hanfu to participate in a carnival (狂欢) in the city Venice. Cheerfully, they succeeded in their attempt    1    (represent) the beauty of Chinese clothing. Directly    2    (transport) from the Suzhou Silk Museum, the clothing was themed of Han, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties respectively. In this way Chinese culture could be brought    3    (close) to more foreigners than shown on TV.

Hanfu has a history    4    dates back to more than four thousand years. According to legend, the Chinese clothing is made by the Yellow Emperor. Over the following thousands of years, the style of Hanfu changed into different    5    (variety) of the customs in each dynasty, but its basic form has not changed much. One major feature of    6    is kuanpaodaxiu, meaning closed full-body garment with wide and loose sleeves, thus creating a free, flowing and elegant impression.

Clothing is    7    important carrier of cultural heritage, and Hanfu fully embodies Chinese characteristics including gentle, comfortable, elegant and calm personalities. In recent years, people’s enthusiasm for traditional culture    8    (rise), and the increase of the inheritance of Chinese clothing culture has also arisen. Wearing Hanfu in a trip or in a party has become a new trend among young people. The revival of Hanfu is a new    9    (explore) of the beauty of Chinese clothing by contemporary people,    10    also represents the new recognition of the value of traditional culture by the younger generation.

4 . About twenty years ago, Jeff Fister was driving his 12-year-old son to school on a busy morning. His little baby was also in the backseat. He_________at one of the city’s busiest street, and the light turned green.

“Suddenly, out of nowhere, a car_________into the back of our car,” he recalled. “ We began to spin around(旋转)while the other car landed upside down.”

They were_________but uninjured. When they got out of the car, his little baby_________crying. “It was unbearable,”   he said.

Fister found himself_________at a street corner, directly across from a medical center. There were lots of people_________to work. Then he turned around and saw a woman who was wearing a healthcare_________appear from the crowd, holding out her_________

“She could see I was pretty scared,” he recalled. ”And I just_________the baby to her. It was really instinctive,” he said. After Fister started making phone calls and speaking to the police, he turned around and looked at the broken car window.

“And I realized how__________we were,”   he said.

When things calmed down, the woman handed his child back to Fister. She gave him a little wave and then__________in the crowd.

Since then, the woman’s act of__________has become more and more meaningful to Fister. It has__________ him that the world is full of goodness, and people who want to help.

“I don’t necessarily__________all the angel stuff,”   Fister said, “but certainly, I think there are people who decide to help someone out, just__________simple acts of kindness like that woman did for me.”

5 . Fifteen months after operation began, the China-Laos Railway (Laos section) is set to introduce the LCR Ticket App on Wednesday, which allows passengers to make ticket purchases via their mobile phones, bringing Laos into the era of online train ticket sales.

The system, developed by a branch of China State Railway Group, marks a further step in the informatization process of the China-Laos Railway passenger business, according to a press release sent to the Global Times by the China State Railway Group on Tuesday. Since the start of operation on December 3,2021,the China-Laos Railway (Laos section) has seen strong demand, with the daily passenger traffic exceeding 10,000 on most busy days. However, the train tickets are sold manually at windows and sales outlets.

The app, which has the advanced technology of China’s 12306 online ticketing system, is based on the laws and regulations of Laos, its cultural characteristics and user preferences. It also supports Lao, Chinese and English. Due to the size of its population and its advanced and extensive railway system, China is home to the world’s most complex online ticket selling system. During the Spring Festival period this year, the system was able to handle a peak transaction volume of over 1,000 tickets per second. Tickets can be paid for via several methods including VISA, UnionPay, WeChat Payment and Alipay. A manager at Laos-China Railway Company, which operates the Laos section, said that online ticket sales will greatly improve the travel experience on the railway which helps promote tourism. The LCR Ticket App is set to be available for downloading from 6:30 am on Wednesday in Laos. Growing passenger and cargo volume has meant that the China-Laos Railway has become a promising route for international logistics.

Lao Ambassador to China Khamphao Ernthavanh said in a recent interview that the China-Laos Railway is an important project featuring win-win cooperation between the two countries, opening up new prospects for the socio-economic development of Laos and turning the dreams of people along the route into reality. The railway has turned land-locked Laos into a land-linked hub with freight train service bringing goods to countries including Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Singapore.

6 . Have you ever had a food that you tasted and you immediately disliked? Maybe it was broccoli, dark chocolate, or cottage cheese. Maybe you were “encouraged” to try the food again, and then one of those times you actually liked it. Many people have had this experience. While tastes are developed at a young age, they can be changed, which depends on a person’s desire to try.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham released a study that showed people have a flavor window. The flavor window is open for four-to-six-month-old babies. During this time, it is easier to get babies to try a food they have not previously tasted. As they grow up, the flavor window slowly closes, leaving most of them dubious of new foods.

However, the flavor window closing at a young age doesn’t mean it can’t be reopened. A study found that if babies are introduced to a new food 5 to 10 times, they can grow to like it. That amount goes up as children grow older. Ultimately, the study came to the conclusion that the flavor window may never be completely shut.

Being willing to try a new food repeatedly is necessary to open a person’s flavor window again. Each attempt will lessen the natural unwillingness of something new. Eventually, “not bad” can turn into “pretty good”. One method for inspiring courage to try new foods multiple times is testing different ingredients. Adding an ingredient-sugar or salt, perhaps-that one enjoys, might make an unappealing food more appealing. Once the person has trained him or herself to like the food, the added ingredient may not be necessary.

Overcoming a dislike of a particular food requires tasting a food in different ways and at different times. In spite of strange smells, odd textures, or distinctive flavors, a person has the ability to acquire a true liking for even the most unique and unusual foods. So don’t give up-you never know when you might surprise yourself and discover that broccoli is your new favorite food!

7 . It’s that time of year, again, somehow time for the list of UK LEGO events of this year 2023. Here is a rough guide.

Discovery Brick Show

Date:30th, April-1st, May

Place: Discovery Museum

Description: This LEGO show in central Newcastle returns, with LEGO models from builders across the UK, activities and a marketplace for LEGO-lovers.

Cost: Some free activities; entry to the marketplace requires a paid ticket.

Thirsk Brick Show

Date:12th February

Place: Thirsk& Sowerby Town Hall

Description: A small LEGO show in this town hall, back for its third year. The money that is made from the show goes to an aged care centre in the town. LEGO displays and some activities.

Cost: A small entry fee in aid of charity.

Hull Brick Festival

Date:13th-14th August

Place: Guildhall

Description: This show is in its seventh year and this time it’s in town for the whole weekend! Awesome

LEGO creations from the best builders in the UK, fun activities plus several specialist

LEGO traders with everything from new bargain sets, loose bricks to custom accessories.

Cost: Free entry; ticket booking is recommended.

Caterham Model Show

Date:17th September

Place: Sacred Heart Centenary Hall

Description: This remarkable LEGO and model show is back again this year. LEGO as well as non-LEGO displays, activities and traders who buy and sell a lot of unique LEGO creations.

Cost: Paid tickets are required for entry; see the event page for details.

8 . Recently, Google researchers published a paper describing results from an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, called MusicLM, built to create music. It is not the first AI music tool to launch. But the examples Google provides demonstrate musical creative ability based on a limited set of descriptive words. AI shows how complex computer systems have been trained to behave in human-like ways. Google engineers explain the MusicLM system this way:

First, a user comes up with a word or words that describe the kind of music they want the tool to create. For example, a user could enter this short phrase into the system: “a continuous calming violin backed by a soft guitar sound.” The descriptions entered can include different music styles, instruments or other existing sounds. Several different music examples produced by MusicLM were published online. Some of the generated music came from just one-or-two-word descriptions, such as “jazz”, or “techno”. The system created other examples from more detailed descriptions containing whole sentences. In the resulting recording, the music seems to keep very close to the description. The team said that the more detailed the description is, the better the system can attempt to produce it.

In addition to generating new music from written descriptions, the team said the system can also create examples based on a person’s own singing, whistling or playing an instrument. The researchers said the tool “produces high-quality music...over several minutes, while being faithful to the text conditioning signal”.

Although it hasn’t been released for public use, Google announced it was releasing a “high-quality dataset (数据集)” of more than 5,500 music-writing pairs prepared by professional musicians called MusicCaps. The researchers took that step to assist in the development of other AI music generators.

The MusicLM researchers said they believe they have designed a new tool to help anyone quickly and easily create high-quality music selections. However, the team said it also recognizes some risks linked to the machine learning process.

9 . ChatGPT, launched in November, 2022, has attracted over 100 million monthly users in just two months, which is considered the fastest-growing consumer app.     1    

ChatGPT can write emails, computer code, even academic papers and poems.     2     With various functions, it is suspected to do no good to multiple areas, above all the higher education.

So is ChatGPT a benefit or a trouble?

    3     Some universities have banned it due to the warning that it could prompt more students to cheat, especially in exams.     4     Andreas Schleicher, director of education and skills of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, for instance, said he welcomes ChatGPT because “it gives people a chance” to concentrate less on tasks that technology can perform equally well.

According to a survey covering more than 100 educators and over 1,000 students, one-third of the educators said they believe ChatGPT should be banned in schools and universities, while the rest supported students having access to it. The attitude of most students sees a distinct difference.     5    

As a result, the observed value and usefulness of ChatGPT seem to outweigh the risks. What we should focus on has shifted to better deal with the chatbot and its development.