1 . The oceans play a crucial role in lightening global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide emissions. However, in a study conducted by the University of Texas, researchers found that the oceans’ capacity to absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) would reach its maximum by 2100 and decrease to half of its current efficiency by 2300, based on a climate simulation (模拟) that was set for a worst-case emissions scenario (设想).

The decline happens because of a surface layer of low-alkalinity (碱度) water that can hinder the ability of the oceans to absorb CO₂. Alkalinity affects how much CO₂ can dissolve in seawater. Although the emissions scenario used in the study is unlikely because of global efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the findings reveal a previously unknown tipping point that if activated would release an important brake on global warming.

“We need to think about these worst-case scenarios to understand how our CO₂ emissions might affect the oceans not just this century, but next century and the following centuries. Climate simulations had previously shown that the oceans slow their absorption of CO₂ over time, but none had considered alkalinity as an explanation. We recalculated pieces of a 450-year simulation until we hit on alkalinity as a key cause of the slowing.” said Megumi Chikamoto, who led the research at the University of Texas Institute.

The effect begins with extreme climate change, which slows ocean currents. This leaves the surface of the oceans covered in a warm layer of fresh water that won’t mix easily with the cooler, more al kaline waters below it. That means more of it is left behind in the atmosphere. This in turn produces faster warming, which sustains and strengthens the low-alkalinity surface layer. Co-author, Pedro DiNezio, said that the discovery was a powerful reminder that the world needs to reduce its CO₂ emissions to avoid crossing this and other tipping points.

4 . Architectural Wonders Inspired by Nature

Atomium: Brussels

Originally constructed for the 1958 World’s Fair, or Expo 58, this weird (古怪的) building features nine interconnected spheres (球体) measuring 335-feet high. Engineer Andre Waterkeyn and architects Andre and Jean Polak modeled it after an iron crystal enlarged 165 billion times to represent faith in scientific progress. Today the interior is home to a museum and several temporary exhibits.

The Cube Houses: Rotterdam

Despite all the hard angles and straight lines, architect Piet Blom actually took inspiration from a forest of trees when designing these Dutch houses back in 1977. Each bright yellow cube is tilted (倾斜的) on its side by 45 degrees and anchored to a hexagon-shaped pylon (六边形塔架), representing a tree. The entrance to each three-level house lies inside the concrete “trunk” that contains a staircase.

Taipei 101: Taipei

Standing at 1,671 feet tall, this 101-story skyscraper was the tallest building in the world when it opened in Taipei’s modern Xinyi District in 2004. Renowned architect C. Y. Lee modeled it after a bamboo stalk, and its repetitive sections are full of symbolism. There are a total of eight parts comprised of eight floors each -a lucky number in Chinese culture.

Helix Bridge: Singapore

An international team, assembled from Architects 61 in Singapore, designed this footbridge stretching over Marina Bay, linking the famous hotel and shopping center with the ArtScience Museum and Gardens by the Bay. The inspiration comes from the double helix (螺旋的) structure of a DNA molecule. Opened in 2010, the 919-foot long curved structure has five viewing platforms, giving pedestrians spectacular views of the skyline from across the waterfront.

China is known as Xia for its grand etiquette (礼仪) culture, and known as Hua for its beautiful attire (衣裳). With the     1     (change) in society, economic development, and cultural development, clothing has evolved over thousands of years. However, while the forms may have been changed, the essence (本质)     2     (remain) constant.

“In ancient China, emperors like Huangdi. Yao, and Shun brought peace to the world through their clothing.” Clothing holds     3     significant place in Chinese culture. It is not only used for daily wear,     4     (cover) the body and protect it from cold but also as an instrument of management. In ancient Chinese society, there were strict rules and dress codes about clothing. The presence of clothing distinguished civilization     5     barbarism (野蛮), while changes in color and style     6     (gradual) developed into a form of etiquette. Their design conveyed behavioral norms and     7     (they) patterns were rich in cultural significance. Moreover, ancient attire were also an important carrier of morality. China has always been known as a nation     8     values formal attire and etiquette.

What is the Chinese style? It is something that makes people think of China as soon as they see it. For example, the horse-face skirt, which     9     (favor) by international brands and Chinese people for many years, will continue to be attractive. Chinese clothing, as a classical style. has been known to the world overnight with good opportunities. It’s not just a traditional costume style but also a source of     10     (admire).

6 . In late 2021, I began to have a little bit of a midlife crisis. When my father was 48 years old, he had a heart attack that nearly ended his life. As I _________ my mid-forties, I knew that I needed to make a change in my life. I wanted to do something _________ to prove to myself and everyone else around me that I wasn’t going to have the same fate.

As I was trying to determine what kind of _________ that I wanted to set, I found a _________ called The Rut. The Rut is a series of races that are _________ in Big Sky, Montana every September. There’s multiple distances, but the 28 Kilometer _________ is the most popular, as well as the most _________ of the entire series. This race is regularly listed in the top ten most difficult races in the world. It involves almost 8,000 feet of elevation (海拔)_________ . This was the type of race I was _________ .

I also did a detailed training __________ . Even if I was traveling for business, I would stick to it and never __________ a workout (训练). And then came race day.

That day, Big Sky Montana, was unseasonably __________ , almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The race is going almost entirely above tree line, which means that you just are __________ to the elements (恶劣天气) nearly the entire time. Many people __________ out of the race halfway. But I finished it. When I reached the finish line, I was greeted by my wife and children, also friends that had traveled with us to Big Sky that day. This was the biggest challenge I had made for myself, but I __________ it.

8 . The new staff at McDonald’s across Slovenia stand at just 1.3 meters. They have aviation-grade aluminium alloy (铝合金) bodies, a screen for a face, and cat-like ears. The innovation called “BellaBot” is of a commercial-service-robot firm, which is called Pudu Robotics. They deliver not only food to customers, but also a smile or wink whenever they receive a pat on the head.

Pudu’s robots have learned to navigate (导航) complex, unpredictable environments such as fast-food restaurants, says. Felix Zhang, founder of Pudu Robotics, which is based in Shenzhen, China. Like humans, the BellaBot and others-such as the SwifiBot and PUDU Al-can avoid barriers and swiftly stop when a child crosses their paths. These are not simple tasks for a machine.

To navigate-in & changing environment a robot navigation algorithm (算法) usually requires three steps: positioning, judging and route planning. In these three steps, positioning is a key issue. “We thought that the robots should distance themselves, ahead of time, whenever they encounter certain groups of people, such as young children or the elderly,” Zhang says. The team thus adopted deep-learning algorithms to accurately identify these groups, so that the robots would be extra careful, slowing down and maintaining distance.

The company’s SwiftBot specifically recognizes elderly people, enabling it to work safely in nursing homes in addition to environments such as restaurants, hospitals and hotels. One of their latest robots, the PUDU Al, also adopting deep-learning algorithms, has an arm with which it can deliver food, and collect used dishes, without the need for staff or customers to load and unload it.

With a strong ambition of Al techniques to build on, Pudu Robotics continues to innovate and come up with new-designs, Zhang says. His team hopes that their robots will be adaptable and pleasant workers, ready for the tasks that await them.

9 . Lucky Me!

One morning, my dad woke me up to tell me that his car was _________ and my backpack was stolen. It had my binder (活页夹) with all my school stuff in it and a few other personal _________. It had notebooks with stories in them I have been _________ for quite a while. I was _________. I cried for about an hour. My dad _________ to send me to school with absolutely nothing.

My teacher, Miss Taylor, was really _________ and super understanding. She gave me a (n) _________ binder and helped _________ it. She got out a piece of paper and started putting my _________ on it. Sometimes, I look at it and __________ it and remember how amazing she was.

Later that same day, Miss Taylor got a __________ from the office. When she rang off the phone, she __________ me and said “Zoe, a miracle has happened! Someone found your binder!” I __________ down to the office and I __________ my binder. It was super stuffed, which I thought was __________. When I opened it, I saw all my stuff with an envelope. On the back of the envelope were __________ “I’m sorry all your stuff got stolen. But I hope this __________!” I opened the envelope and it had $20 in it. This kind person, who had found __________ scattered on the sidewalk, picked it all up, fit it into the binder and put money into an envelope, __________ found the name of my school and walked all the way to bring it to me.

I just think that was such a kind act and I was so __________ to get my binder back. I don’t think that will ever happen again but I’ll never forget it.

10 . High schools used to teach shop classes, in which students learned skills like woodworking. Nowadays, most schools have traded in shop class in favor of academic subjects. However, the National Science Foundation STEM Guitar Project thinks that academic subjects and carpentry (木匠活) can be combined. This organization aims to get students excited about science, math, and arts all at once, by teaching students how to make a guitar.

Experis forecast that technical skills like this one could be in great demand in the future. Unfortunately, many high schools don’t offer students access to mechanical design skills, due to the fact that they are not on the list of standardized subjects and the schools can’t scientifically assess students’ performance. But, is STEM really needed in order to build a guitar? Actually, it’s impossible to make a guitar without knowing science and math.

Joshua Cruz, a design teacher, said that building a guitar also teaches troubleshooting and problemsolving skills. He thinks the STEM Guitar Project provides opportunities to challenge students to apply their own creativity to STEM problems. “I’m still figuring out how we can apply it,” Cruz explained. “I think we’re going to use a lot of the same theories behind how strings and stringed instruments work and try and get them to make stringed instruments of their own, and thus improve their academic performance.”

Because of its effectiveness and creativity, the guitar initiative was offered the Gerhard Salinger award, which recognizes outstanding STEM school programs. “Through this project, we have become part of this community of businessmen, engineers and artisans,” said Mark French, one of the six people who received the award for his work with STEM guitar. “It’s a great group and I’m pleased to be part of it. I get to combine something I love doing with an activity that really makes the world a little bit better place. It really does help people.”

Thanks to people like Mark French, and to the STEM Guitar Project, the world is a little bit of a better, more educated, and more musical place.