2 . From self-driving cars to carebots (care+robots) for elderly people, rapid development in technology has long represented a potential threat to many jobs normally performed by people. But experts now believe that almost 50 percent of occupations existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence continues to change businesses.

“The next fifteen years will see a revolution in how we work, and a revolution will necessarily take place in how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew, Director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.

A growing number of jobs in the future will require creative intelligence, social skills and the ability to use artificial intelligence.

The report is based on interviews with 200 experts, business leaders and young people from Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. It shows that in the US technology already destroys more jobs than it creates.

But the report states: “Losing occupations does not necessarily mean losing jobs — just changing what people do.” Growth in new jobs could occur as much, according to the research.

“The growth of 20 to 40 person companies that have the speed and technological know-how will directly challenge big companies,” it states.

A report by Pew Research found 52 percent of experts in artificial intelligence and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few years. The optimists pictured “a future in which robots do not take the place of more jobs than they create,” according to Aaron Smith, the report's co-author.

“Technology will continue to affect jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although there have always been unemployed people, when we reached a few billion people there were billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change,” Microsoft's Jonathan Grudin told researchers.

4 . Is it time to ditch sugar?

It’s no secret that sugar can cause issues if you’re indulging (放任) in a little too much of the sweet stuff. Still, most Americans are eating too much sugar. The harmful effects it can have on your physical health are well studied.     1    .

Sugar can affect your mood

You probably turn to a doughnut (甜甜圈) or soda for an extra boost during a long day. Yet sugar may not be such a positive pick-me-up after all. Recent research indicates that sugary treats have no positive effect on mood.     2    .

One study published in 2017 found that consuming a diet high in sugar can increase the chances of mood disorders. A more recent 2019 study found that regular consumption of saturated fats (饱和脂肪) and added sugars were related to higher feelings of anxiety in adults over age 60.

    3    

It’s hard to avoid reaching for comfort foods, especially after a difficult day. But the cycle of consuming sugar to manage your emotions may only make your feelings of sadness, tiredness, or hopelessness worse. Multiple studies have found a link between diets high in sugar and depression.

    4    . These can lead to depression and may even increase the long-term risk of developing a mental health disorder in some people.

Sugar destroys your brain power

Emerging research has found that diets high in sugar can damage cognitive functioning, even in the absence of extreme weight gain or too much energy intake. A 2015 study found that consuming high levels of sugar-sweetened drinks made neurocognitive functions like decision making and memory worse.     5    . But a more recent study found that healthy volunteers in their 20s scored worse on memory tests and had poorer appetite control after just 7 days of eating a diet high in saturated fat and added sugars.

Although more studies are needed to solidify the effects on mental health of sugar consumption, it’s important to consider how diet can affect your well-being.

5 . Pirates: Romance and Reality

In the movies, pirates (海盗) have exciting and adventurous lives.     1     Which aspects of the movie pirate are real, and which are invented?

A Pirate’s Life

While movie pirates are men in search of adventure, the average pirate was usually trying to escape from a different life. Some were ex-sailors who were treated poorly on their ships.     2     They came from many different backgrounds. But on a pirate ship, equality (平等) was important. Men elected their captain and created the ship’s     rules together.

    3    

In movies, pirates have chests full of gold and piles of money stolen from other people. However it as far more common for pirates to steal things like cloth, spices, and even medicine. They often sold these things.     4     They spent it as soon as they could on women and alcohol.

Pirate Style

Movie pirates often wear eye patches and have wooden legs. Many real pirates also looked like this. Why?     5     “ Life at sea was hard and dangerous,” says David Moore, a maritime museum employee in the U.S. Disease was also common. For these reasons, some pirates lost eyes and legs.

6 . The Nobel Prize is considered one of the most recognizable and admirable awards possible, honoring people of the world for their outstanding achievements in different fields.

Alfred Nobel was born in 1833 to a family of engineers in Stockholm, Sweden. Nobel as a young man studied with Nikolai Zinin, a well-known chemist. In 1850, he met Ascanio Sobrero, the inventor of nitroglycerin (炸药) in Paris. Interested in its unpredictable nature of exploding under pressure or heat, Nobel started to find a way to control it and make a usable explosive(炸药). In 1857 he applied for his first patent (专利), an English patent for a gas meter. After years of efforts, in 1867, at the age of 34, Nobel invented dynamite(炸药), which is much easier and safer to control than nitroglycerin. Dynamite was an immediate business success and it was patented in the US and the UK and was widely used in mining.

During his lifetime, Nobel invented and patented various explosives. He built up his wealth from his 355 inventions, from which dynamite was the most important.

When Alfred’s brother Ludwig died in 1888, a French newspaper mistakenly published Alfred’s obituary (讣告). Reading his own obituary, Nobel was disappointed to find out his public image(形象). The newspaper strongly blamed(责备) Nobel for inventing dynamite, giving him the nickname of “the merchant of death” and saying “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”

To Alfred, this obituary was a warning. He spent his lifetime alone inventing things and was deeply concerned with how he would be remembered. This unfortunate event inspired him to make changes in his will(遗嘱), so as to improve his public image, and to be remembered for a good cause.

In 1895, one year before his death, Nobel made the last will, saying clearly that his wealth would be used to create a series of prizes for those who have made great contributions to mankind in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. To widespread astonishment, Dr. Alfred Nobel gave away 94% of his total wealth to found the five Nobel Prizes.

7 . Want to explore new cultures, meet new people and do something worthwhile at the same time? You can do all the three with Global Development Association(GDA). Whatever stage of life you’re at, wherever you go and whatever project you do in GDA, you’ll create positive changes in a poor and remote community(社区).

We work with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Most of our volunteers are aged 17-24. Now we need volunteer managers aged 25-75. They are extremely important in the safe and effective running of our programmes. We have such roles as project managers, mountain leaders, and communication officers.

Depending on which role you choose, you could help to increase a community’s access to safe drinking water, or help to protect valuable local cultures. You might also design an adventure challenge to train young volunteers.

Not only will you help our young volunteers to develop personally, you’ll also learn new skills and increase your cultural awareness. You may have chances to meet new people who’ll become your lifelong friends.

This summer we have both 4-week and 7-week programmes:

GDA ensures that volunteers work with community members and local project partners where our help is needed. All our projects aim to promote the development of poor and remote communities.

There is no other chance like a GDA programme. Join us as a volunteer manager to develop your own skills while bringing benefits to the communities.

Find out more about joining a GDA programme:

Website:www.glodeve.org

Email:humanresources@glodeve.org

8 . What If We Don’t Get Along?

Teachers want to get along with you and enjoy seeing you learn. But teachers and students sometimes have personality clashes（人格冲突）.     1     If you show your teacher that you want to make the situation better, he or she will probably do everything possible to make that happen. Take these steps if the problem seems difficult to solve:

1. Talk to an adult you trust, such as a parent, guidance counselor, or both.

2.     2     You may not feel immediately comfortable with your teachers, but that may change as you get to know one another.

3. If you’ve given it time, talk with your parents about what to do next. Lots of times, a meeting can be set up to discuss the problem.     3     Everyone’s goal should be to create trust and kindness.

Your relationship with your teachers is often your first chance to develop a “business relationship”. They are different from your family relationships and friendships, which are built on affection and love.     4     But they don’t necessarily need to be good friends or like each other a lot. They simply need to respect one another, be polite, and stay focused on the jobs at hand.

When you act this way, and remember that you’re not the only kid in the class, you are

helping your teacher.     5     Teachers also like it when students follow directions and when they learn and obey the rules of the classroom. For instance, there may be rules about listening when another student is talking, about taking turns, or about raising your hand when you want to say something or ask a question.