A. stems B. insecure C. squeezed D. individual E. glued F. spreading G. head H. simply I. distracting J. spacious K. originally |
You’ll Often Walk Alone
There has been a quiet pandemic (流行病) developing while most people’s attention has been on Covid-19. The lockdown has worsened a problem that has been
Part of the problem
Perhaps loneliness relates to human history. Mass urbanization is a relatively recent development; if the history of human existence was
Some changes in behavior are owing to
Hi, everyone.
Traditionally,
Of course, the events of 2020 haven’t shown a lot of respect for our traditions. In a year of so much tragedy, it can be tough to give thanks when you’re doing your best to get by. And far too many of us will have to gather around a table with an empty chair, if we were able to gather together at all.
One thing, though, we can say about 2020 is that it forced us all to cherish what is most important, what’s most meaningful in our lives. To stop taking things for granted,
Throughout this challenging year, I’ve been moved, again and again, by the sacrifices so many were willing to make on behalf of others. The healthcare professionals who risked their lives to save ours. The workers who have kept our lights on and our shelves stocked, always essential to our economy, but finally
These are exactly the leaders Michelle and I started our Foundation to support. We always thought they
What we learned in 2020 is that these emerging leaders aren’t just building a brighter future, they’re safeguarding our present. In hard times, they are the ones who’ve given me solace. It’s
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody.
—Quoted from Barack Obama’s Christmas speech in 2020
3 . Transition. It’s a pleasant word and a calming concept. It means going surely and sweetly from somewhere present to somewhere future. Unless, that is, it is newspapers’ ‘transition’ to the
Just look at the latest print circulation figures. The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and many of the rest are down overall between 8% and 10% year-on-year, but their websites go ever higher.
All of that may well be true, depending on timing, geography and more.
One is the magazine world, both in the UK and in the US. It ought to be
As for news and current affairs magazines — which you’d expect to find in the eye of the digital storm — they had a 8.4% increase to report. In short, on both sides of the Atlantic, although some magazine areas went down, many showed rapid growth.
You can discover a
So if sales in that area have fallen so little, perhaps the
Already 360 US papers—including most of the biggest and best — have built paywalls around their products. However, the best way of attracting a paying readership appears to be a deal that offers the print copy and digital access as some kind of
Of course this huge difference isn’t
A.publishing | B.online | C.ideal | D.unknown |
A.On the other hand | B.After all | C.To begin with | D.For instance |
A.stop | B.exist | C.emerge | D.fit |
A.regulated | B.advancing | C.collapsing | D.minimized |
A.solid | B.simple | C.creative | D.changeable |
A.cultural | B.common | C.scientific | D.similar |
A.later | B.harder | C.clearer | D.slower |
A.all | B.neither | C.both | D.either |
A.service | B.system | C.crisis | D.figure |
A.right | B.vague | C.designed | D.mixed |
A.made up | B.told apart | C.took over | D.held on |
A.joint | B.mysterious | C.modern | D.complex |
A.In other words | B.On the contrary | C.What’s more | D.Even so |
A.new | B.sad | C.big | D.good |
A.spared | B.updated | C.noticed | D.edited |
4 . At the top of a hill called Mount Lee in Los Angeles on the west coast of the USA is a very famous sign, recognizable to people around the world. My job is to look after this sign.
In the 1940s, TV started to become popular and some Hollywood film studios closed, but then TV companies moved in and took them over. Modern Hollywood was born.
I am responsible for maintaining and protecting the sign.
Now we have motion-detectors and cameras. Everything goes via the internet to a dedicated surveillance(监控)team watching various structures around the city. Even so, people still try to climb over the barrier, mostly innocent tourists surprised that you can’t walk right up to the sign. But they can get a closer look on one of my regular tours.
A.The letters in the sign weren’t straight and still aren’t. |
B.I have been working there for nearly 30 years. |
C.People call up with the most ridiculous ideas. |
D.It says Hollywood and that’s of course the place where films have been made for over a hundred years. |
E.We used to have real problems. |
F.Payment must be made for those ideas for commercial purposes. |
A. hike B. requires C. hosts D. man-made E. attraction F. Belonging G. peak H. introduce I. romantic J. fascinating K. sun-bathe |
Touring “Treasure Island”
Chinese mainland tourists will be able to visit Taiwan via charted flights in July according to two landmark agreements signed on June 13. So, 21st Century invited two young Taiwanese to
Yangming Mountain, north of Taipei
Young couples can definitely enjoy a
Ali Mountain, Jiayi County
Ali Mountain is the general name for 18 hills. The highest
Taipei 101 tower, Taipei
The 101-floor landmark is one of the world’s tallest completed skyscrapers. Besides the shops inside and outside the tower, Taipei 101
Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei
The squares in front of these halls are open all day to the public. They have become a paradise to colleges students, who often meet there for an activity that
Three Hours a Week: Play Time’s over for China’s Young Video Gamers
China has forbidden under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a stringent(严苛的)social intervention that it said was needed to pull the plug on a growing addiction to
The new rules,
The restrictions, which apply to any devices including phones, are a body blow to a global gaming industry that caters to tens of millions of young players in the world’s most profitable market.
They limit under - 18s to
The rules from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) regulator coincide with a broader clampdown(压制)by Beijing
The campaign
Gaming companies will be barred from providing services to minors in any form outside the stipulated(规定)hours and
The new rules swiftly became one of the most discussed topics on Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter. Some users expressed support for the measures
“This is so fierce that I’m utterly speechless,” said one comment that received over 700 likes.
The NPPA regulator told Xinhua it
7 . Schools are not just a microcosm (缩影) of society; they mediate it too. The best
Trips that many adults would consider the
Probing the rock pools of a local beach or practicing French on a language exchange can fire children's passions, boost their skills and open their eyes to life's possibilities. The Sutton Trust, which focuses on improving social mobility, says educational outings help bright but
But £3,000 trips cannot be
The Department for Education's guidance says schools can charge only for board and lodging if the trip is part of the syllabus, and that students receiving government aid are exempt from these costs. However, many schools seem to ignore the advice;and it does not cover the kind of glamorous, exotic trips, which are becoming increasingly
A.pretend | B.forget | C.seek | D.fail |
A.examples | B.connections | C.extremes | D.ideals |
A.encounter | B.adventure | C.invitation | D.advantage |
A.profit | B.escape | C.suffer | D.choose |
A.Furthermore | B.Therefore | C.Meanwhile | D.Thus |
A.Introducing | B.Fulfilling | C.Relaxing | D.Rejecting |
A.disabled | B.disciplined | C.distinguished | D.disadvantaged |
A.case | B.prospect | C.performance | D.chance |
A.claiming | B.ensuring | C.expecting | D.foreseeing |
A.scolded | B.applauded | C.inspected | D.exposed |
A.pooled | B.invested | C.sold | D.spent |
A.booked | B.taken | C.enjoyed | D.justified |
A.business | B.field | C.gift | D.conch |
A.gratitude | B.satisfaction | C.guilt | D.relief |
A.rare | B.unique | C.common | D.special |
A. applies B. casually C. considered D. customary E. empty F. fellow G. individual H. literally I. longevity J. regards K. related |
Whether you’re ringing in Chinese New Year with a bottle of champagne, making a toast at a wedding, or
Now that you know what to say, how do you actually give a toast? When giving a toast in Chinese, raise your glass as you give the toast. Depending on where you are, your
The host of the party or meeting will be the first to make the toast. It is
Why true happiness isn't about being happy all the time
Over the past two decades, the positive psychology movement has brightened up psychological rescarch with its science of happiness and human potential. It argues that psychologists should not only investigate mental illness but also what makes life worth living.
The founding father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, describes happiness as experiencing frequent positive emotions, such as joy, excitement and satisfaction, combined with deeper feelings of meaning and purpose. It implies a positive attitude in the present and an optimistic outlook for the future. Importantly, happiness experts have argued that happiness is not a stable ,unchangeable feature but something flexible that we can work on and eventually strive towards.
Recent research indicates that psychological flexibility is the key to greater happiness and well-being.For example,being open to emotional experiences and the ability to endure periods of discomfort can allow us to move towards a richer, more meaningful existence. Studies have also demonstrated that the way we respond to the circumstances of our lives has more influence on our happiness than the events themselves. Experiencing stress, sadness and anxiety in the short term doesn't mean we can't be happy in the long term. Putting up with sorrow can make us tougher and lead us to take action in our lives, such as changing jobs or overcoming hardship. Often when people have faced difficulty, illness or loss, they describe their lives as happier and more meaningful as a result.
Unlike feeling happy, which is a temporary state, leading a happier life is about individual growth through finding meaning. It is about accepting our humanity with all its ups and downs, enjoying the positive emotions, and making use of painful feelings in order to reach our full potential.
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A delivered B management C overlooked D.products E.rural F. shifted G.strategies H.sufficient I. tremendous J.urbanisation K.worst |
National governments neglecting development needs of cities
National governments around the world are neglecting the needs of their major cities with non-existent or inadequate development policies, a new report has found. National governments are key to making cities more sustainable, because cities are limited distinctly in the policy measures they can take for themselves, the report points out. However, only a quarter of the world’s governments have urban development policies at all, and most of those that do exist are far from
The report looks at the key measures of energy production, transport, waste
The report, from the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Coalition for Urban Transitions and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, suggests national governments have
Cities around the world are facing rapid population growth, and are likely to be among the areas