1 . Joseph Conrad, a famous English novelist, said that his goal as a writer was “to make you hear, to make you feel, and above all, to make you see. That, and no more, is everything.”     1     Often it leaves a single sharp impression to be turned over and over in the mind. After finishing the story, the reader should have something to think about: the humor of life, its ironies, or the unpredictability of human behavior.

    2     The first and most obvious level is conveyed through the plot. Plot refers to the sequence of events, to the actions of the characters and the situations in which they are involved. To explain the plot, then, is to tell what happened in the story and to whom. In some short stories, plot is the dominating element. In other short stories, plot plays a very minor role.

In Hemingway’s story, The Old Man and the Sea, however, we must approach the content on another level.     3     To understand and appreciate the story, the reader must be able to identify its general topic or theme. The next step is to identify the device by which the author comments on this theme.     4    

Readers cannot appreciate a short story fully unless they react not only to what has been said but also to how it has been said.     5     Style grows out of the writer’s own personality and can be seen in the choice of words and phrases, the arrangement of sentences, the rhythm and tone. Structure refers to the architecture of the story, the way in which the details are selected and arranged to produce the desired effect.

2 . It may not be rocket science, but researchers have found aerospace engineers and neurosurgeons (神经外科医生) are not necessarily brighter than the general population.

Researchers examined data from an international group of 329 aerospace engineers and 72 brain surgeons who completed 12 tasks online using the Great British Intelligence Test.

The tasks examined various aspects of cognition (认知), including planning and reasoning, working memory, attention, and emotion processing abilities. The researchers then compared the results against those previously gathered from more than 18,000 members of the British public.

The findings, which were recently published, reveal that only neurosurgeons showed a significant difference, with quicker problem-solving speed but slower memory recall compared with the general population. “The difference in problem-solving speed exhibited by neurosurgeons might arise from the fast-paced nature of neurosurgery, which attracts those with a pre-existing talent for rapid processing, or it could be, though less likely, a product of training for rapid decision-making in time-critical situations,” the researchers noted.

The researchers said the study was, in part, carried out to lay to rest the question of whether one of the professions had the intellectual upper hand-a tension made famous by a comedy show in which a confident neurosurgeon is slapped down by an aerospace expert who says, “Brain surgery... it’s not exactly rocket science, is it?”

However, the team found few differences between the cognitive abilities of aerospace engineers and neuroscientists, although the results suggest the former had higher scores for attention and mental control—such as turning objects in one’s head—while neurosurgeons showed higher scores in semantic (语义的) problem solving—such as definitions of rare words.

“Essentially what we think it shows is that everyone has a range of skills, some people are better at some things and other people are better at other things, and it is very difficult to be better in everything across the board,” said Aswin Chari, an author of the study.

3 . Do you want to level up your mask-wearing while also looking like you’re about to battle with Batman? This is life-wearing Razer Zephyr, a wearable air purifier. A version of Razer’s latest appliance made waves in January during the Consumer Electronics Show.

It’s no surprise that tech companies are considering a leap beyond the cloth and surgical masks that have come to define the COVID-19 pandemic. It has a hard shell with two belts to fit onto your head. There are two air exchange chambers (腔) on the front, featuring double circulating fans to help circulate cool air. The chambers feature N95 filters (过滤器) providing two-way protection for yourself and those around you. It’s also transparent (透明的) with inside lights and an anti-fog coating to help solve one of the key issues with mask-wearing: watching mouths move when you speak.

Good as the mask appears, will it protect you from COVID-19? According to Razer, the mask is registered with the Food and Drug Administration and lab tested for 99% BFE, or Bacterial Filtration Efficiency, a measure of how well it filters out bacteria. “It is not tested specifically against the COVID-19 virus, but offers the same functionality and adequate protection due to its 99% BFE rating," Razer’s website says.

There’s also the financial cost to consider. The mask itself is $99, and Razer sells a pack of 10 sets of N95 filters for $30. By comparison, a quick search for surgical masks on Amazon turned up a box of 50 masks for between $11-$14.

“I’ve tried out the $99 Zephyr for roughly a week now. Wearing the Zephyr feels comfortable. The adjustable head straps (带) allow for the ideal fit. Above all, it feels breathable thanks to the air circulating through its fans.” one commented on Amazon.

4 . Keeping food fresh without refrigeration is near impossible in the hot climate of sub-Saharan Africa. But it’s hard to power fridges in a region where almost 600 million people live off the grid(电网).

That’s where Brazil’s Youmma comes in. The company has developed a pay-as-you-go(预付费的) solar-powered fridge that is being bought by small business owners. The fridges help to reduce food waste, store medicine safely, and allow shops to keep products fresh for longer, says André Morriesen, research and development manager at Nidec Global Appliance, which owns Youmma.

The cooling system of the small 100-liter fridge has been designed for off-grid use, and it consumes a quarter of the energy of a regular fridge, according to Nidec. That means it can be powered by a smaller solar panel and a smaller battery, reducing costs. The battery can keep the fridge running for a day and a half without sunlight.

Customers pay for the fridge in daily installments(分期付款) via cell phones, through M-Kopa, a Kenyan solar energy company. New M-Kopa customers pay a $100 deposit. Daily payments range from $1 to $1.50 for a package that includes solar lighting and covers the installation(安装) of a rooftop solar panel. M-Kopa says it costs more than a conventional fridge but the package includes lighting as well as continued access to free off-the-grid energy.

Pay-as-you-go “is useful for rural households or businesses with an uneven cash flow such as income based on harvesting seasons”, says Teresa Le, a climate change and energy specialist for the UN Development Program.

However, even when paired with pay-as-you-go systems like M-Kopa’s, solar fridges are still costly for the average person and that’s why they mostly appeal to small businesses, says Le. Of about 2,000 fridges sold since Youmma launched it in 2019, around 80% were to small businesses.

Kioko Mwange runs a small shop in the village of Kithungo, eastern Kenya. Since signing up for the Youmma fridge he has increased his sales. “It helps me preserve milk for up to 10 days,” says Mwange. “I have seen an increase in customers.” Morriesen believes the fridge can be a “life-changing product” for rural families and “bring freedom to women” who often spend hours each day walking to food markets.

5 . On 4 May, Headley Court, a former military (军事) site in Surrey, England, was transformed into the Seacole Center — a temporary hospital for people recovering from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. It is named after the nurse Mary Seacole in recognition of her contribution to medicine.

Seacole was born in Jamaica (牙买加) in 1805. Her mother ran a hotel where people could receive medical care and Seacole learnt a lot about nursing from her. An eager traveler, Seacole learnt more about new medicines and treatments as she journeyed across the world.

During the Crimean War (1853-1856) , Seacole wanted to join a group of nurses, led by Florence Nightingale, who were going to Crimea to treat British soldiers. The Crimean War was an international conflict fought between Britain, France and Turkey on one side, and Russia on the other. However, Seacole’s request to join was rejected. She believed this was possibly because of racism (种族主义) which is when people are treated badly or unfairly because of their race.

Instead, Seacole went to Crimea by herself and set up the British Hotel, which was a place where soldiers could go to receive treatment. Among these soldiers she became known as “Mother Seacole” because of how well she looked after them.

After the war, Seacole fell ill and didn’t have much money. To assist her, people put on a festival in her honor in 1857. Seacole also published a book about her life, called Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, before she died in 1881 in London. Over the years, people have campaigned for Seacole’s story to be more widely told.

Although the Seacole Center is only a temporary hospital, it is hoped that this might lead to more awareness of her achievements.

7 . Children may learn new words better when they learn them in the context of other words they are just learning—according to a new research from the University of East Anglia.

Researchers investigated how 18–24-month-olds learn new words—in the context of words they already know well and those they don’t. The findings help explain how children learn new words and suggest a new way that parents and carers could help boost language development.

Previous research suggests that when children hear a word they do not know and see an object they have never seen in the context of some objects that they can already name, such as a toy or a ball, they guess that the new word refers to the new thing.

Dr. Larissa Samuelson from the university wanted to know if the strength of a child’s knowledge of familiar things—how well they know what “cars” or “balls” are, for example—mattered for learning new words and remembering them. They asked 82 children to take part in the study and carry out two experiments among them. And then they got some really surprising findings.

“We had expected that a stronger knowledge of familiar words would be better for learning new words, but we found the opposite was true.” Dr Samuelson said. “This new study suggests another way we might be able to help boost children’s ability to remember new word-object links – by teaching them in the context of other things that they are just learning.”

It seems counterintuitive, but it is perhaps because the less well-known items don’t compete with the new words as much. If they learn new words in the context of playing with well-known items such as a ball or book, they don’t process the new word as much.

8 . Each year many people move to the Sun Belt in the southern United States.     1     No matter where these people come from or where they go, snowbirding is a great way to enjoy the best weather of the country and enjoy the wide variety of places.

Most of the time people use the word snowbird in reference to retirees that travel to a southern state during the winter months. However, snowbirding is certainly not limited to retirees.     2     A large population of snowbirds usually choose California, Arizona, Florida and Texas, which have their mild weather during the winter.

    3     Some people like to travel in their RV(recreational vehicle), others have a second home in a location of their choosing. The second home provides all that a house can offer, but it doesn’t allow the freedom to explore. RV travelers, however, can get to wherever they want. In an RV, snowbirds can choose to set up a moveable residence in one spot. They can also explore a wide variety of places.    4    .

For those people that have the ability to leave their homes for a few months during the winter to explore the southern areas, there are many benefits to have.     5    .By snowbirding, they can also escape the cold. While this may seem purely for comfort, it can be for health and safety reasons as well.

9 . Urban transport is a part of everyday life. When we can move around with ease, we don’t just benefit as individuals - we benefit as a society. It would be a win-win to make public transport free for users and pay for it out of general tax.

At first the idea might seem unworkable, but we just need to cast our eyes to one of the cities that have already performed it. Tallinn, capital of Estonia, has gone part of the way there. The city’s residents pay a small fee for a pass that gives them free access to public transport, but tourists still need full payment. In one sense, this supports the city’s transport budget, but it also means there is still a need for expensive ticketing equipment. Wouldn’t it be simpler to remove ticketing altogether and instead charge a tourist tax for overnight stays?

In Luxembourg, from 2020, ministers decided to abolish fares on trains, trams and buses to stop the deepening gap between rich and poor. Transport is not only free to its 600,000 residents, but also many tourists. In 2019, Delhi’s chief minister announced free bus rides for women to address the fact that women were far less likely to be travelling on buses and trains in the first place. The fact that this plan has been rolled out in a region with a 16.9 million population is an encouraging sign that free transport isn’t only workable for small cities.

There is, however, a challenging issue with free travel - the potential for bosses to use it as an opportunity to cut staffing. Such concerns made transport unions oppose free travel. Passenger campaign groups should work with transport unions to make a dual (双重的) demand for free urban transport. Ticket clerks who currently perform spot-checks should be trained to provide assistance to anyone who requires help on board.

Free travel is not a cure for everything. But as well as the potential for reducing car usage, it could help make public transport safe, secure and accessible for all.