1 . Saturn’s rings are losing material every year.

Incoming micrometeorites (微陨石) and the sun’s radiation disturb the small, dusty pieces of ring matter, electrifying them. The particles, suddenly transformed, become adapted to Saturn’s magnetic field lines and start spinning along those invisible paths. When the particles get too close to Saturn’s atmosphere, gravity pulls them in, and they vaporize (蒸发) in the planet’s clouds. Astronomers call this "ring rain", and over time this and other phenomena will weaken the distinctive rings, until nothing is left.

“This is us looking at Saturn’s rings at their peak,” said James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist from Japan. From our perspective, the magnificent sight seems immutable (永恒的), but, on the grand scale of things, it is fleeting.

It might help to know that the process is going to take a while: O’Donoghue and other scientists estimate that the rings will disappear in about 300million years. The residents of Earth still have plenty of time to appreciate the beauty of Saturn’s rings.

The science community hasn’t come to a consensus about the origin story of Saturn’s rings. But, it is a reminder that the worlds of our solar system, however still they might look from here, are dynamic places, with dramatic histories of their own. “ We think that the universe out there—as opposed to this, where we live, where everything is messy and changing all the time—is this kind of crystal and never-changing thing,” said Jeff Cuzzi, an expert on planetary rings. From afar, Saturn’s rings look so solid, like a wall you could swing your legs over. But they are anything but. The Voyager mission had spotted some evidence of ring stuff leaking into Saturn, but with Cassini, astronomers could really investigate the phenomenon, and make their best estimates yet for how long the rings would stick around.

A few hundred million years is a very long time. And yet I have a sudden sharp feeling of sadness about the idea of Saturn losing its rings. So do some astronomers I’ve spoken with. I’ve come to think of this reaction as “space feel”. It has no real bearing on our daily lives, and yet they tug at the heartstrings in a cosmic way. “It’s very, very sad that the rings will disappear in the future,” O’Donoghue said. But “I’m very happy that we’re lucky enough to see it.”

2 . Selena Evans had been down for days because she had no idea how to please those two girls. At first, Elizabeth Moretz just wouldn’t hide her disdain (鄙视) for her. About a month ago, when Selena ran into her near a coffee shop, she called her name from afar. However, Elizabeth didn’t show any kindness; instead, she scolded her, “You scared the hell out of me”. To apologize, for several days in a row, Selena would buy some coffee and stand at the door of the cafe, waiting for Elizabeth to come, and then pass the coffee to her and say friendly, “This is for you!” But every time, Elizabeth would look at her doubtfully and then reject it.

But one day before a math class, Elizabeth sat down right next to her and said, “You know, I always speak out of turn without thinking. Sometimes it might hurt people. But you’ll realize I’m a good person soon. Please forgive my rudeness.” Then she passed her a cup of coffee, “This is for you.” Selena couldn’t believe it was happening. She took the coffee excitedly.

But soon she discovered she shouldn’t have been happy like that because the coffee wasn’t even for her. It was for Sara Crawford. Sara didn’t show up that day, so Elizabeth gave it to her instead.

Should I try to be one of a group where I don’t belong?

“No, I will spare no efforts to be their friend!”

The next day Selena went to the bakery and bought three loafs of bread, one for herself, one for Elizabeth and one for Sara. As she was walking to the cafe, she saw Elizabeth sitting at an outdoor table of the cafe, pouring some water from her thermos into a coffee cup. After that, she put the cup lid back really quickly and then looked around alertly.

Selena paused a little, and then called her loudly in the distance, “Morning!”

Following the sound, Elizabeth saw Selena. She put the thermos back into her pack really quickly and stood up with that coffee in her hand.

Selena ran to her and passed her a loaf of bread, “This is for you.”

“Oh, I…” Elizabeth waved her hand, “I don’t like bread.”

“Then, what do you like?” Before Selena could finish, Elizabeth had run away with that coffee.

Selena had been feeling down for two classes. The third class was lab course. She went to the Girls’ room before that and when she came back to the lab, Elizabeth walked to her with a cup of coffee. She dragged Selena, shoved the coffee into her hand and turned away.

Suddenly, she recalled what she had seen this morning, and was frozen there.

5 . Costa Rica has a long-standing commitment (投入) to the environment.    1    It has doubled its forest cover across the country in the last 30 years.

In the 1940s, more than three-quarters of the country was covered in mostly rainforests and other woodlands. Then, between the 1940s and 1980s, heavy, uncontrolled logging (伐木) led to serious deforestation (滥伐).    2    Realizing the great damage that was happening, government officials took a stand. Through a continued environmental focus, they were able to turn things around to the point that today forest cover has increased to 52%, which is double that of 1983 levels. That forest cover is able to take in a huge amount of CO₂from the atmosphere, fighting climate change for us all.

    3    The government encourages landowners to protect the land through cash payments if they sign contracts (合同) with the Ministry of Environment. These contracts allow the landowners to take only a certain number of trees from the forest, and also require that they continue planting trees in the deforested areas.    4    

Robert Blasiak, a researcher at the University of Tokyo, said, “Taking a closer look at what Costa Rica has achieved in the past 30 years may be just the driving force needed to make real change all over the world.”

That is exactly what the Costa Rican leaders hope to achieve.    5    The Costa Rican President has called the climate crisis (危机) “the greatest task of our generation”; one that his country is strongly committed to.

At age 22, race driver Zhou Guanyu has already made history and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen announced on November 16 that Zhou     1     (join) the team as a race driver for the 2022 season,     2     (make) him the first-ever Chinese Formula 1 (F1) driver. “Becoming in F1 driver has always been my dream, and I’m really excited     3     (realize) my dream,” Zhou told China Daily.

Zhou debuted in F2 in 2019. That’s where most young racers begin their journey toward F1. Zhou finished the year as F2’s leading rookie.     4     , 2020 brought what Zhou called “by far the     5     (difficult) season for me”. Several mechanical failures led to the driver being placed     6     (six) in the standings.

But looking back, he sees this     7     a period of growth that has helped him show his strength. “The road to F1 is very difficult, all of     8     takes a lot of time and effort,” Zhou said. “For Chinese drivers, the process will only be more difficult. I have to explore all the possibilities with my team.”

The     9     (ambition) young man will make his debut at F1 next season s opener in Bahrain. Let’s look forward to his wonderful     10     (perform)!

8 . Job interviews are rarely fun, especially for today’s young people. They usually need to smile anxiously into their laptop webcams, and answer questions as a time ticks down with no human to interact with at all.

Large employers are using these asynchronous (非同步的) video to cut down job applicants to a smaller pool they can meet in person. Platforms such as HireVue and Modern Hire record applicants answering pre-determined questions, usually with a time limit for each answer. In some cases, the recordings will be watched by employer’s hiring managers. In others, the platform’s algorithms will assess the candidate based on what they said or even their facial expressions. The platforms say the process is fairer and less biased than human recruiters (招聘者), leading to better and more diverse candidates making the cut.

However, in addition to caring about whether the technology works as intended, employers need to pay more attention to how the process affects prospective employees. Researchers at University of Sussex Business School, in association with the Institute for Employment Studies, have warned that young jobseekers feel confused, dehumanized and exhausted by automated recruitment systems.

Jimeet Romen Shah, who is in his final year at the University of Sussex, has done seven or so AVIs in the past two years. He tries to “ make eye contact ” with the camera but finds it hard not to watch his own face on the screen. “ It doesn’t feel natural at all. When I’m in a face-to-face interview, I can smile when I’m talking, but when I’m in a video and trying to smile it doesn’t look right. ” He worries that if he glances down or up it will look like he is reading notes. “ It does feel robotic, ” he says.

Employers stand to lose too. AVIs select out people who can talk into a void (真空), not people who can interact well with others, though the latter is more important in most jobs. What’s more, an interview is a company’s first real interaction with prospective employees. It should be a chance for both sides to learn about each other.

It’s easy to get excited about new technology, but employers should listen to the voices of the supposed “ digital natives ” now subject to it. “ If I’m ever on the other side of the table, ” Shah told me, ” I’m always going to do a telephone call at the least.

9 . Growing up in Havana, Cuba, Mario Garcia was a well-known child actor. He was about 10 years old the first time he ever stepped on the set. It began with a chance encounter. Mario had been sitting on a bench outside a studio in Havana, waiting while his father and his band were performing.

Suddenly, someone approached him and said, “ We are trying to test for this commercial. ” So he got up and had an audition (试境). Even with no acting experience, it quickly felt like a natural career path. From the commercial, he went on to be on TV series and a movie and all that.

But a revolution came and in its wake, his career was broken off. Mario was 15 when he had to fly to America as a refugee (难民). He landed in Miami, where he went to live with his aunt and uncle while his parents stayed in Cuba. They joined him in Miami about a year later.

Mario clearly recalled the day he left: Feb. 28, 1962. He was in high school that first year in Florida. It was a challenge living in a foreign country with no language, no parents and going to school. He had to go from being an actor to being a waiter. He always went to an alley behind the restaurant and sat on a wooden box and dried the tears with his apron. But Mario’s optimism never failed him. He went on to earn his Ph. D. in Spanish language and literature from the University of Miami.

He currently teaches journalism at Columbia University. Still, he said, “ I’ m not giving up on getting a good part in a movie. ” Mario’s latest acting job was as an extra in the new musical drama film In the Heights. He continues to audition for new roles.