1 . Some researchers from the London School of Economics, Oxford University and University College London carried out a research on the Exploring What Matters course. The course is taught throughout the country and is run by volunteers, who have no formal training but bring people together to explore “the things that really matter in life”.

The study found that satisfaction levels of those taking part increased by one point, increasing from 6.4 out of 10 to 7.4 after the course. Researchers said that this increase was greater than the boost people would get from being partnered rather than single (+0.59), and being employed rather than unemployed (+0.7).

So far, more than 6,000 people in the UK have taken part in the eight-week course. People involved in the course learn how to cultivate (培养) happiness by taking positive action in their daily lives. They also learn how to have better relationships and create stronger communities.

“I was quite sceptical,” said Jo Newstead, are tired health worker in London. “But I really enjoy it. There are nice people from all different backgrounds and we usually have a full discussion. It has made me focus on what I can do to help improve things for myself and for others.“

Mark Williamson, director of Action for Happiness, was not surprised by the study’s results. “This new research backs up what hundreds of people have already told us: taking part in these groups is life-changing,” he said. “But the thing we’re most excited about is that people coming out of this experience not only feel better about themselves, but also feel more connected to others and want to do more for others,” he added.

5 . Dry lightning(雷电)can still be harmful even when conditions aren’t so dry, said a study published in Geophysical Research Letters last month. Dry lightning during little to no rainfall was previously thought to cause wildfire danger only with less than 2.5mm of rain in a day. A Washington State University-led study of wildfires in the US West found dry lightning caused wildfires despite up to 7.7 mm of rain.

“The rainfall amounts we recorded should help provide a better understanding of just how much rain can cause a fire risk,” said Dmitri Kalashnikov, lead author of the study.

The researchers analyzed(分析)cases on more than 4,600 naturally caused fires from 2015 to 2020. They matched 3,726 of those to the lightning strikes that likely started them with the help of National Lightning Detection Network.

The study found that 15.3% of those were holdover fires which burn without smoke, bringing about over a hundred fires each year. Analyzing the rainfall amounts around the time of the lightning strikes showed greater rainfall than previously thought among the earlier found fires ranging from 1.7 mm to 4.6 mm.

While humans still cause most fires either by accident or on purpose, lightning-caused wildfires burn the most areas. Nearly 70% of the wildfire-burned land in the West was from lightning-caused fires according to the study. For example, the largest wildfire burn area in California history took place in August 2020 after dry lightning caused many wildfires at once.

Dry lightning can also start wildfires in places that are hard for firefighters to reach. This study found the places where holdover fires happened repeatedly were in the forested mountains of the Southwest as well as the middle and southern Rocky Mountains. Holdover fires cause the problem because they are so hard to notice.

The water town of Wuzhen in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province, holds a series of activities full of local elements during the Spring Festival from January to February.

The most interesting part includes a water market on boats     1     people sell local delicious food such as spicy salted ducks, smoked sausage, local wine, fruits and lanterns, It leaves a good     2     (impress) on visitors. About 1, 300 years ago, people in the town began building houses along rivers across the town, and boats     3     (obvious) became the main vehicles in their daily life.

The ancient town has also kept     4     (it) tradition of putting many dining tables together to form a long table on holidays and people of the town eat together     5     (celebrate) a reunion. Tourists are warmly invited to take part     6     such kind of long table dining activities featuring hotpot and local liquor during the festival.

The water town holds a large drama festival and     7     (organize) art shows every year. Spring Festival galas, theater plays and art shows     8     (present) during this holiday. The town is about a two-hour drive from Shanghai and     9     (tourist) from across the nation are     10     (amaze) at the local celebration.

7 . The New Nordic Diet (NND) is a new food project with key focus on gastronomy (烹饪法)，health, and environment, which will give you a direction for a healthier lifestyle.

Developing a New Meal System

In this first module (模块), you will be introduced to the NND project. You will hear about the background for the project, and the rules behind which are considered to be important to this new meal system.

The OPUS School Meal Study

In the second module, we will study how the OPUS School Meal Study was designed and how the researchers examined the effect of the NND school meals on health, as well as their risk factors for developing lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The study compared the NND with the present situation in schools.

The OPUS Supermarket Intervention

In the third module, we will be looking at the effect of the NND on adults. We will study the effect of eating the NND and the Avenge Danish Diet (ADD), respectively, in terms of body weight, body fat and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. You will learn about problems and advantages associated with (与……有关) two types of diet, focusing in particular on shopping, cooking and meal structure.

Study the NND - From Food to Health

In the last module we will focus on the health of the NND, the effects published so far from different studies and on the possible factors and foods affecting the results.

8 . With the rise of technology, we’re experiencing an important change in our lives. But what exactly are the differences between a modern lifestyle and a traditional lifestyle?

A traditional lifestyle is often defined by cultural and social standards passed down through generations(几代人). However, the modern lifestyle is characterized by a more personal approach, where personal freedom is often more important than traditional standards.

But the differences between the two go much deeper than just cultural standards. The way we live our daily lives has also changed greatly. Modern lifestyles are often characterized by technology-driven convenience. On the other hand, traditional lifestyles favor(青睐)a more simple approach to daily living.

So what does it mean to live a modern lifestyle, and how does it differ from a traditional one? The development of communication methods is a heated topic that gives us insights into the rich history of mankind. Letters were once the primary means of communicating across great distances, and they held a special place in people’s hearts, sharing news of loved ones. Writing a letter was so amazing as it required thoughtful consideration.

As time passed and technology advanced, communication methods changed, and today we live in an age controlled by instant(即时的)messaging and social media. While these tools offer speed and convenience, they have damaged the depth of our relationships.

In our modern lifestyle, we’re connected in a real-time way, but sometimes we feel more disconnected than ever before. The instant messages can leave us feeling anxious, while the art of face-to-face conversation is in danger of being lost.

But it’s not all bad news. Technology has brought us closer in many ways, providing new forms of communication. Video calls, for example, have made it possible to meet with loved ones from anywhere in the world, creating a sense of community that was once impossible.

9 . Like most other American high school students, Garret Morgan imagined his life repeatedly: Go to college and get a bachelor’s (学士) degree. However, Morgan made a big decision in 2018. He started training as an ironworker, which was what he was doing on a weekday morning in an industrial park.

Back then, the demand (需求) for ironworkers was rising and it still is. Ironworkers get about $27.48 per hour. At 20, Morgan got $28.36 an hour. Five years later, he’s on the job full time, working for 10 hours a day, six days a week. “I’m loving it every day,” he said. “It was the right choice.”

While a shortage of workers pushes pay higher in the skilled trades, the financial return from a bachelor’s degree is softening. But high school graduates have been so effectively encouraged to get a bachelor’s degree that high-paid jobs requiring shorter and less expensive training are going unfilled.

The Washington State Auditor (WSA) found in 2017 that good jobs in the skilled trades were going begging because most high school students go for bachelor’s degrees. It’s still true in Washington State and around the country. Among other things, the WSA suggested that career guidance (就业指导), including choices that require less than four years in college, start as early as the seventh grade.

Some 30 million jobs in the United States that pay around $55,000 per year don’t require bachelor’s degrees, according to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce.

Yet the march to bachelor’s degrees continues. “There’s a belief that the bachelor’s degree is the American dream,” said Kate Kreamer, an expert in career and technical education. “The challenge is that sometimes the degree might keep students from getting jobs. Students are going to college without a plan, without a career in mind, because the mindset in high school is just ‘Go to college’.”

Most polar bears could die out by the end of the century due to global warming,     1     (scientist) say. According to a study, most polar bear populations will be dropping markedly by 2080. The cause is melting (融化) sea ice. Polar bears feed     2     (main) on seals on the ice. Without ice, the bears have to walk to faraway places and spend more and more time away from     3     (they) main food source. That means the animals could die.

Lack of food leads to another problem: Mother bears may not be fat enough to produce milk for their babies. Some bears could stop     4     (have) babies, which results     5     a rapid decline (减少) in numbers.

Arctic sea ice usually melts in spring and summer, and then grows in winter. But now, the ice is taking     6     (long) to grow back. Weather statistics say the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Ice in the region     7     (drop) by 13% every 10 years since the 1970s.

But the study also notes that it is still possible     8     (slow) Arctic melting. The world can cut the burning of coal, oil, etc. and lower the greenhouse gas emissions (排放)     9     bring about climate change. It would have to be a big drop to make     10     difference.