Uncertainty is all around us, never more so than today. Whether it concerns your health or relationships, much of what lies ahead in life remains uncertain.
We’re all different in how much uncertainty we can tolerate in life. Some people seem to enjoy taking risks and living unpredictable lives, while others find the randomness of life deeply annoying. But all of us have a limit. If you feel controlled by uncertainty and worry, it’s important to know that you’re not alone; many of us are in the same boat.
To cope with all this uncertainty, many of us use worrying as a tool for trying to predict the future and avoid unpleasant surprises. Worrying can make it seem like you have some control over uncertain circumstances. You may also believe that it will help you find a solution to your problems or prepare you for the worst. Unfortunately, long-term worrying just robs you of enjoyment in the present and weakens your energy. But there are healthier ways to cope with uncertainty.
Identify your uncertainty trigger (诱发因素). A lot of uncertainty tends to be self-generated. However, some can be generated by external sources, such as reading media stories that focus on bad news, or simply communicating with anxious friends. By recognizing your triggers, you can take action to avoid or reduce your exposure to them.
Shift your attention. Focus on solvable worries, taking action on those aspects of a problem that you can control, or simply go back to what you were doing. When the feelings of uncertainty return, refocus your mind on the present moment and your own breathing.
1. How are people different in tolerating uncertainty in life?2. Why do many people use worrying as a tool to deal with uncertainty?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▶ Knowing the triggers of your uncertainty, you can learn to expose yourself to them.
4. What are you most uncertain about right now? How will you deal with it? (In about 40 words)
Soil
Cats are second only to dogs as the most common pets in the world.
Davyon Johnson, an 11-year-old boy, was honored by his community after saving two lives in one day. On Dec. 9, a choking student tripped into the classroom
5 . In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), water is more valuable than oil. To support its citizens, the nation relies on expensive campaigns of cloud seeding from aircraft, which spray particles(喷洒微粒) into passing clouds to make rainfall.
But according to Oliver Branch, a climate scientist, there may be another method to stir up a rainmaker: with city-size solar farms that create their own weather. The heat from dark solar panels can cause updrafts that sometimes lead to rainstorms, providing water for local people. “Maybe it’s not science fiction that we can produce this effect,” says Branch, who led the work.
Few studies have examined how renewable energy might shift weather patterns. In 2020, Branch found that incredibly large solar farms, taking up more than 1 million square kilometers in the Sahara desert, could boost local rainfall. But the reward would come with a cost, the researchers found: By altering wind patterns, the solar farms would push tropical rain bands north. That’s not good news for the Amazon areas.
To find more, researchers turned to a weather model that can account for land surface changes. They modeled the solar farms as nearly black fields that absorbed 95%of the sunlight, surrounded by relatively reflective sand. When the solar farms reached 15 square kilometers, they found, the increased heat they absorbed appreciably increased the updrafts, or convection, that drive cloud formation.
Hacking convection wasn’t enough, however: damp air was also needed. When conditions were ripe, the model also found, a 20-square-kilometer solar field would increase a storm’s total rainfall by nearly 600,000 cubic meters. If such rainstorms occurred 10 times in one summer, they would provide enough water to support more than 30,000 people for a year.
Solar farms in China and elsewhere are nearly big enough, Branch says. If they were built in the right spots, it wouldn’t take much to darken the panels and to plant dark crops between panel rows. Still they’re trying to improve the realism of their solar panel simulations by cross-checking them with field measurements at existing solar farms.
The UAE “is committed to studying the potentially dynamic strategies, such as optimizing convection,” says Alya Al, director of the UAE’s Research Program. For now, she adds, the UAE is deeply committed to its cloud seeding program, carrying out some 300 missions each year.
1. In his study, Branch attempts to produce rainfall ________.| A．by way of updrafts formed on solar farms | B．by spraying particles into passing clouds |
| C．by means of relatively reflective sand | D．by planting dark crops |
| A．the ripe conditions for building a solar farm |
| B．the realistic size of a solar farm for rainfall increase |
| C．the annual amount of water consumption in the UAE |
| D．the heat absorption rate of the solar panels in the black fields |
| A．It is not supported by the director. | B．It needs great investment if applied. |
| C．It remains to be further tested in practice. | D．It has promoted cloud seeding in the UAE. |
Family values are a set of principles and beliefs that a family agrees upon, such as emphasizing the importance of honest behaviors or valuing effort and persistence in achieving goals. They are fundamental and determine how members of a home interact with each other and with the world.
Family values determine what you think is important and what is good. These values can help you stay consistent when making decisions in everyday life, especially in moments of uncertainty. This is particularly true when you’re going to make quick decisions based on an emotional reaction. For example, if honesty and communication are your important family values, you’re more likely to approach conflicts with an open mind and a willing heart to talk through issues. When finding your family member has lied to you, instead of acting thoughtlessly, you know what to do—have a talk sincerely.
Family values serve as a guiding force within the home, but their impact extends far beyond, shaping societal norms and behaviors. For example, if several families plant generosity in their values, the next generation will grow up to be more generous. As a result, adults in this generation are more likely to take other people’s needs into consideration when making difficult choices. They become positive contributors to the society, developing an atmosphere of care and consideration that enhances communal well-being.
Great influence as it has, family values are not taught consciously. Often, they get passed down without being noticed. Those values don’t ever get questioned. Whether you’ve outlined them or not, they’re present. And once you take ownership of those values, you can shape them to be in line with what you expect your family to be.
1. What are family values?2. How can family values help to make decisions in everyday life?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Family values have great influence within the home, but they have nothing to do with shaping common behaviors and rules in a society.
4. Please share one of your family values and explain how it influences you. (In about 40 words)
When a severe car crash occurs on a deserted road, the injured may not rely on nearby witnesses to call the emergency services. Now many modern smartphones
The Port of Shanghai has been the busiest in the world for 14 years running after
Before some of the greatest explorers in history were born, Vikings had already navigated (航海) their way around the world. But with no
10 . The Happy Hitchhiker (徒步者)
Several years ago, I decided to visit my best friend, who lived in Napier.
As I walked along a tree-lined country road, I
He laughed and asked if I
Opotiki was a further 25 km away, so I
After dinner we all
The next morning I woke to a cup of tea and a nice hot breakfast. I thanked them for their care, when the lady handed me a sandwich saying that it should
| A．Whether | B．Once | C．Because | D．Although |
| A．brave | B．funny | C．lucky | D．clever |
| A．supposed | B．explained | C．discovered | D．wondered |
| A．blocked | B．headed | C．pointed | D．expected |
| A．named | B．left | C．meant | D．passed |
| A．road | B．weather | C．town | D．night |
| A．followed | B．directed | C．invited | D．promised |
| A．looked | B．chatted | C．waited | D．guessed |
| A．keep | B．join | C．mind | D．stop |
| A．intelligence | B．eagerness | C．honesty | D．kindness |
