1 . One day, I was standing on the boat when a very large female leopard seal swam by. I put on my diving gear and got my camera. I was ___________. My mouth was dry. At first, I couldn’t even move. But I knew it was time to___________this mysterious creature.

I jumped into the freezing water. Immediately, the seal swam toward me. Then she put my entire camera—and much of my ___________— into her mouth. Although the seal was putting me at risk, I tried not to ___________ any fear. After a few seconds, she let go of my head. She ___________  me a few more times and swam away. Then she ___________ with a live penguin. She even tried to show me how to___________it. She tried to push the penguin into my camera — she thought the camera was my___________! The seal thought I was just another large animal, and she was trying to___________me, I realized.

By now, she didn’t seem very____________. She stayed by me for four days. One time, she noticed another leopard seal ____________ behind me. She made a deep, threatening sound and ____________ the other seal away.

Those four days were the most incredible experience I ever had as a wildlife ____________. I got some amazing pictures. I also learned that animals do not always behave the way we____________. My relationship with this powerful and ____________ animal will stay with me forever.

3 . Have you ever seen your cat or dog eating grass? They do so because it can help their digestion, and many wild species use natural substances to prevent and control diseases. This is called “zoo pharmacognosy” or, more commonly, animal self-medication.

Scientists have discovered that tamarin monkeys use a specific tree resin (树脂) as medicine. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, scientists followed several groups of them to collect data. During one of these daily studies, tamarin monkeys were observed rubbing their bodies on the trunk of a tree. At first, researchers thought that they were marking their territory, a common behaviour in this species. Botanical experts later confirmed that the tree was a species of cabreuva, which is well known for its medical properties.

Researchers decided to place camera-traps in different sites at the foot of the tree to record future visits by tamarin monkeys. The records surprisingly showed that many animals living in the forest visited it. Totally, ten species were observed. For many of them, it was the first time that behaviors similar to self-medication had been observed. More surprisingly, one species spread resin on each other’s fur in pairs. In general, the species seemed to specifically visit the tree to acquire the resin and seemingly benefit from it, either healing their wounds or fighting back parasites (寄生虫).

While further studies are needed to identify the properties of the resin and thus confirm that this is indeed self-medication, the use of it suggests that cabreuva represents a common and universal drugstore for the residents of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. It is likely to be a valuable resource helping the species maintain their magnitude by improving their health.

This discovery could have an important protection influence, as the disappearance of some trees could potentially affect the survival of some animals.

4 . Benefits of Personality Tests

Can identifying one’s personality type using the MBTI and other personality assessments really help? They may.     1    

Better understand others

After taking a personality test and seeing our results, we can gain a better understanding of all the different perceptions and reactions that others might have to the same situation.     2     . No personality type is “better” than any other — just different. Each perspective brings something new and interesting to the table.

Identify our likes and dislikes

Maybe we’ve always hated talking on the phone but never really understood why.     3    . By using personality tests like the MBTI, we can learn more about where we lie on the extroversion/introversion and thinking/feeling continuum (连续性). This helps us better understand why we prefer certain things and dislike others.

    4    .

Learning more about our personality type can also help us discover new ways to approach challenges. Knowing what might work best for our personality type can give us new ideas on how to solve problems, deal with stress, cope with conflict, and manage our work habits.

Recognize our strengths and weaknesses

Knowing what we are good at can be important in a wide variety of situations, whether we are picking a college major or thinking about running for a seat on our local school board. For example, if we know that we are an ISTJ (introverted, sensing, thinking, and judging) on the MBTI, we might recognize that certain aspects of our personality might qualify as strengths in some situations and weaknesses in others.    5    , it can sometimes trip us up in situations where we need to let other people take control.

5 . One of the biggest challenges that traditional educators face is how to unlock students’ love of learning. Once students overcome their fear or unwillingness, they will be on the track of becoming motivated learners.

In order to help students discover the joy in learning, some teachers are turning to a simple but effective strategy called gamification-using game-related elements such as activities and rewards to promote students’ engagement in class. With an origin in educational psychology, this approach is designed to reach students by making the learning process funny and interesting.

What’s more, researches show that gamification can also make assignments less stressful. Without too much pressure, students will associate learning with curiosity and joy. Accordingly, they feel like continuing the journey because positive feelings have boosted their confidence.

But like any other strategies, gamification has its drawbacks when used incorrectly. It is very likely that some students only focus on winning rewards but have no interest in understanding concepts or learning new skills-exactly the opposite of the desired outcome. To avoid this, teachers can help prevent students from becoming wrongly motivated by choosing suitable rewards. Instead of class parties or snacks, try rewards that help students develop a passion for academic subjects.

For example, have students earn points towards a class field trip by behaving and doing their assignments, or pair subjects that a student dislikes with fun books or activities to encourage motivation. That way, they associate fun with reading, math, or other skills. More examples include competing on a leader-board, holding a talent show, or playing other team-building games. All activities and rewards need to be carefully selected and well arranged.

If you’re having a hard time getting your class interested in learning, talk with them together or individually about what motivates them and include it into your student engagement strategies.

6 . Eradajere Oleita thinks she may have a partial solution to two of her country’s problems: garbage and poverty. It’s called the Chip Bag Project. The 26-year-old student and environmentalist from Detroit is asking a favor of local snack lovers: Rather than throw your empty chip bags into the trash, donate them so she can turn them into sleeping bags for the homeless.

Chip eaters drop off their empty bags from Doritos, Lays, and other favorites at two locations in Detroit: a print shop and a clothing store, where Oleita and her volunteer helpers collect them. After they clean the chip bags in soapy hot water, they slice them open, lay them flat, and iron them together. They use padding (衬垫) and liners (衬里) from old coats to line the insides.

It takes about four hours to sew a sleeping bag, and each takes around 150 to 300 chip bags, depending on whether they’re single-serve or family size. The result is a sleeping bag that is “waterproof, lightweight, and easy to carry around”, Oleita told the Detroit News.

Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has collected more than 800,000 chip bags and, as of last December, created 110 sleeping bags. Sure, it would be simpler to raise the money to buy new sleeping bags. But that’s only half the goal for Oleita—whose family moved to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago with the hope of attaining a better life —and her fellow volunteers. “We are devoted to making an impact not only socially, but environmentally,” she says.

And, of course, there’s the symbolism of rescuing bags that would otherwise land in the trash and using them to help the homeless. It’s a powerful reminder that environmental problem and poverty often go hand in hand. As Oleita told hourdetroit. com: “I think it’s time to show connections between all of these issues.”

7 . Here’re some of the excellent inventions in 2023. Which one do you like most?

Whiter Paint

The paint on a white building reflects 80 to 90% of the sunlight that strikes it. The rest of the light warms the surrounding area, raising air-conditioning bills. But the Whiter Paint is made of chemicals that better reflect UV rays. It reflects up to 98% of the sunlight, which could reduce AC use by 40%. “The heat is reflected into deep space,” says Xiulin Ruan, who led the Purdue University team that created the paint.

Duolingo app

Now you can take music lessons on a smartphone, using this app, which uses an on-screen piano to teach basics such as harmony and beat. You learn by interacting with more than 200 popular pieces of music. Just match sounds to notes and play along. “You don’t need natural talent to learn music,” says Karen Chow, who’s a learning scientist at Duolingo.

Model A

Model A, developed by Alef Aeronautics, is a two-seat all-electric vehicle with a flight range of 110 miles. And it looks as if it were made to be parked in a garage. In July, 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration gave Alef permission to take the vehicle on test flights. The company hopes to deliver the first Model A by 2026.

Moonwalkers

They’re actually battery-powered shoes with wheels. They let you walk normally—just faster and more easily. Moonwalkers, made by Shift Robotics, use AI to sense when you’re speeding up or slowing down, and adjust themselves accordingly. With it, you can walk at speeds up to seven miles per hour.