1 . On March 16th I left the offices of The Economist to head home. That was the last day when all editorial staff assembled in our London office. And, at the time of writing, no date for a return to the office is in
It is remarkable how quickly we have adapted. The newspaper has been written, edited and produced from couches and kitchen tables. January and February seem like an ancient era — the BC (before coronavirus) to the new AD (after
The shift may
Not only that, it has made remote work seem both normal and acceptable. In the past employees who stayed home had to overcome the
Things are
Yet
Another aspect of the AD era may be the disappearance of the five-day working week. Even before the pandemic many workers became used to taking phone calls or answering emails at the weekend. In the AD era, the
In future employees may work and take breaks when they please, with the company video call the only
A.doubt | B.sight | C.mind | D.hope |
A.domestication | B.transition | C.isolation | D.pandemic |
A.affect | B.shape | C.arouse | D.rival |
A.on | B.off | C.over | D.down |
A.suspicion | B.difficulty | C.prejudice | D.disadvantage |
A.advancing | B.reversing | C.interfering | D.missing |
A.remote | B.intense | C.casual | D.novel |
A.now that | B.in case | C.even though | D.as long as |
A.Commuters | B.Legislators | C.Executives | D.Employers |
A.in demand | B.beyond reach | C.at issue | D.on top |
A.balance | B.barrier | C.connection | D.conflict |
A.fixture | B.engagement | C.priority | D.interaction |
A.perspectives | B.routines | C.regulations | D.equivalents |
A.better | B.harder | C.more | D.fewer |
A.access | B.progress | C.return | D.contrast |
2 . We all have friends that need a little advice, but one of the problems with those types of conversations is that it’s really easy to come off as a know-it-all when you’re offering help. When you do that, nobody’s going to listen.
Obviously not everyone is looking for your advice. Before you go offering up your point of view, make sure they’re interested in hearing it. As Roger Gil points out, often friends aren’t looking for you to solve a problem. They just want you to listen and maybe ask some questions. So, ask if they’d like to hear your input or insights on a problem, but also ask questions about why thee feel a certain way. If they say “no”, let them finish their story and listen politely.
Speaking of listening. It’s also a good idea to figure out right away what your friends want from you. Gil describes this as differentiating between opinions, expert advice, and being a “sounding board”. Essentially, don’t pretend like you know something you don’t.
Now that you know whether or not your friends or family actually want your advice, it’s time to learn how to advise without sounding like a know-it-all. This is a lot harder than you might think. As Gil points out, one way to offer advice without sounding pretentious (自以为是的) is to avoid “You should” statements.
A.Definitely don’t act like you’ve been in a situation you haven’t been in. |
B.Different situations require different approaches so we need to know what we should contribute. |
C.Gil also adds that even when you know the answer to something, you might want to keep your mouth shut. |
D.Gil’s advice, seems obvious, but it’s incredibly easy to get on your high-horse and use “You should” if you’re not careful. |
E.When you have a friend who’s stuck in trouble, it’s normal to want to provide some type of insight to get them out of it. |
F.However, the key is to make sure you stay in “listening mode” for as long as possible, and you don’t push your advice when it isn’t wanted. |
We Britons have about 60 words for happiness: blissfulness, ecstasy, pleasure, delight...The list is as varied as it is surprising, given that we only just scraped into the top 20 happiest countries in the world this year. Finns, who
In the decade
For the fourth year running, the UK has slipped down the global happiness rankings,
In many ways, though, my admittedly luxurious stay revealed to me
5 . More people are travelling than ever before, and lower barriers to entry and falling costs means they are doing so for
The rise of “city breaks” 48-hour bursts of foreign cultures, easier on the pocket and annual leave balance has increased tourist numbers, but not their
In response to this situation, cities have come up with various solutions. For instance, Amsterdam has started advising visitors to seek
But it also proposes a better way, which is called “de-tourism”: sustainable travel tips and
A greater variety of
Font says cities could stand to be more
A.longer | B.shorter | C.wider | D.clearer |
A.environmental | B.national | C.economic | D.geographic |
A.locals | B.tourists | C.visitors | D.cleaners |
A.transports | B.accommodation | C.restaurants | D.service |
A.cause | B.fuel | C.transfer | D.ease |
A.separate | B.individual | C.alternative | D.objective |
A.reform | B.guidance | C.invitation | D.support |
A.convincing | B.discouraging | C.promoting | D.enjoying |
A.release | B.enhance | C.remove | D.relieve |
A.culture | B.knowledge | C.entertainment | D.ability |
A.go with | B.bring up | C.come back | D.lay off |
A.selective | B.optimistic | C.curious | D.doubtful |
A.distinction | B.harmony | C.association | D.comparison |
A.French | B.Japanese | C.Spanish | D.German |
A.comfortable | B.complex | C.temporary | D.sustainable |
6 . Could your dog be prone to a fatal disease? Is your new shelter pup part beagle or boxer? Many pet owners seek answers to these questions, and as a result, direct-to-consumer dog DNA testing is booming.
Human interfering with dog DNA has long been the driving factor behind dogs’ breed diversity — or lack thereof. But a dog’s DNA can also be used to confirm their lineage (血统) or identify their breed, a boon for pet owners on the lookout for breed-specific health or behavioral challenges or those looking to confirm their dog really has the heritage claimed by a breeder or seller. During DNA analysis, labs sequence the dog’s DNA and look for similarities with a dataset of identified dog breeds.
But breed identification isn’t as simple as it might seem. In a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association last month, scientists looked into the accuracy of breed prediction in commercially available DNA tests that required a photo of the dog in addition to its DNA sample. The results were mixed, says Casey Greene, a professor who co-authored the study.
“Most tests could accurately distinguish the breed of purebred dogs,” says Greene. But the analysis suggested that some testing companies might rely on the photo more than the dog’s actual genetics — and revealed big differences between companies’ business practices and the genetic datasets they use to determine dog breeds.
The researchers submitted photos and DNA of 12 purebred dogs to a total of six commercial canine (犬的) ancestry identification services. Since each pup was purebred and possessed extensive American Kennel Club paperwork, the researchers knew their breed conclusively—but in some cases they provided a photo of a different dog to see if the photo influenced the DNA results. One of the companies misidentified a purebred Chinese crested dog — almost entirely hairless — as a long-haired Brittany spaniel, seemingly based on the photo alone. The other five did identify the registered breed correctly, but often gave different predictions for other “ancestor” breeds in dogs whose DNA suggested mixed breeding in prior generations. The researchers concluded that veterinarians and pet owners alike should “approach direct-to-consumer tests with caution” given the lack of industry standardization and at least one company’s reliance on photographs instead of DNA analysis.
Despite these concerns, though. dog DNA seems headed for a golden age — and the insights revealed through further study of Fido’s genome (基因组) have already reached far beyond the doghouse. Domesticated dogs have emerged as surprising superstars in medical research that benefits humans. According to researchers, that’s just the beginning. With implications ranging from entertaining to consequential, there’s no telling what dog DNA will continue to unleash.
1. The underlined word “boon” in paragraph two is closest in meaning to ________.A.blessing | B.substitute | C.duty | D.struggle |
A.it assists in accurately determining the breed a dog belongs to |
B.it helps to predict whether dogs are subject to certain diseases |
C.it provides pet owners with insights into dogs’ behavioral challenges |
D.it sequences the DNA of identified dog breeds to find their similarities |
A.Photos play a more significant role in identifying a dog’s breed than its actual genetics. |
B.It is a common phenomenon that the DNA analysis of dogs may yield mixed results. |
C.Commercial dog DNA tests still have limitations and should be dealt with cautiously. |
D.Direct-to-consumer tests overshadow DNA analysis in identifying purebred dogs. |
A.Controversies regarding its reliability are here to stay. |
B.It is bound to make breakthroughs in the fields of medicine and entertainment. |
C.It can step into a golden age as long as some research limitations are fixed. |
D.It may have far-reaching significance and be applied to a wider range of areas. |
A. adaptable B. capacity C. complicated D. decline E. demand F. evaluating G. highlighted H. impacts I. occurs J. pursuing K. survive |
Economics survive by continually responding to the world around them. This means employing new technologies or exploiting new international markets when
So how can economies
The
Adapt to Survive for the first time brings together the two most comprehensive sources of talent data in the world: the real-time behaviours drawn from LinkedIn’s 277 million members and employer information from PwC’s Saratoga database of people and performance metrics (指标) which covers more than 2,600 employers across the globe. This report sets a new benchmark for
● Individuals — Prove your adaptability.
● Employers — Seek out, nurture and reward talents who can adapt.
● Educators — Offer courses and job training that produce
● Governments — Create a climate of adaptability.
To better understand how people express gratitude in normal life, anthropologist (人类学家) Simcon Floyd, at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (心理语言学) in Netherlands and his colleagues organised a large, cross-cultural study covering five continents and eight languages. That
Floyd’s team left cameras in household and community settings and captured more than 1,500 instances of social interactions
They found that in every culture, people fulfilled requests, but expressions of gratitude, such as saying “thanks” or nodding in appreciation, were remarkably rare,
English and Italian speakers had slightly
Cha’palaa speakers had the lowest frequency of expressed gratitude,
Also surprised by the findings was David Peterson, linguist (语言学家) who developed the
A place where young people can shine
Kindergarten Without Walls is a unique concept different from the traditional model of education.
The kindergarten is funded by its founder Tang Haoduo,who aims to create a supportive and caring community for children in the neighborhood. And the volunteers come from different walks of life.
Zhu, an art practice researcher, notes that the starting point of this Kindergarten is humble and down-to-earth. “Tang is an ordinary person