Scrolling through your WeChat moments, you came across a post saying: “I just got accepted to Harvard AND Oxford! Are they sure they didn't mix my applications up with somebody else?!" This person is clearly humblebragging. The term“humblebrag'"was first coined to describe when someone makes a seemingly modest statement, but the actual purpose is to bring attention to something they are proud of.
Although those who humblebrag think it will make them more likable because they aren't loudly boasting about their triumphs,a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology showed that humblebragging actually has the opposite effect. "Humblebragging backfires because it seems very fake. That 'woe is me' attitude combined with self-promotion does not lead to a favorable impression,"said Ovul Sezer,the lead author of the study."Even simply bragging or complaining is better, because at least those messages are seen as more sincere."
Sezer's study also found that nearly 60 percent of humblebrags were complaint-based humblebragging, with most people humblebragging about their looks, followed by their money or wealth, and finally about their performance at work.“It's such a common phenomenon. All of us know some people in our lives, whether in social media or in the workplace, who do this annoying thing,"commented Sezer, adding that we all do it to some extent.
So, if you want to share your achievements with others, what's the best way to do it then? Sezer suggests that people“own their self-promotion and reap the rewards of being sincere". She also suggested finding a wingman:"If someone brags for you,that's the best thing that can happen to you, because then you don't seem like you're bragging.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . After traveling more than seven months in space, Tianwen I is one step closer to Mars! Tianwen I, China’s first Mars probe, successfully entered Mars orbit in February, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
A small step on the red planet will be a big step for human beings. Humans have launched 46 Mars exploration missions since October 1960, but only 19 of them have been successful.
Among the three tasks, touchdown on the red planet is the most difficult. The result mainly depends on the breathtaking seven minutes, which will deploy multiple cutting-edge technologies and accurate timing of each action, including the burning of engines and opening of parachutes to ensure a safe landing.
February was Mars month. NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on Feb 19, and China’s Tianwen I and United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Hope have arrived within orbit of the redplanet.
| A．Although they started their Mars journeys at almost the same time, their missions vary. |
| B．It’s China’s first spacecraft to Mars, and the missions are rather ambitious. |
| C．It will stay in orbit for about three months before landing on the red planet. |
| D．After the “Chang’e series” lunar exploration mission came another space exploration project. |
| E．CNSA is willing to work together with the international community to make new and greater contributions to exploring the mysteries of the universe. |
| F．The previous success of Chang’e 5 has accumulated experience in this regard, which boosts confidence. |
| A. boost B.capabilities C.ceaseless D.effects E.evolve F. historic G.identify H.initiative I. interconnected J.miraculously K.seriously |
Currently, many of the brainy gadgets being developed for the Internet of Things will anticipate our needs and make choices for us--without being told what to do--marking a(n)
As we turn more of our decision-making over to the devices,they will
But social scientists and others worry these computerized devices might make decisions that are
Stanford University researchers believe society may be profoundly impacted by Internet-of-Things machines blessed with humanlike
Understanding such
One of the most important New Year's resolutions
Children between the ages of 8 and 11 who spend more than two hours a day looking at screens were associated with lower cognitive function than those who engaged in less screen time, according to researchers who published a study in The Lancet in September. While researchers noted there is no causal link, they wrote,“Emerging evidence suggests that mobile device and social media uses have an unfavorable relationship with attention, memory, impulse control, and academic performance”--- perhaps
The Times also reported many elite schools are moving towards eliminating or reducing screens, while many public schools are touting technology in classrooms.
And
New Year's celebrations are the perfect time to get the whole family to look up from their screens
随着上海的新冠病毒疫情形势的日趋严峻，线上学习模式暂时还将延续，请结合你的实际居家学习和生活，谈谈你在居家线上学习生活中的得与失。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . Gyms that profit most from the January rush
Every year, like clockwork, many people go through the same routine. On December 26th and January 1st, as the fog of cheese, chocolate oranges and champagne lifts, regret creeps（悄悄出现）in. Online searches for “get fit” and “lose weight” increase.
Many gym recruits（新成员）will have their new sportswear on for high-intensity interval training. In the basement of Another Space, a club near London’s Leicester Square, music pumps and light flash as a trainer shouts instructions to a group of mostly young women. They are pushed through bursts of burpees, handclap push-ups and various kick and punches at boxing bags. The training is murderous.
They are at one end of a fitness market.
Pure Gym expects soon to reach 1 million members. Part of its appeal is that, unlike traditional gyms, members are not bound by a long contract. “We have taken a £500 decision and turned it into a £20 decision,” says Mr Cobbold.
| A．There will be other ripple effects（连锁反应）, too. |
| B．That will be good news for some gym goers because many will soon suffer a second round of regret. |
| C．However, the club’s luxurious changing rooms and bars relieve some of the pain. |
| D．Health clubs of all shapes and sizes stand ready to respond. |
| E．Spending on fashion items also increases around the time of joining a gym. |
| F．At the other are budget gyms, which have accounted for the big part of gym growth in recent years. |
A massive fire tore through the main market in the city of Hargeisa in northern Somalia overnight, injuring about two dozen people and
Images
Officials said it started on Friday evening but was largely brought under control by dawn on Saturday, although some small areas were still burning.
“The town has never witnessed such a massive calamity,” Hargeisa’s mayor, Abdikarim Ahmed Mooge, told reporters at the scene. “This place was the economic centre of Hargeisa and
The Somaliland president, Muse Bihi Abdi, said during a visit to Waheen
Hargeisa chamber of commerce chairman Jamal Aideed said the loss of the market was immense
“I have lost everything tonight, this fire was the biggest I have ever seen in my life,” said market trader Bashi Ali. “I had several businesses in the market and all of them burned to ashes.
Offshore production
The world’s consumption of fashion is huge. The European Union imported textiles (clothing and carpets) to the value of €83.7 billion in 2010. Prices have fallen, too, with hand-finished shirts costing less than five euros. To make clothes at these low prices, companies have to keep costs down. They use offshore production to do this. Large companies make their products in developing countries where workers are paid much less than in developed countries.
A point that should be considered in that case is that developing countries encourage developed countries to invest in them to provide jobs. Supporters of overseas production point out that increased investment has positive effects in the long term. Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman points out that the growth in manufacturing has an impact on the rest of the economy, because it reduces the number of people needing to work in agriculture and increases competition for labour. This leads to higher wages, which lead to other improvements, such as the ability to send children to school. On the other hand, the disadvantage of this foreign investment is the fact that it can have a negative impact on the economy of developed countries, because people lose their jobs when production is outsourced to other countries.
It seems that if multinationals are going to benefit from low production costs by using overseas suppliers, they should do more to improve the social situation-for example, by building schools for the children in those communities. It is also clear that multinationals should invest in communities in the developed countries where they sell their products. Furthermore, given multinationals do benefit from lower costs of production in developing countries and their workers, they need to feel obliged to protect the workers in overseas manufacturing plants.
