2 . How Running Helped Me Turn My Life Around

I’ve never been an athlete. Besides being good at all academic performances at school, my main goal was to ________ PE lessons at all costs. In my twenties, I went for an occasional yoga class, but that was really the ________ of all my athletic

That was until the end of 2016, when I was unexpectedly fired. The possibility of getting a new job soon was not in my ________ and dark thoughts of not being good enough started to ________. I was feeling depressed but pushed myself to go and ________ for the TCS Marathon runners as the course was going through our neighborhood.

However, while being there, I got extraordinary ________ from all the runners, smiling and applauding constantly. Not a runner myself, I thought maybe I could give running a ________, just to try to use my neglected gym membership and see where it ________ me. And so I tried. I went to the gym the next morning and got on a treadmill. I was breathless by minute five, but I slowed down, walked for a bit and then restarted. I came back the next day, hoping to ________ a few minutes longer. Two weeks later, I could successfully run for 30 minutes.

While I saw my body look more toned (协调的), I also noticed my negative thoughts didn’t occur that ________. And it sparked a thought—what if I could set a running goal and sign up for my first race? I did and races sort of became a new hobby.

In the meantime, I secured a few freelance (自由职业的) projects. They offered me a good ________, and most importantly, the time to work out for the big race. I got my full-time job ________ at my dream company just several weeks before the half-marathon. Although I got an injury before the race, I still went for it and finished within my ________ time.

I still have a long running ________ ahead of me—I’d love to work on my speed, my technique and I dream of running a marathon outside of the US. Running gives me ________ that I can do anything I set my mind to.

3 . Global animal populations are declining, and we’ve got limited time to try to fix it. That’s the outcome of a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which analyzed years of data on wildlife populations across the world and found a downward trend in the Earth’s biodiversity.

According to the Living Planet Index, animal populations across the world decreased by 69% between 1970 and 2018. Not all animal populations decreased, though, and some parts of the world saw more dramatic changes than others. But experts say the loss of biodiversity is a worrying sign of what’s to come for the natural world. “The message is clear and the lights are flashing red,” said WWF International Director General Marco Lambertini.

According to the report’s authors, biodiversity loss mainly results from land-use changes driven by human activities, such as infrastructure (基础设施) development, energy production and deforestation. But the report suggests that climate change — which is already causing wide-ranging effects on plant and animal species globally — could become the leading cause of biodiversity loss if rising temperatures can’t be limited to 1.5℃.

Lambertini said the crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change is already responsible for plenty of problems for humans, including less access to food and water and a rise in the spread of diseases. He said world leaders should take major steps to deal with environmental damage. They are locked in old-world thinking, with no sign of the brave action needed to achieve a nature-positive future.

WWF chief scientist Rebecca Shaw told a radio station that humans have the opportunity to change how they do things to benefit nature. “We don’t have to continue the patterns of development we have now. And we have an opportunity to change the way we produce, what we cat and how we consume food and what we waste when we consume our food,” Shaw said. “Little things that we can do every day can change the direction of animal population declines.”

Delicate strokes, carved onto wood, with ultimate precision. This is woodblock (木印版画) printing,     1     ancient printing technique that has promoted human civilization.

Certain people are believed to bring Buddhism (佛教) into China during the Tang Dynasty, when there was a strong need     2     (produce) a large number of Buddhist scriptures (经文), and     3     (copy) by hand could not meet the rising demand. Ancient Chinese craftsmen thus came up with a novel way to create printed works     4     (massive). Then came the original version of woodblock printing.

Traditional woodblock printing can be divided into four major steps: writing, engraving, printing, and binding. With each step then sub-divided into several procedures,     5     takes roughly 30 steps to produce a woodblock print. Characters and images     6     (carve) to produce raised areas or lines, which calls     7     skilled hands.

The Buddhist scripture Diamond Sutra, the “earliest dated printed book”, can only be seen in the British Library,     8     a lot of Chinese treasures are stored. It is just one example of ancient works of art that not only tells the wisdom of our ancestors, but also is a witness of Chinese craftsmen’s continuous    9     (commit) to beauty through centuries.

The invention of writing gave life to great thoughts,     10     it was the invention of printing that made knowledge a shareable fruit for all humankind.

6 . A wireless charging room has been developed by scientists. It can deliver power through the air to any laptop, tablet or phone without the need for plugs or cables.

The new technology involves generating magnetic fields (磁场) over longer distances without also producing electrical fields that would prove harmful to any people or animals within the room, according to the team from the University of Tokyo.

The system, which has been tested in a single room but is still in its initial stage, can deliver up to 50 watts of power without exceeding (超过) current guidelines for human exposure to magnetic fields, the study authors explained. It could be used to charge any device with a wire coil fitted inside, similar to the system used with wireless charging pads currently in use—but without the pad. As well as removing charging cables from desks, it could allow for more devices to be fully robotized without the need for ports, plugs or cables.

To demonstrate the new system, they installed the unique Wireless charging equipment in a purpose-built aluminum “test room”. They then used it to power lamps, fans and mobile phones that drew current from anywhere in the room, regardless of where furniture or people had been placed.

Researchers didn’t say what the technology might cost because it is still very early in development and “years away” from being made available to the public. “This really ups the power of computing world—you could put a computer anywhere without ever having to worry about charging or plugging in,” said study coauthor Alanson Sample from the University of Michigan.

There are also medical applications, according to Sample, who said heart implants (植入) currently require a wire from the pump to run through the body and into a socket. “This could remove that,” the author said, adding it would act to reduce the risk of infection and improve patients’ quality of life by removing the wire completely.

8 . Losing your ability to think and remember is pretty frightening. We know the risk of dementia (痴呆症) increases with age. But if you have memory slips, you probably needn’t worry. There are pretty clear differences between signs of dementia and age-­related memory loss.

After age 50, it’s quite common to have trouble remembering the names of people, places and things quickly, says Dr. Kirk Daffner of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

The brain ages just like the rest of the body. Certain parts become smaller, especially areas in the brain that are important to learning, memory and planning. Changes in brain cells can affect communication between different regions of the brain. And blood flow can be reduced as blood vessels narrow.

Forgetting the name of an actor in a favorite movie, for example, is nothing to worry about. But if you forget the plot of the movie or don’t remember even seeing it, that’s far more concerning, Daffner says.

When you forget entire experiences, he says, that’s “a red flag that something more serious may be involved”. Forgetting how to operate a familiar object like a microwave oven, or forgetting how to drive to the house of a friend you’ve visited many times before can also be signs of something going wrong.

But even then, Daffner says, people shouldn’t panic. There are many things that can cause confusion and memory loss, including health problems like temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, high blood pressure, or depression, as well as medications (药物) like antidepressants.

You don’t have to figure this out on your own. Daffner suggests going to your doctor to check on medications, health problems and other issues that could be affecting memory. And the best defense against memory loss is to try to prevent it by building up your brain’s cognitive (认知的) reserve, Daffner says.

“Read books, go to movies, take on new hobbies or activities that force one to think in novel ways.” he says. In other words, keep your brain busy and working. And also get physically active, because exercise is a widely known to boost the brain.

9 . Reading books can exercise your brain. Kids who started reading at an earlier age go on to perform better on certain intelligence tests. As one gets older, it might help slow down or even stop cognitive (认知的) decline.     1     Many Americans don’t read frequently. It’s time to change this trend to give your brain gray matter a good workout.

    2     When you have some leisure time — you’re waiting for a friend, sleeping lightly on the way from or to work, or doing a task that doesn’t require your full attention—you can open your text instead of playing your favorite smartphone game.     3     While paper is still the clear winner in the court of public opinion, science hasn’t proven that physical books are better than digital ones.

Academic research has mostly focused on the ability to remember. A study took place in a laboratory setting: students all read the same text, but some looked at the words on paper and others viewed an on-screen PDF file. It turned out that no meaningful difference between the two media existed. As for audiobooks, they affected the brain gray matter somewhat differently.     4    

Ultimately, if you hope to get a reading habit going, you shouldn’t dismiss (摒弃) paper, electronic, or audio books.     5     Don’t be afraid to change things depending on the occasion.

10 .     1    You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here is how:

Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying.     2     A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you realize what is happening to your time.

Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

Make good use of your time in class.     3     Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material.     4     If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you’ll remember it longer.

Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test, so don’t be over worried.

    5     You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.