1 . I was taking my fifteen-minute walk break at work today when an elderly gentleman asked me for directions. He was going to see a ________. I pointed him towards what I thought was the ________way, but he seemed hesitant (犹豫的). So, I walked with him up the stairs and down the hall to be sure. He was right! He was not in the right ________! There was no doctor.

We had to ________ a girl and were directed down another hallway and still couldn’t find his doctor’s home. We were ________. Finally, we called his wife and found out that he was in the wrong building. The poor man was so ________ that he couldn’t even find his car. But he tried to stay ________ and kept thanking me.

When we finally found his car, I gave him ________ for getting to the other building which was down the road. I ________ with all my heart that he could find it. The old man was happy and continued to thank me.

In fact, I thought I should ________ him. Before meeting him, I was having a very ________ and stressed day. After being in his presence, I felt myself again. I kept ________ about how much contribution (贡献) he must have made to society in his many years. Now he needed ________. And it was my ________ to help him in this very small way. I wished I could have done more. I hoped a shining light ________ him to his destination and then back home.

2 . Teachers work hard to care equally about each of the students they teach. For most of us, however, some students stand out because they have greatly influenced our lives. Years ago, I had a young boy named Juan in my first-year class who I will never forget. Our experiences together impressed upon me the huge influence that just a few minutes of kindness can have on a young life.

Juan came from a very poor, single parent home. His mother showed little interest in his education and in his life in general. Throughout the year, I noticed that Juan had an unusual ability to solve questions and he picked up new ideas fast. I was surprised when he approached me to tell me that he did not think he was smart enough to attend college.

I explained to Juan that he was one of my best students. His face lit up with excitement, and he looked at me delightedly. I went on to explain to him that he could apply for scholarships (奖学金) to pay for college. I continued by telling Juan that it would be a waste of talent if he did not go to college. Juan looked as though he would need to re-think his whole life. It was not surprising that he was finally awarded enough scholarship that he was able to attend the local university.

My love for my students and for the subject I teach has continued to grow over the years. I consider myself lucky to be a teacher, and to have been a part of so many young lives, hopes, and dreams! I may not drive the nicest car on the block, but I am very rich in the things that count the most.

4 . Australian bioacoustics (生物声学) expert Brian Miller’s work focuses on identifying and understanding the behaviours of Antarctic marine mammals by listening to underwater audio recordings. However, sorting through it is a massive task. “We’ve now amassed a collection of more than 100,000 hours of recordings from the Antarctic, but we’ve always been constrained by our ability to process these data efficiently,” he says. Listening to all these recordings would take decades. As well as being boring to do, that’s simply too slow for the conservation action needed to save threatened species.

But with new technologies doing the “thinking” for us, that could be about to change. A time-saving solution has been for Brian’s team to apply AI algorithms to the task.

Using computers to process data isn’t new to conservation research, but in the past, they’ve been limited in what they can accomplish. They start to struggle when the data gets more complicated. In comparison, AI programs can learn and improve their ability to interpret data. They can process data that would take a research team months to finish, in a matter of hours. In some cases, they are more accurate than their human counterparts, and the algorithms only improve with time as they gather more and more training data.

Of course, the human element can never be entirely removed from research. “It’s people who can work closely with people who have AI experience, and have the ability to make the algorithm smarter…I think that’s a pretty good recipe for success,” Brian says.

Perhaps the best thing about the use of AI in conservation is that it lets researchers focus on what’s important. “This frees us up to think about the bigger picture problems. It frees us up to think about designing better studies to focus on the analysis, to focus on the gaps… it really is a revolution,” Brian says. “My prediction would be that this is going to become much more widespread across science in general.”

5 . The first model of Apple’s iPhone was launched 15 years ago. Since then, many different smartphones have been introduced. The devices now influence our daily lives in many ways.

One thing that has changed is that many people now use their phones to easily take pictures anywhere, anytime, without the need for a camera. Not surprisingly, this change has caused major business problems for camera manufacturers.

Today, many smartphones have high-quality cameras designed to produce better pictures than the ones most people used in the past for personal photographs. And some news photographers, for example, have found advantages in using them in their work. The Associated Press recently asked some of its photographers who use iPhones to describe how they use the devices.

Brynn Anderson is based in the AP in Atlanta, Georgia. She said: “Sometimes being a photographer with a larger camera can be intimidating to the person being photographed. Using a phone makes it easier for me to get intimate (亲密的) moments that might not happen.”

Dita Alangkara covers Jakarta, Indonesia for the AP. He said shooting with a smartphone opens up more possibilities on the streets of Jakarta. “People are so used to seeing others taking photos with their gadgets that they just ignore me. This gives me a whole new perspective to explore ...”

Khalil Hamra is an AP photographer in Istanbul, Turkey. He said: “Truth be told, every time I take a nice picture with my phone, I feel that something is missing and could have been better if I took it with my professional camera.”

Oded Balilty is based in Tel Aviv, Israel. “It is a different tool that definitely has changed what we do,” he said of the iPhone. But, he added: “It’s the photographer, not the device, that determines the quality of a photo.”

6 . Benefits of Keeping a Budget (预算)

A budget allows you to spend money on things you really need or want.

A budget requires you to keep track of your expenses. You see where your money actually goes and plan where to cut back on spending. The money you used to spend daily on little things like coffee or taxis can go toward something more important.

A budget can keep you out of debt.

With a budget, you know whether or not you’re living within your means. If you use credit cards, this may not be obvious. You might have extra cash at the end of each month and think that you’re OK. But, if you’re not paying your credit card bills in full, you’re probably living beyond your means.

A budget can make you better prepared for emergencies (紧急情况).

A budge requires you to put your money away in savings. So, if you find yourself in a difficult situation or faced with unexpected expenses, you’ll have some extra money you can fall back on.

A budget gives you peace of mind.

Because it allows you to stop worrying about how you’re going to make ends meet.