1 . Childhood Media Shaping Futures

Much of the media we consume during our formative years shapes us into the people we are today. Reflect on a particular piece of media from our childhood—perhaps it’s the TV show we eagerly awaited every weekend during visits to our grandmother’s house.     1     It shapes our dreams and fears and even drives us to future careers.

    2     Older children may have had a lot more restrictions, like TV shows, movies, and social media access. And because of these, they were able to be a child for longer compared to their siblings (兄弟姐妹). Children who have older siblings tend to show more mature tendencies and can appear to “grow up quicker” than other children their age.

While they might have been restricted from social media accounts until a certain age, once given access, they tend to be more prepared. The media exposure of our generation has undoubtedly led to an increased maturation at younger ages.     3    

Simply looking back at previous generations and the rate of consumption and processing of information that we experience every day, the effects of such are only beginning. As soon-to-be or current adults, we are already facing issues such as depression, anxiety, and delays in certain learning and social skills, just to name a few. Are we “more mature?” or are we overexposed and at risk for exceptional mental, physical, and emotional consequences?

In conclusion, childhood media consumption significantly influences our lives.     4     Striking a balance between media exposure and mental well-being is essential for our growth in today’s media-rich world.

2 . Water is a key ingredients in a healthy diet and lifestyle.There are many health benefits of drinking water. It helps flush impurities and toxins out of our systems.     1     In fact, nearly every system in our bodies relies on water for proper functioning. But what will happen if the water you drink every day is unhealthy?

In past decades, concerns about tap water and its impact on overall health led some people to tun to bottled waters. You could pay to have a company deliver large bulky plastic bottles of water for the water cooler. Or you could purchase gallon jugs of distilled or “drinking water” at the grocery store.

In recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of different bottled waters available, with big distributors such as Coke and Pepsi jumping on the bandwagon. But are bottled   drinking waters like Coke’s Dasani brand, Pepsi’s Aquafina, or Wal-Mart’s store brand really any healthier than your tap water?     2    

As we have learned more about the water we drink,the technology behind drinking water filters and purification systems has improved dramatically. There are filters to remove impurities, chemicals,heavy metals, bacteria and almost every contaminant you can think of.With the right size and filter combination for your specific home, your tap water can be exceptionally pure and healthy.

    3     Although the initial cost of a whole house system usually amounts to several hundred dollars,that cost is often less than $100 a year if spread out over the life of the system.

There may be additional expenses to replace carbon filters or lamps in an ultraviolet light water treatment device. These expenses can add another $100 or so to the annual cost of operating drinking water filters and purification systems.

While some people may hesitate to spend so much each year for clean, safe drinking water, they are probably paying more for bottled drinking water. They understand that it is more expensive, but they are still willing to pay the extra money because bottled water is thought to be safer and healthier than filtered drinking water.     4     In reality, however, few bottled waters come from natural springs,and most of them use municipal tap water.

3 . Taking responsibility for yourself and your actions is an important part of personal growth. It’s never too late to start practicing the positive habit of accepting responsibility for yourself.     1    

Improve your confidence.     2     If you can’t think of any, ask loved ones to help. You can also write down your goals, create a plan for achieving them and learn to accept positive feedback.

Remove the excuses. To break the harmful habit of excuse-making, ensure you’re honestly acknowledging what really happened. Next time you’re faced with the negative result of a situation, ensure you say something like “Sorry, I messed it up. How can I make up for it?”     3    

Take positive actions. If you want your family and friends to show more interest in your life, get interested in theirs. If you want a more satisfying job, figure out what you need to do to achieve it. Your actions will affect what you get out of life, so ensure you’re acting in a way you get what you want.

    4     If you often see yourself as a powerless man, this might be because you are experiencing hardships in your own life. And this feeling will be strengthened by the way you communicate with yourself and others. So look out for passive, self-destroying thoughts like “Why is this happening to me?” and learn to take responsibility.

4 . Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is the formal teaching and care of young children. It primarily focuses on learning through playing to encourage children’s different kinds of development.     1    

Studies with Head Start programs throughout the United States have shown some evidence that there are quite a few advantages to early childhood education, which can produce significant gains in children’s learning and development. Compared with a child who does not attend pre-school, children completing their early education programs are found to be better at math and reading skills. They are excited to learn and have the tools to do so.     2     These children are more competent in their pre-school, kindergarten and school-age years, and they are usually reported as “friendlier” by parents and the children’s peers.

    3     In studies with matched control groups, more students who had early schooling experiences were employed at the age of 19, fewer were on welfare, and fewer were involved with the criminal activity. What’s more, some studies show that children attending pre-school are more likely to graduate and have higher education, and be well integrated as an adult.

Early childhood education gives most children a jump-start on education for their kindergarten and primary school years. It is clear that early childhood education do a lot of good to children.     4     If early childhood education is less effective, perhaps the best model is finding strategies for allowing a parent to stay home with his or her child for at least the first two to three years. Also important is considering a child’s own personality. Individual differences in children mean that not all children will get equal benefits from early childhood education.

5 . The new semester has begun, and it’ll be a fresh start for you. First of all, congratulations !     1     Now the hard work really begins. You’re probably feeling excited or maybe a bit nervous about what awaits you at senior high. What everyone mentions is the increased schoolwork and preparing for gaokao, but senior high is not all about the national college entrance exam.     2     In junior high,you followed your teacher’s instructions. But as a senior, you’re expected to think and study independently -how you organize your study notes and how often you study are left up to you.

    3     The first year in senior high offers many development opportunities. Joining various activities can enrich your school life, help you to make new friends, broaden your horizons (开阔眼界) and deal with stressful situations.

    4     So, open yourself up and make new friends. Life will be easier and more exciting if you have people to share the good times and the bad times of these years.

6 . Mobile learning is the new norm when it comes to e-learning, and it has successfully revolutionized the sector. M-Learning is gaining a lot of traction because it provides the opportunity for collaborative learning on the go. Learners can log in from their favourite devices at any point and learn through bite-sized lessons. Whether they choose to learn on their mobile phone or using their tablets or laptops, they have the flexibility to complete the course at their discretion(自行决定), this improves retention as well as course completion rates.

What’s causing the shift to M-Learning?

You may be wondering why the sudden shift to M-Learning has become so prevalent among learners. Here are the following key reasons we’ve identified why learners are adopting mobile learning in droves.

*Change in learner profile:

    1    The shift in the workforce towards more Gen Y and Gen Z employees, means that the workforce has become increasingly tech savvy. In fact Gen Y and Gen Z prefer learning on their mobile phones and devices rather than take classroom sessions or conventional training. Hence the change in the demographic(人口统计)of the active workforce has led to a change in the learner profile and the learning preferences.

*Transference of learning patterns:

Many learners prefer to consume content in an audiovisual format rather than in text form. This helps them stay engaged and retain information better as well. Learners use M-Learning to consume videos, podcasts, audio, and more on their mobile phone rather than pore over boring textbooks.    2    

*A shift in device use:

Many companies have started using initiatives like “Bring Your Own Device” to save costs, and this has led to a lot of employees choosing to work on their tablets and mobile devices.    3    The companies that can create an effective M-Learning programme will succeed in engaging their millennial workforces.

*Digital transformation:

To be relevant in today’s day and age, companies across industries are undergoing a digital transformation.    4    In such a scenario, the L&D programmes of these industries have to undergo a digital transformation as well. As part of the transformation process, classroom curriculum (课程) and intellectual property are being digitized and disseminated through mobile learning.

7 . Deepfake technology is now a threat to everyone

Last October, MIT Prof. Sinan Aral warned his Twitter followers that he had discovered a video of himself that he hadn’t recorded supporting an investment fund’s stock-trading algorithm (算法). In reality, it wasn’t Prof. Aral in the video, but an artificial-intelligence creation in his likeness, or what is known as a highly persuasive “deepfake.”

It is striking that scammers (诈骗犯) targeted Prof. Aral, considering he is a leading expert on the study of misinformation online.     1     Thanks to a number of free deepfake apps that are just a click away, anyone can become a victim of such a scam.

The term deepfake has come to mean the use of AI to create fake media in which someone appears to be doing or saying what in reality they haven’t done or said.     2     But positive use cases are likely to be overshadowed in coming years by the technology’s potential role in financial scam, identity theft, etc.

Another big challenge is that in an online world where people can upload content of unknown names, it can be difficult to find the individuals behind deepfakes.     3    

One such solution is to detect deepfakes through machine-learning methods. While these detectors can be successful in the short term, people looking to avoid such systems will likely just respond with better technology, creating a continuing and expensive cat-and-mouse game.     4     While lawmaking eventually may offer protection against deepfakes, I believe the market could be quicker — provided we, as consumers and citizens, care.

8 . As a botanists who studies our cultural relationship with plants, I am forever fascinated with what draws people to gardening.

Admittedly, connecting with the natural world might seem like an obvious motivation, and undoubtedly it is a key part of the attraction.    1     If they were, we’d abandon any attempts at design, planting or care and watch how walls of weeds slowly gave way to the mass of bushes. But that wouldn’t be gardening, of course, because for all their diversity, the one thing that all gardens have in common is how unnatural they are.    2     Dazzling plants, watch features and glorious blooms is all interconnected well beyond what would naturally occur. Whether it is green lawns created in the driest deserts or a tropical paradise on a stormy North Atlantic island, they are all about shaping the natural world to fit our idea of what it “ should” be.

As I work on my tiny terrariums (玻璃花园) on dark February nights, something magical happens to my brain.     3     In a world that has become increasingly uncertain, people are often fuelled by the same psychological desire: the instinctive need to have a bit of control amid chaos.

As our world becomes more and more unpredictable and often frightening, gardening seems to be able to appeal to and reach out to a whole new generation, often against all odds.

Of course, gardening in’ t the only thing people turn to. The rise of culture conflicts and fix at ion on body image have also been widely documented as being driven by a psychological need to feel a degree of certainty, control and safety. However, I can’t help but think of these alternatives:     4    

9 . Never kill a spider!

Even though spiders are nasty crawlers that you probably look down upon, killing them could actually do your house more harm than good. Here’s why.

Besides having long legs and nasty behavior, most people are scared of spiders for one specific reason: their bite. If you’re not sure about the type of spider, there’s always a chance that the spider could be poisonous.     1     These types of bites actually don’t come from the innocent brown spiders that make a home within your home. In fact, it’s actually quite difficult for a spider like that to bite you.

So if that’s the case, why are we so drawn to killing spiders? As a matter of fact, it is more likely that spiders help our homes instead of harming them. Since spiders are natural predators(食肉动物), they capture pests, including flies, within your home.     2     They go for those nasty indoor pests such as cockroaches and mosquitoes. The more you keep around daddy long-legs, a kind of spider, the fewer mosquitoes you’ll have floating around your home.     3     So if you see a spider on its web, you’d better leave that spider alone.

In all, that’s not such a bad thing as spiders kill other pests in your home.     4     So you can find many easy solutions to drive spiders away instead of crushing them into pieces.

10 . Some people mistakenly think that some people are born emotionally strong while others are not, but that is totally wrong. The truth is that emotional strength can be built by anybody. Below are some of the important suggestions.

·Learn to face a serious problem

What do you do when you face a serious problem?    1    If you react to problems in this way then you will never develop emotional strength. When you only keep yourself busy without taking any action to solve your problem, your mind will start to believe that you are unable to solve your problems.

·Surround yourself with positive energy

    2    In the same sense, people who bring negative energy and strike you down every chance they have can emotionally make you feel helpless and weak. In that case, it is better to cut off these people and keep yourself away from negative energy instead.

·Know better about yourself

If you were anxious to receive positive comments and got a negative remark instead, then you will feel really bad.    3    Most often, being too needy is connected to other psychological factors like low self-esteem (自尊).

·Give up limiting beliefs

Limiting beliefs like “I can’t do it, I’m a loser…” do not only make you psychologically weak but can also make your life unhappy. If you believe you can’t achieve some important goals in your life, you won’t try to fight for them.    4    Failing once or twice can break you if you had a limiting belief.