1 . What life will be in 2050?
It’s hard to say definitively what life will be like in 2050. However, we can make some educated guesses based on the trends that are happening now. For instance, it’s likely that technology will play an even greater role in our lives than it does now. We might have flying cars, or robots to do our household chores.
The world population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, so resources may be strained. People may live in smaller homes or even underground to conserve space and energy. We may also see drastic changes in the way we get our food. With advances in technology, it’s possible that we’ll be able to create artificial meat or grow food in laboratories.
In 2050, many aspects of our life will be very different from what they are now. People’s lives, the environment, transportation, and education all change at a new level.
There will be a lot of new jobs born to serve the development of society. And if you are good at using social media, you can be an online celebrity and make a lot of money. You can also choose to be a full-time housewife and take care of your family if you want.
Rockefeller University mathematical biologist Joel Cohen predicts that by 2050, the world will be majority urban dwellers with a high average age. In contrast, U.S. cities theorist Richard Florida believes that urbanization trends will result in a work-from-home economy and do away with divisions between home and work life. Other experts interviewed by Popular Mechanics envision a future in which solar energy is ubiquitous, 3-D printing has replaced traditional manufacturing and everyone has a personal assistant in the form of an AI.
However, there are also some reasons to be pessimistic about the future. The world will be a more dangerous place in 2050. Global warming will cause rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions that will make life difficult for people around the world.
A.As technology continues to develop, so does the concern for environment. |
B.By 2050, everyone will be able to afford higher education. |
C.In addition, there will be new diseases that we have not yet seen. |
D.In general, life in 2050 is more convenient, more comfortable and more fun. |
E.There are some grounds for optimism in this scenario. |
F.As a result, we will have a lot of health problems. |
2 . Do you have dreams, visions or plans about things you'd love to have or achieve? Of course you do! We all do. Unfortunately, dreaming is the easy part. Turning those dreams into a reality is a challenge. The good news is that there are proven techniques that can get you from where you are to where you want to be. Follow this process to bring your dreams to fruition (实现):
Turn your dream into a goal.
When you have a goal, you have a true target. For a greater chance of success, your plan should have a deadline and it must be measurable.
Prioritize(优先化)your goal daily.
Difficult goals can rarely be achieved alone; you're likely to need some help and guidance. Look at the list you made and see what you already have in your life that could help you on your path.
Track your progress.
Measure your progress each day. Use old fashioned paper and pencil or take advantage of the latest smartphone app.
A.Classify (将……分类)your available resources. |
B.Make a list of negative associations. |
C.Read and write your goal each day. |
D.Tracking is critical to making continued progress. |
E.It has been said that dreams are goals without a deadline. |
F.So make a list of all the negative stuff that slip into your mind. |
3 . If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women’s clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability?
A.Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. |
B.Men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers. |
C.Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. |
D.Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. |
E.They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. |
F.The constant changes in women’s clothing reflect their strength of character. |
4 . Tips to Keep Your Personal Items Safe While Travelling
You might be surprised to hear that even in the limited space of an airplane, thefts still do occur. In a case reported, two men on board a flight were arrested after being suspected of stealing cash from fellow passengers’ mid-flight.
Keep your valuables such as cash, your ID and passport, and jewellery in a small bag that you can place under the seat in front of you. Rest your feet on your bag to make sure no one gets close to the bag.
A.To ensure you get enough storage room, try to board the flight early. |
B.Bring it with you whenever you leave your seat. |
C.Thieves won’t spend too long on locked bags as it may draw attention to themselves. |
D.Cases like this are known as in-flight, or mid-flight thefts. |
E.Keep your cash or credit cards in different hiding places. |
F.Make sure your bag is easily recognizable so thieves can’t just switch it out with a similar looking bag. |
5 . Make Your Brain Smarter
You know that eating sensible diet and getting plenty of exercise help make your body healthy and strong. But did you know that there are ways to make your brain healthier and smarter? Studies show that when the brain is forced to do something new, it creates new neural pathways.
◆ Limit Your TV Viewing
Watching an average TV show requires very little brain power and brings the same result as neglecting physical exercise.
◆ Use Your Non-dominant (不占优势的) Hand
If you are right-handed, use your left hand for everyday activities, or use your right hand if you are left-handed. Doing familiar things in a new way will cause your brain to create new neural networks. Brushing our teeth is something most of us do daily. We really don’t put that much thought into it -- but maybe we should. Experts suggest that we can stimulate this right brain by changing things up and working with our non-dominant hand. So the next time you brush your teeth, open the tube, apply your toothpaste and brush with the opposite hand.
◆Shower with Your Eyes Closed
◆
Can playing “Chopsticks” on the piano make you smarter? Well, according to a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, it can. Kids who received at least three years of instrumental music training outperformed children without training in fine motor skills (精细运动技能), vocabulary and non-verbal- reasoning skills. Apparently, people who are better able to move to a beat show more consistent brain responses to speech than those with less rhythm. The study findings suggest that musical training might sharpen the brain’s response to language -- making you a little smarter.
A.Learn a New Language |
B.Move to the Beat of Your Own Drum |
C.Your brain will become weak just as your muscles do. |
D.Walking for exercise requires little time and brings the same result as running. |
E.Hop in the shower and shut your eyes. |
F.The more pathways you have, the faster you can think and the better memory you will have. |
6 . Get Happy: Four Wellbeing Workouts
Relieving stress and anxiety might help you feel better — for a bit. Martin E.P. Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, does not see alleviating(缓解) negative emotions as a path to happiness. To Seligmen, the most effective long-term strategy for happiness is to actively cultivate well-being. He suggests these four exercises based on research at the Penn Positive Psychology Centre, which he directs, and at other universities.
Identity signature strengths
Write down a story about a time when you were at your best. It doesn’t need to be a life-changing event but should have a clear beginning, middle and end. Reread it every day for a week, and each time ask youself: “What personal strengths did I display when I was at my best?” Then consider how to use these strengths to your advantage, intentionally organizing and structuring your life around them on a daily bases. Gradually, people will have on average lower rates of depression and higher life satisfaction. Possible mechanisms could be more positive emotions.
Find the good
Set aside 10 minutes before you go to bed each night to write down three things that went really well that day. Next to each event answer the question, “Why did this good thing happen?” Instead of focusing on life’s lows, which can increase the likelihood of depression, the exercise changes what you attend to.
Make a gratitude visit
Think of someone who has been especially kind to you but you have not properly thanked. Write a letter describing what he or she did and how it affected your life, and how you often remember the effort. Then arrange a meeting and read the letter aloud, in person.
Respond constructively
This exercise was inspired by the work of Shelly Gable, a social psychologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who has extensively studied marriages and other close relationships. The next time someone you care about shares good news, give what Dr. Gable calls an “active constructive response.”
A.You had better think about how to use your strengths and intentionally organize your life. |
B.You are more likely to turn your attention to the good things in life. |
C.People like you more, relationships go better, life goes better. |
D.Instead of saying something passive or being dismissive, express genuine excitement. |
E.It puts you in better touch with other people, with your place in the world. |
F.You may weep out of joy whenever you are grateful to those who have helped you. |
7 . The jobs of the future have not yet been invented.
(1). Curiosity
Your children need to be deeply curious. Encourage kids to cook with you. Ask kids—what ingredients(配料)can we add to make these pancakes even better next time? And then try out.
Ingredient make the pancakes better ? what could we try next time?
(2). Creativity
The creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new.
(3). Personal skill
Understanding how others feel can be a challenge for kids. We know what is going on inside our own head, but what about others? Being able to read people helps kids from misreading a situation and jumping to false conclusion.
(4). Self Expression
A.And we can not forget science education. |
B.We can give kids chances to think about materials in new ways. |
C.So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist? |
D.Dardening is another great activity for helping kids develop this skill. |
E.We can do this in real life or ask question about characters in stories. |
F.Being able to communicate ideas in a meaningful way is a available skill. |
8 . I was ten when I first sat with my grandmother behind the cashier(收银台)in her general store. Before long, she let me sit there by myself.I quickly learned the importance of treating customers politely and saying “thank you”.
At first I was paid in candy.
By the time I was 12, My grandmother thought I had done such a good job that she promoted me to selling cosmetics(化妆品). I developed the ability to look customers directly in the eye. Even though I was just a kid, women would ask me such things as “What color do you think I should wear? ”I took a real interest in their questions and was able to translate what they wanted into makeup(化妆)ideas.
The job taught me a valuable lesson: to be a successful salesperson, you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist—you needed to be a great listener.
A.Later I received 50 cents an hour. |
B.I ended my selling a record amount of cosmetics. |
C.Today I still carry that lesson with me: I listen to customers. |
D.My grandma’s trust taught me how to handle responsibility. |
E.Soon I found myself looking more beautiful than ever before. |
F.Watching my money grow was more rewarding than anything I could have bought. |
9 . The Good of Gardening
Do you have a hobby that helps you relax and unwind? For some people, there is no better way to relieve pressure than spending time in the garden. This small private area of green space can be their place of calm.
For those with green fingers, the pleasure of gardening comes from getting out in the fresh air, in all weathers and communing with nature — even if there are a few too many worms! It can also be seen as a sort of digital-detox — time away from technology.
Dr Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist at the University of Colorado, injected a bacterium commonly found in soil into mice to see what affection this would have on them.
Whatever the reason, there are many therapeutic benefits to getting your hands dirty, doing some physical hard work and then watching your garden grow. Does this sound like your idea of fun?
A.He found the bacterium had a similar effect on the mice as an anti-depressive drug might. |
B.Soil bacteria not only benefit people but also benefit animals. |
C.Gardening can also be used as a way of treating addiction. |
D.It’s no wonder some of us turn to gardening as a form of therapy. |
E.Alcohol can make people behave peculiarly and dangerously in gardening. |
F.Some experts actually believe that getting outside to dig and plant things acts as a “natural excitement”. |
10 . The Four-day Work Week
If Liz Truss can reduce a whole premiership to seven weeks, why can’t a standard working week be squashed into something shorter? A six-month pilot (试点) scheme, in which around 3,300 workers from 70 companies are testing out a four-day workweek, is due to conclude this month.
Of the participating organisations, 46% reported maintaining overall output at the same level, and 49% said it had improved.
Becoming a four-day operation can be hard in a five-day world, however. Bookishly, an online shop, chose Wednesdays off to avoid having three days in a row when packages are not mailed out; people are warned about the new schedule before they order.
More tests are on the horizon. In January South Cambridge shire District Council will become the first British local authority to try out a four-day week. The lessons learned are likely to be valuable even if the idea does not spread.
A.Sceptics might observe that the companies involved are self-selecting. |
B.Advocates say a shorter week delivers a better work-life balance without hurting overall output. |
C.The trial’s largest company, Outcomes First Group, tracks indicators for its 1,027 participating employees. |
D.The scheme holds useful lessons about productivity. |
E.Platten’s, a fish-and-chip shop in Norfolk, gives its 50-or-so employees two days on and two days off to cover the week. |
F.But customers are not always prepared to wait, so most firms in the scheme have tried to spread staff more thinly. |