2 . Death is a serious theme worthy of great poets. For example, John Keats’ When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be and John Donne’s Death, Be Not Proud both discuss death in reflective ways. However, the imagery in these poems shows that while Keats believed death can only bring destruction, Donne believed death can be overcome.

Keats was afraid of death, because to him death meant the loss of those things that made his life worth living: “…on the shore/Of the wide world I stand alone, and think/Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.“ In other words, Keats’ fear was that death was a ”nothingness” that would arrive before he could finish his life’s work or find his true love.

Donne had a different attitude toward death, and so the imagery in his poem is different, too. To Donne, death should “be not proud”, because it was not “mighty and dreadful”. He also said that death was like “rest and sleep”. Donne believed that we would all wake from the sleep of death to everlasting life, just as we wake from our normal sleep to our everyday lives.

Keats and Donne both knew that death was a part of life, and both poets used powerful imagery to talk about that difficult theme. The differences in this imagery show two very different attitudes toward the subject, one of which is much more positive than the other. Which poet to believe is up to the reader to decide.

Not surprisingly, the readers’ own experiences may play a part in the way they respond to these poets’ approaches. Like the two poets and their beliefs, contemporary readers also may be divided on the subject. This may explain why Keats’ and Donne’s poetry remains fascinating years after their deaths.

3 . Why Walking in Nature Makes You a Better Worker?

We’re busy at work, distracted (注意力分散的) by technology and often live in urban environments far from wild spaces.    1    . The average American, for example, spends about 90% of their life indoors. But what happens if we maketime for an hour outside each day?

    2    . You’ll have to go out for a walk, which is beneficial if most of your day involves sitting in front of a screen. Research shows short breaks can improve work enthusiasm, and a quick break in natural light will deliver a shot of vitamin D.

There are also a lot of mental benefits when you are in nature-you are happy and your brain can make sense of life. “When people are all out in nature, even in urban nature, people tend to have more positive emotion and energy than when they are indoors.    3    ,” said Lisa Nisbet, associate professor at Canada’s Trent University.

The idea that nature is good for us has been gaining grounds since the 1980s.    4    . Afterwards, shinrin-yoku, the Japanese concept, which is the practice of taking a short, leisurely visit to a forest for health benefits, followed that. Researchers of shinrin yoku have since found plenty of physical and mental benefits, while global studies suggest spending time in nature can, for example, restore our ability to focus, increase our creativity, and even help us live longer.

Of course, many of us live in cities with no ready access toforests or the wilderess.    5    . Various studies have shown that green environments in cities have beneficial effects.

4 . There was a time when a trip to the supermarket in theUnited States often ended with a seemingly simple question from the cashier: “Paper or plastic?” Well, which type of bag would you choose?

While all types of bags have some influence on the environment, it has long been supposed that paper bags are kinder. They are made from a renewable source, break down easily, burn without giving off thick smoke and can be recycled. However, the producing process behind paper bags uses more energy than that of plastic ones. How can this be true?

Studies show that paper bag production requires four times as much energy as plastic bag production. And the amount of water used to make paper bags is twenty times higher. Besides, the influence on forests is very serious. It takes about fourteen million trees to produce ten billion paper bags, which happens to be the number of bags used in the United States yearly.In terms of recycling, the idea that paper bags are more environmentally friendly than plastic ones can be quickly discarded. Research shows it requires about 98% less energy to recycle plastic than it does to recycle paper.

Even though paper bags might be more harmful than plastic ones, plastic still seems to be considered by governments as the more harmful of the two. In Ireland, for example, a tax has been introduced to discourage the use of plastic bags. People have to pay 22 cents for every plastic bag, and as a result, their use has dropped quickly.

There’s no doubt that it makes more sense to reuse these bags. However, we don’t seem to be doing that at present. Cloth bags are a better choice, but still, their production also has a bad influence on the environment. So what to do? How should I we answer the question of “Paper or plastic?” It seems that we first need to ask ourselves one more general question: “What can I do to help the environment?”

5 . As the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Therefore, when you intend to run your business in France, you may as well get to know French culture, make marketing plans, and do business by local laws.

    1    The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country’s culture and language.

Use first names only after being invited to.    2    The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first, followed by their first name.

Dress well. The French draw information about people based on their appearance. Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status.    3    Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly. Wearing make-up is practiced widely by businesswomen.

The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business in France, which usually consist of an appetizer, a main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours.    4    

Do not begin eating until the host says “bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate.    5    This may suggest that you find the food tasteless. If eating in a restaurant, the person who makes an invitation always pays.

6 . It is interesting when you think about how Japan is a nation that appreciates silence and good manners, and yet when it comes to eating noodles, Japanese people can be the loudest in the world.

According to lifestyle website gm/Tee.jp, slurping (发出“哧溜”声) when eating noodles is encouraged in Japanese culture. It is believed that taking air into your mouth can improve the flavor of the noodles, and that it helps cool down the noodles. It is also considered to be a way to show appreciation for the dish. Sometimes, just making the noise alone seems to make the noodles more enjoyable.

It was not until a new expression “noodle harassment (骚扰)” or “hu-hara” in Japanese came out last year on social media that Japanese people started to realize that the slurping noise is making some foreign visitors uncomfortable.

As a response, Japanese instant noodle maker Nissin introduced a so-called noise-canceling fork last month. The fork, which looks like an electric toothbrush, is connected to a smartphone. When the person using the fork starts to slurp, the fork sends a signal to the person’s phone, making it play a sound to mask the slurping noise. “The fork is a solution to the ‘noodle harassment’ issue, particularly as the number of tourists visiting Japan increases,” said the company, according to Euronews.

But is it really necessary?

Dining traditions do vary. What is considered to be proper table manners in one country is likely to be seen as rude in another. In India, for example, people eat with their hands because they think in this way they build a connection with the food. However, people who are used to eating with utensils (餐具) might find it uncomfortable to get their hands covered in oil and bits of food. But this eating method is part of India’s culture, just like Japan’s slurping. It is common and an everyday part of the nation’s culture.

Reporter Brian Ashcraft on blog Kotaku wrote “if anyone gets annoyed while you are slurping, pay them no mind because they are missing the point entirely.”

7 . Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant（不相干的）and where the climate is always right. The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light, temperature, wetness, air quality and nutrition. It could be a high-rise building in New York or a sprawling complex（综合楼） in the Saudi desert. It may be an answer to the world’s food problems.

The world is already having trouble feeding itself. Half of the people on earth live in cities, and nearly half of those—about 3 billion—are hungry or ill-fed. Food prices, currently increasing, are buffeted by dryness, floods and the cost of energy required to plant, harvest and transport it. And prices will only get more unstable. Climate change makes long-term crop planning uncertain. Farmers in many parts of the world are already using water available to the last drop. And the world is getting more crowded: by mid-century, the global hungry population will grow to 9 billion.

To feed so many people may need to expand farmland at the expense of forests and wilderness, or finding ways to completely increase crop output.

Gertjan Meeuws has taken the concept of greenhouse—growing vegetables and house plants in enclosed（封闭的）and controlled environments. In their research station, water flows into the pans when needed, and temperature is kept constant. Lights go on and off, creating similar day and night according to the rhythm of the plants.

A building of 100 square meters and 14 layers（层）of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables for the entire population of Den Bosch, about 140,000 people. Their idea is not to grow foods that require much space, like corn or potatoes.

Here sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful. Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow. Their growth rate is three times faster than those under greenhouse conditions. They use about 90 percent less water than outdoor agriculture. And city farming means producing food near consumers, so there’s no need to transport it long distances.

8 . In the short time Steve and Zach had been inside their tent packing their tools, wind-blown flame had skipped from the top of one tree to another. The long dry summer had turned the forest into a tinderbox.

“Let’s go! We can make it back to the river we crossed today!” Steve kept Brady on the lead and their heads down against the fire-wind. But Brady barked a sharp warning. Ahead of them lay a thick curtain of smoke across the track. They would never make it through that. The dog was pulling at his lead trying to draw them away from the smoke, and yet Steve was uneasy. It seemed to him that they were moving away from the river.

Suddenly, Zach cried. “Zach!” Steve shouted. “Are you OK? Where are you?” Then Brady pulled Steve down a sharp slope(斜坡). At its base, Zach was rubbing his ankle.

As Steve helped his friend to his feet, Brady lifted his head and snuffed(嗅)the smoke-laden wind. Next moment, the dog bounded away and disappeared. The boys shouted for him, but he didn’t come back. Steve couldn’t blame Brady for panicking. He himself wanted to run even though he didn’t have a clue which way to.

Steve and Zach hadn’t gone far when there was a familiar bark, and Brady came bounding, stopped directly in front of Steve and hit him with his head, pushing him back toward the slope they’d just climbed. But Steve didn’t get it. Then Brady grabbed the boy’s jeans and started pulling. The message was clear, but Steve hesitated. Of course he remembered Brady saving his uncle’s life when the dog was much younger. Was he still sharp enough to get them through this?

Nearby, a pine went up in a whoosh of smoke. Brady pulled again, urgently. “OK, the big guy,” Steve gritted his teeth(咬紧牙关). Brady led them back down the slope and into the trees. Not far from them fire was touching underbrush. Several times the big dog stopped. Often he changed directions. Steve was so tired that he just wanted to rest, but Brady wouldn’t have it. The dog bullied both boys into going on. Steve had no idea how long they’d walked. He was almost numb when he heard it—the wonderful sound of rushing water!

9 . Can a small group of drones (无人机) guarantee the safety and reliability of railways and, at the same time, help railway operators save billions of euros each year? That is the very likely future of applying today’s “eyes in the sky” technology to make sure that the millions of kilometres of rail tracks and infrastructure (基础设施) worldwide are safe for trains on a 24/7 basis.

Drones are already being used to examine high-tension electrical lines. They could do precisely the same thing to inspect railway lines and other vital aspects of rail infrastructure such as the correct position of railway tracks and switching points. The more regularly they can be inspected, the more railway safety, reliability and on-time performance will be improved. Costs would be cut and operations would be more efficient (高效) across the board.

That includes huge savings in maintenance costs and better protection of railway personnel safety. It is calculated that European railways alone spend approximately 20 billion euros a year on maintenance, including sending maintenance staff, often at night, to inspect and repair the rail infrastructure. That can be dangerous work that could be avoided with drones assisting the crews’ efforts.

By using the latest technologies, drones could also start providing higher-value services for railways, detecting faults in the rail or switches, before they can cause any safety problems. To perform these tasks, drones for rail don’t need to be flying overhead. Engineers are now working on a new concept: the rail drones of the future. They will be moving on the track ahead of the train, and programmed to run autonomously. Very small drones with advanced sensors and AI and travelling ahead of the train could guide it like a co-pilot. With their ability to see ahead, they could signal any problem, so that fast-moving trains would be able to react in time.