| A. emerge B. absorbing C. subject D. defining E. movement F. originally G. course H. universally I. happens J. constant K. corresponds |
How Long Is a Second?
The length of a second depends on how you’re measuring it. There are 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, and 60 seconds in a minute — so surely a second is 1/86400, of a day, right? Well, it turns out that
“The second was
In the 16th century, people turned to technological solutions to this problem, and the first recognizable mechanical clocks began to
By around 1940, quartz crystal clocks (石英钟) had become the new gold standard. However, problems arose, and this was where atomic clocks came in. “Atoms exist only in particular energy states and can only change from one state to another by
In fact, scientists are discussing whether it’s time to redefine the second again. But while several important questions still need to be answered before this
| A. abusive B. bounds C. descriptions D. dramatic E. emerges F. essentially G. fantastic H. promises I. settings J. trust K. unusually |
Are You Scared of AI?
A recent Monmouth University survey has found that only 9 percent of Americans believe that computers with artificial intelligence will do more good than harm to society. When the same survey was conducted 35 years ago, about one in five said AI would benefit mankind. In other words, people have less complete
“It’s
When asked questions about
The term “AI” is a catch-all for everything. It can be the constant use of technology, such as our daily preference to autocomplete in web search queries (关键词). It can also be the software that
Actually, the fear of AI
What elements pop up in your mind when you think of scientists? A pair of glasses, or a few wrinkles on the forehead? And do you think of a man, or a woman?
Well, as recently reported by BBC News, children in the US
“Draw a scientist” is an open-ended test designed to investigate children’s
In the 1960s and 1970s, less than one percent of children drew a woman when asked to draw a scientist. But now, the number has risen to as high as 28 percent, given the fact that women’s
Jocelyn Steinke, a professor at Western Michigan University in the US, told the Washington Post “the study is important because it shows that children’s gender stereotypes(成见) of scientists have
However, children are still far more likely to draw a(n)
“The fact that children are still drawing more male than female scientists reflects their environment. Given the under-representation of women we observe in several science fields, we shouldn’t expect equal numbers. But
The author of the study suggested that media stereotypes play a
Meanwhile, as the Washington Post noted, gender stereotypes “exist across other professions”. For example, when asked to draw a teacher in another study, only 25 percent children in one study drew a man.
