2 . Once upon a time, sewing and mending clothes was common.     1     Why have people stopped mending their clothing? Schools stopped offering home economics classes, technology boomed and fast fashion became increasingly popular. All of a sudden, it’s more inconvenient to fix something than it is to buy something new.

But all hope is not lost.     2     On one of the most pleasant corners of the Internet, you’ll find lots of videos showcasing everything from visible mending to beginner sewing journeys.

    3     It is a great way to reject consumerism. As anyone will tell you, the best thing you can do is buy less to begin with. That means shopping for quality items that will stand the test of time, but also learning a few key skills so you can repair those items as needed rather than sentencing them to life in an already-overflowing landfill. It’s also helpful to customize (改制) secondhand items which might not be exactly the right size or a little out of date.     4    

Beyond the functional benefits, mending is about using what you have, embracing imperfections, fixing what’s broken, and rejecting the idea that newer is better. The other aspect of mending is mindfulness.     5     It’s meditative (冥想的), slow work. It’s productive, and deeply satisfying. And an added bonus: It’s sustainable.

If you are interested in sewing and mending, it is the perfect time to learn the new skill, which can especially have a positive impact on the world.

I’m LiHua,

Teenage life is full of adventures and challenges. Doing voluntary work is popular among some teenagers. And extra-curricular activities     1     (prefer) by others, such as organizing debates, studying literature, dancing ballet and cleaning up the greenhouses. But more people sign up for advanced     2     (course) out of curiosity.     3     (actual), some teenagers feel confused in their youth, and their behaviors are sometimes confusing. They think there is a generation gap between     4     (they) and adults, so experts are trying to find a suitable solution. Johnson is     5     outgoing freshman. He is so attracted to Chinese literature that he     6     (give) up his studies in Chicago and come to China since he was 10 years old. Obviously,     7     the help of his teacher, his Chinese has improved greatly and he can speak fluent Chinese on campus now. As scheduled, he will graduate from the school     8     he has stayed for a long time next year. What he is concentrating on is the ancient Chinese literature and he is     9     (interest) in Tang poetry. The topic of his research content is “the differences between Eastern and Western literature”. An editor that acts responsibly has advised him     10     (read) some classical Chinese literature first. This suggestion means a lot to him.

7 . ChatGPT has quickly become popular around the world because of its advanced conversational abilities. It can answer questions, do translations, give the main idea of articles and even write codes (代码) for a computer program. It is as good as a human inside a computer.

ChatGPT is making life very convenient. A time might come when people hand it some articles and it makes a well-made report. That could, however, mean job losses. After all, if a computer program can write codes, then it would make a programmer lose his job.

That may be a worry, but it is still too early to worry about that. ChatGPT has more advanced learning features, but it still follows the same technological way. Its biggest advantage lies in the ability to turn words into a language from an ocean of data, but it's still not that creative. AI can quickly draw a picture, but that picture will be based on pictures that it has seen. It can also write books about the future, but the books will be based on articles about the future that it has read.

In comparison, a human brain imagines the future and then tries hard to realize it. AI can imagine a future with faster spaceships, but it can't imagine a world of space as humans can.

So there is no need to worry too much. By being creative there will be plenty of chances for humans to win over AI.

8 . When it comes to team assembly (团队组建), people who are both trustworthy and competent are the most sought after. However, those who are friendly and trustworthy are more likely to be selected than those who are known for just their skill competence and personal reputation, according to a new research from Binghamton University.

“We assume that people are selected for important tasks due to their knowledge, skills and abilities. However, this research suggests that people may often get picked because team members feel comfortable with them,” said Cynthia Maupin, assistant professor of organizational behavior and leadership in Binghamton University’s School of Management. “People may be willing to sacrifice a bit in terms of performance in order to have a really positive team experience.”

Maupin and her colleagues focused on a group of MBA students to conduct their study. Students were randomly assigned to different teams to carry out class projects and assignments. Toward the end of the semester, students were asked to form their own teams. and evaluate why they selected each member of their group.

“To find out how students signaled to others that they might be someone who would be good to team up with in the future, we studied their use of either challenging or supportive voice,” Maupin said.

·Challenging voice: Communicating in a way that challenges the present situation and is focused on new ideas and efficiency.

·Supportive voice: Communicating in a way that strengthens social ties and trust, and builds friendly unity of a team.

The researchers found that students who exhibited both voices were the most in-demand people when it came to assembling teams. However, students who only used supportive voice to exhibit their friendliness and trustworthiness were more sought after than those who only signaled their competence through the use of challenging voice.

Maupin said the findings have major implications(影响) for the workplace. “People should realize the way they speak up can have a strong effect on informal teaming up at a later point and that supportive voice helps establish harmonious relationships and a sense of trust amongst individuals.”