C . The speaker can enjoy a Picasso without the electronic eye.
D . The electronic eye helps those suffering from color blindness.
Meet Alexa, Your Digital Roommate
Who is Alexa? She is a digital assistant that is part of the voice-activated Echo Dot "smart speaker" produced by Amazon. This year Saint Louis University in Missouri has placed one of the speakers in every dorm room its campus. Students can ask the virtual assistant anything from "When are the football teams playing?" to "What's the square root of 1440?"
SLU student Brendan McGuire said: "Instead of searching on the Internet while I (tap) away at my computer, I can just ask Alexa: Hey Alexa, ask SLU what's the molecular(分子的)weight of water? And I can have the answer without (interrupt) my process." That's exactly school officials had in mind when they decided to provide the smart speakers free of charge for students.
"The students we attract (drive) to achieve success in and out of the classroom," David Hakanson, SLU's vice president, said. "Every minute we can save our students from having to search for the information online is another minute (commit) to their education."
Saint Louis University is the first in the U.S. (include) an Echo Dot smart speaker in every campus living space. Other colleges have also found ways to offer the technology to students. This year Northeastern University in Boston installed 60 speakers in public places students could get answers to common questions.
At Arizona State University, engineering students living in the brand-new residence hall have the option of adding an Amazon Echo Dot to their rooms. "Our focus is putting this technology into the hands of our students in a way will build an ecosystem. supports voice technologies throughout the ASU campus," said Heredia, a director at ASU.
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A. region B. initiative C. sticks D. domestic E. priority F. shrinking G. solid H. matters I. classic J. expanding K. indefinable |
UNIQLO's founder tries to find a way to beat Zara and H&M
When asked what guides his vision of UNIQLO, Tadashi Yanai, its founder and chief executive, pulls off the shelf the 1987 autumn/winter collection catalogue of Next, a mass-market British retailer. All of the clothes are so , he says, that they could be worn today. While Zara of Spain and H&M of Sweden follow fashion trends without having any original thought, UNIQLO of Japan to timeless basics.
Mr. Yanai has a/an base at home from which to develop into his Western competitors' main markets of Europe and America. But instead his remains Asia. "Asia is the engine of growth today," he says, pointing to the millions of consumers across the who are reaching the middle class. UNIQLO will open its first shop in India this year and is considering into Vietnam and other countries (it has already opened networks of shops in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand).
The success or not of UNIPLO's overseas operations greatly to investors at home. Fast Retailing's shares — Mr. Yanai owns just over 20% of the firm — have been rising since 2015, nalysts estimate, largely owing to its international expansion and improved logistics (物流). At home the firm is closing stores because the population is . Last year UNIQLO's international profits overtook its sales for the first time and its foreign operation profits almost equaled its Japanese equivalent.
Though they are very different markets, Europe and America offer a cautionary tale. UNIQLO in America struggled outside the big cities of the east and west coasts. Growth in America remains for UNIQLO both there and in Europe. However, Mr. Yanai, an enthusiastic fan of globalization, is confident that he can guide UNIQLO through the changes needed.
If you are a perfectionist, you are probably familiar with the feeling of wanting to get everything just right. You may struggle with handing in papers, agonize(苦苦思索)over projects at work, and even worry about small errors from the past. High 1 are one thing, but perfectionism is quite another. And as some researchers have discovered, 2 perfection can have serious consequences to mental and physical well-being.
Since perfectionism is 3 with negative outcomes, what can someone with perfectionist tendencies do to change their behavior? Although people are sometimes 4 to give up their perfectionist tendencies, psychologists point out that giving up on perfection doesn't mean being unsuccessful. 5, mistakes are an important part of learning and growing. 6, imperfection can actually help us in the long run.
One possible 7 to perfectionism involves developing what psychologists call a growth mindset(思维方式).Researchers at Stanford University have found that cultivating a growth mindset is a key way to help us learn from our failures. Unlike those with 8 mindsets — who see their skill levels as inborn and unchangeable, those with growth mindsets believe they can improve their abilities by learning from their mistakes. Psychologists point out that parents can play a 9 role in helping their children develop healthier attitudes towards failure: they can praise their children for making an effort even if their results are imperfect and help children learn to 10 when they make mistakes.
Another 11 option for perfectionism is to cultivate self-compassion(自我同情). To understand self-compassion, thank about how you would 12 a close friend if they made a mistake. Chances are that you'd probably make responses with kindness and understanding, knowing that your friend meant well. The idea behind self-compassion is that we should treat ourselves 13 when we make mistakes, remind ourselves that mistakes are part of being human, and avoid being 14 by negative emotions. Self-compassion can be beneficial for mental health, but perfectionists tend not to treat themselves in compassionate ways. If you're interested in trying to foster more self-compassion the researcher who developed the concept of self-compassion has a short exercise you can try.
Psychologists have also suggested that cognitive(认知的)behavioral therapy can be a way to help people change their beliefs about perfectionism. Although perfectionism is linked to lower mental health, the good news is that perfectionism is something you can change. By working to see mistakes as learning 15, and replacing self-criticism with self-compassion, it's possible to overcome perfectionism and develop a healthier way of setting goals for yourself.
I had a teacher who used to wake up in class by shouting: "The early bird gets the worm!" I say "let him have the worm". I hate food that doesn't stay still, and avoid Japanese restaurants for that very reason. Anyway, I stopped eating worms at the age of three, switching to regular breakfasts of cereal(谷物), to which I would add extra sugar.
Recently I was thinking about early birds and the competitive spirit after receiving a letter from a reader in Malaysia: "My son deliberately throws away marks because he doesn't like to be top of the class. What shall I do?" Give him a round of "applause" for being smart! Actually many children in Asia tend to be the focus by performing better.
Placed into a very competitive class when I was 11, I quickly learned the ideal position was second to last. The top three performers and the very last person are highlighted; the second-to-last contestant is INVISIBLE. And it's an easy position to get—just deliberately underperform at every test. I could do that. I once came second to last in eight straight sports day races. No one suspected anything. I was so invisible that I could have robbed a bank in my street and no one would have noticed.
At the London Olympics a few months ago, badminton pairs from three Asian countries deliberately tried to lost matches to draw good lots in later rounds. It was funny to watch, but they were all thrown out for poor sportsmanship. What they really needed were acting lessons, their moves were so unconvincing. "Oops, I hit the ball in entirely the wrong direction."
The other day, I took the children out and they raced for the car. "I'm first," said one. The second said: "First is worst, second is best." Together they sang at the last one: "And third's the one with a hairy chest."
It struck me that the organizers of sports matches could use this song when people deliberately lost matches. "I lost," the delighted loser will say. The judges could still declare them winners, pointing to a new, optional regulation: "First is worst, second is best, third's the one with a hairy chest."
Shot in more than 40 locations in L.A., the musical La La Land is "a love letter to the city". To coincide with UK release, we asked a local writer to pick some of the film's amazing settings.
Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange
La La Land's opening scene is a six-minute dance that plays out in L.A.'s bad traffic. It is also where the film's leading roles, struggling actress Mia and jazz pianist Sebastian, first encounter each other—in a road anger incident. The scene is said to have been filmed over two hot days in south L.A.
Smokehouse Restaurant, Burbank
This is the setting for the scene in which Mia discovers Sebastian's talent for the piano. The fictional Lipton's restaurant—where jazz purist Sebastian was reluctant to play Christmas music—is in reality a place long frequented by actors, producers and other show business types. It has been on this spot, across the street from the Warner Bros studio, since 1949. In the film, the outer wall of Lipton's is the You are the Star mural (壁画), which features Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and others, which is on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Wicox Avenue in Hollywood in reality.
Warner Bros Studios, Burbank
Mia works at the studio's coffee shop, where Sebastian comes to meet her. As they wander the studio's lot, Mia points out "the window that Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman looked out in Casablanca." It's one of the film's numerous nods to movie history. Warner Brons is still a working studio, with 35 sound stages, 14 exterior sets and visitor tours.
Cathy's Corner, Mount Hollywood Drive
This section of the road that winds through Griffth Park is the setting of their dance play. It overlooks the San Fernando Valley and features on the film poster. Cathy's Corner is near famed Mulholland Drive, but prepare for disappointment if you're expecting a park bench and street lamps, which only exist in the movie.
Few facts about modern life seem more undeniable than how busy everyone seems to be. Across the industrialized world, large numbers of survey respondents tell researchers they're overburdened with work, at the expense of time with family and friends.
But the total time people are working, whether paid or otherwise, has not increased in Europe or North America in recent decades. What's more, the date also show that the people who say they're the busiest generally aren't.
Part of the answer is simple economics. As economies grow, and the incomes of the better-off have risen over time, time has literally become more valuable: Any given hour is worth more, so we experience more pressure to squeeze in more work.
But it's also a result of the kind of work in which many of us are engaged. In the past, farming work was subject to weather limits, white at present people live in an "unlimited world," and there are always more incoming emails, more meetings, more things to read, and digital mobile technology means you have a few more to-do list items.
With time pressure weighing us down, it's hardly surprising that we live with one eye on the clock. But psychological research demonstrates that this time-awareness actually leads to worse performance. So the ironic consequence of the "busy feeling" is that we could handle to-do list less well than if we weren't so rushed.
Arguable worst of all, the feeling of rush spreads to affect our leisure time, so that even when life finally does permit an hour or two for recovery, we end up feeling that leisure time should be spent "productively," too.
If there's a solution to the busyness epidemic(流行病), other than the universal 21-hour workweek, it may lie in clearly realizing just how reasonable our attitudes have become. Historically, the ultimate symbol of wealth, achievement and social superiority was the freedom not to work. Now, it's busyness that has become the indicator of high status. "The best-off in our society are often very busy, and have to be," says Gershunny. "You ask me, am I busy, and I tell you: "Yes, of course I'm busy because I'm an important person!"
Too often, we measure our worth not by the results we achieve, but by how much of our time we spend. We live crazy lives, at least in part, because it makes us feel good about ourselves.
Meal kits(餐具)cut food waste but packaging is a problem
Home delivery meal kits can slash(大幅消减)food waste by more than two-thirds, but suppliers need to switch to reusable packaging to make them environmentally friendly.
That means leftovers are minimized. But while the delivery services score well on reducing food waste, buying the same ingredients from the supermarket almost always saves energy overall simply because meal kits use so much single-use packaging. The good news is that if you have meals that are tailored for consumption, people won't over-buy and you have less food waste. You fine-tune the portions to what people will actually eat.
Beyond the cost of the waste itself, thrown-away food generates methane(甲烷)that contributes to climate change. A 2018 report from the Boston Consulting Group found that the waste was set to soar by a third by 2030 when global food waste was estimated to reach 2.1 bn tonnes.
Meal kits can reduce transport emissions if they mean people take fewer trips to the supermarket. If people only went to buy goods that are unlikely to decay such as soap and toilet paper, they might only have to visit the supermarket once every couple of months. That delivery truck can carry meals for you and dozens of neighbors.
The study found that even if delivered meal kits reduced food waste to zero, they would still use up more energy overall than buying the same food from the supermarket unless the energy used for the meal kit packaging was cut by a fifth. All the environmental benefits are lost. But if the packaging can be reused, you can get some benefits.
A. However, meal kits are likely heading for the mainstream.
B. If it's single-use and thrown away, the packaging is a killer.
C. In that case, you might replace dozens of car trips with one truck trip.
D. Meal knits arrive on your doorstep by truck filled with every ingredient you need.
E. Tailor-made meal kits save waste by providing precise quantities of fresh ingredients.
F. If food waste was a country, it would rank third in emissions behind the US and China.
Loneliness Peaks
For years America has been talking about obesity, but a new study points to a more serious health issue: isolation and loneliness.
Being connected to others socially is widely considered a fundamental human need — crucial to both well-being and survival. Extreme examples show infants who lack human contact in care fail to grow and often die. Indeed, social isolation has been used as a form of punishment. According to Julianne Holt-Lunstad, the lead author of the study, an increasing portion of the U.S. population now population now experiences isolation regularly. Over 42 million adults above age 45 in the U.S. are estimated to be suffering from chronic(长期的)loneliness.
The study of 340 adults between the ages of 27 and 101 living in San Diego identified three key age ranges when people felt the loneliest. Participants who had the highest levels of loneliness were in their late-20s, mid-50s and late-80s. While it may come as a surprise that people in their late-20s suffered from loneliness, a larger survey shows they actually may suffer the hardest.
With an increasing number of people working from home, watching television, getting into an addiction to electronic devices, it has become too easy to be alone, even if that's not a person's intention. Modern day conveniences like having anything we want delivered make it possible to never need to leave the house. So, not surprisingly, those with frequent social contact usually feel less lonely than those with few social ties.
Mounting evidence suggests social isolation and loneliness significantly impact our health, and even shorten our lives, just like obesity. This study isn't the first time loneliness has been flagged as an emerging health issue. Therefore, reducing both isolation and loneliness is important for quality of life and well-being.
