FOR RENT Large, sunny office in convenient downtown location, near two bus routes, amp le parking at the back. 900 sq. feet divided into two private offices and comfortable reception area, small kitchen, one bathroom. Modern 10-story building with two elevators. $ 1, 750/month. First month's rent and security deposit equal to one month's rent required to move in. To see, call City Office Rentals at 382-0838 between 8: 30 and 4: 30, Tues. -Sat. To: Marilyn Sawyer From: Paul Lebowski Sent: Tuesday, October 3 Subject: Office rental Marilyn, Here's a link to an office rental ad I found online: www. offices. com/10- 01. I think it's worth looking at even though the rent is a bit high. I know it is a good deal more than we are paying now, but look at the size. It's twice as big as our current office, and I'm sure we can use the space. And it has a kitchen, a bathroom and a reception area just like we have now. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near a subway station. That is a convenience I would miss having, but it does have parking, unlike our current office. I'm sure our clients would appreciate that. It would also be good to be in a building with an elevator. I'm really tired of using the stairs. I'd like to see the space as soon as possible. Could you call and make an appointment? Try and get one for tomorrow if you can, because after that I'll be away until next Monday, as you know. Thanks. Paul |
It was a quiet morning in the library, and we librarians were enjoying a rather loud chat. Suddenly, a patron marched up to us, gave us an annoyed "Shush!" and went back to her seat. How strange for a group of librarians to be shushed by a patron! Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Well, it's complicated. If you're like me, a middle-aged woman, you probably remember libraries as places of silent reading. These days, however, libraries are more like active community centers.
In the past, most libraries didn't focus much on programs for kids whose age made it impossible for them to be quiet on demand. But growing knowledge about the importance of kids and teens learning through hands-on experiences has since caused a sea change in how libraries connect with young readers. Now libraries begin offering interactive programs for kids, including crafts, board games, and story times. These types of programs certainly aren't designed to be silent.
Along with more programs for ever-younger children, technology today has played a part in the transformation of libraries into places where both kids and adults can use computers, make something on a 3D printer and more. In addition, many libraries now offer programs for adults, who can participate in book discussion, learn calligraphy, and even take college classes.
Of course, libraries still need peaceful phones. These days, many libraries have glassed-off study rooms or quiet areas. They are also less noisy in the early afternoons, after morning children's programs and before the after-school kid crowd arrive.
It's clear to me now that on the day my colleagues and I were shushed by a patron, we should have been using our "library voices" as we talked. Still, it's unlikely that libraries will ever return to the days when they were places of silence. There's just too much fun and learning happening.
These days, it's not unusual to see middle-aged men collecting Star Wars action figures, office workers wearing Hello Kitty accessories, or celebrities like David Beckham playing with Lego bricks. It's becoming more and more common to see adults taking an interest in toys, comic books and the activities that are traditionally associated with children. This phenomenon has given rise to a new word: kidult.
What lies behind the phenomenon? One is about adults' nostalgia（怀旧之情） for the carefree days of childhood, and this is especially true with today's fast-paced, stressful lifestyles. Another is about a societal change in recent decades where people are starting families later. As a result, they have more time and money to spend on themselves. Some adults could only window-shop for their dream toys when they were kids, but now they can afford that radio-controlled car or high-priced doll they have always wanted.
Businesses have been quick to exploit the kidult trend, and the number of toy stores that target adults has risen. Companies are repackaging products from past decades and also bringing out new ones for adults. Lego, for example, has brought out an architectural series featuring landmarks from around the world.
Society traditionally disapproves of adults who refuse to put aside childhood interests, viewing the refusal as a sign of social immaturity and irresponsibility. Those who agree with this view sometimes claim that kidults are suffering from the pop-psychology concept known as Peter Pan Syndrome, an anomaly（异常） that people remain emotionally at the level of teenagers. On a grander scale, these kidult opponents argue that such delayed adulthood causes couples to marry later and have fewer children. This in turn can lead to shrinking national economies, for there needs to be a generational replenishment of the workforce.
From the standpoint of kidults, though, this phenomenon is seen as nothing but harmless fun. Kidults insist that having youthful interests keeps them young, happy and creative, and their refusal to conform to society's acceptable tastes shows independent thinking. Besides, they argue that being part of the social trend of delayed adulthood is not purely a personal choice. The real causes include expensive housing, increased educational requirements for employment and poor work opportunities.
Whether the kidult phenomenon will continue to grow or prove to be a passing trend is anyone's guess. As the debate about it continues, remember that there is nothing wrong with being young at heart.
In 2020, OpenAI, a research lab in San Francisco, revealed a system called GPT-3. It is what artificial intelligence researchers call a neural network, after the web of neurons in the human brain. A neural network is really a mathematical system that learns skills by locating patterns in vast amounts of digital data. By analyzing thousands of cat photos, for instance, it can learn to recognize a cat. "We call it ‘artificial intelligence, ' but a better name might be ‘finding statistical patterns from large data sets', " said Dr. Gopnik, the Berkeley professor.
More recently, researchers at places like Google and OpenAI began building neural networks that learned from enormous amounts of prose, including digital books and Wikipedia articles by the thousands. GPT-3 is an example. As it analyzed all that digital text, it built what you might call a mathematical map of human language — more than 175 billion data points that describe how we piece words together. Using this map, it can perform many different tasks, like penning speeches, writing computer programs and having a conversation.
But there are limitations. If you ask GPT-3 for 10 speeches in the voice of Mark Twain, it might give you five that sound remarkably like the famous writer—and five others that come nowhere close. Computer programmers use the technology to create small snippets（一小段） of code they can slip into larger programs, but more often than not they have to edit and adjust whatever it gives them.
Still, Dr. Gopnik described this kind of system as intelligent. "It is not intelligent in the way humans are. It is like an unfamiliar form of intelligence, " he said. "But it still counts. "
Dr. Gopnik and many others in the field are confident that they are on a path to building a machine that can do anything the human brain can do. This confidence shines through when they discuss current technologies. He admits that some A. I. researchers "struggle to differentiate between reality and science fiction. " But he believes these researchers still serve a valuable role. "They help us dream of the full range of the possible, " he said.
Perhaps they do. But for the rest of us, these dreams can get in the way of the issues that deserve our attention.
When faced with the decision to get out of bed or have a few more minutes of sleep, which do you choose?
A sleep researcher Till Roen, has recently conducted a study. And while there are no official numbers on snoozing （打盹）, a quick survey of social media makes it clear that hitting the snooze button is popular.
As to how the snooze button will affect your day, scientists have mixed opinions. Some scientists think people who hit the snooze button in the mornings are actually clever, creative and happy. "I feel that hitting the snooze button has got to be one of the worst things that ever happened to human sleep, " researcher Jonath an Horowitz said. "The chances of you ‘snoozing' and actually experiencing a meaningful rest are close to zero. "
According to some sleep experts, you simply hit the snooze button. And that will throw yourself into a deep state of being sleepy. The body needs some time to wake up. Therefore, when returning to what will be a light sleep for a brief period of time, you are putting your body back into a sleep mode before waking it again. At that point your body won't know what it wants, resulting in a sort of half awaken state.
The key is to form a healthy sleep cycle. Focus your efforts on getting enough sleep each night and waking up at the same time each day so that when your alarm goes off you feel rested.
A. But some said that hitting the snooze button will ruin your day.
B. Believe it or not, that decision could make a difference in the rest of your day.
C. How can you really take advantage of an alarm clock?
D. It's significant to make use of willpower to struggle off bed.
E. About 85 percent of Americans use an alarm clock to wake up.
F. Hopefully, the following ways will help you keep refreshed in the morning.
G. In fact you are confusing your body and mind.
Jacky Hunt-Broersma, a native of South Africa, set her goal in mid-January. And since then she has been running 26. 2 miles every day, about the 1 of a marathon. On Saturday, she completed her 104th marathon—a（an） 2 she expects to be confirmed by Guinness World Records. If so, she would then 3 a world record for 104 back-to-back（持续的） marathon runs, two more than her previous 4 .
Hunt-Broersma 5 half of her left leg to a rare form of cancer in 2001. "The biggest 6 was accepting that part of my body was gone, " she said. "Until five years ago, I was not very 7 . But after 8 running, I decided to give it a try. " Currently, she keeps running on a false 9 made out of carbon fiber. The carbon fiber blade （刀锋） she uses, designed specifically for 10 , costs about $10, 000.
But Hunt-Broersma says her 11 has been well worthwhile. "Running really 12 my life, " she said. "It gave me a sense of freedom. I fell in love with the process of 13 my body further just to see what I could do. "
Hunt-Broersma is hoping to 14 a single thought in others——"You're 15 than you think and you're capable of so much more. "
Acupuncture（针灸）, a traditional Chinese medical practice, （be） the remedy for （count） patients since ancient times. Before modern medicine came to life, ancient Chinese used stone tools to relieve pain. Over time, this primitive practice gradually evolved a comprehensive and profound medical system and shaped the root of acupuncture.
（aim） at promoting the body's self-regulating functions, acupuncture emphasizes all-inclusive treatment, balance of bodily functions and overall physiological well-being, therapeutic principles are in line with the philosophical concepts of traditional Chinese medicine.
Practices can vary in forms, including needle insertion, cupping and scraping. Needle insertion, most common method, （carry） out by inserting hair-thin needles into meridians, with specific points on the body that channel vital energy （the qi）. Practitioners lift, twirl and rotate needles to unblock the flow of energy and stimulate the body's innate potential to heal （it）.
Looking beyond China, acupuncture has become a global therapy. According to a 2019 WHO report, acupuncture is used in 113 of its 120 member countries, （illustrate） its widespread recognition and application.
With a rich history and deep cultural significance, acupuncture has seen many （advance） in scientific research and modern medicine, which is now an embodiment of profound cultural heritage and a historic path to healing.
Tom was working in a big company. He had been on the road visiting people for more than a month without going home. He couldn't wait to get back to see his wife and children. It was coming up on Mother's Day, and he usually tried to make it "back home", but this year he was just too busy and too tired. The day when he was driving in a small town, he saw a flower shop. He said to himself, "I know what I will do. I'll send my mother some roses. "
He stopped and went into the flower shop and saw a young boy talking to the girl in it. "How many roses can I get for five dollars, Ms. ?" the boy asked. The girl was trying to explain that roses were expensive. Maybe the young boy would be happy with something else.
"No, I have to have roses, " he said, "My mum was badly sick last year and there isn't much time left for her. I want to get something special. It has to be red roses, because that is her favorite. " He was stubborn.
The girl in the shop looked up at Tom and was just shaking her head. Something inside of Tom was touched by the boy's voice. He wanted to get those roses so badly. Tom had been blessed in his business, and he looked at the girl and silently said that he would pay for the boy's roses.
The girl looked at the young man and said, "OK, I will give you a dozen red roses for your dollars. " The young boy almost jumped into the air. He took the flowers and ran down the store. It was worth more than fifty dollars just to see that kind of excitement.
Tom ordered his own flowers and asked the girl to have it delivered to his mother. After that, with a relief he drove down the road. Not long after his driving, he saw the boy walking to a hospital nearby.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Tom stopped his car and followed the young boy.
Tom went into the car with a deep sense of shame.
