Balancing between study and friendship I'm Patrick McCarthy, but you can call me Pat. This is the space where I can help you with your daily life problems, one-on-one. Go ahead and ask away! | |
Dear Patrick, My best friend Megan always texts me a lot after school. But I really want to focus on my homework. What should I do?
| HI Didf. First, make sure to tell your friend that homework needs to come first, Let her know that she can still text you, but that you may keep your phone silent so her texts won't interrupt（打扰）your homework, Second, you could suggest a time that it's OK to text—say, 7 o' clock. Before that time, you will be busy studying, but after that time you can message her back. The most important thing is that openly talking about your feelings often gives the best results. If you hide your feelings, she might misunderstand you and feel hurt. She' ll probably find your request reasonable and accept what you say, If she doesn't, you may want to rethink your relationship with her. A good friend always respects what is important to others. Pat |
Money can't buy you happiness, Well, what if it could? Not by making it or spending it, but by giving it away.
In an experiment in Switzerland, researchers gave each of the 50 volunteers F20 every week for four weeks. Half of the volunteers were asked to spend the money on themselves and make a note of how they spent the money. But the researchers asked the other half to spend the money on another person.
After that, all 50 volunteers did the same task in a laboratory. They were asked to think of a person who they would like to give money to. Then they had to decide how much money, from F3 to F20, they wanted to give away. Whu le the volunteers thought about this, the researchers studied their brain activity using an MRI machine.
The results showed two things. First, the 25 volunteers who gave their money away during the four weeks were more generous（慷慨的）and chose to give more money away in the laboratory task. Second, those same people were much happier than the people who once spent the money on themselves.
In the experiment, the volunteers were asked to give money away But would you like to do this in your daily life? Can you really make yourself happy by giving? The answer is yes, but remember to start small. You can start by giving fl to a homeless person. Gradually, you can try to change your habits so that you can save money to give away. For example, stop buying lunch every day and take a packed lunch-to-work-or school. You can then save some money and give it to people in need.
Learning to give money away is all about changing the way you behave. It's about living with less and being more generous. And this will make you happy.
A student project has discovered another power of AI: It can be good at locating（定位）
where photos are taken. The project is called Predicting Image Geolocations (or PIGEON). It's the work of three Stanford students. They designed it in order to recognize locations on Google Street View（谷歌街景）. The team showed the AI a few personal photos it had never seen before, it could tell where they were taken.
PIOEON works well because it can pick up on all the little things in photos. It can notice small differences in leaves, soil and weather. The group says the technology can be used in many ways. It could recognize roads or power lines that need fixing. It may also help researchers do surveys of invasive（入侵的）plants in an area.
However, this new power is likely to be a double-edged sword, It could be used to reveal people's private, personal information, says Jay Stanley, an expert at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Stanley worries that companies might soon use AI to find out where you' ve traveled Governments might check your photos to see if you' ve visited certain countries. Stalking（跟踪）is also a possible threat, he says. People have long been able to remove GPS location information from photos they post online. That may not work any more. Luckily, the Stanford students are well aware of the risks. Because of these worries, they haven't given the public entry to their program.
Stanley thinks the use of AI for identifying locations will become even more powerful in the future. What will that mean? Well, be very careful about what's in the background in the photos you post online, he says.
A volleyball player at the college where I worked recently stopped by my office. After making a few mistakes during weekend match, she was very sad. She told me, "I think I'm good at it, and I practice hard. How is this happening?" This student believes she should be able to control the effects of her life through her hard work. I am noticing a trouble increase in students like this athlete. They believe that when they win, they feel powerful and smart.
We often talk about young adults fighting with failure because their parents have protected them from discomfort, But there are some other facts at play here, Parents sometimes falsely promise their children that they can achieve anything if they are willing to work for it.
Psychologísts（心理学家）think that students have used the mindset（心态）wrongly. They find that praising children's effort will increase their performance in schools. But a 2018 research found that although praising effort over ability may benefit disadvantaged students, it does not necessarily help everyone, For some of them, the big problem is that it's not good when the wish for the achievement is over the top. Adults should help students understand what success means in healthier ways. At Smith College where I teach, students are asked to explore how challenges made them stronger or more effective. The point is not to tell our kids not to make efforts or try their best. But imagining that they can control everything is not really resilience（适应力）. We would be wise to remind them that something unexpected always happens in our lives.
If you stayed up or had a bad night of sleep last night, you know it's difficult to stay awake in class today. Your teacher's voice might begin to sound like a lullaby（摇篮曲）. ___ To keep yourself awake, some tips are worth trying in class.
Sit in the front of the room. Why? ___ Besides, you' ll stay awake more possibly if you know that the teacher can see you easily. You' ll also be near the people who are more likely to take part, and the sound of their voices might keep you awake.
Get involved in class activities. Ask and answer questions and pay attention to the class. This will help if you' re tired or feel bored of the class, because you can ask your teacher questions to get to the bottom of the problems. Talking will also help. It might be helpful to make a goal for yourself to answer or ask at least 3 questions each class. ___ For example, you might say, "I didn't understand the last part. Could you explain it again? "
___ Active listening is a great way to force yourself to stay awake because it requires engagement（参与）of your mind as well as your body. Practicing active listening can help you keep your
eyes open for the length of the lesson. To effectively listen to your teacher, you should try to look at your teacher, face your teacher, pay close attention to what your teacher is saying and ask questions during the class.
A. Develop interest in the subject. B. Listen actively to the lesson. C. If so, classes can be boring because you' re tired. D. It' ll be easier to pay attention and take part when you' re in the front. E. To avoid annoying your teacher you should try to keep your questions clear. |
What can you do to keep yourself awake in class?（不超过20词）___
As I sit here in the quiet of my study, my thoughts go back to my teenage years. It was a period when I was uncertain about my1 . Life during those years was like a roller coaster ride that I will never forget.
I clearly remember the day I started high school. The air was filled with excitement and the sense of a new 2 . I was both hopeful and scared, excited to explore（探索）the world but also3 about the unknown. My friends and I would spend hours after school walking around in the park, dreaming about our futures and the chances that waited for us.
One of the most important events during my teenage years was joining the school's drama club. It was there that I found my love for 4 . The stage（舞台）was my safe place to get away from everyday life stresses. Our show came from hard work and creativity, and I felt the cheers were the5 sound I had ever heard.
However, not every memory from that time was pleasant. There were moments of sadness and heartache. For example, I once 6 the school basketball team but didn't make it. I didn't give up.7 it was difficult, it taught me to keep going. Studies were also a major part of my teenage experience. I had difficulty with Math and Science and8 lost hope. But my English teacher, Mrs. Thompson encouraged me to develop my writing. Finally, I9 a writing competition. That victory was a great moment that built up my confidence and changed my opinion on my 10 .
As I look back on those years, I realize that my teenage self was11 influenced and hurt. I was trying to find my place in the world, to understand who I was and 12 I wanted to be. There were times when I felt lonely, like I didn't belong anywhere. But those feelings disappeared with the love and support of my family and close friends.
I see that my teenage years were a key period of13 . They were filled with challenges and mistakes, but also with moments of success and self-discovery. I am 14 for every experience, both good and bad, because they have 15 me into the person I am today. And though I may not miss the tumult（混乱）of being a teenager, I cherish the values I got during that time.
succeed just build for example when |
Within the next 80 years, our lives may be changed a lot by 3D printing. It has already influenced many things in our lives, right down to the food we eat. ___ some restaurants in London have served 3D—printed hamburgers to custamers.
But perhaps the biggest ___ that people have achieved is in medicine. It is amazing ___ people see a beating heart printed with 3D printing technology. The printed body part might help people live a normal life again after an illness or an accideït. And it is not ___ humans who are benefiting——in Brazil, people ___ many new 3D—printed body parts for sick animals so far!
One day, our English teacher Mr. White came into the classroom with a book in his hand. He started his lesson with a question, "Who can ___（描述）what stress is like?" No one answered. Then he ___[举起) the book and asked, "How heavy is the book?"
On hearing the question, we began to think and guess. One student said, "I think it is 100g. "Another student said, "It's 200g. " Our answers were different. Finally, Mr. White ___（解释），"It doesn't only depend on the real weight. It also has ___（许多，大量）tó do with the time I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, I will have a ___（疼痛）in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, I will have to see a doctor. It is the ___（精确）same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. This book stands for stress. If you hold it ___（没有）putting it down, sooner or later, you will not be able to keep on. No matter how much stress you have, stop and have a rest for a while if ___（可能）. Boys and girls, you should learn to relax ___（你们自己）. I am sure you will live a happy school life"
We all thanked Mr. White for giving such a meaningful lesson which made a ___（不同)to us.
Humor is part of human nature. Everyone has the ability ___ （enjoy) jokes and laughter, no matter who they are or where they come from. Humor is one of the most important ___(way) people make connections with each other. Humor also ___(help) you look for the bright side of life and face problems positively（积极地）。
One sunny afternoon, ___ famous British writer Bernard Shaw was enjoying himself in a quiet field when a bike rider ___(run) into him. ___(luck), Mr. Shaw was not hurt. "I'm so sorry!" said the rider. "Oh, no, " said Mr. Shaw. "I should say sorry because I'm not giving luck to you. If you had killed me, you know, you would be famous all over the world. "
Feng Jicai, the Chinese writer, once ___ (visit) by an American friend and his young child in a hotel While the two men were talking, the little boy was jumping up and down ___ his bed. The bed was shaking, and Feng was worried that it might break. He smiled to the boy, "Hey, boy! Are you trying to reach the sky? Will you return to the earth ? " His friend understood at once, ah d said to his son jokingly, "Let's come back right now! "
___ different people may have a different sense of humor, good humor has something in common. First, you need to keep a cool head and an open mind. With humor, you can avoid some unnecessary conflicts（冲突）, and sometimes it helps you laugh even at ___(bad) of your problems. Second, you need to be kind and understanding. In an embarrassing situation, using humor can let your friend save face.
