Journey Back in Time with Scholars

When “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was first shown to the public last month, a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard. But they weren’t there to throw red paint on fur-coat-wearing film stars. Instead, one activist, dressed in a full-body monkey suit, had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers: “Thanks for not using real apes (猿)!”

The creative team behind “Apes” used motion-capture (动作捕捉) technology to create digitalized animals, spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor’s performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image (图像). In this case, one of a realistic-looking ape.

Yet “Apes” is more exception than the rule. In fact, Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately. One nonprofit organization, which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment, is keeping tabs on more than 2,000 productions this year. Already, a number of films, including “Water for Elephants,” “The Hangover Part Ⅱ” and “Zookeeper,” have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven’t been treated properly.

In some cases, it’s not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried; it’s the off-set training and living conditions that are raising concerns. And there are questions about the films made outside the States, which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States.

With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation(孤独), more families are choosing to live together.

The doorway to peace and quiet, for Nick Bright at least, leads straight to his mother-in-law, she lives on the ground floor, while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters.

Four years ago they all moved into a three-storey Victorian house in Bristol - one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof. They share a front door and a washing machine, but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room on the ground floor.

“We floated the idea to my mum of sharing at a house,” says Kathryn Whitehead. Rita cuts in: “We spoke more with Nick because I think it’s a big thing for Nick to live with his mother-in-law.”

And what does Nick think? “From my standpoint, it all seems to work very well. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think I would.”

It’s hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him, but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time. Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325,000 in 2001to 419,000 in 2013.

Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common. Some people live with their elderly parents; many more adult children are returning to the family home, if they ever left. It is said that about 20% of 25-34-year-olds live with their parents, compared with 16% in 1991.The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million.

Stories like that are more common in parts of the world where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted. In India, particularly outside cities, young women are expected to move in with their husband’s family when they get married.

We are the products of evolution, and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago. As scientists look deeper into our genes (基因), they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years. People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes. Cattle -raising people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation (突变) that helps them digest milk as adults.

On Thursday in an article published in Cell, a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation - not to air or to food, but to the ocean. A group of sea-dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers. The Bajau, as these people are known, number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. They have traditionally lived on houseboats; in recent times, they’ve also built houses on stilts (支柱) in coastal waters. “They are simply a stranger to the land,” said Redney C. Jubilado, a University of Hawaii researcher who studies the Bajau.

Dr. Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines. They made a living as divers, spearfishing or harvesting shellfish. “We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders,” Dr. Jubilado said. “I could see them actually walking under the sea.”

In2015, Melissa Ilardo, then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen, heard about the Bajau. She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the task easier for them. “it seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population,” said Dr. Ilardo. She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive.

A housewarming party is a special party to be held when someone buys or moves into a new apartment or house. The person who bought the house or moved is the one who throws the party. The party is a chance for friends and family to congratulate the person on the new home.
36． And it is good time to fill the new space with love and hopeful presents.

37． Some people register a list of things they want or need for their new home at a local stores. Some common things people will put on a gift registry include kitchen tools like knives and things like curtains. Even if there isn’t a registry, a good housewarming gift is something to decorate the new house with, like a piece of art or a plant.

38． This is often appreciated since at a housewarming there isn’t a lot of food served. There are usually no planned activities like games at a housewarming party. The host or hostess of the party will, however, probably give all the guests a tour of their new home. Sometimes, because a housewarming party happens shortly after a person moves into their new home, people may be asked to help unpack boxes.
39．

Housewarming parties get their name from the fact that a long time ago people would actually bring firewood to a new home as a gift.
40． Now most homes have central heating and don’t use fires to keep warm.

As a businesswoman, I care deeply about my customers. But like anyone for whom you feel affection, _______ can also drive you mad. They’ll come rushing in, _______their handbag’s been stolen. They’ll _______ that they left it in the changing room, create havoe (混乱) and then _______ it had been in their car all the time. They’ll have out half the _______ in the shop, and want the only style you don’t have left in a _______ colour. I do know how upset the shop staff can get, but I try to persuade them to keep _______.

I remember the first really _______ customer we had at Covent Garden. She was _______ absolutely everything, nothing was right and I was rather ________ that she became a “regular”. After a while, she ________ for the way she behaved at the beginning. She had split up with her husband the week before, was living in a flat ________, and since she’d found it too much to cope with (应对), she’d taken it out on ________ people.

That taught me a valuable ________ and I pass it on to the people who ________ in the market. Don’t take it ________. If a customer is rude or difficult, just think “Maybe she’s had a row with her husband. Maybe her child’s not ________.” Always water it down and don’t let your ego (自我) get ________. If you do, you won’t be able to ________ it and the whole thing develops into an unpleasant scene and that ________ everyone’s day.

In ancient China lived an artist
61． paintings were almost lifelike. The artist’s reputation had made him proud. One day the emperor wanted to get his portrait (画像) done so he called all great artists to come and present their
62． (fine) work, so that he could choose the best. The artist was sure he would
63．(choose), but when he presented his masterpiece to the emperor’s chief minister, the old man laughed. The wise old man told him to travel to the Li River～perhaps he could learn a little from the greatest artist in the world.

Filled with
64． (curious), the artist packed his bags and left.
65． he asked the villagers on the banks of the river where he could find the legendary (传奇的) artist, they smiled and
66． (point) down the river. The next morning he hired a boat and set out
67． (find) the well-known painter. As the small boat moved,
68． (gentle) along the river he was left speechless by the mountains being silently reflected in the water. He passed milky white waterfalls and mountains in many shades of blue. And when he saw the mists rising from the river and the soft clouds
69． (surround) the mountain tops, he was reduced to tears. The artist was finally humbled (谦卑) by the greatest artist
70． earth, Mother Nature.

My mom is really concerning with the health of everyone in our families. In order to make surely all of us are in good health, and she makes specific plans for us. For example, every morning, my dad has to have the bowl of egg soup while I had to eat an apple. My dad don’t like the soup and I don’t enjoy apples. I tell my mom that if we’re forced eat things, we may become ill.

But he insists on us eating healthy food. Understanding her good intentions, I eat all the food what is provided by Mom with appreciation.