Notice
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Student Union
How to Make Exercise a Habit
The new year is a time when it seems like everyone makes goals to work out and get fit. But by the third week of January, that all seems to go out the window. I’ve seen this happen almost every year: my workout classes are packed with fresh faces.
Focus on the routine and not the results
These days it feels like everyone is looking for a quick fix or fast results, particularly when it comes to health and fitness.
Everyone seems to want to set big goals of working out 4 times a week with 60-minute sessions. But realistically, if you’re not used to this, it will just be overwhelming and lead you to quit. Given this, doing workouts even as small as5-10 minutes is a good place to start.
Forget the “all or nothing” view
When it comes to exercise, the all or nothing approach does not serve you. Say you plan a workout for today, but say things get crazy at work and you miss your scheduled time. Well that doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
Find joy in your workouts
A.Life happens sometimes. |
B.Start with mini workouts |
C.Build yourself workout time-zone |
D.But in reality, it takes time for results to show. |
E.Explore until you find a workout that feels like fun. |
F.There is something magical that makes your plan work. |
G.But after just a few weeks, they return to the regular number of people. |
Elon Musk, a US tech mogul(大亨), founder of SpaceX and co-founder of electric car maker Tesla, has been working on this technology. On Aug 28, Musk gave a livestream(直播) demonstration of the chip which was implanted into the head of a pig named Gertrude.
The chip, developed by Musk’s company Neuralink, is the size of a coin. But don’t let its size fool you. The tiny chip has over 3,000 electrodes (电极) attached to flexible threads, which can monitor about 1,000 neurons (神经元). It collects neural signals from an area of the brain, and then transmits those signals wirelessly to nearby computers, according to MSN. In the livestream, Gertrude could be seen walking around her pen sniffing (嗅) the ground while a monitor showed her brain activity.
Though the technology is still in its early stage, it is encouraging for humans. “This technology would solve a lot of brain/spine injuries and is ultimately (最终) essential for AI symbiosis (共生), which allows the human brain to mix with an artificial intelligence.” Musk said in previous interviews.
When the device can be applied to humans, its main goal will be to help those who have mobility(行动) issues, such as those suffering from paralysis(瘫痪). Musk hopes this technology could also be used to help those with hearing and eyesight issues and one day lead to a cure for epilepsy(癫痫).
Although such a device could, in principle, repair those problems, putting it into practice is by no means a piece of cake. Currently, the device can transmit signals from about 500 neurons in the pig’s brain. Compared to 80 billion neurons in a human brain, this number is tiny. And to cover the whole human brain also means the electrodes have to be much smaller. Also, implanting the chip into the brain poses a potential danger. There is a risk of the immune system attacking this foreign body.
Right now, the hope of controlling the brain via controlling a few neurons seems overly optimistic. “There are many technological challenges to overcome before Neuralink can put its devices to the purposes,” Yuan Lanfeng, an associate professor of China, told China Daily.
1.What do we know about Elon Musk’s microchip according to the first three paragraphs?A.It is able to collect wireless signals. | B.It was inspired by sci-fi movie plots. |
C.It has no more than 1,000 electrodes. | D.It is tiny in size but powerful in function. |
A.To develop a cure for epilepsy. |
B.To monitor animals, brain activity. |
C.To help people who have mobility issues. |
D.To contribute to the research in AI technologies. |
A.Potential problems in applying the chip to humans. |
B.Key differences between pigs’ and humans’ brains. |
C.How the immune system is the major obstacle to the implant. |
D.The amount of time and money implanting the chip could cost. |
A.Excited. | B.Cautious. | C.Optimistic. | D.Worried. |
During Yang Zhongkai’s early years, a 500-year-old majestic ginkgo tree that did not sprout leaves for two to three years at a stretch used to be a daily sight for him on his way to and from high school. Since villagers widely regarded the tree as having the power to make their wishes come true, they used to kneel down in front of the “lucky” tree and burn offerings under it, which led to prolonged heat exposure at its roots, stunting its growth.
“Millions of such old trees are in urgent need of protection given their importance as vital biological resources and symbols of ecological civilization,” said Yang, who started the team — Zhiyue — dedicated to protecting ancient trees.“But the recording and management of ancient and famous trees nationwide commonly rely on Excel spreadsheets (电子表格), which present issues such as information silos, lack of real-time updates and incomplete content,” he said.
However, things have changed of late. Yang and his team now use the artificial intelligence technology developed by Tencent Cloud to identify and register trees accurately based on individual traits and GPS tracking. “With the acceleration of a new generation of technological revolution and industrial transformation, new technologies bring more excitement to the protection of ancient trees.” Yang said. “We can now collect data on the trees’ growth, health and environment in real time, which helps us make informed decisions on how to better protect them.”
“In addition to applying cutting-edge technologies such as AI and large models to assist in the development of traditional industries, the company also makes great efforts to promote the development of charitable causes through technological and platform advantages, “Wu Yunsheng said, vice-president of Tencent Cloud, adding that“the power of technology can change the world”.
1.What does the underlined word“stunting”in paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Preventing. | B.Promoting. | C.Measuring. | D.Maintaining. |
A.The lack of effective protection measures. |
B.The risk of information loss and accuracy. |
C.The destruction by local villagers. |
D.The extreme heat from burning. |
A.It enables the collection of real-time data on trees'growth. |
B.It is a valuable tool for people to protect the eco-system. |
C.It has been widely used in the traditional industries. |
D.It can quickly update the number of trees in China. |
A.Modern Technology Advances Charitable Causes |
B.Ancient Tree Management is Vital for Biodiversity |
C.Ancient Trees Hold Cultural Traditions |
D.New Technology Helps Tree Protection |
Watching the latest Hollywood movie in a great cinema brings about a lot of excitement. Here are the best movie theaters in the world.
Prasad—Hyderabad, India
Can you think of anything better than a movie viewed on a screen measuring 97×117 feet? Prasad has the answer. It has been screening movies since 2003. Every day, it gets round 1,500 inquiries (咨询) on its phone booking system.
Castro Theater—San Francisco, United States
Back during the 20s, movie palaces with huge reception halls and video halls were put up for the pleasure of customers. This theater, with a cathedral façade (立面), is one of the last from that period.
Cine de Chef—Seoul, South Korea
Want to go out for dinner and a movie? Here you get to do both. And the food is not just the typical popcorn and soda, but a real meal made up of French and Italian cuisine (菜肴).
Secret Cinema—Worldwide
Secret Cinema is a group based in London that holds monthly screenings of a movie. You have to sign up for it, and they will tell you where and when to go for the movie. Hired actors will then act out the scenes from the film.
1.What makes Prasad well-known?A.Its long history. | B.Its large-sized screen. |
C.Its special decoration. | D.Its phone booking system. |
A.Prasad | B.Castro Theater. | C.Cine de Chef. | D.Secret Cinema. |
A.To advertise. | B.To educate. | C.To persuade. | D.To introduce. |
I was in a foreign country. I always took a
One of the
Asked if I had been here, I said I had passed the station many times, but never
We had a short
A.fast | B.slow | C.night | D.morning |
A.naturally | B.luckily | C.happily | D.funnily |
A.missed | B.forgot | C.dreamed | D.lost |
A.come in | B.get off | C.hold on | D.speak out |
A.wait | B.work | C.move | D.arrive |
A.small | B.old | C.dangerous | D.noisy |
A.co-workers | B.guides | C.controllers | D.passengers |
A.angry | B.worried | C.sad | D.curious |
A.car | B.room | C.company | D.store |
A.praised | B.trusted | C.tested | D.supported |
A.planning | B.learning | C.talking | D.thinking |
A.looked | B.stepped | C.cycled | D.ran |
A.memory | B.walk | C.meeting | D.ride |
A.remember | B.admire | C.believe | D.remind |
A.Unless | B.If | C.Though | D.Since |
Every year, at the end of October, tens of thousands of people flock to a Buddhist temple in China to see a huge gingko biloba tree (银杏树) drop its foliage (枝叶) and turn
Due to the increasing
A.to see one of his friends |
B.because he wanted to do something there for his writing |
C.because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there |
D.to see one of his relatives |
A.they did something wrong to Mark Twain |
B.their hotel was too small |
C.the room was not very clean |
D.there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room |
A.the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room |
B.the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number |
C.Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents |
D.Mark Twain made a joke |
A.no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night |
B.the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night |
C.Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night |
D.there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer |
When I was small, my mother and I would walk to our local library in Franklin Square. As we didn’t always have access to a reliable car, walking hand in hand was the most convenient way to get anywhere. It was at story time for children that both my mother and I made lasting friendships.
Today, I am fortunate to live around the corner from the Cold Coast Public Library in Glen Head and a short walk to the Sea Cliff Children’s Library. My 8-month-old son, Colin, and I find ourselves in Sea Cliff several times a week, meeting and making friends. Well, that is what many people don’t understand—a library is more than books; it’s a community.
Sure, the library in Franklin Square was the place where I was introduced to Judy Blume novels. But it was also the place where I got my first email address in 1997. At the library, friends and I learned how to research colleges and search for scholarships on the Internet. The library was the place where we sometimes giggled (咯咯笑) too loudly, and where the librarians knew us by name. Their knowing our names wasn’t a bad thing. When I came home from my first term at Binghamton University, Mary LaRosa, the librarian at the Franklin Square library, offered me my first teaching job.
I now teach reading at Nassau Community College. My students are often amazed that they can check out books via their smartphones and virtually (虚拟地) visit a variety of Long Island libraries. The app used by Nassau and Suffolk county public libraries, as well as the college library, makes their homework easier by helping them find resources. Even though they can’t always easily visit their local libraries, the library is always with them.
1.Why does the author consider herself lucky today?A.She can walk with her mother hand in hand. |
B.She has access to a reliable car now. |
C.She can giggle loudly at the library. |
D.She lives close to libraries. |
A.socializing in a library |
B.reading books in a library |
C.visiting a library with family members |
D.building parent-child friendship in a library |
A.Sympathetic. | B.Favorable. |
C.Sceptical. | D.Disapproving. |
A.recall the days of childhood in the libraries |
B.discuss the differences of the libraries |
C.explain the changes of the libraries |
D.express her love for libraries |
How Smartphone Adds to Your Weight
Using a smartphone at mealtimes can lead to an expanding waistline. Researchers have found that men and women consumed 15% more calories when looking at their phones while eating.
“It may prevent the correct understanding of the brain over the amount of food ingested,” said researchers who filmed 62 volunteers eating alone.
The volunteers, aged 18 to 28, were divided in to three groups and invited to help themselves to a choice of food — ranging from healthy options to soft drinks and chocolate — until they were satisfied.
“Smartphone use during a meal increased calorie and fat intake,” said Márcio Gilberto Zangeronimoa, a lead author of the study — carried out at the Federal University of Lavras in Brazil and University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands. He added: “Tablets and smartphones have become the main ‘distracters’ during meals, even early in childhood.
A.They also eat more fatty food. |
B.They also ate more when reading a magazine. |
C.Distracted or hurried eating can add to weight gain. |
D.The study is published in Physiology And Behavior. |
E.It is important to pay attention to how this may impact food intakes. |
F.Hunger isn’t the only thing that influences how much we eat during the day. |
G.They were recorded eating with no distractions, using a smartphone or reading a magazine. |