相关试卷

Symbols of Animals in Chinese and Western Cultures

In Chinese and Western cultures, animals (acquire) different meanings over time. There are some elements represent one thing to one culture, and something else entirely to another.

The word "bat" in Chinese ("fu") has the same (pronounce) as the Chinese character meaning "luck, happiness and fortune". Therefore, images of bats are often symbols of good luck in China. They are also appreciated their ability to catch insects. , in Western cultures, bats are often associated with darkness.

Due to their unpleasant appearance and call, owls (猫头鹰) were for long considered symbols of bad luck in China. In consequence, owls were used in poetry( represent) evil. A poem in the Classic of Poetry, for example, was written in the tone of a (frighten) bird being bullied by an owl.

Owl. owl, as you have already taken my child, don't destroy my nest.

Yet in Western cultures, the owl is often regarded as symbol of wisdom. In the popular Harry Potter series, the owl is an (extreme) wise and helpful bird.

These differences mirror each culture's distinct background. By exploring these, a deeper understanding of the rich cultures around the world can (unlock).

In a video shared on TikTok, the girl was2 a difficult cheering stunt (特技) during an event organized at Chandler's Basha High School. She was doing flips (空翻) perfectly, getting3 into the air, and coming down safely into the hands of the supporters. But then, a flip in the air4 a problem. She couldn't land5 and was close to falling down. At that moment, her coach and another man stepped in to help.

This left her6. Thinking she lost heart, her coach said gently, "Honey, it's just a small7." But the girl said, "I won't give up though I'm8." The coach replied firmly, "Quite right, honey! You're so9. One failure doesn't mean anything. Let's give it one more10." The crowd in the sports complex, including seniors and school staff present, were11 for the little girl, too.

To everyone's amazement, the little girl12 it this time. All the audience stood up and clapped their hands for her.

This13 episode shows that, like many successful individuals, the girl was able to overcome difficulties with the right attitude and the14 of those around her. It's a powerful reminder that perseverance and encouragement can lead to remarkable15.

When preparing for exams, study groups allow students to share knowledge. For example, one might explain math concepts clearly, while another is strong in analyzing literature. Together, they fill gaps in understanding. A classmate's different viewpoint can turn a confusing problem into a solvable one, puzzle pieces fitting together to reveal a complete picture.

Cooperation also builds social skills. Imagine planning a class event: some prefer creative ideas, others focus on practical details. Through discussion, students learn to balance innovation and realism-a skill vital for adult life. Even disagreements, if handled calmly, become lessons in understanding others' feelings.

Working together helps overcome challenges. During tough times, like preparing for important exams, classmates can support each other emotionally. A shared laugh during a break or encouraging word before a test reduces stress. Research shows students in supportive teams perform better.

However, teamwork requires effort. Avoid relying too much on others or dominating discussions. A good team member contributes actively but also steps back when needed. Think of teamwork as a dance: everyone has a role, and harmony comes from cooperation, not chaos. Regular communication, like weekly check-ins, ensures everyone stays aligned (一致的) while respecting individual strengths.

So, cooperation is a bridge connecting individual talent to collective success. It prepares students not only for exams but also for future careers and relationships.

A. Teamwork makes learning more effective.

B. This simple truth applies to teamwork too.

C. Working on a team, you have the entire group's support.

D. They always stay motivated longer than those working alone.

E. Team members are under heavy pressure to make a decision.

F. Group projects teach us to listen, negotiate and respect differences.

G. For instance, let a teammate lead if he or she understands the topic better.

In daily life, we constantly process visual and auditory (听觉的) information to explore the world. For example, when watching a movie, the brain integrates images and sounds to create a unified experience. However, during movement-such as walking down a busy street-the brain may prioritize visual input over sound to avoid obstacles.

Until now, the neural mechanisms (神经机制) behind this sensory prioritization remained unclear. Understanding this process is particularly important for individuals with sensory processing disorders. such as autism or schizophrenia, where the brain. may grapple with integrating sensory information effectively. By uncovering how the brain naturally shifts between sensory inputs, researchers hope to pave the way for better treatment for these conditions.

To investigate this phenomenon, the research. team conducted behavioral experiments on mice, monitoring real-time brain activity using miniature microscopes and optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control neurons. The mice were trained to respond to both visual and auditory cues while either stationary or running on a treadmill.

The results revealed a striking shift in sensory reliance: When stationary, the ice relied more on auditory cues to make decisions. When moving, their brains prioritized visual input. This suggests that the brain dynamically adjusts sensory weighting based on behavioral context. Sound may be more useful for detecting nearby events when still, whereas vision becomes critical during movement for spatial navigation and stability.

This discovery could have important implications for understanding and treating sensory processing disorders, where the brain may struggle to properly prioritize sensory inputs. Dr. Lee explained, "Our findings demonstrate how the brain flexibly shifts between vision and hearing depending on behavior. Understanding this natural adaptability could lead to improved treatments for those with sensory integration difficulties."

The Hidden Life of Trees argued that trees are social. It shows that they can be our saviors. But it's terribly hard to let ourselves be saved. We think we can be the authors of our salvation (拯救). Of course, there are things we could and should be doing, but in terms of forestry practice, often what's billed as part of the solution is part of the problem.

Anyone who has planted a tree in their garden knows that it has a far-reaching effect — it makes your garden cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Forests cool by transpiring (蒸发). If there's no water, there's no cooling. Drought can kill trees fast, but trees have many ways of dealing with it, and Wohlleben sets them out. As a species, we have survived many climatic changes by changing our behavior — and that's how trees survive, too. Trees learn from their past harms and produce younger ones programmed with those lessons. They regulate their growth by changing the rate at which they drip (点滴)-feed them with sugar solution through root networks.

Deciduous (落叶的) forests in particular remove greenhouse gases effectively as long as they live. Cut them down and burn them and you're releasing carbon dioxide not just from the wood, but also from the forest floor. Deciduous trees are not "harvest-ready" at 200 years: they are teenagers. We must interrogate comforting expressions such as "renewable energy", and learn the real cost of our toilet paper.

If we don't learn to do nothing about trees, they will eventually be alone anyway—but without us. Wohlleben brilliantly and readably shows us how urgent and how hard it is to do nothing.

I was already aware of the issues facing the food system:   industrial farming ruining soils,   unclear supply chains leaving citizens powerless in making the right buying decisions, and the dominance of ultra-processed foods with zero nutritional value in supermarkets. But this encounter made me see how normalized it was to expect food out of season.

After graduating, I worked at Wall Street in New York, managing portfolios (投资组合).   Despite the breathtaking view and fast-paced stock market, I was troubled by the greed underlying my work. Cooking was my escape. It had always been a passion, whether in Buenos Aires, at university, or in New York.

As I neared my 30s, I knew I needed a change and food became my north star. Through my work visiting markets and farmers around Europe, I saw first-hand why seasonality is critical in our ability to regain control of, and fix, our food system. All around me I could see how quickly flavour was disappearing from our plates. I wanted to reintroduce phenomenal flavour into people's lives, and to re-educate and reconnect consumers with nature. In 2004, I took over Natoora, a French-founded company with a small base in London, determined to reintroduce great flavor to people's lives and reconnect them with nature.

My two-decade-long devotion to flavor, initially a pursuit of personal pleasure, has given my work a deep sense of purpose. Flavor can emotionally connect us to food and bring joy back into our relationship with it. Changing careers opened a new world for me, filled with purpose and love for my work, and I hope it inspires others to fight for a better food-centric world.

In just two weeks, the City of Austin and Visit Austin will host Austin's New Year as we welcome 2025 at Auditorium Shores. Austin's New Year features a night of entertainment headlined by Third Eye Blind, food trucks and beverage vendors (饮品小贩), and a midnight fireworks show.

Schedule of Events

● 7:00 pm: Park grounds, food trucks, and beer garden open

● 7:00 — 11:55 pm: Music Performances by DJ Mel, Angélica Rahe, and Third Eye Blind

● 11:45 — 11:55 pm: Austin's New Year Drone (无人机) Show — Canceled

● 11:55 pm — midnight: Countdown to 2025 ending with a midnight fireworks show

Attendees are welcome to bring blankets and chairs, but pets — except for trained service dogs — are not allowed. A variety of local vendors will have food, and non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks (21+ only) available for purchase. Local food truck vendors on site this year include Amy's Ice Cream, Burro Cheese Kitchen, Garbo's Lobster, Gelu Italian Ice, and Yapa Artisan Empanadas.

No outside alcohol, glass, fireworks, or sparklers will be allowed at Auditorium Shores.

Getting to Austin's New Year

● Hike-and-Bike Trail — Bring a light and remember, motorized vehicles are not permitted.

● Bike to the Event — The park is open, and it's a good choice for you to ride directly to Auditorium Shores.

● CapMetro — Free rides are available on Dec. 31 after 5:00 pm on all services. Bus routes will operate regular service and rail service is extended until 2:30 am on Jan. 1. Please use the CapMetro Trip Planner to find your best transit option.

● Shared Mobility/Dockless Devices — The southwest corner of Riverside Drive and South First Street will be available for drop-off.

Animated Film "Chang An" Love Letter to Golden Age of Poetry

A Chinese animated (动画) film, Chang An, featuring some of China's most well-known poets has been a surprise hit at the box office. Since its release on July 8, the film (fetch) over 700 million yuan, leading the domestic box office over the weekend. It is also a success by (arouse) enthusiasm for poetic romance in the hearts of moviegoers.

The film is set by in the Tang dynasty, is often seen as a golden age in Chinese history from 618A.D.to 907 A.D. due to its (economy) and cultural prosperity, describing the stories of Gao Shi and Li Bai, their struggles to better themselves and society in the Tang dynasty.

Sitting in cinemas (crowd) with moviegoers of all age groups, the audience eagerly recited poetry alongside the actors on screen as they headed down memory lane. The movie is undoubtedly a masterpiece showing characteristics of Chinese culture to the world. "The most fascinating part of the film is realizing that these familiar names were not just great poets real people with flesh and blood," Liao Kun, a Guangdong resident who watched the movie Saturday, told Sixth Tone.

Zhou Jing, the chief director, (stress) after the film's debut (首秀), "We created Chang'an to explore into the limitless treasures of Chinese culture through animation." Xie Junwei, who co-directed the movie with Zou Jing, said the film was aimed at increasing (aware) among young Chinese of traditional Chinese culture and history. "We want to tell the stories of the brilliant figures to young people through an animated film so that they can have a deeper understanding and more enthusiasm our history and classic works," Xie told domestic media Beijing Daily.

Down below4 a boy of about four. Filled with a mixture of5 and happiness, he stomped (踩) through the puddle, mud and water flying. He walked, stomped, splashed through that puddle6, happily enjoying what mother nature had left for him.

Not more than ten feet away stood his mother. She didn't scold him.7, she watched with a pleasant smile on her face. She showed no8 for a little mud and for the laundry she would later have to do. As for me, it was a (n)9 moment that changed the way I will forever view my role as a mother.

The little boy probably will10 each afternoon that his mother takes him outside, as he11. He may not remember each little thing that happens each time his mother lets him12 his world. But he will remember that his mother13 him and he will know that she helps him to learn and grow in a pleasant and fun environment.

Maybe we can all learn from the innocence of14 that views a rainstorm not as something to run through or to avoid, but something meant to explore, to15 and to love.

Wash your hands

When it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases, proper hand hygiene (卫生) is vital. and from there to your eyes and mouth where they can gain access to inside your body. Thus, washing your hands is one of the first steps to take to reduce the transfer of infectious agents.

Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose

People tend to touch their face several times throughout the day. This is when the infectious agents in your hands gain access to your body., the eyes, the nose and the mouth do allow.

Prepare and store food safely

Some pathogens can be transferred into your body via food (so called foodborne illnesses)., it can multiply and cause illness. Thus, it is vital you prepare and store all food appropriately.

Travel wisely

Be aware of the risks of infection that increase when you travel. Some infections may be more common in places where you are traveling compared to where you live. Talk to your doctor about important vaccinations to get before traveling..

A. If you are ever exposed to the pathogen

B. Pathogens are easily transferred (转移) to your skin

C. This allows you to be more prepared to the native pathogens

D. With some healthy habits, you can keep many illnesses at bay

E. Once food is consumed and the pathogen gains access to your body

F. Understanding infectious diseases helps you manage your risk factors

G. Where an undamaged skin does not allow transfer of pathogens into the body

Each new robot is no bigger than the tip of a sharpened pencil. They are magnetic (有磁性的) and shaped like stars. When sunlight hits them, they produce chemical reactions that push them through water in a specific direction. When they find a piece of plastic, they stick to it and start to break it down. When the light goes out, they let go and are free to be used again.

"This work is great," says Douglas Blackiston at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. He's a biologist who did not work on the project but knows about such devices. He's been designing robots out of living cells, including some that might help with pollution cleanup. Speaking of the new one, he mentions that, "These robots can eat plastic. They chew it up. Or they can recover it and be collected with a magnet. Scientists love robots with all these capabilities. "

Chemist Martin Pumera at the Czech University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague led the project. He studies ways to build microrobots. About a decade ago, he says, scientists began developing tiny bots that could move themselves in water. Then, they had to find them a mission and thought "Let's make them do something useful." Since then, Pumera has focused on the problem posed by microplastics, which are everywhere—from the bottom of the ocean to air blowing onto ice atop mountains. They've turned up in drinking water, both bottled and tap water, and some studies estimate that trillions of pieces of plastic end up in the world's waters. The plastic has many sources, from drinking straws and shopping bags to laundry and cleaning wipes. Plastic doesn't easily degrade or fall apart, and that's always been one of its appeals.

Pumera says his final goal is to make cheap and environmentally friendly robots that can be used anywhere in the world.

Recovery efforts in the wild began in 1987 on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. In a ground-breaking successful experiment, eight captive (圈养的) wolves were released this year into North Carolina, eventually growing into a population over 100, reaching a peak of around 120 wolves in 2012. But illegal hunting and management changes by the Fish and Wildlife Service resulted in their numbers plummeting.

In the spring, conservationists celebrated a small bit of good news when four captive-born pups (幼兽) were placed into a cave and successfully adopted by a wild red wolf mother. Meanwhile, another four adults were released into the wild. The pups are thought to be still alive and healthy. But the adults didn't go well. In the months after release, three were struck by cars and killed, and the fourth was fatally shot on private land.

To boost the population after these deaths, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in November that it planned to release nine adult red wolves into their recovery area this winter, land within and surrounding two wildlife reserves.

The Service also recently announced it would withdraw a 2018 proposal to shrink (缩小) the red wolves' protected area in North Carolina by 90 percent, after a lawsuit accused the agency of going against the Endangered Species Act. Ron Sutherland of the Wildlands Network says it's crucial that the agency has abandoned this wrong-headed proposal. And yet the situation now is even more urgent than it was in 2018 — this should launch the conservation community in the U. S. into crisis mode to save this species and bring it back from the extinction.

Join us for our 9th season of free lectures in 2024. All lectures start at 11:15 A.M. Doors open at 10:30 A.M. Seating is strictly on a first-arrival basis, so plan to come early. Call (555) 757-4310 if you have any questions.

March 30       Melville Hall

Nation of Ulysses: James Joyce and the Great American Novel

Dr. Carl Morris

One of the country's foremost experts on modern American literature, Dr. Morris will discuss the influence of Irish novelist and poet James Joyce on the modern American novel.

April 5       Science Hall, Room 130

Beaches in Peril: Maryton's Human and Animal Populations in Conflict

Dr. Elizabeth Thorogood

A Maryton College biology instructor and Life Sciences Department chair, Dr. Thorogood will describe the impact that booming residential construction is having on Maryton's coastal wildlife.

April 12       Maryton School of Business, Room 255

Europe and the Italian Perspective

Silvio Paretti

Mr. Paretti, who served as the Italian ambassador to the United States for six years, will present an insightful overview of recent political and economic upheavals (动荡) within the European Union.

April 19       Lecture Room 4

Men on the Moons? — The possibility of life on Jupiter's moons

Karen Godwin

Famous for her radio show "Science and the Stars," Ms. Godwin discusses recent discoveries about the moons of Jupiter and the possibility of life beyond the Earth.

Huangshan-based lacquerware artisan Gan Erke has devoted his life to reviving (复兴) ancient lacquer techniques. His journey began at a local arts and crafts factory, he noticed a gap between traditional Chinese lacquerware and modern global standards. This led him to revive the nearly lost rhinoceros leather (xi pi) lacquer technique, (inspire) by a brief description in a Ming Dynasty text. After (year) of experimentation, he successfully recreated and enhanced the technique by adding gold and increasing layers (层) from six to up to 102, (achieve)greater depth and movement.

One of his (influence) works is a round box with complex rhinoceros leather patterns. The surface is polished to mirror-like finish, reflecting light beautifully. Another example is a tea container, to which Gan applied the same high standards, ensuring perfect polish both inside and out. Each piece takes over a year (complete), as Gan aims for perfection.

Gan's works have earned (recognize) at home and abroad. In 2011, one of his rhinoceros leather lacquered round boxes (add) to the permanent collection at Beijing's Palace Museum. Major museums the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the US have also acquired his pieces.

Yet, there are3. I still remember a family trip to a scenic spot in Georgia. Several ladies were taking pictures there, one of whom was4 with a bunch of flowers. I truly liked them, and went up to her, saying how lovely they were. Immediately, she5 to give me the flowers to take a picture with. I smiled6 as my mom took out her camera. Yet this stranger's kindness didn't end there: the woman insisted that I7 the flowers — she saw that they8 my happiness.

People usually receive flowers from loved ones, and it's so9 to receive them from a stranger! The flowers gradually withered (枯萎) away, but the10 will stay with me forever. This small gift became a powerful11 of the goodness that people can12 to others.

I13 a lot of people on that trip, but I still remember this experience, which shows that a14 action can go a long way. The flowers made my day, and every time I think back to it, the world seems a bit15.

Any goals you set for yourself should be specific. Studies have shown, for example, that when individuals make daily exercise commitments, they're more likely to increase their fitness levels. For instance, "walking 10,000 steps a day" is much better than "doing your best".

Some tasks are extremely challenging. In such cases, it can be helpful to create external motivators for yourself over the short-to-medium term. You might promise yourself a vacation for finishing a project or buy yourself a gift for losing weight. For instance, rewarding weight loss with junk food sets back progress.

When people work towards a goal, they usually start with strong motivation but then their effort decreases in the middle, when they are most likely to stop. If you divide your goal into smaller steps, like setting weekly instead of three-month targets, you'll have less time to fall into that unwanted decline.

The people who will best motivate you to accomplish certain tasks are not necessarily those who do the tasks well. Instead, they're folks who share a big-picture goal with you. Thinking of those people and our desire to succeed on their behalf can help provide the powerful motivation we need to reach our goals. A woman may find boring work rewarding if she feels she is providing an example for her daughter.

A. These approaches can help drive you forward.

B. As social beings, we can use social influence wisely.

C. But external rewards can backfire if mismatched with goals.

D. Luckily, shortening the middle can help change this pattern.

E. Concrete tasks are usually more effective than abstract ambitions.

F. Support from loved ones can turn boring tasks into meaningful acts.

G. Research has uncovered several ways to help you design smart rewards.

This ancient tale from One Thousand and One Nights highlights storytelling's impact. Our recent research shows that strong storytelling skills can dramatically improve someone's well-being.

At its core, storytelling helps people find meaning from life's chaos. Studies show we shape our identities by turning experiences into personal stories. Skilled storytellers excel at two key skills: they need to connect events logically and they must learn to see the world through the eyes of their characters, understanding the "why" of what drives people. Applying these two skills to their own lives, skillful storytellers use the first to identify and pursue what gives their life meaning, while the second develops a mindset that prioritizes the "why" behind their actions over just the "how".

To illustrate this point, we conducted studies with 800 participants. We measured storytelling ability through self-reports, friend evaluations and expert reviews on lab experiments where each participant told one story about himself and the other with three given random words. In addition to these assessments of storytelling skills, we asked participants questions to get a sense of how meaningful they found life and whether they approached decisions with a "why" mindset rather than a "how" mindset.

Results consistently linked storytelling skills to stronger life meaning and goal clarity. Personality also mattered: people open to new experiences collected more interesting life stories, while shy people used storytelling to balance out their limited social interaction.

A strong "why" mindset connects with reduced stress and extended life. Storytelling also builds social connections. By helping people express their purpose and build relationships, stories may indirectly strengthen both mental and physical health.

Storytelling workshops, now popular globally, may do more than teach communication they could help participants redefine their life's direction.

Self-concept inertia is the psychological resistance to changing our identity. Our self-concept is influenced by our narrative identity, which is made up of the stories we tell about ourselves. These narratives can go beyond simply describing who we are today — they can restrict us from being who we believe we're capable of becoming in the future. This means that even if we want to change, as long as we hold onto our old identities, we'll unintentionally resist making the changes we know we need to make to become the "new" version of ourselves.

Our self-concept doesn't yield easily, even to our conscious (有意识的) desires. When your behaviors contradict your self-image, you experience a state of psychological discomfort. For example, if you've always seen yourself as "not a morning person", successfully waking up at 5 a. m. creates tension with your established identity. So your brain has two options: Update your self-concept (hard) or abandon the new behavior (easier). As Carol Dweck discusses in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, people with "fixed mindsets" tend to avoid challenges that might contradict their self-concept.

Yet your self-concept is malleable by design. Notice when you use a phrase like "I'm just not a ________ person". The absolute statement signals few changes will happen. Instead of "I'm not an organized person" (identity), try "I haven't developed strong organizational systems yet" (behavior). Identity statements feel permanent, but behavior statements feel changeable. Identifying these habits also gives you insight into a solution you can practice and improve.

Self-concept inertia weakens when we hold our identities lightly. When we see ourselves as works in progress rather than finished products, we create the psychological space needed for genuine transformation. The question isn't whether you can change — it's whether you're willing to let go of familiar limitations to discover what lies beyond them.

She discovered a newborn hare near her house, unguarded by a nest or its mother. At first, she left it, hot wanting to disturb nature's course. But when she returned hours later to find the hare still there, exposed to the rough weather and potential enemies, she nervously took it home, without any knowledge of hare care. She carefully fed it milk with a dropper. While there was plenty of rabbit advice online, hares were still mysterious.

Refusing to domesticate the hare, Dalton let it move freely in her home, adjusting her busy life to match its habits. Its simple life reshaped her view: "If I could get this much pleasure from something so simple," she reflects, "what else might be waiting to be discovered?" Their life together ended the strong focus on her busy life and brought a greater awareness of the environment.

In her book, Dalton gives historical context on the human-hare relationship and illustrates how horribly hares have often been treated. The brown hare population in Britain has declined 80 percent in the past century due to hunting and agriculture. The story provides a peaceful feeling with its delicate illustrations, but Dalton avoids idealizing nature, recognizing humans' influence on animals.

Animal encounter books are common, and the good ones act like peaceful countryside escapes. We already understand the basic outlines even without reading books with similar themes — Catherine Raven's Fox & I and Helen Macdonald's H Is for Hawk. But Dalton's weak animal is much lower on the food chain, adding more suspense to Raising Hare: Will the small creature survive until the story ends? Dalton's journey with her "weak companion" offers a reminder that healing (疗愈) often comes not from control, but from adjusting to nature.

The Archaeology Lab is staffed entirely by volunteers and college students. We encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch with us. As a volunteer, you'll have the opportunity to:

●dig in areas that scientists think contain objects that show how the local people lived.

●sort soil through big screens to find small items like old pipes, nails, and Indian artifacts (器物).

●smooth the units to reveal color and texture patterns that provide evidence of how the land was used.

●wash and identify recovered artifacts.

If you are interested in regularly volunteering, we encourage you to consider creating your own research project. You can:

●develop original research questions.

●create procedures to answer those questions.

●do the research with support from assistant volunteer scientists.

●write reports about the methods and findings.

Age and time commitment

Minimum age is 16.

Minimum time commitment is three 3-hour visits.

Days/times

The lab is active on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but volunteers don't need to stay the entire day.

To sign up or for more information

Contact Rachael Mady, SERC Participatory Science Coordinator, at MadyR@si.edu or 443-482-2276.