相关试卷

In the race to document the species on Earth before they go extinct, researchers and citizen scientists have collected billions of records. Today, most records of biodiversity are often in the form of photos, videos, and other digital records. Though they are useful for detecting shifts in the number and variety of species in an area, a new Stanford study has found that this type of record is not perfect.

 "With the rise of technology it is easy for people to make observations of different species with the aid of a mobile application," said Barnabas Daru, who is lead author of the study and assistant professor of biology in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. "These observations now outnumber the primary data that comes from physical specimens (标本), and since we are increasingly using observational data to investigate how species are responding to global change, I wanted to know: Are they usable?"

Using a global dataset of 1.9 billion records of plants, insects, birds, and animals, Daru and his team tested how well these data represent actual global biodiversity patterns.

"We were particularly interested in exploring the aspects of sampling that tend to bias (使有偏差) data, like the greater likelihood of a citizen scientist to take a picture of a flowering plant instead of the grass right next to it," said Daru.

Their study revealed that the large number of observation-only records did not lead to better global coverage. Moreover, these data are biased and favor certain regions, time periods, and species. This makes sense because the people who get observational biodiversity data on mobile devices are often citizen scientists recording their encounters with species in areas nearby. These data are also biased toward certain species with attractive or eye-catching features.

What can we do with the imperfect datasets of biodiversity?

"Quite a lot," Daru explained. "Biodiversity apps can use our study results to inform users of oversampled areas and lead them to places — and even species — that are not well-sampled. To improve the quality of observational data, biodiversity apps can also encourage users to have an expert confirm the identification of their uploaded image."

Is comprehension the same whether a person reads a text onscreen or on paper? And are listening to and viewing content as effective as reading the written word when covering the same material? The answers to both questions are often "no". The reasons relate to a variety of factors, including reduced concentration, an entertainment mindset (心态) and a tendency to multitask while consuming digital content.

When reading texts of several hundred words or more, learning is generally more successful when it's on paper than onscreen. A large amount of research confirms this finding. The benefits of print reading particularly shine through when experimenters move from posing simple tasks — like identifying the main idea in a reading passage — to ones that require mental abstraction — such as drawing inferences from a text.

The differences between print and digital reading results are partly related to paper's physical properties. With paper, there is a literal laying on of hands, along with the visual geography of distinct pages. People often link their memory of what they've read to how far into the book it was or where it was on the page.

But equally important is the mental aspect. Reading researchers have proposed a theory called "shallowing hypothesis (假说)". According to this theory, people approach digital texts with a mindset suited to social media, which are often not so serious, and devote less mental effort than when they are reading print.

Audio (音频) and video can feel more engaging than text, and so university teachers increasingly turn to these technologies — say, assigning an online talk instead of an article by the same person. However, psychologists have demonstrated that when adults read news stories, they remember more of the content than if they listen to or view identical pieces.

Digital texts, audio and video all have educational roles, especially when providing resources not available in print. However, for maximizing learning where mental focus and reflection are called for, educators shouldn't assume all media are the same, even when they contain identical words.

 "I am not crazy," says Dr. William Farber, shortly after performing acupuncture (针灸) on a rabbit. "I am ahead of my time." If he seems a little defensive, it might be because even some of his coworkers occasionally laugh at his unusual methods. But Farber is certain he'll have the last laugh. He's one of a small but growing number of American veterinarians (兽医) now practicing "holistic" medicine-combining traditional Western treatments with acupuncture, chiropractic (按摩疗法) and herbal medicine.

Farber, a graduate of Colorado State University, started out as a more conventional veterinarian. He became interested in alternative treatments 20 years ago when he suffered from terrible back pain. He tried muscle-relaxing drugs but found little relief. Then he tried acupuncture, an ancient Chinese practice, and was amazed that he improved after two or three treatments. What worked on a veterinarian seemed likely to work on his patients. So, after studying the techniques for a couple of years, he began offering them to pets.

Leigh Tindale's dog Charlie had a serious heart condition. After Charlie had a heart attack, Tindale says, she was prepared to put him to sleep, but Farber's treatments eased her dog's suffering so much that she was able to keep him alive for an additional five months. And Priscilla Dewing reports that her horse, Nappy, "moves more easily and rides more comfortably" after a chiropractic adjustment.

Farber is certain that the holistic approach will grow more popular with time, and if the past is any indication, he may be right: Since 1982, membership in the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association has grown from 30 to over 700. "Sometimes it surprises me that it works so well," he says. "I will do anything to help an animal. That's my job."

HABITAT RESTORATION TEAM

Help restore and protect Marin's natural areas from the Marin Headlands to Bolinas Ridge. We'll explore beautiful park sites while conducting invasive (侵入的) plant removal, winter planting, and seed collection. Habitat Restoration Team volunteers play a vital role in restoring sensitive resources and protecting endangered species across the ridges and valleys.

GROUPS

Groups of five or more require special arrangements and must be confirmed in advance. Please review the List of Available Projects and fill out the Group Project Request Form.

AGE, SKILLS, WHAT TO BRING

Volunteers aged 10 and over are welcome. Read our Youth Policy Guidelines for youth under the age of 15.

Bring your completed Volunteer Agreement Form. Volunteers under the age of 18 must have the parent/guardian approval section signed.

We'll be working rain or shine. Wear clothes that can get dirty. Bring layers for changing weather and a raincoat if necessary.

Bring a personal water bottle, sunscreen, and lunch.

No experience necessary. Training and tools will be provided. Fulfills (满足) community service requirements.

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. 活动形式；

2. 活动内容。

注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Jim,

……

Yours,

Li Hua

Habit formation is the process by which behaviours become automatic. People develop countless habits as they explore the world, whether they are aware of them or not. Understanding how habits take shape may be helpful in changing bad habits.

Habits are built through learning and repetition. A person is thought to develop a habit in the course of pursuing goals by beginning to associate certain cues (刺激) with behavioural responses that help meet the goal. Over time, thoughts of the behaviour and ultimately the behaviour itself are likely to be triggered (触发) by these cues.

A "habit loop (环)" is a way of describing several related elements that produce habits. These elements are called the cue, the routine, and the reward. For example, stress could serve as a cue that one responds to by eating, which produces the reward — the reduction of stress. While a routine involves repeated behaviour, it's not necessarily performed in response to a deep-rooted urge, as a habit is.

Old habits can be difficult to shake, and healthy habits are often harder to develop. But through repetition, it's possible to form new habits. The amount of time needed to build a habit will depend on multiple factors, including the individual and the intended behaviour. While you are able to pick up a new habit in a few weeks, it takes many months to build a healthy habit. 

Take some time to think about what leads to bad habits and re-evaluate what you get out of them (or don't). Consider and keep in mind why you want to make a change, including how the change reflects your values.

It's a joyful and stressful time of year in the United States for students and their families as they make decisions about where to attend college. Families often turn to rankings systems to help make a decision. 

When I talk to families as a scholar of higher education, they're often surprised that teaching excellence is not counted in rankings. 

Emerging research suggests that courses in lower-ranked universities, on average, scored higher on teaching than courses in higher-ranked universities.  The absence of teaching excellence from the rankings is surprising given the link between high-quality teaching and student success. Quality teaching is one of the most important predictors of a wide range of college outcomes.

Rankings, however, are only one reason why a low value is placed on teaching in higher education. Administrators often don't view teaching excellence as a way to increase enrolment (注册) or funding.  Research shows that the more time instructors spend on teaching, the lower their salary. What is the result? Many instructors continue to teach using traditional lectures, which lead to lower success rates.

 Nevertheless, not much will change until schools with high-quality teaching are rewarded with more resources, higher rankings and increased enrolments. In the long term, universities, organizations that rank schools, and others should work to make teaching a valued, core part of the mission.

What should students and their families do? They should give strong consideration to universities where high-quality teaching is valued, even though the schools may be ranked lower.

What is life? Like most great questions, this one is easy to ask but difficult to answer. The reason is simple: we know of just one type of life and it's challenging to do science with a sample size of one. The field of artificial life — called ALife for short — is the systematic attempt to spell out life's fundamental principles. Many of these practitioners, so-called ALifers, think that somehow making life is the surest way to really understand what life is.

So far no one has convincingly made artificial life. This track record makes ALife a ripe target for criticism, such as declarations of the field's doubtful scientific value. Alan Smith, a complexity scientist, is tired of such complaints. Asking about "the point" of ALife might be, well, missing the point entirely, he says. "The existence of a living system is not about the use of anything," Alan says. "Some people ask me, ‘So what's the worth of artificial life?' Do you ever think, ‘What is the worth of your grandmother?'"

As much as many ALifers hate emphasising their research's applications, the attempts to create artificial life could have practical payoffs. Artificial intelligence may be considered ALife's cousin in that researchers in both fields are enamored by a concept called open-ended evolution (演化). This is the capacity for a system to create essentially endless complexity, to be a sort of "novelty generator". The only system known to exhibit this is Earth's biosphere. If the field of ALife manages to reproduce life's endless "creativity" in some virtual model, those same principles could give rise to truly inventive machines.

Compared with the developments of AI, advances in ALife are harder to recognise. One reason is that ALife is a field in which the central concept — life itself — is undefined. The lack of agreement among ALifers doesn't help either. The result is a diverse line of projects that each advance along their unique paths. For better or worse, ALife mirrors the very subject it studies. Its muddled (混乱的) progression is a striking parallel (平行线) to the evolutionary struggles that have shaped Earth biosphere.

Undefined and uncontrolled, ALife drives its followers to repurpose old ideas and generated novelty. It may be, of course, that these characteristics aren't in any way surprising or singular. They may apply universally to all acts of evolution. Ultimately ALife may be nothing special. But even this dismissal suggests something: perhaps, just like life itself throughout the universe, the rise of ALife will prove unavoidable.

In recent years, researchers from diverse fields have agreed that short-termism is now a significant problem in industrialised societies. The inability to engage with longer-term causes and consequences leads to some of the world's most serious problems: climate change, biodiversity collapse, and more. The historian Francis Cole argues that the West has entered a period where "only the present exists, a present characterised at once by the cruelty of the instant and by the boredom of an unending now".

It has been proved that people have a bias (偏向) towards the present, focusing on loud attractions in the moment at the expense of the health, well-being and financial stability of their future selves or community. In business, this bias surfaces as short-sighted decisions. And on slow-burning problems like climate change, it translates into the unwillingness to make small sacrifices (牺牲) today that could make a major difference tomorrow. 

Instead, all that matters is next quarter's profit, or satisfying some other near-term desires.

These biased perspectives cannot be blamed on one single cause. It is fair to say, though, that our psychological biases play a major role. People's hesitancy to delay satisfaction is the most obvious example, but there are others.

One of them is about how the most accessible information in the present affects decisions about the future. For instance, you might hear someone say: "It's cold this winter, so I needn't worry about global warming." Another is that loud and urgent matters are given too much importance, making people ignore longer-term trends that arguably matter more. This is when a pop star draws far more attention than, say, gradual biodiversity decline.

As a psychologist once joked, if aliens (外星人) wanted to weaken humanity, they wouldn't send ships; they would invent climate change. Indeed, when it comes to environmental transformations, we can develop a form of collective "poor memory", and each new generation can believe the state of affairs they encounter is nothing out of the ordinary. Older people today, for example, can remember a time with insect-covered car windscreens after long drives. Children, on the other hand, have no idea that insect population has dropped dramatically.

Sitting in the garden for my friend's birthday. I felt a buzz (振动) in my pocket. My heart raced when I saw the email sender's name. The email started off: "Dear Mr Green, thank you for your interest" and "the review process took longer than expected." It ended with "We are sorry to inform you ..." and my vision blurred (模糊). The position — measuring soil quality in the Sahara Desert as part of an undergraduate research programme — had felt like the answer I had spent years looking for. I had put so much time and emotional energy into applying, and I thought the rejection meant the end of the road for my science career.

So I was shocked when, not long after the email, Professor Mary Devon, who was running the programme, invited me to observe the work being done in her lab. I jumped at the chance, and a few weeks later I was equally shocked — and overjoyed — when she invited me to talk with her about potential projects I could pursue in her lab. What she proposed didn't seem as exciting as the original project I had applied to, but I was going to give it my all.

I found myself working with a robotics professor on techniques for collecting data from the desert remotely. That project, which I could complete from my sofa instead of in the burning heat of the desert, not only survived the lockdown but worked where traditional methods didn't. In the end, I had a new scientific interest to pursue.

When I applied to graduate school, I found three programmes promising to allow me to follow my desired research direction. And I applied with the same anxious excitement as before. When I was rejected from one that had seemed like a perfect fit, it was undoubtedly difficult. But this time I had the perspective (视角) to keep it from sending me into panic. It helped that in the end I was accepted into one of the other programmes I was also excited about.

Rather than setting plans in stone, I've learned that sometimes I need to take the opportunities that are offered, even if they don't sound perfect at the time, and make the most of them.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Young Leaders programme empowers talents to make a positive difference in their communities through sport. Twenty-five Young Leaders are being selected every two years for a four-year period. They promote the Olympic values, spreading the message of sport for good.

To be an IOC Young Leader, you need to first complete the 4-Week Learning Sprint (冲刺).

4-Week Learning Sprint

The 4-Week Learning Sprint, which will take place during November 2023, is a virtual learning programme. The sessions can be attended live or watched back after they are made available on the IOC channel. Each week, participants will be asked to complete a topic-specific reflection task.

The 4-Week Learning Sprint is open to anyone, with the target audience aged between 20 and 28.

After successfully completing the 4-Week Learning Sprint, you will need to submit a plan for a sport-based project, which you will work on if selected as an IOC Young Leader.

Requirements for the Applicants

•You have successfully completed the 4-Week Learning Sprint.

•You have completed your high school studies.

•You have at least one year of work experience.

•You have strong public speaking skills.

•You are self-motivated and committed.

•You are passionate about creating positive change in your community.

•You are open to being coached and advised by experts and peers (同伴).

•You are able to work with people from different backgrounds.

Nina has run marathons in 32 countries. All of her runs have a guiding purpose: to call attention  global water issues. Nina recently finished her year-long series of runs in Chicago,  thousands were attending a water conference. She called for action

 (address) the struggles of people around the world  (face) "too little water or too dirty water". Her efforts have encouraged others to take part by running through a global campaign called "Run Blue".

Mangroves, known as "red forest" in China, grow between land and sea, characterized by their complex roots. When  (see) from afar, the mangrove forests appear more splendid. Mangroves can help soften waves and protect  (city) from coastal winds. For these reasons, they are praised as "coastal guardians". Up to now, China  (establish) a number of protected areas with mangroves.

Every culture is riddled with unwritten rules, such as ones on punctuality (守时). I'm British. Soon after moving to Switzerland, I  (throw) a house-warming party and was greatly surprised when all 30 guests showed up  (exact) on time. Years later, having moved to France, I turned up at the appointed hour for a dinner, only to find that no other guest (arrive) and my hostess was still in her sleeping suit.

I was always timid (羞怯的). Being new to the school made me even 1 , so it was surprising I'd 2 to anyone around me. Now I was paying the price — to write a five-page essay on "Why I Should Not Talk in Class". That would take all night!

After I got home, though, I took my time petting the cat — postponing the pain.

When I finally sat down to 3 , I began with the reasons Ms Black would want to hear. Talking kept me and my neighbours from 4 . One paragraph down; now what? I chewed on my pencil. Aha! What if talking were the first step towards life as a criminal? Without the education I was throwing away, I'd turn to theft and go to prison. When I got out, people would say, "She used to talk in class." The pages began 5 .

But when mum got home from work, I was still 6 , "Five pages! That's impossible!"

"Well, you'd better get back to work," she said, "and I want to read it when you're through."

Soon after dinner, I handed the essay to mum. I half expected a 7 — at least an "I hope you've learned your lesson". 8 , mum laughed and laughed as she read.

The next day, when Ms Black read the essay to the class, everyone laughed. I could 9 they weren't making fun of me: they laughed because I had the power to tell a funny story. My 10 still needed some nudging (激发), but I did learn I wasn't shy in print.

The familiar smell of garlic, soy sauce, and onion spread through the air as I opened my lunch bag to see what my mom had packed for me. On any other occasion, I would have been delighted to eat my mom's braised pan- fried tofu: a Chinese dish that I often ate for dinner. But not today, the day a nice girl had invited me, the new girl at school, to sit with her friends during lunch.

"Charis, over here!" My new friend was waving her arms, trying to get my attention.

As I prepared to walk over to the table, memories of elementary and middle school lunch times resurfaced. I remembered my embarrassment as my friends would hold their noses, or stay away from me when I brought homemade Chinese food, tofu. I remembered how my embarrassment shifted to anger when I complained about the smell to my mom.

I had argued with my mom that I wanted "normal" food for lunch. I remembered the look on my mom's face, a mix between disappointment and confusion. But I was determined and she gave in because she worried about my making new friends every time we moved. So for the remainder of middle school, my mom packed odorless (无味的) , non-Chinese fare like ham and cheese sandwiches. However, that day, she was in a rush to get to her new job and packed me leftovers from dinner.

As soon as I got to my new lunch table, I tried to hide my bright lunch bag under my seat before anyone noticed the strong smell. I looked up to see the other girls at the table, opening their normal American lunches. I sat quietly, trying not to be noticed when Katrina, a new acquaintance, asked where my food was.

"I'm not really hungry," I replied in an insecure voice. But Katrina had already seen me carry my lunch so she said, "Then, I'll eat it!" The other girls laughed — apparently Katrina was known to be the lunch scavenger.

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。

I didn't want to be rude to a new friend, so I reluctantly dragged out my lunch bag and unzipped it.

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It took me a second to recognize that my homemade Chinese food was not being rejected.

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Xiao Xue, the 20th of the 24 solar terms, usually falls on November 22nd or the nearby days, (indicate) the beginning of the colder weather and the approach of snow. Xiao Xue literally means "minor snow." During Minor Snow, it starts to snow lightly in many places, (especial) in northern China, and the temperature continues to drop.

The name "Minor Snow" suggests that the snowfall at this time is not heavy, it's a sign that colder weather is coming. In ancient China, people (observe) the changes of nature during Minor Snow and divided it three phases: the disappearance of rainbows, the hiding of vitality by living things, and the withering of forests.

There are also many traditional customs which (associate) with Minor Snow. For example, people in northern China like to store vegetables like Chinese cabbage, radish and (potato) in the cellar (地窖). In southern China, people start making sausages and cured meat. Fishermen begin to dry fish for the winter, and the neat (arrange) of dried, salted fish in the winter sunshine is a vivid picture of early winter.

In addition, Minor Snow is a time for families (gather) and enjoy delicious food. There's a special liquor during Minor Snow called "Light Snow Liquor" is made with the clearest spring water and tastes delicious on a cold winter day.

Her life changed3 thanks to the compassion of a stranger, Tamie Konzier, who noticed Betty struggling while serving her family at Eat'n Park.4 by Betty's spirit, Konzier decided to take action. Instead of just leaving a generous5, Konzier wanted to make a real difference. She shared Betty's story online and encouraged6 through a GoFundMe campaign. What started as a single act of kindness quickly captured the7 of thousands.

Within 24 hours, contributions8 from strangers moved by Betty's story. The total rapidly9. People across the country were inspired to support someone they had never met, showing the power of human empathy in action. When Konzier returned with her son to10 the funds, the total had reached a(n)11 $328,739.18. Betty, overwhelmed with gratitude, now has the ability to cover bills, enjoy her golden years, and live a life she could not have imagined before this act of12.

Betty's story13 us that empathy doesn't require fame or a platform. Simple and14 acts can create change far beyond what we imagine. In a world often focused on hustle and competition, moments like these15 as examples of humanity at its best.

Many people have met someone who always makes situations stressful and hopeless.. That's because they likely don't see a problem with their behavior. Here are tips to handle this kind of people and keep your own mind calm.

Avoid getting defensive. Stay calm, and be aware that you will never win in an argument with impossible people — they are referred to as "impossible" for a reason. In their mind, you are the problem.. They feel that your opinion doesn't matter because you are guilty, regardless.

Try to ignore them. Even if you cannot avoid impossible people in your daily life, don't think about them on your "off" time. Remember that stressing about the person all the time is the same as giving them your precious time when they don't even care about you.. That way you aren't wasting time by thinking about what the person said or did constantly.

. Impossible people offer valuable life experiences. After dealing with them, you will be able to get along with most other people more easily. Try to keep perspective, and realize that what may seem crazy to you may be another person's only way of coping. Try to view these communications as a way to build strengths.

Be careful not to copy the bad habits of people who are impossible to deal with. You often learn behaviors from others around you. Because of this, you might accidentally start doing things you don't like. When you react to them, you could end up acting just as illogical as they do..

A. Be the opposite of them

B. Consider what you can learn

C. Do other activities and make new friends

D. Catch yourself when you start to do this

E. So nothing you say can convince them to see your side of the story

F. Pointing out that these people are difficult and demanding won't help

G. An impossible person is convinced that they have already made a mistake

Published in Science Advances, the research monitored microbes in the northern Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea. By comparing waters close to reefs with open ocean areas during both winter and summer, and collecting samples every six hours, the team uncovered clear daily and seasonal patterns previously missed. They employed advanced methods like genetic sequencing and high-resolution imaging to track bacteria, microalgae, and microscopic predators with great detail.

Key findings emerged. Reef waters consistently had lower counts of bacteria and microalgae compared to open waters, pointing to active removal by reef life. In contrast, populations of heterotrophic protists — tiny predators that consume bacteria — reached their highest levels at night, sometimes increasing by 80%. This nighttime spike emphasizes predation (捕食) as a major force driving changes in microbial communities.

Another major discovery involved Symbiodiniaceae, the microscopic algae (微观藻类) that live in symbiosis with corals. Their genetic markers peaked around midday in reef waters, suggesting a daily cycle tied to light availability and coral biological activity. This highlights the reef's active, not passive, role in organizing microbial life. As co-author Dr. Frada stated, "Reefs generate daily patterns that repeat with the seasons and affect how energy moves through the system."

Importantly, the study found that these daily microbial rhythms were as powerful as seasonal changes, stressing the critical need to consider time of day in ecological studies. By combining genetic, imaging, and environmental data, the research provided a comprehensive, time-based picture of microbial life around reefs. It not only deepens our understanding of reefs' broader ecological influence but also paves the way for new conservation approaches that use an understanding of microbial rhythms to protect these vital ecosystems.