相关试卷

●Balance, balance, balance! Balance your academic and social life. Balance your work and personal time. Balance your research hours and your own projects. I know that many of you are overachievers, but it is important to build up what's on your plate, not to put as much as you can all at once. !

●Seriously, don't skip class. What I can tell you is that once you get on the class-skipping train, you might not be able to get off. And then you fall behind on lectures. . I had to force myself to walk to the classroom every day. Go to class, even if it's to just turn your brain off.

●Don't put your hobbies on the sideline. . They prevent your mind from being buried by the studying you have to do. Sometime last term, my friend took me to the Sage Art Center. She found me a block of wood and I just painted. Instead of worrying about an exam the following week, I could focus on the present.

●. Knowing whether you can sit through multiple one-hour and fifteen-minute classes in a row is extremely crucial, especially if you're like me and do not have the capacity for three classes in a row. The same goes for whether to sign up for 8 am or 6 pm classes. Know your limits and make your schedule around those limits.

A. Hobbies keep you alive

B. Step out of your comfort zone

C. Create a schedule that works for you

D. Attend optional courses as scheduled

E. Regrettably, I was entirely and absolutely wrong

F. There will be nobody to keep you accountable for lectures

G. Balance can prevent burnout, which is good for you in the long run

Researchers from Columbia University and Cornell University analyzed two decades of field data, containing 40 breeding seasons and thousands of interactions among hundreds of birds. Their findings revealed that superb starlings often engage in helping each other, even when they are not related by blood.

Superb starlings live in mixed flocks, comprising both family groups and newcomers. New parents rely on up to 16 helpers, which bring extra food to the chicks and help ward off predators (捕食者). The study also found that birds that helped others were later returned the favor, sometimes repeatedly, indicating a form of reciprocity in community.

This idea of forming friendships with unrelated individuals has sparked debate among scientists. However, a growing body of research supports the existence of such relationships in various species, including monkeys, elephants, crows, and whales. The study of superb starlings adds to this evidence, showing that these birds consistently invest in preferred social partners over their lifetimes.

Birds in larger groups tend to live longer and reproduce more offspring over their lifetime. In the harsh and unpredictable environment of the African savanna, closely connecting with each other is essential for their survival. Besides, the addition of newcomers to the flock enhances the group's endurance and adaptability.

This study underscores the importance of strong social bonds, which can offer valuable insights for humans. In a world where many people struggle with loneliness, the superb starling's behavior suggests that forming and maintaining supportive relationships can have significant benefits. By helping others, these birds create a network of support that enhances their own well-being and that of their community.

Traffic flow becomes unstable as the number of vehicles increases. At 15 vehicles per mile per lane, a single driver tapping the brakes can cause a lasting wave of traffic jams that spreads backward for miles. "This is a phase transition," explains Katsuhiro Nishinari, a traffic researcher — similar to water freezing into ice, where a small change (like a temperature drop) causes a dramatic shift in state (from liquid to solid).

Nishinari's earlier research revealed that ants searching for food keep smooth flow even when there are very large numbers of them. Their secret? Recent studies tracking desert ants show they travel in well-organized groups of 3 — 20 individuals, moving at nearly constant speeds with consistent spacing between one another — about three body lengths apart. Crucially, they never speed up to overtake slower-moving peers, which prevents the "sudden slowdowns" that jam human traffic.

Human drivers, by contrast, prioritize personal speed over collective efficiency, which is why jams occur. "We maximize individual interests, leading to bad jams," notes Nicola Pugno, an engineer studying the behavior of groups. Self-driving cars, however, could be programmed to cooperate: sharing real-time data with nearby vehicles to maintain steady speeds and distances, or avoiding overtaking altogether. This vehicle network would be analogous to ants on a trail, which use chemical smells to organize their movements to coordinate behavior while interacting with one another.

However, ants have advantages cars can't match. They can widen their trails when needed, while drivers are confined to fixed highway lanes. Moreover, ants never crash; they simply crawl over one another when paths cross.

Still, today's drivers can learn from ants: Nishinari advises avoiding following too closely. Leaving extra space between cars allows drivers to absorb sudden braking in heavy traffic, preventing the spread of traffic jams. "Just maintaining a safe distance," he says, "can keep traffic flowing smoothly even when there are large numbers of cars."

Then, something changed. Last year, my youngest child began piano lessons. I helped him recognize notes and celebrated his simple songs. Watching him reminded me how much I loved piano. Sitting at his first recital (演奏会), I knew it was time to try again — seriously this time. Before I lost courage, I emailed his teacher, Faria.

Faria welcomed adult learners, and I walked to her house in the snow for my first lesson. We started with basic scales and a simple Tchaikovsky piece. To my surprise, my fingers still remembered some of the movements. I practiced every night and slowly made progress. After more than two decades, I was playing again. But as pieces grew harder, I struggled. One day, I couldn't even play a basic scale. I felt embarrassed and thought about quitting once more.

That weekend, I watched my son learn to dive. He failed again and again until he did it. I realized learning anything new is mostly about failing. It's not talent; it's practice.

As adults, we often avoid what we're not good at. But returning to piano taught me something different. Now, I give myself a sticker each time I practice — not for perfection, but for showing up. My kids see me fail, try again, and slowly improve. There's no exam ahead, no performance, but just practice — and that's enough.

1.写信目的；

2.活动安排；

3.邀请理由。

注意：词数80词左右；可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

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