When it comes to the end of daylight savings time (DST), trying to remember how reset the time on the microwave might be the least of our worries. According to a review, a one-hour shift in your sleep cycle can affect you for up to a week. People are more likely to have trouble falling asleep, wake up more frequently throughout the night and wake up earlier than normal for up to seven days after daylight savings time starts. 1. Here’s how to battle the effects of DST.
● Dim the lights and your device
Light can inhibit the production of melatonin, a natural hormone that is associated with sleep onset. When we stare at the screen of a phone or television, or even read next to too bright a light, 2. Try dimming the lights and turning off your device at least thirty minutes before bed.
● Turn down the thermostat (恒温器)
When we sleep, our body temperature drops, reaching our lowest level at around 5 a.m. If the air in our bedroom is too warm, 3. The National Sleep Foundation says the ideal sleeping temperature is around 18 degrees Celsius. Experiment with what temperature range is best for you.
● 4.
According to researchers, there’s no bad time to exercise when it comes to improving your sleep. As long as you fit in physical exercise and, most importantly, stay consistent with it, you are less likely to have sleep problems. On the flip side, there is a good and a bad time for food. 5. Additionally, it’s best to avoid spicy (辛辣的) foods and caffeine before bedtime.
A. Exercise often and eat early.
B. Develop a bedtime routine.
C. But that doesn’t have to be you!
D. hat can interfere with our natural sleep cycle.
E. we essentially force our body into staying awake.
F. Eating too late in the day is a main cause of restlessness.
G. it only takes five minutes to put the temperature down.
While there are a few ways to make use of your old smartphone, one of the better ways is to convert into a dash cam (行车记录仪) that you can use on your bicycle. With the camera, you can record your rides, which is especially helpful if you are involved in a crash with another vehicle.
To use your smartphone as a dash cam on your bike, you will need to make sure it is properly secured to your bike. To do this correctly, you must take two strips of heavy-duty Velcro (a kind of cloth used as fastening) along with two pipe Clamps (管夹) and a flat corner brace (角撑) to properly attach it. You will start by attaching the comer brace to your smartphone.
Next, attach a Velcro strip to your phoned back. You will put the second strip on the end of the brace comer and cut any extra Velcro off and away from the brace. By using heavy-duty Velcro, you shouldn’t have to worry about the camera brace must be attached to the bicycle directly.
Take two pipe clamps so you can attach the part of the corner brace so the phone can be held up and used. The pipe clamps must be positioned near the center of the handlebar, which will enable you to get a better picture when videotaping.
To run a dash cam app on your old phone, you will just need to download a dash cam app onto the old phone. You will then just start the app at any time you head out on the road. There is always the chance of flaws, but you will be giving yourself a way to protect yourself in a friendly, eco-friendly manner that is much less expensive than purchasing a dash cam.
1.What is the purpose of building a dash cam on your bike?
A. To make full use of an old smartphone.
B. To record the scenery while travelling.
C. To reduce an unexpected crash on the road.
D. To avoid unnecessary arguments in an accident.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The bike. B. The pipe clamp.
C. The smartphone. D. The flat comer brace.
3.What can we learn about a Velcro strip?
A. It will fix the camera firmly.
B. It is better to keep it as long as possible.
C. It is important for the flat comer brace.
D. It is best put in the center of the smartphone.
4.What can be inferred about the DIY dash cam from the last paragraph?
A. It is a perfect alternative to a purchased one.
B. It is beneficial to environment in some way.
C. It is a much more demanding job for the user.
D. It makes its owner friendly to other people.
An autonomous vehicle designed for making local commerce deliveries was unveiled by Nuro. The vehicle is about the height of an SW but far narrower than a typical car. The electric car features four exterior compartments (暗格) — two on each side — to hold separate deliveries. Each compartment can be tailored to a specific use, such as cooking a pizza or refrigerating a package.
“We can use self-driving technology to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere for basically all local goods and services,” Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson said. “Consumers used to be okay with two-week paid shipping. It became two-week free delivery, followed by one week, two days, and the same day. Now same-day delivery isn’t fast enough for some customers.”
Nuro isn’t alone in building robots for local commerce deliveries. Earlier this month, Toyota, a Japanese car company, unveiled a concept vehicle that could be used for package delivery. A handful of startups — including Starship Technologies, Marble and Dispatch — are testing small robots for deliveries on sidewalks.
Nuro’s vehicle will likely face legal hurdles. Fully autonomous vehicles without a test driver aren’t legal in California today, and many companies have shifted testing to states where regulators are more welcoming of autonomous vehicles, such as Arizona.
Nuro expects to face fewer challenges because it doesn’t carry passengers. Nuro’s narrow size may also be helpful when navigating streets and avoiding pedestrians. The vehicle isn’t equipped with any special features to communicate with pedestrians or other road users. Some companies have tested and patented solutions such as digital screens that signal the car’s next move. Ferguson said his team conducted studies and found that such techniques could confuse people. Nuro believes ifs better to make sure the car performs predictably, so that human drivers know what to expect from it.
“We feel by creating this new technology that’s going to enable this last mile delivery, we’re going to be creating new markets and doing things that previously weren’t possible,” Ferguson said. “This is not swapping out Jobs with robots. It’s creating new markets. There will definitely be new employment opportunities.”
1.What is the main characteristic of the Nuro’s self-driving vehicle?
A. It can cook delicious meals for customers.
B. It is a pioneer in the field of self-driving vehicles.
C. It is fur narrower and higher than other autonomous ones.
D. Its deliveries can be transported in the special compartment.
2.Which can best replace the underlined word “hurdles” in Paragraph 4?
A. Breakthrough. B. Dilemma.
C. Restriction. D. Protection.
3.Why is the Nuro’s vehicle not equipped with communicating features?
A. Its digital screens often break down.
B. People may be puzzled at the features.
C. The features have not been developed.
D. Its performance is usually hard to predict.
4.What can we infer about Ferguson’s opinion on this new technology?
A. Beneficial. B. Challenging.
C. Controversial. D. Ambiguous.
Fikiri Kiponda’s path from accountant to marine (海洋的) conservationist was sparked by a chance encounter. After securing his dream job, Kiponda decided he wanted more. He wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for until he ran across some turtle hatchlings.
He didn’t know it was turtle. Fortunately enough he got the right person to ask and he got motivated. That person was Nkindi, a staff member at the Watamu Conservation project who later invited him to volunteer on the project. He later left his accounting job and fully devoted himself into the world of sea turtles. Now，he runs and spends his time nursing critically endangered sea turtles back to health.
Sea turtles have been around for nearly 110 million years and are now considered highly endangered. Their preservation rests on activities of conservationists such as Kiponda as these turtles face numerous threats and signs of their extinction in the next 50 years.
Local fishermen traditionally catch them to supplement their own low catch rates and sell them for their oil. As changes are made to accommodate more hotels for tourists, there is less available beach land for turtle nesting.
Kiponda’s passion has now spread to his community, changing their attitude towards sea life preservation with his “by-catch release programme.”
Through this program, fishermen are now paid for returning turtles accidentally caught in their fishing nets. The healthy ones are tagged and released into the marine park while he takes care of sick and injured turtles back to health.
Before the launch of pioneering spirit like this, turtles caught by fishermen were used for their meat and their oil extracted (提炼) for its medicinal properties.
“Releasing the turtle back into the ocean is a very good feeling, like, you feel like you’ve done something concrete and I guess everybody would love to do that...so I guess it’s unique work.”
1.What was Fikiri Kiponda’s dream job according to the text?
A. An accountant.
B. A marine conservationist.
C. A guide to the Watamu Conservation Project.
D. An advocate for turtles.
2.What may be the main threat to the turtles?
A. The rising sea level. B. Being caught by tourists.
C. Overdevelopment in the tourism. D. The reduction in their nesting place.
3.Which of the following words can best describe Fikiri Kiponda?
A. Energetic but conservative. B. Enthusiastic and caring.
C. Arbitrary but considerate. D. Ambitious and knowledgeable.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. The man saving endangered sea turtles.
B. An unique job of protecting sea turtles.
C. A pioneer project protecting sea animals.
D. The current situation faced by sea turtles.
Gift buying for 11 to 14-year-olds can produce memories of that classic complainer. “This gift is too old.” “This gift is too young.” “This gift was popular, like, five minutes ago.” Don’t stress. Our fun gifts are sure to make you smile.
—Judy Sutton Taylor
Snowball Launcher
The kids on your list will be happy to drop their electronic devices and head outside during the next big snowstorm thanks to this gift that launches snowballs up to 70 feet. A practice target is included to ensure they’re ready for a hard battle. $16.97 at amazon.com
Nintendo Switch
Gamers went crazy for this mixed gaming system when it was released last spring, and it was in consistently short supply until now. The device allows users to play solo or with a friend, connect it to a TV to play on a big screen, unfold the stand for tabletop competitions, or use it for hand-held play. $299.99; links to licensed retailers at nintendo.com or amazon.com
Mertritte Animal Headphone
Tunes will no doubt sound sweeter to lovers of any music genre when they5re coming from these cute-as-can-be headphones designed by celebrity stylists Emily Current and Merritt Elliott. The gold finish adds some fun flare (闪光装置) that is sure to inspire copycats. $59 at pbteen.com
BBOP Balls
If there s a more entertaining way to settle sibling differences than having warring brothers and sisters bump into each other putting on mega-sized bubble armor (盔甲), we’d like to know about it. Chances are, even what may seem like the most catastrophic conflicts will end in belly laughs after a few rounds wearing these. $69.98 for a set of two at hearthsong.com or amazon.com.
1.What will be the best choice for a video game enthusiast?
A. Snowball Launcher. B. Nintendo Switch.
C. Mertritte Animal Headphone. D. BBOP Balls.
2.What can we learn from a BBOP Ball?
A. It is a device for belly dance.
B. It is the most expensive toy mentioned.
C. It is suitable to entertain brothers and sisters.
D. It may cause conflicts among brothers and sisters.
3.Who does the text specially appeal to?
A. Pupils and Teenagers. B. Music Lovers.
C. School Teachers. D. Gift Buyers.
假如你是刘明，中国传统节日春节快到了，你的美国朋友Jack来信表示对新春和对联很感兴趣，请你写一篇回信，邀请他参加对联展，要点如下：
1. 新春在门上贴红色对联是中国传统，表达对新的一年的美好祝愿；
2. 新春对联展从2月10号开始一直持续一周；
3. 活动包括对联欣赏，自创对联比赛，获奖者将免费获赠对联；
4. 邀请Jack来参加，体验中国传统文化。
注意：词数100左右；
参考词汇：新春对联：spring festival couplets；贴：paste
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