The most popular TV program in the UK last year was a reality show called The Great British Bake Off. Each week, ordinary people compete to make the best cakes and bread within a time limit (限定). The competition takes place in a very large tern in a big garden. There are two judges, and each week they choose a "Star Baker "(the best baker). They also choose one person who must leave the competition. Al the end of ten weeks there is one winner.
The program started in 2010, and nobody expected it to be so popular. People really enjoyed watching the baking and the good atmosphere (气氛) on the show. The competitors were all very friendly to each other, and even helped their opponents (对手). This was very different from other reality TV shows. Some people think the show is typically British, with a good sense of humour and friendly people.
Since the show started, baking has become very popular in the UK. and many young people have started baking at home. Shops have sold lots of products for baking, like bowls and food mixers. More than 19 percent of British people bake at least once a week at home now.
Unfortunately for tans, the show is going to change next year and there will be new judges. Nobody knows if the new Great British Bake Off will be as popular as the original program. But, making cakes (and eating them!) will definitely continue to be popular with British people.
It's common to sec schools in China use textbooks from the US or the UK. But now, Chinese math textbooks are going to the UK.
Yi Ke Yi Lian, or One Lesson. One Exercise, is a series of popular textbooks for primary and junior high schools in Shanghai. For about 20 years, this series has helped students to practice what they have learned in class. This summer, the math textbook series will be put to use in the UK, China Daily reported.
The British version has 11 volumes (册), as there arc II grades from primary school lo high school in the UK. The publisher will cut out part of the content in the Chinese version to go with the curriculum setting (课程安排) there. They will also change some terms (术语) and background knowledge. But the overall difficulty level will be the same.
The move follows the British government's efforts to learn from Shanghai's math teaching methods starting from last year. In the 2012 PISA (国际学生评估项目) ,Shanghai students got first place on the math exam, while British students got 26th place.
In September, the British government invited 60 of Shanghai's top math teachers to British schools to share their teaching experiences. A number of teachers from the UK also visited Shanghai for experience.
"It seems that the Shanghai teaching methodology (法) uses resources much more effectively." said Liz Truss, a government education official. "We have stagnated in our math performance for the last 15 years, and it's time for us to learn and put into good practices."
Waking up in the morning is difficult, and sometimes a ringing alarm clock can't get you out of a sweet dream. Now people in Japan have a better helper.
Fisherman Japan is an organization whose purpose is to make fishing cool again. Recently, it started an interesting wake-up call service to help people who have trouble waking up in the morning. The service is called Fisherman Call. Japanese fishermen will call registered (注册的) users to wake them up and start a short conversation that is sure to get them out of bed.
Fisherman Call is a free service. All you have to do is to register online and give your name, phone number and the time you would like to be called by a fisherman. You can even choose your own fisherman from the list online. You can see a picture of each one of the fishermen, find out their work time and even listen to a recording of their voice to see if it's the first voice you want to hear in the morning. Then, all you have to do is to go to sleep.
Most of the fishermen wake up in the early morning, and finish most of their work by 6 a.m. So however early you plan on waking up. They'll probably be able to help you do it.
Fisherman Call is a real service, but another purpose of it is to connect Japanese youth with fishing, one of the oldest professions in the country. It is reported that the fishermen won' l try to persuade you to do the job during the morning phone conversation. But the idea is to increase people's interest in the fishing industry. In fact, it's already working.
AI (人工智能) products are not new. However, researchers have been working to improve the technology. Now virtual (虚拟的) assistants, like Siri and Alexa, can have short conversations with us. AlphaGo taught itself to play Go and became better than the top human players.
Now an AI system (系统) has been tasked with passing a multiple-choice (多项选择) exam. The goal is to improve machines' language understanding and logic (逻辑) with so-called computer vision (视觉).
A system named Aristo was developed by the Allen Institute for AI, a lab in the United States city of Seattle. It recently passed an eighth-grade science exam taken by many US students. The New York Times reported. It correctly answered more than 90 percent of the questions. Then it was given a twelfth-grade exam, it scored more than 80 percent.
It's an example of the progress in AI development. Four years ago, 700 computer scientists tried to develop AI systems that could pass these kinds of exams. None scored higher than 60 percent.
Aristo was able to pass the exams because it can not only understand language but also use logical thinking to solve difficult problems. For example, it can understand what a forest fire is and how it could endanger animals like squirrels or make the food supply they need less.
The system used BERT, a kind of neural (神经的) network technology developed by Google, to answer the questions. BERT has "read" thousands of English articles. If it looks at a sentence with a missing word, it can correctly guess what the word is. With BERT's help. Aristo "read" many multiple-choice questions and answers. Over time, it was able to find logical patterns on its own.
It may still be in the earliest stages, said Jingjing Liu, a Microsoft researcher who has been working on similar technologies. "We can't compare this technology to real human students and their ability to reason."
However, Aristo's success means that Al systems are getting better at understanding users, and we might see improved search engines and hospital databases (数据库) in the near future.
The relationship between a parent and a child is among the most important in a person's life. Do you know how to develop a good parent and child relationship.
Let your kids know that things don't always have to be so serious between you. Of course, you want them to have your authority (权威), but you also want to laugh with them and join in their activities. A sense of fun can live up their lives and build fond memories.
As your children age, it's important to review your rules and guidelines and change them as needed. Children need to see that you trust them with more responsibility as they age. However, this also may translate to more serious results when they break the rules.
When your child has a strong relationship with you. They feel strong and proud to go out into the world and take on challenges. Be a supporter for your child, pushing them to develop greater independence over time.
As your children mature, it's okay to relax the parent hat a little and let them have a look at the person underneath. In feet, showing your kids your human side can actually make lessons stronger. Use personal, age-proper stories to drive home ways your kids can learn and grow.
Teens can easily become close with too much face-to-face communication. Make the pressure less by planning some of your talks in a similar position. Try asking your son about bullying (霸凌) at school when driving him to soccer practice. Ask your daughter about her new love interest when you are baking in the kitchen
A. Have relaxed side-by-side conversations.
B. Open up and show your human side.
C. Kid around.
D. Include them in decisions.
E. Encourage your child to take on challenges and find independence.
F. Review rules and increase privilege as your children get older.
I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys, I made the long trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of 1 . While the trip had been fun for the most part, now that I was there I was feeling lonely.
I was missing my family and realized that I wouldn't be seeing them very much 2 I went to school here. I was also missing the Appalachian mountains where I grew up. I3 walking in the forests of maple (枫树) and pine trees there. I loved how the4turned a thousand shades (树荫) of green in the spring and then became a sea of red, gold, and orange in the fall. I loved the5 of countless wild flowers that grew in our garden. These things were a part of me.
Here in Iowa everything was 6 .The grass looked burnt and brown. All that I could smell was a 7 of corn, mud and pigs. I walked outside the dormitory and sat under a tree. I closed my eyes, 8being back home again.
When I finally 9 them, however, I saw something that touched my soul (灵魂) . It was the sunset. It seemed to10 the sky. Gold, red, purple and pink clouds moved together like a picture. It was so huge and I was 11 in the beautiful scenery. It made our mountain sunsets seem12 by comparison (比较). I was tilled with wonder. I realized that I had been foolish and judgmental (妄下结论的). This place had its own special13 .
Over the years to come I learned something else. Each of us also has a 14 beauty. We all have our own unique (独待的) talents and abilities. We all have a beautiful, powerful love that 15 we can share.
Schoolwork can be stressful sometimes. (especial) in the final year of junior school. Daily messes can pile up (堆积) and influence our health, so (find) a good way to deal with pressure is important. I just discovered my new favorite method—the trampoline (蹦床)!
The door opens and you are (amaze) to see people jumping and flying around like superheroes. The trampoline park is full of colorful inflatables (气垫). For (begin), it is the best area to start.
It was a little bit scarythe beginning, as we could hardly walk on the trampolines. But when I started to jump. I fell all the stresses leave my body. After jumping for a while, I (lie) down and closed my eyes, imagining I had become a birdcould touch the sky.
There (be) some other bouncing (弹跳) activities. My favorite one was the basketball dunking (扣篮) area. It included a full-height basketball hoop (圈) above runway trampolines. With the power of bouncing. I could dunk likeNBA superstar. It was not only relaxing, but also fun!
outdoor activities are largely up to the weather, indoor trampoline parks are really good places to go whenever you want to have a good time.