Liu Yexi has taken Douyin by storm. As of Nov 17, the virtual idol, who debuted (首次出现) on the social media platform on Oct 31, had only released two short videos but attracted over 5 million followers.
Different from other virtual idols, Liu is defined as a “virtual beauty vlogger”. In her first video, Liu is doing makeup with an eye brush while dressed in a traditional Chinese costume. When she turns around, the onlookers are terrified, except one boy. Then Liu slightly brushes the boy's eyes, allowing him to see the fantasy world in her own eyes.
The internet users marveled at its storyline, science-fiction elements and special visual effects with cyberpunk style. Liang Zikang, the CEO of the production team, told China Newsweek that the team spent two months making the video.
Liu's instant popularity online further reflects that the virtual idol industry in China has been booming. There are over 32,400 virtual idols that have opened accounts on video-sharing platform Bilibili in the past year, seeing a year-on-year rise of 40 percent, Chen Rui, the CEO of Bilibili, said in a speech.
“Compared with real idols and stars, the virtual ones seem to be more approachable for fans,” Shine News noted. Additionally, these virtual web celebrities won't have scandals.
As more young people are fascinated by these virtual figures, their commercial value has been on the rise. Generally, they earn money by endorsements, online concerts, livestreaming and related products.
Therefore, some people are wondering whether they will replace real humans. “These so-called virtual idols have real human teams to back them up and control them. They are not really virtual,” Ding Daoshi, an independent analyst in the internet sector, told the Global Times. The real virtual idol will come when artificial intelligence achieves a new level of self-learning and self-training and then interacts with others, he added.
In the 1970's, people who managed ponds had a problem with plants and snails in the water. To control the pests, the managers brought four species of carp, a type of fish, from Asia. But some of the fish escaped into rivers and other waterways. Soon, there were lots of fish. And they became troublesome invasive species. These non-native fish can bully ecosystems, quickly taking over. Growing fast and big, they ate lots of the food on which the native fish would normally depend. Bighead carp are an invasive species in the United States. Wang is using a combination of computer modeling and field experiments to study how the eggs of these and other invasive carp could be transported in the Missouri River.
Today, the descendants (后代) of those carp remain a big problem. And as the fish spawn（产卵）, their eggs have been drifting (漂流) far and wide. Anticipating where something will drift can be a challenge. But finding answers may handle the crisis.
At the University of Missouri in Columbia, civil and environmental engineer Binbin Wang is working to figure out where eggs of the invasive fish are spreading in the Missouri River. If science can get ahead of the problem, there's hope that people may figure out how to stop it. But if science is too slow to answer this question, legions of carp eggs will grow into adults that outcompete their neighbors. Stopping their spread would help reduce the overall damage they cause.
Drifting may seem somewhat random, but scientists are doing researches to make useful predictions possible. Some of these drift detectives want to know if large icebergs threaten offshore oil platforms. Others hope to track the polluted air or water — and determine where they're coming from. The work is challenging. It also can be very rewarding. Most importantly, their findings may point toward solutions for some important environmental threats.
Owww! A little girl wails after falling and bumping her knee. Her father rushes over and inspects the leg. “I'll kiss it and make it better,” he says. The kiss works. The girl sniffles, wipes her eyes, then jumps up and gets back to playing. Her pain is forgotten.
Scenes like this one happen on playgrounds and in homes around the world every day. When a child gets a bump or bruise in Germany, says Ulrike Bingel, “someone will blow the pain away.”
A caring adult can seemingly stop a child's pain with a puff of air, a kiss or even just a few kind words. Of course, none of these things can repair injured skin. So what's happening? Doctors call it the placebo effect. It describes what happens when something that should no effect triggers a real, positive change in someone's body.
Placebos are a very important part of medical research. To prove that a new medicine works, researchers must show that people taking it improve more than people getting a placebo. This placebo is usually a pill that looks the same as the treatment but contains no medicine. At times a person may feel better after taking a placebo pill, even though the pill did not act on any disease or symptoms.
This placebo response isn't an illusion. It comes from the brain. A placebo effect can only influence body processes that the brain can modify, such as pain or digestion.
Kathryn Hall, a medical researcher in Boston says, “Placebos don't do anything for bacteria, but they can change how strongly someone experiences pain or other symptoms.” Other researchers are also trying to figure out why the placebo effect works. Ted Kaptchuk's group has discovered that placebo treatments work better when a doctor spends more quality time with a patient.
Experts agree that good digestive health is important for absorbing nutrients from the food you eat. Therefore, there are some tips for you.
Not only can these substances cause stomachaches in high quantities, but they slow digestion, causing constipation ( 便 秘 ). They will also prevent you from being hungry for healthier foods, like high fiber foods.
Drink plenty of water. Water will increase the efficiency of your digestion by helping to soften and break down foods so your body can absorb the nutrients. It will also make regular bowl movements ( 排 便 ) easier. However, the amount you need will vary with your
body weight, how active you are, and what climate you live in.
Eat many small meals rather than only a few large ones. And eat these small meals at the same time every day so that your body can anticipate the meal and physiologically prepare.
Reduce stress in your life. Stress has been shown to cause weight gain, constipation, diarrhea and a lowered immune system. It will leave you to the bacteria that causes ulcers (溃疡).
Regular exercise will also release certain chemicals and help you relax.
Seek medical advice if you have improved your diet and your lifestyle, but your digestive conditions remain.
A. Take low-calorie but high-fiber foods.
B. Eat less salty, sugary, and fatty foods.
C. Doctors sometimes recommend eight glasses per day.
D. If your body lacks water, you may get headaches and feel tired.
E. This will prevent you from getting extremely hungry and eating too much.
F. However, digestive problems can occur if your system isn't running properly.
G. Meditation and other relaxation ways can help you to handle stress and help your digestion.
Today I had lunch with Cynthia. As I was waiting for her to arrive, I1 a man saying they needed to get his 2 to pay for something. When they stepped 3, I spoke to the staff and4 to pay their bill. As it turned out it was just for a piece of cake and I asked them to just add it to my5. I handed the cashier a Smile Card, asking him to give it to the man. When the man came back with his money, he was6.
I thought I had done a(n) 7 deed, but there were more surprises to come. Cynthia and I were sitting enjoying our8 when Alex, a worker at the9, approached us. He explained that the couple on table one had paid for our lunch, including the pie. Alex didn't understand why10 I guessed it was just ripples spreading. My random act of11 was zoomed up.
When leaving, I asked Cynthia to 12 a table so that we could keep the 13 of kindness going. Although they all looked14, she chose one. I called Alex over and said I wanted to 15 their lunch. He was beside himself with 16, smiling from ear to ear. I don't think he had ever observed anything like this before.
In the past 7 years I've been able to17 so much generosity and kindness in action. This could be a(n)18 of love. Whatever the reason, it's not a coincidence that this corresponds with my 19 in activities organized by Kind Springs. Deep 20 to you, and the rest of humanity, for being my mirror.
Tai chi chuan or Chinese boxing, is ancient and distinctive Chinese form of exercise is popular throughout the world. As exercise, tai chi chuan is designed (provide) relaxation in the process of body-conditioning exercise and is drawn from the principles of taiji, notably with the harmonizing of the yin and yang, respectively the active principles. It employs flowing, rhythmic, deliberate movements, with carefully appointed stance（s 站姿）and (position), but in practice no two masters teach the system (exact) alike. As a mode of attack and(defend), tai chi chuan is properly considered a martial art, (resemble) kung fu. It may be used with or weapons.
Freehand exercise to promote health (practise) in China as early as the 3rd century, and, by the 5th century, monks of Shaolin Temple were performing exercises imitating the five creatures: bear, bird, deer, monkey, and tiger. The snake was added (late), and, by the early Ming Dynasty, the yin and yang principles had been added to harmonize the whole. An assimilation（同化）of these developments, the art of tai chi chuan was systemized and named in the early Qing Dynasty.
Sedona hiking trails can be fun and relaxing, but sometimes can also be challenging and dangerous.
Rogers, 33, an on-duty airman, was in town from Colorado Springs for adventures on Sedona trails. Even he had just taken a sharp turn on his mountain bike in April 2020 when he was stopped short by the sight of a woman sitting on the side of the trail. She was cute and had long blond hair and big expressive eyes. What he didn't know then was that she was also in extreme pain.
Sydney Linden, 28, had been jogging down Adobe Jack Trail in Sedona, Arizona, for a picturesque sunset view of the Red Rocks when she hopped over a rock and her leg over extended on the landing. The pain was instant.
Her right leg collapsed and she hit the dirt hard. Linden tried to stand but collapsed. She wasn't sure if she had torn her ACL（十字韧带）, broken her leg, or something else. All she knew was that the pain was a 15 out of 10.
Although it was spring, the Arizona sun beat down relentlessly（无情地）. Linden dragged herself to the shade, as if an animal preparing to die. She'd called a friend, but after 30 minutes, her friend was lost. That's when she saw the mountain biker.
Rogers was trying to play it cool. He casually rode by at a slower speed, stealing a glance at the woman. Sensing her suffering, Rogers stopped and asked if he could help. Linden explained her situation and that's when he noticed the swelling under her leggings. She needed a hospital -- now.
Rogers helped Linden to her feet and they began the steep（陡坡）over the rocky region and desert bushes. It was a long way to go. Leaning on Rogers, Linden tried to hop along, but the pain was severe. She would never make it to the trailhead（登山口）this way.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2）至少使用 5 个短文中有下划线的关键词语；
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Paragraph 1:
Then Rogers had another idea.
Paragraph 2:
It was after the operation that Linden found Rogers gone.
