Having bad feeling about world? “Cheer up.” says science writer Matt Ridley. “The world has never been a better place to live in, and it will keep on getting better both for humans and for nature.”{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

1 ) {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    It is reported that there are more than ten billion different products for sale in London alone. Even allowing for the many people who still live in poverty, our own generation has access to more nutritious food, more convenient transport, bigger houses, and better cars. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This will continue as long as we use these things to make other things. The more we specialize and exchange, the better off we'll be.

2)Brilliant advances

    One reason we are richer, healthier, taller, cleverer, longer lived and freer than ever before is that the four most basic human needs—food, clothing, fuel and shelter—have grown a lot cheaper. Take one example. In 1800 a candle providing one hour's light cost six hours' work. In the 1880s the same light from an oil lamp took 15 minutes' work to pay for. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Today it's half second.

3 )Let's not kill ourselves for climate change

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} A child that dies from indoor smoke in a village, where the use of fossil-fuel (化石燃料) electricity is forbidden by well-meaning members of green political movements trying to save the world, is just as great a tragedy as a child that dies in a flood caused by climate change. If climate change proves to be mild, but cutting carbon causes real pain, we may well find that we have stopped a nose-bleed by putting a tourniquet (止血带) around our necks.

A. Ridley calls himself a rational optimist—rational, because he's carefully weighed the evidence.

B. Overreaction to climate change could prove just as damaging to human welfare as climate change itself.

C. Shopping fuels invention.

D. And, of course, we earn more pounds and dollars than any who lived before us.

E. In 1950 it was eight seconds.

F. It's high time that we took immediate action to fight climate change.

G. Here's how he explains his views.

    Celebrate!

    Piñatas(彩罐)

    In Mexico, children often get piñatas on their birthday. Their parents put chocolates and other sweets inside the piñata and hang it on a tree. Then the children hit the piñata with a stick. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Noodles

    In China, people often celebrate birthdays by eating with family or friends, and the last dish of the meal is always noodles. The noodles are long and thin. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can't cut them. In Chinese culture, long noodles mean you will have a long life.

Business birthdays

    A business birthday shows that a company is successful. Many businesses in the USA celebrate important birthdays, like 10, 50 or 150 years. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}sometimes they make TV advertisements. It is a good chance to advertise the business.

Name days

    As well as a birthday, many people in Southern Europe also celebrate their name day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} people have big parties and open their houses to anybody who wants to come. People bring small gifts, often flowers or a box of sweets.

Islamic New Year

    In Muslim countries across the world, people celebrate Eid(开斋节). Eid means festival or celebration. During Eid, people visit family and friends, as well as people who are sick or in hospital. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Children receive toys, too. Children often wear special traditional clothes during the Eid celebrations.

A. You have to eat them in one piece.

B. They go out for a meal to celebrate.

C. Companies hold parties and send cards.

D. They give presents, such as sweets and food.

E. It breaks and the sweets fall out on to the ground.

F. This is one of the two important festivals in this country.

G. In Greece, name days are more important than birthdays.

    Do arithmetic problems 15 through 25. State the different forms of the verbs on page 50 of your French workbook. Read pages 12 through 20 of the Shakespeare play, and don't forget to fill in the missing chemical symbols on the worksheet.

    Sound like a list of your homework for the next few nights—or maybe even just for tonight? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's your teachers' way of evaluating how much you understand what's going on in class. And it helps strengthen important concepts.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's inviting to start with the easy things to get them out of the way. However, you'll have the most energy and focus when you begin, so it's best to use this mental power on the subjects that are most challenging. Later, when you're more tired, you can focus on the simpler things. If you get stuck on a problem, try to figure it out as well as you can—but don't spend too much time on it because this can mess up your homework schedule for the rest of the night. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But don't pick someone whom you'll be up all night chatting with, or you'll never get it done!

    Most people's attention spans(一段时间) aren't very long, so take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Once your homework is done, you can check over it if you have extra time. Be sure to put it safely away in your backpack—there's nothing worse than having a completed assignment that you can't find the next morning or that gets ruined by a careless brother or sister. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Now you're free to hang out.

A. In conclusion, no one is expected to stay long, and people have very different learning styles.

B. But if you're really concentrating, wait until it's a good time to stop.

C. If you need to, ask an adult for help or call or email a classmate for advice.

D. Luckily, you can do a few things to do less homework.

E. When you start your homework, deal with the hardest tasks first.

F. And no teacher still believes that “chewed by the dog” line—even when it's true!

G. Homework is a major part of going to school.

How to Sleep Better

    If you're having trouble getting good sleep through the night (turning, waking up more than once, for example), this text will tell you what you can do to ensure a peaceful night's sleep.

    ⒈Get up on time. Changing your sleeping time by more than an hour can severely disturb (干扰) your sleep quality. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, if you normally wake up at 6 am on weekdays to get to work, you might go to bed around 10 pm, because that's when you start to feel sleepy, and it's also a good time to ensure 8 hours of sleep. If, on the weekend, you sleep until 9 am, you probably won't be able to fall asleep that night until 1 am.

    ⒉{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Wait at least three hours after dinner before going to sleep. Digestion(消化) slows down while asleep, and a full stomach may interrupt(打搅) sleep. Similarly, you should avoid going to bed on an empty stomach, as a completely empty stomach may equally disturb your sleeping patterns(模式).

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Exposure(暴露) to light during the time when you're supposed to be sleeping can disrupt(扰乱) your body's internal clock. Turn your light off, or use a very dim night light. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They include windows, LED clocks, computer lights and cable boxes.

    ⒋Change your sleeping position. You may think that it's impossible to control what position you sleep in since you don't fully understand what you are doing, but it is possible and it can make a big difference. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Try to avoid all sources of light.

B. Keep the room as dark as possible.

C. Make note of unusual circumstances (状况).

D. Be mindful of what you eat or drink before bed.

E. Sleep is considered to be adequate only when there is no daytime sleepiness.

F. In other words, sudden change of sleeping time will affect your “biological(生物的) clock”.

G. If you wake up in the middle of the night, make an effort to have a comfortable position.

How to Save Your Laptop after a Spill

    Spilling coffee, juice or water on a laptop might seem like the end of the world, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Here's a five-step plan to rescue a laptop after a liquid spill.

    Switch the laptop off

    Shut down the laptop. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Remove the power cord, unplug any peripherals and remove the battery. The biggest danger at this time is the device shorting out.

    Remove excess liquid from the laptop

    Remove excess liquid with a soft cloth or paper towels. Do not use a wiping motion as that just spreads the liquid further.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    With the laptop facing away from you, move it from side to side and from front to back in a gentle rocking motion to help the liquid to escape from all four sides.

    Use compressed air to dry the laptop

    Make sure that you have removed all excess liquid. Then, if you have one, use a can of compressed air to help dry the laptop. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Keep the dryer moving all the time and hold it at least 20cm above the laptop.

    Leave laptop to completely dry out

    Leave the laptop opened in an inverted "V" shape in a warm area, to completely dry out. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Wait for 24 hours or longer, making sure the keyboard is completely dry, before reinstalling the battery and peripherals.

    If you must replace your laptop keyboard, please remember: most laptop keyboards can be replaced by a technician, or you can purchase a new USB or wireless keyboard to use with the laptop.

Climb of a lifetime

British historian Jacob Bronowski once wrote, "Man masters nature not by force, but by understanding. "

This is especially true for extreme climber Alex Honnold, who climbed the California's EI Capitan by himself, without any safety ropes. The New York Times called it "one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, ever".

Now you can watch him do it. The documentary Free Solo, which hit Chinese mainland cinemas on Sept. 6, shows Honnold's brave journey up the 914-meter vertical(垂直的) mountain. The film won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in February. In it, Honnold gives us some useful advice: "You'll always feel fear, but over time you'll realize the only way to truly manage your fear is to broaden your comfort zone."

In fact, free climbing is a testament to perseverance(毅力), control, and concentration. "I'm not thinking about anything when I'm climbing," Honnold said. "I'm focused on executing(执行) what's in front of me. " This strong focus on the present is sort of meditation(冥想) that we can use in our daily routines.

While the documentary seemingly praises extreme athletes for pushing the limits of human potential, some are concerned about Honnold recklessly(不顾一切地) risking his own life. "His continued pursuit of ropeless ascents(攀登) puts significant stress on his loved ones, even when he succeeds," Climbing Magazine noted.

Free Solo seems to say that with enough courage and dedication(全心投入), one can accomplish any goal. However, the movie may also be viewed as the disturbing story of a climber who went against all better judgment and got away with it(未遭遇不测).