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Do animals have emotions? When you encounter animals, do you wonder what they're thinking? Seeing a newborn lamb or a cute puppy might stir up happy emotions in us, but what are they thinking? Does the look on their face and how they behave indicate how they're feeling – or are they feeling nothing at all? Humans have a complex range of emotions, but it's hard to tell what's going on inside the heads of animals, mainly because they can't verbalise their feelings. Perhaps it's pets we think we understand most – as they are the animals we spend a lot of time with and therefore get to know best. Some of us own dogs because they are good companions, are loyal and seem to connect with us. We might even think they love us, although love could just be a human emotion. Professor Kim Bard, an expert in comparative developmental psychology from the University of Portsmouth, told the BBC: "We have a few studies now that actually show, scientifically… that some dogs will respond with empathetic concern when their owner – but not a stranger – pretends to cry." The empathetic ability of cats, however, is harder to work out. Other non-domesticated animals might have feelings too. Giraffes and whales, for example, are known to experience grief when someone in their group dies. Farm animals we often eat, such as cows and chickens, are also believed to experience pain, joy and other emotions. Their wellbeing is now taken into consideration more. And in the UK, new legislation means all vertebrate animals and crustaceans will be recognised in law as sentient beings. It's believed even tiny creatures like insects might have emotions as well. Research is beginning to show they experience a wide range of feelings. Writing for BBC Future website, Zaria Gorvett says "they can be optimistic, cynical, or frightened, and respond to pain just like any mammal would." Dr Barbara J King, Emerita Professor of Anthropology at the College of William and Mary, told the BBC: "If we understand the profound depths of emotions animals can feel, this should make us question the existence of zoos and slaughterhouses around the world, and rethink those systems." It does seem all creatures feel emotion, but what is not clear is do they feel the same way as us? 词汇表 newborn [ˈnjuːbɔːn] adj. 新生的，初生的 lamb [læm] n. 小羊，羔羊 puppy [ˈpʌpi] n. 小狗，幼犬 stir up [stɜː(r)] 激起，唤起（情感等） verbalise [ˈvɜːbəlaɪz] vt./vi. 用言语表达，说出 companion [kəmˈpæniən] n. 伴侣，伙伴 empathetic [ˌempəˈθetɪk] adj. 共情的，有同理心的，感同身受的 non-domesticated [nɒn dəˈmestɪkeɪtɪd] adj. 非驯养的，野生的 grief [ɡriːf] n. 悲伤，悲痛 vertebrate [ˈvɜːtɪbrət] n. 脊椎动物 crustacean [krʌˈsteɪʃn] n. 甲壳类动物（如蟹、虾） sentient [ˈsentiənt] adj. 有感知能力的，有知觉的 cynical [ˈsɪnɪkl] adj. 愤世嫉俗的，怀疑的，悲观的 mammal [ˈmæml] n. 哺乳动物 profound depths [prəˈfaʊnd depθs] 极深处，深邃之处 slaughterhouse [ˈslɔːtəhaʊs] n. 屠宰场 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Why Sweden is swapping screens for paper Host: Now, Sweden is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. In its classrooms, laptops and tablets for every pupil have been the norm for almost a decade. But now schools are pivoting back to physical books, pens and paper. This is a move that's attracting criticism from tech companies who say it could impact pupils' employment prospects and even damage the Nordic nation's economy. Maddy Savage reports now from Stikla, which is just outside Stockholm. Maddy: In this former industrial suburb near Stockholm, high school pupils are unpacking laptops alongside things that weren't around as much a few years ago, physical books and printed coursework. Here's Alexis and Ludwig, who are 18 and in their final year. Alexis: In some classes, for example mathematics, I've noticed we've used more books during the later years than computers. Maddy: What about you? Ludwig: For me, there's definitely been a big change. So basically my whole life I've been using tablets, computers, phones. When we have a pencil and a paper and a book, you need to do it all yourself. Karina: My name is Karina Mikko. I teach English and Spanish. So, 15 years ago, the government said, use laptops. Now we're in the digital era in Sweden. Whereas now, we're going more towards the 60s again. It is more books, pens, papers. Maddy: This U-turn in one of the world's most digital societies started here at Sweden's parliament. In 2023, a new right-wing coalition made this announcement. Från skärm till pärm. It's a catchy rhyme in Swedish, and in English, it translates to from screen to binder. Ministers asked teachers to cut screen time for school pupils and reversed the requirement for preschools to use digital devices. Changes to the school curriculum are due in 2028, designed to support more textbook-based learning. Joar: My name is Joar Forssell, and we're in the Swedish parliament, just outside the chamber. Maddy: Joar is education spokesperson for the Liberal Party, which oversees Sweden's education ministry. He says the change is being driven by academic research about screens' potential to distract pupils, impact how they process information, and even affect brain development. Joar: I think Sweden is usually early adopters. We think that's a competitive edge for Sweden. So I think we jumped on that train very, very fast. That was a mistake, but we're changing it back. Maddy: Schools have been given extra money to buy textbooks and asked to employ librarians again. And mobile phones are set to be banned from all classrooms from this August. The government hopes the approach can help reverse Sweden's tumbling test scores in the world's largest school survey, PISA, run by the OECD. But the dramatic shift is attracting some criticism in this tech-savvy nation. Last year, 27 education and computer science academics wrote a newspaper column arguing that a strong digital curriculum is essential, even for primary school pupils. Critics also argue the back-to-books policy is a distraction from other issues that could be impacting school results, like teacher training, the marketisation of some schools and rising inequality and segregation. Back at the school in Sikla, teacher Karina says many of her pupils are more focused in lessons without laptops, but she's calling for more nuanced debates. Karina: There's been so many rash decisions now and in the past where we either embrace digitalization or we exclude it completely and I don't believe in either. 词汇表 swap [swɒp] vt./vi. 交换，替换 laptop [ˈlæptɒp] n. 笔记本电脑 tablet [ˈtæblət] n. 平板电脑 pupil [ˈpjuːpl] n. 学生，（尤指）小学生 norm [nɔːm] n. 常态，标准，规范 pivot back to [ˈpɪvət] 重新转向，回归，回到 employment prospects [ˈprɒspekts] 就业前景 Nordic nation [ˈnɔːdɪk] 北欧国家 industrial suburb [ɪnˈdʌstriəl ˈsʌbɜːb] 工业郊区 unpack [ʌnˈpæk] vt. 打开（包裹），取出（物品） printed coursework [ˈprɪntɪd ˈkɔːswɜːk] 打印的课程作业 U-turn [ˈjuː tɜːn] n. （政策等的）大逆转，180度转变 right-wing coalition [ˌraɪt ˈwɪŋ ˌkəʊəˈlɪʃn] 右翼联盟，右翼联合政府 catchy rhyme [ˈkætʃi raɪm] n. 朗朗上口的押韵（词句），好记的顺口溜 binder [ˈbaɪndə(r)] n. 活页夹，文件夹 chamber [ˈtʃeɪmbə(r)] n. 议事厅，会议厅 oversee [ˌəʊvəˈsiː] vt. 监管，监督，监察 early adopter（新科技等的）早期采用者 competitive edge 竞争优势 tumbling [ˈtʌmblɪŋ] adj. 持续下滑的，骤降的，暴跌的 PISA [ˈpiːsə] n. 国际学生评估项目（Programme for International Student Assessment） tech-savvy [ˈtek sævi] adj. 精通科技的，懂科技的 marketisation [ˌmɑːkɪtaɪˈzeɪʃn] n. 市场化 segregation [ˌseɡrɪˈɡeɪʃn] n. 种族隔离；隔离，分离 nuanced [ˈnjuːɑːnst] adj. 细致的，微妙的 rash [ræʃ] adj. 草率的，鲁莽的 digitalization [ˌdɪdʒɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃn] n. 数字化 exclude [ɪkˈskluːd] vt. 排斥，排除在外，拒绝 🌟翻译，pdf及更多文本内容见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可加入【打卡交流群】

Do we really need 8 hours' sleep? Charles Darwin once said "A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life". If you live one hundred years, that only equates to twelve-hundred months – and when you break it down even further into days, hours and minutes, it gets more frightening. Why is this relevant? Well, quite simply put: life is short. Spending eight hours every day in a slumber means you're losing a third of your life to bed. So, the question is: is eight hours the exact amount we need, or is it just a myth? While most scientists agree that between seven and nine hours a night is the optimal amount, this is just a rough estimate. In truth, it's a little more complicated than that. It seems that the amount of sleep you need depends upon your age – with infants needing much more than adults. What does seem apparent is that around seven and a half hours' sleep is a good amount. In a study conducted at the University of Surrey Sleep Research Centre, the effects of sleep were monitored. One group slept for six and a half and the other for seven and a half hours per night. While some findings were predictable – irritation and lower concentration in the group who slept less, there were some more surprising findings. The genes of people who had less sleep were affected. Genes associated with inflammation, the immune system and stress response became more active. The team also observed increases in the activity of genes related to diabetes and risk of cancer. One of the biggest issues is that myths regarding sleep are constantly perpetuated. For example, have you ever heard that you can train yourself to need less or no sleep? It's simply not true. We will always need a certain amount of sleep – eight hours might not be the exact sweet spot, and there are factors like age to take into consideration, but one thing is true – there is a certain amount we do actually need. 词汇表 equate to [ɪˈkweɪt] 等同于，相当于 break it down into 将…分解为，细分为，拆分为 slumber [ˈslʌmbə] n. 睡眠，安睡，沉睡 myth [mɪθ] n. 迷思，误区，错误观念 optimal [ˈɒptɪməl] adj. 最佳的，最理想的 rough estimate [rʌf ˈestɪmət] 粗略估算，大致估计 monitor [ˈmɒnɪtə] vt. 监测，监控 predictable [prɪˈdɪktəbəl] adj. 可预料的，意料之中的 irritation [ˌɪrɪˈteɪʃən] n. 易怒，烦躁，恼怒 gene [dʒiːn] n. 基因 inflammation [ˌɪnfləˈmeɪʃən] n. 炎症，发炎 immune system [ɪˈmjuːn] 免疫系统 diabetes [ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz] n. 糖尿病 perpetuate [pəˈpetʃueɪt] vt. 使持续，使永久化，传播（不好的事物） sweet spot 最佳点，最佳状态，理想状态 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

What is hobby dating? Perhaps you've already experienced that awkward feeling on a 1st date when you don't really know what to say to each other. Having a drink or going to a restaurant are great activities, but they don't always add much to the conversation. So if you run out of questions, you're often just left staring into each other's eyes and hoping for an opportunity to arise so that you might make a quick getaway. But this might be soon a thing of the past, with the rise of the hobby date. In other words, a date organized around an activity. What does this involve? The idea is to introduce your date to something that you already enjoy and share the experience together. This can take completely different forms depending on each person's taste. It might be a cultural outing to a museum, a hike in nature, an arts and crafts class or even a cookery lesson. The idea is to choose an activity that you love or are curious about, and then invite your partner to take part in it with you. Let's say you book a beginner painting course. It's fun, creative, and creates an opportunity for you to have a shared experience, and so, as well as creating a new memory together, it also allows you to see your date in a different context to the usual 1st date venue. Didn't this already exist before? Yes, hobby dating is not new, but it has seen a surge in popularity, and that might be down to COVID. During the various confinements, many people experimented with new activities as a way of keeping themselves busy and passing the time. But although the lockdown ended, our interest in our new hobbies continued. Namie Walkland, the vice president of Bumble in Europe, noticed that before the pandemic, the norm was to meet up in a bar or cafe, but that nowadays, people are keen to share their interests from the get go. Consequently on Bumble, the dating app, you can now indicate what your hobbies are. So whether you're into cookery, photography, or crafting, you can share your interests with your potential partner and hopefully avoid those awkward 1st dates. Do some activities stand out? Yes and no. It depends on the country and the kind of place people are meeting, in cities, cultural events are very popular, and those living in nature, choose more sporty events. In the USA, hobbies such as DIY, arts and crafts, and board games have seen the biggest rise in popularity. There you have it. 词汇表 getaway [ˈɡetəweɪ] n. 逃离，逃离，脱身 hobby date 爱好约会（以共同兴趣活动为主的约会方式） outing [ˈaʊtɪŋ] n. 短途旅行，外出游玩 arts and crafts 手工艺，工艺美术 cookery [ˈkʊkəri] n. 烹饪，烹调 venue [ˈvenjuː] n. 场所，聚会地点 surge in popularity [sɜːdʒ] 人气飙升，迅速走红 be down to 归因于，由于 confinement [kənˈfaɪnmənt] n. 封锁，禁闭，限制 pass the time 消磨时间，打发时间 lockdown [ˈlɒkdaʊn] n. 封锁，禁闭 norm [nɔːm] n. 常态，规范，惯例 be keen to [kiːn] 热衷于，渴望 indicate [ˈɪndɪkeɪt] vt. 表明，标示，显示 stand out 突出，显眼，引人注目 board games 棋盘游戏，桌游 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】