People not to fall in love with: a checklist It may sound ungenerous to throw the emphasis on negative, but we can fairly say that people who are good at love know - first and foremost - who not to fall in love with.‍‍ While they may have all sorts of friends and a wide sympathy for the vagaries of being human, when it comes to who they opt to tie themselves to, this is some of what they will avoid with determination: People who have no sense of how difficult they are to live with. People with a heightened belief in their infallibility. People who will, when something is pointed out to them, quickly choose the occasion to simultaneously inform you that: 'It's not as though you're perfect either.' People who will label any criticism of them (however sensitively delivered) as 'rude' or 'offensive' and contrary to the rules of true love as they define these. People who deliberately drive you to the edge of frustration, then turn and say: 'why are you getting cross so suddenly?' People who smile and say, 'I get it completely now; I'm going to change,' and then go and do whatever it was all over again few days later. People who combine an exquisite talent for upset with an even greater talent for sentimental apology. People who will flirt with others, then call it 'only a bit of fun' and label you a prude for minding. People who will mess up your house and call you 'anal' . People who will prioritise time with their friends over time with you and then call you 'controlling.' People who tell you you are 'imagining things' a lot. People who harbour a background grudge against your gender. People who are furious with a parent and don't realise they are. People who can't forgive anyone who thinks better of them than they think of themselves. People who claim desperately to want a relationship - but are inwardly so committed to distrust, isolation and self-hatred that they aren't in any position to really have one, and yet don't know this of themselves. People who principally associate love with the pleasant feelings they register when you are nice to them. People who don't take your love as a substantial gift you chose to bestow every day and could take elsewhere. People who don't realise your time is very, very precious. People who are far too in pain to know how to want the best for you. People who refuse to do the necessary work. Let's remember; the people in the list above comprise some of the most charming, beautiful, vivacious, seductive characters on the planet. But their traits also mean that you will be headed for substantial challenges in any extended involvement with them. It may take years to work out that they use words like 'love' without knowing what they should entail or that they have systematically or shredded your confidence in your judgement in order to avoid acknowledging a raft of their own difficulties. Lovers who know to avoid these types are not cleverer than the rest of us. They have just had the good fortune to be looked after early on by people who were tender and sweet and therefore now know how to associate relationships with fulfilment rather than frustration. Through immense good luck, they simply have no interest in suffering. They have via experience learned one of life's most important lessons: that the point of a relationship is to be mutually delighted by another person. As we may eventually realise, we aren't alive long enough for anything else. 词汇表 checklist ['tʃeklɪst] 清单，检查表 ungenerous [ʌn'dʒen(ə)rəs] 刻薄的，胸襟狭窄的，吝啬的 first and foremost [ˈfɔːməʊst] 首先，首要的是 vagary [ˈveɪɡəri] 反复无常，变幻莫测 heightened belief [ˈhaɪtnd bɪˈliːf] 增强的信念，坚信 infallibility [ˌɪnfæləˈbɪləti] 绝对正确，无误，无懈可击 simultaneously [ˌsɪmlˈteɪniəsli] 同时地 sensitively [ˈsensətɪvli] 谨慎周到地，体谅地，善解人意地 get cross 生气，发脾气 exquisite [ˈekskwɪzɪt] 极度的，剧烈的；精美的，细致的 sentimental [ˌsentɪˈmentl] 煽情的；情感的，伤感的 flirt with [flɜːt] 与…调情 prude [pruːd] 大惊小怪的人，装正经的人 anal [ˈeɪnl] 洁癖的，过于讲究整洁的 harbour [ˈhɑːbə(r)] 心怀，怀有（感情、想法等） grudge [ɡrʌdʒ] 怨恨，不满，积怨 be furious with [ˈfjʊəriəs] 对…发怒 inwardly [ˈɪnwədli] 在内心，暗自地 distrust [dɪsˈtrʌst] 不信任，怀疑 self-hatred [self ˈheɪtrɪd] 自我厌恶，自我憎恨 principally [ˈprɪnsəpli] 主要地，首要地 register [ˈredʒɪstə(r)] 注意到，意识到 substantial gift [səbˈstænʃl] 丰厚的礼物 bestow [bɪˈstəʊ] 给予，赠予 comprise [kəmˈpraɪz] 包含，由…组成 vivacious [vɪˈveɪʃəs] （常指女性）活泼的，充满活力的 seductive [sɪˈdʌktɪv] 有诱惑力的，有魅力的 be headed for [ ˈhedɪd] 前往，走向，面临 extended involvement [ɪkˈstendɪd ɪnˈvɒlvmənt] 长期的交往，深入的参与 entail [ɪnˈteɪl] 使必要，牵涉 systematically [ˌsɪstəˈmætɪkli] 有计划地，系统地，有条理地 shred [ʃred] 摧毁，切碎，撕碎 a raft of [rɑːft] 大量的，许多的 immense [ɪˈmens] 巨大的，极大的 mutually [ˈmjuːtʃuəli] 相互地，彼此地 🏫翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Inside My Autistic Mind I am an autistic person. It is obvious when you see me. I have no voice, but yearn to say so much. If you are willing to listen, I will try to say how I feel. I live in a total blur of information. If I have too many people in a room at one time and one place, it is too overwhelming for me to have to process. I have to jiggle my brain to make it settle. It's just how I cope. Water takes my pain away because it allows me to lose myself in a place that asks no questions of my abilities. Every drop lets me be me. Before I could communicate through typing, I remember that I was frustrated by people who were kind, but didn't know my brain was as good as people who can speak. I remember being told that I liked the Teletubbies, which I did, but I wanted to move on and was desperate to read books for my age. Now I have the chance to speak up for people like me. I'm speaking from my heart. Non-verbal people are pleasing to be around because we sense the world in a deeper way than those who talk. Because we cannot express our emotions instantly, we become deep thinkers. People-watchers. We have the same dreams as everyone else, so please don't treat us differently. Each of us is a star, eager to be discovered and named in the atmosphere. If you acknowledge our abilities, we can shine brighter. We have so much to say. Please hear us. 词汇表 autistic person [ɔːˈtɪstɪk] 自闭症患者，孤独症患者（一种神经发育障碍，表现为社会交往障碍、交流障碍，以及明显的兴趣、刻板与重复行为方式） yearn [jɜːn] 渴望，向往，渴求 blur [blɜː(r)] 模糊，混乱，记不清的事情；使模糊；使看不清 jiggle [ˈdʒɪɡl] （使）轻轻摇晃，摇动，抖动 settle [ˈsetl] 使平静，使安静，使镇静 Teletubbies [ˈtelitʌbiz] 《天线宝宝》（英国幼儿节目） speak up for 为…发声，支持，为…辩护， speak from my heart 发自内心地说，讲真心话 non-verbal [ˌnɒn ˈvɜːbl] 不用语言表达的，非言语的 people-watcher [ˈwɒtʃə(r)] 善于观察人的人，喜欢观察他人的人 💡 翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Why do we binge-watch? Scott: I can easily watch an entire series in a single day. Hamira: Two days. Brian: Ten hours of television a day, and I didn't even like it. Scott: Bingeing started by accident. Netflix had realised that loads of people were gravitating towards watching shows in bulk, you know, be that shows that you've seen before - Friends, Seinfeld, Law & Order, ER. That's the surprise about it - it's led by the consumer. The way that Netflix tries to nudge you to watch more, it's very subtle little tricks. They work out very quickly when a show launches, which thumbnail is working. Why? Also, getting to the very end of an episode and immediately the credits, they minimalize it right to the corner of the screen straight away and automatically load the next episode. That's how you sometimes get sucked into watching a show for three hours without even noticing. Brian: I have found that people are deeply embarrassed by how much they watch TV. Deeply embarrassed to not be productive and take time off and say,"Actually, I watched six hours of television today because I needed to not look at five different tabs on a work computer, I just needed to..." We also binge to be part of the public conversation. (Yeah, I love Fleabag! ) So I think there is an anxiety about being caught up about this content, which is forcing people to binge more also. Hamira: When we can identify with a character it leads to the release of the love hormone oxytocin. It creates a bond. A series like Big Little Lies, which allows you to look at the same event through the eyes of very different characters, you're bound to be able to find a character that you can relate to and go on the journey with. ("If you ever touch my little girl like that again, you're gonna be in big trouble." ) (So are there benefits to binge-watching?) If we're making time to watch a series end-to-end, we are potentially creating hours of space to work with our emotions, our relationships. (There was a 41% leap in the number of couples seeking counselling after Love Island 2019 began airing.) Brian: I have probably watched television with over 700 people, and so I've experienced a lot of people having big emotions. (No-one's fun anymore. Whatever happened to fun! ) The episode Splat! of Sex and the City, which is the one where Kristen Johnston falls out of a window causes people a lot of emotions because it's an episode about moving on from something. Hamira: Our brains don't discriminate between real activation and activation due to imagined events. (Binge-watching is not just about relaxing, what we watch can have an effect on our nervous system.) Binge-watching means that you're activating yourself to a high degree for much longer periods of time. That's going to take longer for you to come down from that. Episode four of Game of Thrones where Missandei is beheaded - a much beloved character, it's a very graphic death - will have triggered the sympathetic nervous system. It wouldn't be conducive to a good night's sleep. (Video on demand is changing the way stories are told. Series are designed with bingeing in mind.) Scott: What makes Netflix stand out so well is the fact that they're able to really experiment with the number of characters, the number of story arcs. Netflix knows that you're never going to watch a show midway through, you're never going to start in the middle, you're always going to start from the very beginning. So that's why you've got Orange Is the New Black, which has a cast of about 40. So you know you're able to have that level of depth over an eight-hour series, than what you would normally do if it was separated into eight 60-minute chunks shoved on a linear broadcast channel. Brian: Bingeing is a word that has very negative connotations to it, right? Bingeing is to shovel yourself. We don't say, "I binged a book." But the reality is that some of the greatest writers of our generation are writing television. I would be the last person to say stop binge-watching. 词汇表 binge [bɪndʒ] 无节制的行为（如刷剧，暴食，狂饮等）；放纵 Netflix ['netflɪks] 网飞（全球著名的流媒体公司） loads of [ləʊdz] 许多，大量 gravitate ['ɡrævɪteɪt] 被吸引，移向， 倾向 in bulk [bʌlk] 大量地，整批地 Friends, Seinfeld, Law & Order, ER (emergency room) ['saɪnfeld] 《老友记》《宋飞正传》《法律与秩序》《急诊室的故事》（美国电视剧） nudge [nʌdʒ] 促使，劝说；轻推，推动 launch [lɔːntʃ] 推出，发布；发射；发起 thumbnail ['θʌmneɪl] 缩略图；拇指甲，极小之物 credit ['kredɪt] （影视节目结束时播放的）演职员表；信用；学分 get sucked into [sʌkt] 被卷入，被吸引住 take time off [teɪk taɪm ɒf] 偷空，忙里偷闲；抽出时间，休息 Fleabag ['fliːbæɡ] 《伦敦生活》（英国喜剧）；邋遢的人；睡袋 hormone ['hɔːməʊn] 激素，荷尔蒙 oxytocin [ˌɒksɪˈtəʊsɪn] 催产素（帮助和他人感觉更亲近的激素） bond [bɒnd] 纽带，联系 relate to [rɪ'leɪt tuː] 理解，认同，发生共鸣 end-to-end 从头到尾，首尾相连 leap [liːp] 激增，猛涨 counselling ['kaʊns(ə)lɪŋ] 咨询服务，辅导 Love Island 《爱情岛》2019（美国恋爱真人秀节目） Splat [splæt] 《啪嗒！》（《欲望都市》集名）；啪嗒声，泼溅声 💡 字数限制，完整词汇表、翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Naps might not be as good for you as you think Surely, they're called power naps for a reason? Aren't naps the key to feeling alert, improving your memory and just generally having a great life? Well, they can be, but things aren't quite that simple. It is true that a short nap can help people be more alert, improve their memory and concentration, and reduce risks around tasks with heavy machinery. Our circadian rhythms are responsible for the notorious lull that many of us feel in the early afternoon. This is the best time for a nap. Some companies have installed sleep pods for their employees, hoping to benefit from increased productivity and cognitive performance. But it is also true that naps can cause problems. Let's start by thinking about the length. A true power nap should be less than half an hour. Any longer, and it becomes hard to rouse yourself from. Any benefits in terms of alertness are likely to disappear with the grogginess that results from a longer period of slumber. This isn't the only issue. Naps have been linked to conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiac problems. However, it's not clear whether these are direct results, or stem from the impact of napping on our sleep habits. If you take a nap after about two or three in the afternoon, it's likely to have a negative effect on your ability to get to sleep at night. Breaking your sleep cycle can lead to bad sleeping habits, which themselves become ingrained. Of course, in the same way that naps can lead to bad sleep, it's also true that bad sleep can lead to wanting to take more naps. So, if you find yourself frequently needing to sleep during the day, experts suggest that you consider why that's the case. Are there any potential health issues that could be causing insomnia? Or are work pressures stopping you from getting enough sleep? 词汇表 power nap [næp] 能量盹（指白天短暂而能让人恢复精力的小睡） alert [əˈlɜːt] 警觉的，清醒的 heavy machinery [məˈʃiːnəri] 重型机械 circadian rhythm [sɜːˈkeɪdiən ˈrɪðəm] 昼夜节律，体内生物钟 notorious [nəʊˈtɔːriəs] 众人皆知的，臭名昭著的，声名狼藉的 lull [lʌl] 困乏，昏昏欲睡的感觉；间歇；平静 sleep pod [pɒd] 睡眠舱（供人短暂休息或睡眠的小型设施） cognitive performance [ˈkɒɡnətɪv pəˈfɔːməns] 认知表现 rouse [raʊz] 唤醒，使醒来；激起，唤起 grogginess [ˈɡrɒɡinəs] 昏沉，头晕眼花 slumber [ˈslʌmbə(r)] 睡眠，沉睡 diabetes [ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz] 糖尿病 high blood pressure [haɪ blʌd ˈpreʃə(r)] 高血压 cardiac [ˈkɑːdiæk] 心脏的，心脏病的 stem from [stem] 源自，由…引起 sleep cycle 睡眠周期 ingrained [ɪnˈɡreɪnd] （习惯或观念）根深蒂固的，难以去除的 insomnia [ɪnˈsɒmniə] 失眠症，失眠 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

5 Signs You Are Wasting Life Life is precious, and we only get one shot at it. Nevertheless, a lot of people spend their life merely passing the time rather than making the most of the short time they have left. Young people are especially guilty of this – we are in the springtime of our lives. If ever there was a time to plant a tree, it's now. Yet, most of us don't do that. Young people spend their time partying, eating junk food, and taking vacations rather than reading, building new skill sets, building healthy habits, and investing in themselves. Are you merely passing the time instead of making the most of your one life? Here are some ways to tell. 1. You Don't Get Out of Bed Quickly Upon Waking If you spend a half hour to an hour poking around on your phone before getting out of bed, you are not making the most of your life. People who have a driving purpose in their life don't spend time lounging around on their phone in bed. Waking up is no big deal, just the start of another random day. To someone with a purpose, waking up every morning is a refreshing welcome to another day of hard yet meaningful work. 2. You Spend More Than an Hour or Two a Day on Aimless Activities Some activities are inherently aimless, done only because they are pleasing in the moment. Some activities like this are: spending time on social media, watching TV or movies, and playing video games. In small doses – no more than an hour or two a day – these kinds of activities can be an important part of decompressing. Any more than that, though, and you're going beyond 'decompressing' into 'wasting your life.' People with a purpose don't spend too long doing these sorts of things because they are aware that every hour sucked away by aimless activities is another hour they will never get back. It's not that they try not to spend so much time doing these things – the thought of wasting that much time makes them sick. People with a purpose wouldn't waste their time this way even if they could. 3. You Don't Feel Ready for Bed at the End of Each Day People whose days are filled with purposeful activities feel tired at the end of the day. Whether it's mental work or physical work, purposeful activity uses up all your energy and leaves you ready to go to bed each day. When you aren't making the most of your life, on the other hand, you aren't tired at the end of the day. You are, quite literally, not making the most of your energy. 4. You Spend More of Your Time Planning Than Doing If you spend more of your time daydreaming, planning, or thinking about the future than you do working to bring about that future, you are not making the most of your life. People who make something of themselves don't sit around daydreaming about what the future may be like. People who make something of themselves pick a goal for the future and then work hard to make that goal happen. Someone who spends all their time daydreaming is not someone who spends all their time doing. Think about professional weightlifters. They spend a little bit of their time researching how to lift weights more effectively, and a lot of their time lifting weights. 5. You Worry About What Others Think of You High achievers are too busy getting things done to worry what others think of them. High achievers may worry about what people who matter think of them, but they don't worry about what their friends, family, or pop culture thinks. They are too busy getting things done. If you routinely worry about what your friends, family, peers, or pop culture thinks of you, you may be letting your life slip by. Instead of doing what others approve of, find a guiding purpose that you can be true to even when the world turns against you. 词汇表 shot [ʃɒt] 机会，可能性；尝试 ，努力 pass the time 消磨时光，打发时间 make the most of 充分利用；尽情享受 springtime [ˈsprɪŋtaɪm] 春天，春季；青春年华 skill sets [sets] 技能组合，综合技能 invest in oneself [ɪnˈvest] 自我投资 poke around [pəʊk] 闲逛，搜索，翻找 driving purpose 驱动目标，核心目标 lounge around [laʊndʒ] 闲荡，消磨时间，悠闲度日 random day [ˈrændəm] 随机的一天，普通的一天 refreshing [rɪˈfreʃɪŋ] 使人精神振作的，令人耳目一新的 inherently [ɪnˈhɪərəntli] 本质上，固有地，内在地 in small doses [ˈdəʊsɪz] 小剂量地，适量地，少量地 decompress [ˌdiːkəmˈpres] 减压，使放松 suck away [sʌk] 耗尽，消磨；吸走 sick [sɪk] 厌恶的，不快的，不适的 daydream [ˈdeɪdriːm] 白日梦；幻想 make something of themselves 有所作为，取得成功 sit around 闲坐，无所事事 weightlifter [ˈweɪtlɪftə(r)] 举重运动员 lift weights [lɪft weɪts] 举重 high achiever [əˈtʃiːvə(r)] 高成就者，高绩效者，成绩优异者 routinely [ruːˈtiːnli] 惯常地，常规地，例行公事地 slip by [slɪp] 溜走，悄然流逝 be true to 忠实于，坚守 turn against 反对，与…为敌，背叛 💡 翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

How to form good habits, and break bad ones Science and technology - Well informed 科技——见多识广 How can you break a bad habit? 如何改掉坏习惯？ It takes resolution to keep your resolutions. 坚持决心需要坚定的意志。 Did you make any resolutions this new year? If you did, are you keeping to them? Well done if you are. Polling in America suggests half of new-year resolvers give up by the end of March. More rigorous scientific studies confirm that it takes months for a new behaviour to stick, regardless of when you start. Habitual behaviour emerges in response to dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure, being produced as a consequence of a certain action. Two brain systems are involved. One, in the basal ganglia (a set of structures deep in the brain's interior), responds automatically and predictably to certain stimuli. For example, your morning alarm is a stimulus that activates your "getting up" habit. This will include sub-habits such as "shower", "make coffee", "get dressed", "drive to office" and so on, each with their own triggering stimuli and dopamine reward. The other brain system, which is goal-directed, is located in the cortex, that organ's outer layer. Its dopamine reward comes from a deliberate action being successfully performed. This goal-directed system can, if necessary, override the stimulus-response one. For example, if the radio tells you of a traffic problem, the "drive to office" sub-routine will need conscious modification. For one-off modifications of habits, this arrangement of routine and override works well. But permanent changes, such as either breaking an old habit or making a new one, are thought to require weakening the stimulus-driven system to reduce the pertinence of old stimuli and strengthening the goal-directed one to increase that of new ones. In a paper published in January, Eike Buabang and his colleagues at Trinity College, Dublin, review the evidence behind various ways in which this can be done. In practice, most proven approaches seem to operate on the stimulus-response side of the equation. Deliberate repetition, that stalwart of hopeful resolution-makers, trains the brain so that what was once goal-directed becomes automatic. In the case of driving to work, the incentive to do this is strong (you won't get paid otherwise). For things more easily abandoned, reinforcement with small rewards (whether the kick of having lost another kilo at your weekly weigh-in or the praise generated by language-learning or fitness apps) works similarly. To break an unwanted habit, on the other hand, consider removing familiar stimuli. Moving house is known to help—though calling in the removal vans is a drastic approach to resolution-keeping. Why people learn bad habits in the first place remains mysterious. Most habits form precisely because they are helpful. Automatic behaviours, such as those involved in a morning routine, reduce cognitive load and free mental resources for other tasks, such as working out what to say in the ten-o'clock meeting. But these mechanisms can be subverted. The nicotine inhaled by smoking tobacco—a type of habit so powerful that it has a special name, "addiction"—stimulates dopamine production directly. This is something natural selection could not have foreseen. Non-addictive habits like procrastination are harder to explain. In the end, though, all this science continues to support the idea that, when it comes to habit-formation, good old-fashioned willpower is the way forward. As the old joke has it: "How many psychoanalysts does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb has to really want to change." 词汇表 resolution [ˌrezəˈluːʃn] 坚定，决心，决定，决议 polling [ˈpəʊlɪŋ] 民意调查，投票 rigorous [ˈrɪɡərəs] 严谨的，严密的；严格的 habitual [həˈbɪtʃuəl] 习惯性的，惯常的，积习难改的 dopamine [ˈdəʊpəmiːn] 多巴胺 basal ganglia [ˈbeɪsl ˈɡæŋɡliə] 基底神经节（大脑中的一组神经核团） interior [ɪnˈtɪəriə(r)] 内部；内陆；内政；内部的；国内的 automatically [ˌɔːtəˈmætɪkli] 自动地，无意识地，机械地 predictably [prɪˈdɪktəbli] 可预见地，不出所料地 stimuli [ˈstɪmjəlaɪ] 刺激物，刺激，促进因素（stimulus [ˈstɪmjələs] 的复数） sub- [sʌb] 次要的，下级的，从属的；在…之下（如sub-habit子习惯） goal-directed [ˈɡəʊl dəˈrektɪd] 目标导向的，有用意的 cortex [ˈkɔːteks] （大脑等器官的）皮层，皮质；树皮 outer layer [ˈaʊtə(r) ˈleɪə(r)] 外层 override [ˌəʊvəˈraɪd] 覆盖；推翻，否决；凌驾于 modification [ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃn] 修改，改进，改变 one-off [ˌwʌn ˈɒf] 一次性的；一次性事件 permanent [ˈpɜːmənənt] 永久的，永恒的，长久的 pertinence [ˈpɜːtɪnəns] 相关性，针对性 Trinity College, Dublin [ˈtrɪnəti ˈkɒlɪdʒ, ˈdʌblɪn] 都柏林圣三一学院（爱尔兰最古老的大学） equation [ɪˈkweɪʒn] 反应式，机制；方程式，等式 stalwart [ˈstɔːlwət] 忠实的，可靠的；忠实拥护者，坚定分子 incentive [ɪnˈsentɪv] 激励，刺激，动机 reinforcement [ˌriːɪnˈfɔːsmənt] 加强，强化，巩固 kick [kɪk] 极度的快感（或刺激），极大的乐趣 weigh-in [ˈweɪ ɪn]（拳击等比赛前的）称体重 🔆字数限制，完整词汇表、翻译pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

The benefits of pocket parks How often do you go to the park? Is it part of your everyday life, or a trip that you plan? Many large urban parks are situated far from where people live, meaning they are a destination for planned visits rather than everyday life. For example, only 14% of the population of Los Angeles have a park within walking distance. Also, the distribution of such parks is often relatively unequal, meaning that they benefit some areas and groups of people much more than others. A number of studies have shown that it is often disadvantaged neighbourhoods that lack easy access to green spaces. It's rarely practical to address this by creating large new parks, but designating small parcels of land, empty lots, or even parts of quiet streets as pocket parks can have a major impact on residents' quality of life. Often no larger than a few tennis courts and located within neighbourhoods close to where people live, these green spaces can strengthen community bonds. They provide a place to meet neighbours, or a play area for children. Green gyms or ball game areas can give local people a space to exercise in, improving public health outcomes. Local businesses can use spaces to promote their products or organise events to help them grow. A study by the University of Philadelphia, showed that crime was reduced in neighbourhoods with pocket parks, compared to those which left empty spaces derelict. Studies report that where space is used to make pocket parks, communities feel greater ownership of and attachment towards their neighbourhood. As well as benefits for the human population, an increase in green space can benefit the local environment. Pocket parks can act as stepping stones, allowing wildlife to travel across the city, as well as providing habitats for different species. Parks provide increased tree canopy cover, offering shade which can counteract urban heat island effects, helping to reduce temperatures. Trees also help to reduce air pollution, and green space allows water to drain away, reducing flood risks. Could pocket parks be a relatively cheap way to strengthen communities and improve local environments? 词汇表 situate [ˈsɪtʃueɪt] 使位于，使坐落于 walking distance 步行距离（能方便地通过步行到达的距离） disadvantaged [ˌdɪsədˈvɑːntɪdʒd] 贫困的，条件差的，弱势的 neighbourhood [ˈneɪbəhʊd] 社区，住宅区，街区；邻近地区 designate [ˈdezɪɡneɪt] 指定，划定（特征、用途） small parcels of land [ˈpɑːslz] 小块土地 empty lot [lɒt] 空地，闲置土地 pocket park [ˈpɒkɪt pɑːk] 口袋公园，袖珍公园（规模较小的公园绿化活动场地） tennis court [ˈtenɪs kɔːt] 网球场 community bonds [kəˈmjuːnəti bɒndz] 社区凝聚力，社区纽带 green gym [dʒɪm] 绿色健身房（户外自然环境中设置的健身场所） Philadelphia [ˌfɪləˈdelfiə] 费城（美国宾夕法尼亚州最大城市） derelict [ˈderəlɪkt] （建筑物或土地）荒废的，弃置的 ownership [ˈəʊnəʃɪp] 归属感；所有权，产权 attachment [əˈtætʃmənt] 依恋，眷恋，深厚的情感 stepping stone [ˈstepɪŋ stəʊn] 垫脚石，前进的帮助手段 habitat [ˈhæbɪtæt] （动植物的）栖息地，生长环境 canopy cover [ˈkænəpi] 树冠覆盖率 counteract [ˌkaʊntərˈækt] 缓解，抵消，对抗 urban heat island effect [ˈɜːbən hiːt ˈaɪlənd ɪˈfekt] 城市热岛效应（由于人类活动导致城市的温度高于周边地区） drain away [dreɪn] 排水，流走；渐渐枯竭 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Resilience In Hard Times You're going to get knocked down. A long business relationship will come to a sudden end. A contract won't be renewed. A lover will call it a day. People will suddenly be weird with you. They'll keep you out of lovely things and you won't know why. You'll read about yourself on social media and every worst fear will be confirmed. Quite a lot of things go wrong over a lifetime and you'll want to die and throw it all in and quit this painful world. When you look at a child, this is what's coming to them. That's what makes it moving to look at a baby sleeping. You're looking at innocence through the lens of painful experience. Oh my, they're going to suffer and there's simply nothing you can do to help them. Apart from one thing, teach them that the suffering is normal. It isn't a sign that life has gone wrong. It's an ordinary part of everyone's biography. The only way, is to learn to fight! The temptation would be to withdraw under a rock. To pull up the drawbridge; to go into a shell. But the challenges are like a fire, a bed of coals you have to walk across. The fight has to be expected. The difficulties are a sign that things are on track. That you're being rejected, that there are haters, isn't evidence that your life is a ruin. It's proof that you've found something worth living for. 词汇表 get knocked down [nɒkt] 被击倒，被撞倒 contract [ˈkɒntrækt] 合同，契约 renew [rɪˈnjuː] （执照、合同等）续期，延长期限，更新，重新开始 call it a day 到此为止，就此结束，收工 confirm [kənˈfɜːm] 证实，证明，确认 quit [kwɪt] 离开，放弃，停止 innocence [ˈɪnəsns] 天真，纯真；无辜 lens [lenz] 视角；透镜，镜头 biography [baɪˈɒɡrəfi] 传记，人生经历 temptation [tempˈteɪʃn] 诱惑，引诱，诱惑人的东西 withdraw under a rock [wɪðˈdrɔː] 躲起来，与世隔绝；躲在岩石下 pull up the drawbridge [ˈdrɔːbrɪdʒ] 与外界隔绝；拉起吊桥 go into a shell [ʃel] 退缩，变得孤僻；缩进保护壳里 a bed of coals [kəʊlz] 一片炭火，炭火堆 on track [træk] 步入正轨，按计划进行 reject [rɪˈdʒekt] 拒绝，排斥，冷落 hater [ˈheɪtə(r)] （尤指网络）攻击他人的人，怀恨者 ruin [ˈruːɪn] 一团糟；废墟，毁灭，崩溃 proof [pruːf] 证据，证明 🏫翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Food delivery battle escalates between JD and Meituan CHINANEWS｜Ecns.cn April 22, 2025 Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com on Monday accused a rival platform of blocking food delivery riders from working across multiple services, in a public letter widely seen as a swipe at industry heavyweight Meituan — though it did not name the company directly. JD.com, which began onboarding restaurants in February, announced on Monday that the takeout order would be free if the delivery time exceeds 20 minutes. It introduced emergency support measures to allow couriers the freedom to attract orders and safeguard their income. These measures include increasing the hiring quota for full-time riders from 50,000 to 100,000 over the next three months; ensuring sufficient order volume for riders blocked by other platforms due to exclusivity demands, so their income remains unaffected; never enforcing exclusivity on part-time riders, and prioritizing job placements for their partners, such as full-time courier or cleaning positions. It also indirectly criticized Meituan in its announcement, citing practices like "failing to pay social insurance or housing funds for any rider in over a decade" and "forcing millions of grassroots riders into exclusivity to maintain monopoly power and commercial interests." Previously, Meituan said it had never restricted couriers from working with other delivery services, and instead suggested that JD.com alone has curbed its couriers from accessing other channels. China's food delivery market has long been dominated by Meituan and Ele.me, with Meituan alone holding a nearly 70% market share. After JD.com entered the food delivery business this year, it adopted a series of differentiated strategies and has repeatedly clashed with Meituan, marking the beginning of a new round of competition in China's food delivery industry. JD.com's latest measures have drawn widespread praise from netizens, who believe that while they may increase costs in the short term, they would benefit the company's brand image and market share in the long run. However, some argue it is smearing competitors and engaging in moral coercion, calling it "not a normal competitive tactic." Previously, an internal speech from last year by JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong was made public, in which he criticized food delivery platforms for taking excessively high commissions. He stated that JD.com's food delivery business must not exceed a 5% profit margin, bringing the issue of industry profitability into the spotlight. 词汇表 e-commerce giant [ˈiː ˈkɒmɜːs ˈdʒaɪənt] 电子商务巨头 rival [ˈraɪvl] 竞争对手，敌手 delivery rider [dɪˈlɪvəri ˈraɪdə(r)] 外卖骑手 swipe [swaɪp] 抨击，批评，挥击 industry heavyweight [ˈɪndəstri ˈheviweɪt] 行业巨头，业界大碗 onboard [ˈɒnbɔːd] 使入驻，使入职 takeout order [ˈteɪkaʊt ˈɔːdə(r)] 外卖订单 courier [ˈkʊriə(r)] 快递员，外卖骑手 safeguard [ˈseɪfɡɑːd] 保护，保障，维护 hiring quota [ˈhaɪərɪŋ ˈkwəʊtə] 招聘名额 order volume [ˈɔːdə(r) ˈvɒljuːm] 订单量 exclusivity demand [ˌekskluːˈsɪvəti dɪˈmɑːnd] “二选一”要求，排他性要求（指强迫骑手不能跨平台接单，如有违反，会采取封杀措施） unaffected [ˌʌnəˈfektɪd] 不受影响的，未受伤害的 enforce [ɪnˈfɔːs] 强迫，强制，迫使 prioritize [praɪˈɒrətaɪz] 优先考虑，给…优先权 job placement [dʒəʊb ˈpleɪsmənt] 工作安排，就业安置 social insurance or housing funds [ˈsəʊʃl ɪnˈʃʊərəns][ˈhaʊzɪŋ fʌndz] 五险一金（社会保险或住房公积金） grassroots ['gra:sˌru:ts] 基层的，草根的，底层的 monopoly [məˈnɒpəli] 垄断，专卖，独占 commercial interest [kəˈmɜːʃl ˈɪntrəst] 商业利益 curb [kɜːb] 限制，控制 market share [ˈmɑːkɪt ʃeə(r)] 市场份额，市场占有率 differentiated [ˌdɪfəˈrenʃieɪtɪd] 差异化的，分化的，可区分的 clash with [klæʃ] 与…冲突；与…发生争执 netizen [ˈnetɪzn] 网民 smear [smɪə(r)] 抹黑，诽谤，诋毁 moral coercion [ˈmɒrəl kəʊˈɜːʃn] 道德绑架，道德胁迫 competitive tactic [kəmˈpetətɪv ˈtæktɪk] 竞争策略 commission [kəˈmɪʃn] 佣金，提成，手续费 profit margin [ˈprɒfɪt ˈmɑːdʒɪn] 利润率，盈利 profitability [ˌprɒfɪtəˈbɪləti] 盈利能力，收益性 spotlight [ˈspɒtlaɪt] 聚光灯，公众焦点 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

The quiet power of introverts I am an introvert and I love it. And I'm not alone. Introverts are everywhere, and our quiet approach to life, our need for solitary time, isn't a flaw - it's a gift. But as an introvert, it's not always easy to realize how wonderful you are. The world feels like a place that rewards extroverts. Where being loud is mistaken for being confident and happy. Where everyone has something to say, but nobody listens. A world of open-plan offices, networking parties, and big personalities. For those who speak softly, it's easy to feel left out. As a child, I blended into the background. Many thought that I had little to say or that I simply didn't like others. But that wasn't true. People often think that introverts are shy, or antisocial. But these are misconceptions. Introverts, like anyone, can find socializing fun. But while parties leave extroverts energized, after some time, introverts need to recharge... away from everyone. There is a scientific theory for this. There are two important chemicals found in all our brains - dopamine and acetylcholine. Dopamine is like a hit of energy when we take risks or meet new people - and it makes extroverts feel great. But introverts are more sensitive to dopamine and get quickly over-stimulated. That's why we prefer the more slow-burn feeling we get when our brains release acetylcholine. That happens when we concentrate, read, or focus our minds. It makes us introverts feel relaxed, alert and content. But it barely registers with extroverts. Of course, like anything, it's a sliding scale. You can lean one way or another. Or be a bit of both - known as an ambivert. Now I understand myself better, I am deeply grateful for how I am. Instead of filling up space with small talk, I listen patiently and make my words matter. I have few friends but our connection is deep. I love spending time alone. It's where the chaos of a long day can finally settle. I can reflect and listen to my thoughts, and eventually reconnect with myself. Only after that am I ready to share with the world again. I have learnt strategies for finding comfort in our noisy world - from using music to create bubbles of peace, to escaping to a quiet park at lunchtime. I adore the intensity and chaotic beauty of the world. But it's in quiet spaces where I feel truly at home. If introversion were more valued by society, it could make a massive difference to our collective future. The unique attributes of introverts really are a deep, quiet strength. And as Gandhi, put it, "In a gentle way, you can shake the world". 词汇表 introvert ['ɪntrəvɜːt] 内向的人；性格内向的 solitary ['sɒlətri] 独自的，单独的，孤独的 flaw [flɔː] 缺陷，瑕疵 gift [ɡɪft] 天赋，才能 extrovert ['ekstrəvɜːt] 外向的人；性格外向的 open-plan office 开放式办公室（指种没有隔间、空间开阔的办公空间设计） networking party [ˈnetwɜːkɪŋ] 社交聚会 big personality [ˌpɜːsəˈnæləti] 个性鲜明，个性张扬，个性突出 feel left out 感到被冷落，觉得被排斥 blend into the background [blend] 融入背景，默默无闻（指不引人注目，不突出） antisocial [ˌæntiˈsəʊʃl] 不爱社交的，不合群的；反社会的 misconception [ˌmɪskənˈsepʃn] 误解，错误观念 recharge [ˌriːˈtʃɑːdʒ] 充电，恢复精力 dopamine ['dəʊpəmiːn] 多巴胺（与愉悦感、奖赏机制等有关） acetylcholine [ˌæsiːtɪlˈkəʊliːn] 乙酰胆碱（参与调节注意力、学习和记忆等功能） over-stimulated [ˌəʊvə(r) ˈstɪmjuleɪtɪd] 过度刺激的 slow-burn [ˈsləʊ bɜːn] 缓慢燃烧的，缓慢产生的，慢慢积蓄的 content [kənˈtent] 满足的，满意的 register with someone [ˈredʒɪstə(r)] 使某人意识到，注意到，感知到；被理解 sliding scale [ˈslaɪdɪŋ skeɪl] 渐变范围；滑动标尺 ambivert [ˈæmbɪvɜːt] 中间性格者，既外向又内向的人 small talk 闲聊，闲谈，寒暄 reconnect with [ˌriːkəˈnekt] 与…重新建立联系；重新找回 bubbles of peace （隔绝外界喧嚣的）宁静小空间 adore [əˈdɔː(r)] 热爱，喜爱，崇拜 intensity [ɪnˈtensəti] 强烈，剧烈；强度 chaotic [keɪˈɒtɪk] 混乱的，杂乱的，无秩序的 feel at home 感到自在，感到宾至如归 introversion [ˌɪntrə'vɜːʃ(ə)n] 内向性格，内向性 make a massive difference [ˈmæsɪv] 产生巨大的影响 collective future [kəˈlektɪv] 共同的未来 attribute [ˈætrɪbjuːt] 品质，属性，特征 💡 翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Trump suggests China tariffs will fall Host: Now, the White House spokesperson said there'd been good progress on reaching US-China trade deal, despite Donald Trump's exceptionally large tariffs on Chinese imports and Beijing's hefty retaliation. And the US Treasury Secretary, Scott Besant, has been talking in even more positive tones. And, as I mentioned earlier, Donald Trump himself has been giving a few hints about what might be happening. Well, I'm joined to talk about all this by our business reporter, Jonathan Joseph. Jonathan, first of all, well, what have we heard and from who? Jonathan: We've heard quite a bit, Roger. In the last few minutes, President Trump himself has been talking to reporters in the White House, and he's been striking something of a more conciliatory tone when it comes to China, saying that tariffs would not be anywhere near 145%. It's not clear how and when things might change, but he seems to be rowing back on some of his more outlandish proposals, sort of perhaps opening the door to negotiations, saying that he would be very nice with Beijing and that tariffs could fall significantly if there was a deal, but they wouldn't fall to zero. So that is something that US stock markets will be positive about, I expect, when they open again tomorrow. But it also echoes some positive comments from the Treasury Secretary, Scott Besson. I understand that he was speaking at a private event in Washington, and he said that no one thinks the current status quo is sustainable. And that's the situation where at the moment the U.S. has announced tariffs of 145 percent on imports from China and Beijing has retaliated with 125 percent tariffs for goods that go the other way around. Mr. Besson went on to say that he thought there would be in the very near future some kind of de-escalation and that that should give the markets a sigh of relief. So it seems that there is a more positive tone. Host: Yes, and you say, you know, that immediately perhaps something might happen, but the actual process really, I mean, Scott Besson was certainly not suggesting it was going to happen any time soon. Jonathan: No, that's right, Roger. He said that the goal wasn't to decouple relations between the US and China, but it seemed that there wasn't any suggestion that there would be a quick fix. He said it would be a slog and that no one in the administration, that is of Donald Trump, believes that they have free and fair trade when it comes to China. 请为以上文章提供2个总结性的英文的简答题，并在末尾附上2个答案。总字数绝对不得超过100个英文单词 词汇表 White House spokesperson [waɪt haʊs ˈspəʊkspɜːsn] 白宫发言人 exceptionally large tariffs [ɪkˈsepʃənəli lɑːdʒ ˈtærɪfs] 极高的关税 hefty [ˈhefti] 强有力的，可观的，大量的 retaliation [rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃn] 报复，反击 US Treasury Secretary [ˈtreʒəri ˈsekrətri] 美国财政部长 strike [straɪk] 采用，摆出（某种方式或态度） conciliatory tone [kənˈsɪliətəri təʊn] 缓和的语气；安抚的语气 row back [rəʊ] 撤回，收回 outlandish [aʊtˈlændɪʃ] 古怪的，奇异的，离谱的 proposal [prəˈpəʊzl] 提议，建议 stock market [ˈstɒk ˌmɑːkɪt] 股票市场 echo [ˈekəʊ] 与…呼应；重复，响起回声 status quo [ˌsteɪtəs ˈkwəʊ] 现状 retaliate [rɪˈtælieɪt] 报复，反击 go the other way around 朝相反方向，反过来 de-escalation [ˌdiːˌeskəˈleɪʃn] （局势、冲突等）降级，缓和 decouple [ˌdiːˈkʌpl] 使分离，使脱钩 quick fix [kwɪk fɪks] 快速解决办法，权宜之计 slog [slɒɡ] 艰难的工作，苦差事 🌟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】

You Don't Need Permission to Live Your Life As children, we had to ask for permission from our parents or caretakers to do what we wanted. Whether it was hanging out with friends, going outside, or whatever rules were placed on us, we had to ask. And being children, this was often important to keep us safe. But many of us carry this need into adulthood. We believe we need permission from our parents, friends, and even society when it comes to living the life we want. We hold on to tradition – the tradition of what everyone else has done and what everyone else believes we should do. The problem is we give up what we want as individuals. We seek permission from others about how to live our lives. We seek approval for what we should study in college, what job we should take, and which partner we should date. And we want to follow what others deem to be "best" for us. I understand a lot of wanting to seek permission is based on respect for the person whom we are seeking permission from. But if it goes against what you want, you are not respecting yourself and your life. Because continually seeking permission and approval from others will not make you happy. Eventually, you will realize you have been living your life for others, and you've missed out on the life you wanted. "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." Whether you are 26 or 46, your life is yours. You may seek the advice of peers and family, but the decision on how you should live life is yours. There may be consequences to your decisions, but you don't need permission to live your life how you see fit. And despite what we are told all the time, being selfish on occasion is something which is healthy. You will make mistakes, and you will make some stupid decisions. I have. But it is all part of growth and finding out who you are and what you want. It is part of living your own life and figuring out what it means to you. When you start to figure out what you want in life, you may change your mind about a lot of the thoughts you previously had. And you also have permission to do that. You have permission to change your mind about whatever. It doesn't matter. It could be politics, religion, pursuing a career, or a college major. It's alright to change your mind. Not only is it alright, it's a right. It's your right. You don't have to seek permission to live your life or change your mind, and you also need to be a little stubborn when it comes to living the life you want. I'm not saying to not seek advice or wisdom from those who may have more experience, but their life is not yours. Their experience does not equate to what is best for you – only you can determine that. And usually, their want for you comes from a place of fear – their fear. But you can't let their fear be yours. To live how you want, there must be a willingness to give up certain things like tradition, the "normal", and what others want you to do. You will face detractors and people who believe you are crazy. The question you need to ask yourself is: what are you willing to give up to live the life you want? That will be up to you and only you. But remember, you have permission to live the life you want. It's already in your hands. It's been granted. You just have to find what that life looks like. 词汇表 caretaker [ˈkeəteɪkə(r)] 照顾者，看护人，监护人 place on 施加、强加（责任等）于；寄托 hold on to 坚持；紧握；保留；不放弃 seek permission [siːk pəˈmɪʃn] 寻求许可，征求同意 deem [diːm] 认为，视为 go against 违背，反对，对…不利 agony [ˈæɡəni] 极大的痛苦，苦恼 untold story [ˌʌnˈtəʊld] 未曾诉说的故事，不为人知的故事 healthy [ˈhelθi] 正常的，合理的 equate to [ɪˈkweɪt] 等同于，相当于 come from a place of 出于，源于（某种心理或情感等） detractor [dɪˈtræktə(r)] 诋毁者，贬低者，恶意批评者 in one's hands 在某人手中，由某人掌控 granted [ˈɡrɑːntɪd] 被允许的，被授予的，理所当然的 💡 翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】