The Penguin Chick's Life-or-Death Test Seven Worlds, One Planet｜Antarctica It's autumn. The chicks have lost their down feathers and they're hungry. They must go to sea for the first time. But now there's a risk of being crushed between blocks of ice. They have to get to the distant icebergs, and so reach the open ocean that lies beyond. And that is easier said than done. A leopard seal, their main predator. It's a giant, three metres long. These icy conditions help it to hunt. The penguins can neither walk nor swim. They have no way of telling where the seal will strike. These are easy pickings. For some, it's time to retreat. But now, it's back to square one. There's no alternative but to run the gauntlet once again. The seal seems to be toying with this penguin. But safety is in sight. The ice floe is near the open ocean. But this penguin is exhausted. Perhaps it's not worth it, after all. 词汇表 chick [tʃɪk] 雏鸟，幼鸟，小鸡 down feather 绒毛，羽绒 be crushed between blocks of ice 被冰块夹击 lie beyond 在…之外，位于…远处的那一边 leopard seal [ˈlepə(r)d][siːl] 豹海豹（一种有着类似豹子斑点的灰色海豹，主要生活在南极水域） predator [ˈpredətə(r)] 捕食者，掠夺者，食肉动物 icy ['aɪsɪ] 冰冷的，结冰的 penguin ['peŋɡwɪn] 企鹅 strike [straɪk] 攻击，袭击，打 easy pickings ['pɪkɪŋz] 唾手可得的猎物，容易得手的事物 retreat [rɪˈtriːt] 撤退，退缩 square one 最初的阶段，起点 alternative [ɔːlˈtɜː(r)nətɪv] 选择，替代物 run the gauntlet [ˈɡɔːntlət] 冒险尝试，迎接考验 toy with 玩弄，摆弄 in sight 在视野范围内，在眼前 floe [fləʊ]（海上的）浮冰块 🌍 更多文本内容、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Are we born to love learning? Are you the kind of person who hated school? Or are you more like Michael Nicholson, who can't stop learning? He currently has 30 degrees including 22 master's and a doctorate! If you're also passionate about studying, you might be a philomath – a person who loves to learn and study. The word comes from Greek with 'phil' meaning 'a lover of' and 'math' meaning 'learning'. Humans are all philomaths to an extent – our brain is hardwired to be curious. We want to learn and understand, partly to make sense of the world but also because of something called neoteny. This is a term that refers to the juvenile characteristics of some animals, including humans, being retained into adulthood. One of these traits is neuroplasticity, which helps our brains stay flexible – this gives us the ability to learn throughout our lives. Many creatures which are genetically close to us, like primates, can't do this and only learn during their adolescence. But for every person who loves learning, there are plenty who can't stand it. Lots of people remember their school days as being boring or even pointless. Why is this? Educational anthropologists have suggested that if a concept or idea is too complex or dull, it becomes harder to link old and new ideas together. If that's the case, we lose motivation and absorb less information. This negative experience of education at school may lead to people avoiding learning opportunities in later life. ­ So, don't let a bad educational experience prevent you learning something new as an adult. Evolution has made us lifelong learners, so take advantage of your biology and discover your inner philomath. Who knows what you could achieve? 词汇表 master's [ˈmɑːstə(r)z] 硕士学位 doctorate [ˈdɒkt(ə)rət] 博士学位 be passionate about ['pæʃ(ə)nət] 对…充满激情 philomath ['fɪləmæθ] 爱学习的人 to an extent [ɪk'stent] 在某种程度上 hardwired ['ha:dwaɪəd] 天生的，本能的 make sense of [ni:'ɒtɪnɪ] 理解，弄懂 neoteny [ni:'ɒtɪnɪ] 幼态持续 juvenile characteristics [ˈdʒuːvənaɪl][ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪks] 幼年特征，青少年特征 retain [rɪ'teɪn] 保留，保持 trait [treɪt] 特征，特性 neuroplasticity [ˌnjʊərəʊplæsˈtɪsəti] 神经可塑性 genetically close [dʒə'netɪklɪ] 基因相近的 primate [ˈpraɪmeɪt] 灵长类动物 adolescence [ˌædəˈlesəns] 青春期，青春 educational anthropologist [ˌænθrə'pɒlədʒɪst] 教育人类学家 complex [ˈkɒmpleks] 复杂的，难懂的 dull [dʌl] 枯燥的，沉闷的，无聊的 absorb [əbˈzɔː(r)b] 理解，掌握（信息） lifelong learners [ˈlaɪfˌlɒŋ] 终身学习者 take advantage of [ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ] 充分利用，利用 biology [baɪˈɒlədʒi] 生物学，生理 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

How to Make Better Decisions Someone once said that life is just one decision after another, and I agree. Some decisions are small, like what to wear but some are so big they'll affect us for decades to come, like choosing a career. When I'm facing a big decision, I make sure I do three things: free up my brain's bandwidth, give it the fuel it needs and get honest advice from a friend. By eliminating the small choices in life, you save the best of your brain's ability for the really important things. When he was in office, Barack Obama removed one decision from his daily life – what to wear. It was always a grey or blue suit and a white shirt because he knew the science behind decision-making and that by wearing a kind of uniform, he'd save bandwidth for the really important choices. Scientists studying the brain have seen that all decisions, big or small, consume the same amount of energy. A small decision takes the same amount of energy as a big one. So when you need to make really important decisions, like which university to apply to or which job offer to accept, be vigilant about not wasting energy on decisions that aren't going to make a massive difference to your life. Save your brain's bandwidth for things that really matter. Your brain needs fuel to think just as much as your body does to move. Thanks to advanced imaging, we can watch the brain working away more clearly than ever before. It's the most complex and energy-demanding organ we have. If you're very hungry, neurotransmitters can't be produced, which results in communication between the brain's 86 billion neurons breaking down, compromising your ability to think and make good decisions. So when you need to make an important decision, make sure you're not hungry. And I don't mean reach for the biscuit tin. Research shows that drinking plenty of water and having a slow-release carbohydrate breakfast like porridge will help you think clearly. Omega-3 is also a brilliant brain food. You can find it in oily fish and pumpkin and sunflower seeds. It doesn't mean you can't treat yourself but do try to give your brain this kind of fuel, too. The final step is to stop the fear of loss dominating your decision-making. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman spent a decade studying human decision-making and found that in big decisions, we're generally more afraid of loss than we are motivated by gain. According to his research, this means we often pick the safest option rather than the one that will have the most positive impact on our lives. Kahneman's got a great tip for getting over this fear of loss: Ask the advice of a friend who's not afraid to drop some truth bombs even if it means your feelings get a bit roughed-up. An objective friend can help you identify the best decision because they're not weighed down by the fear of what could be lost. In the end, the decision is always yours, but it helps to seek this kind of advice. So the next time you're facing a big decision, free your brain from small decisions, give it really good fuel, and seek out a friend who cares more about your future than your feelings. 词汇表 free up 释放、腾出（空间或时间） bandwidth ['bændwɪdθ] 精力，注意力的容量；带宽 fuel [ˈfjuːəl] 能量，（提供能量的）食物 eliminate [ɪˈlɪmɪˌneɪt] 消除，消灭，清除 suit [suːt] 套装，西装 uniform [ˈjuːnɪfɔː(r)m] 制服，校服 consume energy [kənˈsjuːm] 消耗能量 job offer 工作邀请，工作机会 vigilant ['vɪdʒɪlənt] 警觉的，警惕的 make a massive difference ['mæsɪv] 产生巨大的影响 advanced imaging [ədˈvɑːnst] 先进的成像技术（指高级的医学影像技术，如磁共振成像MRI） work away 持续工作或努力 complex [ˈkɒmpleks] 复杂的，难懂的，费解的 energy-demanding [dɪˈmɑːndɪŋ] 高耗能的 neurotransmitter ['njʊərəʊtrænzmɪtə(r)] 神经递质 neuron [ˈnjʊərɒn] 神经元，神经细胞 compromise [ˈkɒmprəmaɪz] 损害，伤害；妥协 biscuit tin [ˈbɪskɪt ˌtɪn] 饼干罐，饼干盒 slow-release carbohydrate [ˌkɑː(r)bəʊˈhaɪdreɪt] 缓释碳水化合物（在消化过程中缓慢分解并持续释放能量，如全谷物和豆类） porridge [ˈpɒrɪdʒ] 燕麦粥，麦片粥 Omega-3 [ˌəʊmɪgə 'θri:] 奥米加三脂肪酸（鱼油中多含，据信有利于人体健康） brain food 健脑食物，健脑食品 oily fish ['ɔɪli] 富含油脂的鱼 pumpkin and sunflower seeds [ˈpʌmpkɪn] 南瓜籽和葵花籽 treat oneself [triːt] 善待自己，犒劳自己 fear of loss [lɒs] 对损失的恐惧 dominate [ˈdɒmɪneɪt] 控制，支配，影响 Nobel laureate [nəʊˈbel][ˈlɔːriət] 诺贝尔奖获得者 drop truth bombs [bɒmz] 直击真相，揭露真相 roughed-up [ˈrʌft ʌp] 被粗暴对待的，被打伤的 objective [əb'dʒektɪv] 客观的，不带个人感情的 be weighed down [weɪd] 受困扰，被拖累，被压垮 seek out 找出，寻找 💡 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】

Which country has the best schools? Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil. And I'm Beth. So, Beth, we're talking about the best education systems in the world today. You went to school here in Britain. What do you think of the British education system? Do you think it could be the best? --I think that it's quite good, there's probably a couple of things that I personally would change about it, but I would say it's quite good, but maybe not the best in the world. --Well, in this programme, we're going to be talking about the PISA rankings. The rankings are based on tests carried out by the OECD, that's an international organisation, every three years. The tests attempt to show which countries are the most effective at teaching maths, science and reading. But is that really possible to measure? Well, here is former BBC education correspondent Sean Coughlan talking to BBC World Service programme 'The Global Story'. When they were introduced first of all, that was a very contentious idea, because people said 'how can you possibly compare big countries… how can you compare America to Luxembourg or to, you know, or to parts of China, or whatever?' Sean said that the tests were contentious. If something is contentious, then it is something that people might argue about – it's controversial. So, at first, Pisa tests were contentious because not everyone believed it was fair to compare very different countries. Phil, I've got a question for you about them. So, in 2022, Singapore was top of the reading rankings. But which of these countries came second? Was it: a) The USA? b) Ireland? or, c) The UK? --I think it might be b) Ireland. --OK. Well, we will find out if that's correct at the end of the programme. A common pattern in the Pisa rankings is that the most successful countries tend to be smaller. Talking to BBC World Service programme 'The Global Story', Sean Coughlan tells us that many large countries from Western Europe don't score that highly in the rankings. They're being outpaced and outperformed by these fast, upcoming countries – you know, Singapore, or Estonia, or those sort of places which we don't historically think of as being economic rivals, but I suppose the argument for Pisa tests is, if you want to have a knowledge economy, an economy based on skills, this is how you measure it. We heard that many large European countries are being outpaced by smaller nations. If someone outpaces you, they are going faster than you – at a higher pace. We use the prefix 'out-' to say that someone or something is better at doing something. We also heard that smaller nations are 'outperforming' larger ones – they are performing better. Singapore, Estonia are described as economic rivals to large European nations – that means that they are competing with them, economically. We also heard about a knowledge economy. This is an economy based on service industries that require workers to be highly educated, such as IT, finance or advanced engineering. So, what makes countries perform better in these tests? Let's hear again from BBC World Service programme, 'The Global Story'. Sean Coughlan tells us that those countries that prioritise getting everyone to a certain level do well. We also hear from Rando Kuustik, an Estonian school principal. Countries which make sure that all their pupils get through a certain level of education to a certain standard, regardless of their background, do well. If you are teaching them by different level or abilities, then you are segregating them and we don't want to segregate any people in the world, why we are doing that in the schools? This one of the main things why Estonia is successful. Sean said the most successful systems educate everyone to a particular standard, regardless of their background. If one thing happens regardless of something else, it means that the something else is not important, or not a problem. Rando Kuustik said that Estonian schools do not want to segregate students. Segregate means to separate and keep apart. So, we've just heard about Estonia, but what about your question, Beth? What about those countries? --I asked you which out of the USA, Ireland, and the UK came second for reading in the 2022 Pisa rankings. You said Ireland, and that was the correct answer. Well done! OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this programme about education rankings, starting with contentious - argued about or controversial. If you're outpaced by someone, they're going faster than you are. Rivals are competitors. A knowledge economy is one based on industries that need highly educated workers, such as IT, finance or advanced engineering. If something happens regardless of a second thing, the second thing has no impact on it happening. And finally, if people are segregated, different groups of people are separated and kept apart. 📝 翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

Trump's return to the White House The rest of the world has been reacting to President Trump's return to the White House and a slew of decisions already changing the relationship of the US with other countries and global institutions. The World Health Organization has asked Mr Trump to reconsider his plan to pull the US out and there's widespread concern over the exit of America from the Paris Climate Agreement. We'll have more on that shortly. At home, there's been condemnation of his decision to pardon those convicted of the January 6th attack on the US capital back in 2021. The US Capitol Police Chief has questioned what message it sends to police officers. But Mr Trump made his views clear in the first hours of his presidency. And you know, tonight, I'm going to be signing on the J6 hostages, pardons to get them out. And as soon as I leave, I'm going to the Oval Office and we'll be signing pardons for a lot of people, a lot of people. 词汇表 a slew of [sluː] 许多，大量的，一系列 global institution [ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃ(ə)n] 全球性机构（如联合国、世卫组织等） World Health Organization 世界卫生组织(WHO) pull out 撤退，退出 exit ['eksɪt] 退出，离去 Paris Climate Agreement 巴黎气候协定 condemnation [ˌkɒndemˈneɪʃ(ə)n] 谴责，指责 pardon [ˈpɑː(r)d(ə)n] 赦免；宽恕，原谅 be convicted of [kənˈvɪktɪd] 被判定有罪，被定罪 the January 6th attack 指2021年1月6日特朗普支持者冲击美国国会大厦，试图阻止认证2020年大选结果的暴力事件 US capital ['kæpɪt(ə)l] 美国国会大厦 Police Chief 警察局长 presidency ['prezɪdənsi] 总统职位，总统任期 hostage [ˈhɒstɪdʒ] 人质，抵押品 Oval Office [ˈəʊv(ə)l] 椭圆形办公室，美国总统办公室 🌟翻译，pdf及更多文本内容见公众号【琐简英语】

Antarctic Krill: A Summer Feast for Humpbacks Seven Worlds, One Planet·Antarctica Life in the Antarctic is harsh indeed. But all these creatures come here because the Southern Ocean is one of the richest on Earth. When, 30 million years ago, the continent broke away from South America and drifted south, currents began to swirl right around it. They are now the strongest of any currents on the planet. They sweep up nutrients from the depths, and so create one of the richest feeding grounds in all the world's oceans. And some of the creatures that come here to feast do so in a most sophisticated way. Humpback whales. It's summer, and they've come here for a banquet. The cold waters contain great shoals of krill. It's estimated that there are 400 trillion of them and that their combined weight is greater than that of any other animal species on the planet. To collect them, the humpbacks blow curtains of bubbles, which the krill won't cross. The whales then rise, spiralling inwards, to concentrate the swarm. Summer in Antarctica is a time of plenty, when most humpbacks are able to put on the reserves they need for the whole year. But the wildlife in these waters faces an uncertain future. The Southern Ocean is warming. 90% of the world's ice lies in Antarctica and, in some parts, the rate at which it's melting is doubling every decade. Sea levels are rising. 词汇表 antarctic [æn'tɑ:ktɪk] 南极地区；南极的 Antarctica [æn'tɑ:ktɪkə] 南极洲 harsh [hɑː(r)ʃ] 严酷的，恶劣的，艰苦的 Southern Ocean 南大洋，南冰洋（围绕南极洲的海洋） continent [ˈkɒntɪnənt] 洲，大洲，大陆 break away from 分离，脱离，离开 drift [drɪft] 漂移，漂流，飘 current ['kʌrənt] 洋流，水流；电流，气流 swirl [swɜː(r)l] 旋转，打旋，转圈 sweep up nutrients [swiːp][ˈnjuːtriənts] 汲取营养，吸收养分 feeding grounds [ˈfiːdɪŋ] 觅食地 feast [fiːst] 尽情享用（美味佳肴）；盛宴；宴会 sophisticated [səˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtɪd] 复杂的，精密的，高级的 humpback (whale) ['hʌmpbæk][weɪl] 座头鲸 banquet ['bæŋkwɪt] 宴会，筵席，盛宴 shoals of krill [ʃəʊls][krɪl] 磷虾群，大量的磷虾 combined weight [kəm'baɪnd] 总重量 blow curtains of bubbles 吹出气泡幕（鲸鱼捕食磷虾的策略，又称气泡网捕食） spiral ['spaɪrəl] 螺旋式上升（下降），盘旋上升（下降） inwards [ˈɪnwə(r)dz] 向内地，向中心地 concentrate swarm [swɔː(r)m] 聚集群体，集中群体 a time of plenty 富足的时节，丰收的季节 put on the reserves [rɪˈzɜː(r)vz] 增加储备，补足储备 🌍 更多文本内容、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Don't feel guilty about guilty pleasures You might have heard of the expression 'a guilty pleasure' – maybe it's the chocolate bar you buy on the way home from work, or the new clothes that you don't really need. It comes from the idea that when we treat ourselves, it can sometimes leave us feeling guilty. Perhaps we don't feel we deserved it, or we don't think it was a responsible way to spend our money. But should we feel like this? Do we really have to feel guilty about treating ourselves? Perhaps not. Psychologists have suggested that buying things for yourself can make you feel better as it provides an opportunity to take control of your situation. It can give you social contact as well as a confidence boost from changes you make to your self-image. It may be that as well as lifting your mood, when you buy a treat, you might just be looking after yourself. Of course, there are also examples of people turning to destructive behaviour when faced with stressful circumstances. People might spend money that they don't have or turn to dangerous addictions. Psychologist Leon Seltzer considers the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurturing. Self-indulgence can be reckless and have negative consequences, while self-nurturing is taking responsible decisions to satisfy our needs and take care of ourselves in ways that don't have a significant impact. One stress that people may need to deal with is exam stress. Many universities publish guides with advice for coping with exam stress. Reflecting the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurture, they recommend rewarding yourself for your efforts, doing things that you enjoy and are good at so that you can feel accomplishment and to avoid things that may make you feel worse afterwards. So perhaps, as long as we make responsible decisions, we shouldn't feel guilty about our guilty pleasures. 词汇表 guilty pleasure 罪恶的快乐，让人有负罪感的乐事 guilty ['ɡɪlti] 内疚的，有罪的，自责的 treat oneself [triːt] 善待自己，犒劳自己 deserve [dɪˈzɜː(r)v] 值得，应得，配得上 responsible [rɪˈspɒnsəb(ə)l] 负责任的 take control of 控制，掌控 social contact [ˈkɒntækt] 社会联系，社交 confidence boost [buːst] 增强自信，提升自信心 self-image 自我形象 lift your mood [muːd] 振作你的精神，让你心情愉快 destructive behaviour [dɪ'strʌktɪv] 自毁行为，破坏性行为 addiction [ə'dɪkʃ(ə)n] 成瘾，上瘾 self-indulgence [ɪnˈdʌldʒəns]自我放纵，自我纵容 self-nurturing [ˈnɜː(r)tʃə(r)] 自我呵护，自我照顾 reckless ['rekləs] 鲁莽的，轻率的，不顾后果的 cope with [kəʊp] 应对，处理 reward [rɪˈwɔː(r)d] 奖励，奖赏 accomplishment [ə'kʌmplɪʃmənt] 成就，成绩 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

International 国际 Gen ZZZ 睡眠中的Z世代 Straighter Edge 更自律 Youthful excess continues to decline 年轻人的放纵行为持续减少 In september the Night Time Industries Association, a British trade group, issued a sobering press release. Since 2020, it revealed, 37% of Britain's nightclubs had closed. Many shut during the pandemic and never reopened, but closures continue. If clubs do not stop closing, the ntia predicted, by the end of the decade there will be almost nowhere left for Britons to get drunk, belt out "Mr Brightside" and then vomit in a gutter on the walk home at 2am. Higher labour costs, tighter planning laws and more noise complaints are probably all playing their roles. But a key explanation is that their chief audience, the reckless young, are staying at home. Between 2011 and 2021, the proportion of British 16- to 24-year-olds who had not consumed one alcoholic drink in the past year doubled, from 19% to 38%. Another survey, of children aged between 11 and 15, found that, in 2021, 60% had never even tried a drink (two decades before, the figure was 39%). No wonder nightclubs are struggling. The trend towards youthful sobriety holds true for much of the rich world. In 2024 illicit drug use among adolescents dropped to historical lows in America, according to a nationwide survey published on December 17th by the University of Michigan. Drinking fell, too. The researchers found that even cannabis use is now declining fast among the young, despite weed having been made legal in almost half of states over the past decade. European surveys show continuing drops in drug and alcohol use too. Why is youthful excess dying out? There is no single explanation. Children are more closely watched than in the past, and a higher share of young adults are from more abstemious immigrant cultures. Age id checks at bars are more common; Netflix and Fortnite are cheaper than cider; and dating apps are better than finding love on the sticky floors of a place called "Snobs". The trend is clear and seems likely to last. It's their parents who are the problem now. 词汇表 straight edge [streɪt] 自律、健康、避免过度放纵的生活方式 youthful excess [ˈekses] 年轻人的放纵行为 sobering [ˈsəʊbərɪŋ] 令人警醒的；使人冷静的 nightclub [ˈnaɪtˌklʌb] 夜店，夜总会 closure [ˈkləʊʒə(r)]（永久的）关闭，倒闭 belt out [belt] 引吭高歌，大声唱 vomit [ˈvɒmɪt] 呕吐，吐出 gutter [ˈɡʌtə(r)]（路边的）排水沟；贫民区 reckless ['rekləs] 鲁莽的，肆无忌惮的 alcoholic drink [ˌælkəˈhɒlɪk] 酒精饮料 sobriety [səʊˈbraɪəti] 节制，清醒，未醉 hold true 保持有效，仍是真的，适用 illicit drug use [ɪˈlɪsɪt] 非法吸毒行为，违禁药物使用 cannabis ['kænəbɪs] 大麻，大麻制品 weed [wiːd] 大麻，大麻制品；烟草 die out 逐渐消失，灭绝 abstemious [əbˈstiːmiəs]（对美食或饮酒）节制的，戒绝的 immigrant ['ɪmɪɡrənt] 移民的；移民 Age id check 年龄身份检查（用于购买酒精、烟草或进入限制年龄的场所时） cider [ˈsaɪdə(r)] 苹果酒，苹果汁 sticky ['stɪki] 粘糊糊的 snob [snɒb] 势利的人，爱虚荣的人 🔆翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

TikTok refugees flock to RedNote as ban looms The company behind TikTok is trying to reassure its US staff that they will still be paid next week even if the Supreme Court in Washington upholds a new Biden administration law which says that the app's American business must be sold off or closed down by Sunday. The Supreme Court is expected to make its ruling later on Wednesday. Asia Business reporter Mariko Oy has more. We keep talking about TikTok users in America, some 170 million of them. But ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, it also employs some 7,000 staff in the United States. And there were reports about how they have been voicing concerns about job security. And in an internal memo that has been reviewed by Reuters, it said that the company said told those employees that their jobs are safe regardless of what the Supreme Court decides and that their office will remain open. As we've been reporting about it, a new legislation put a deadline on 19 January, which is this coming Sunday, to either sell the app or face a ban in the United States. Now it is important to emphasize that Even if the Supreme Court does not block the bill, new TikTok downloads won't be allowed, but existing users can continue using it for some time, though eventually the services would degrade, and therefore the users may decide to leave anyway. Now, as I said, there are more than 170 million users of TikTok in the United States. And interestingly, some of them have actually been moving to other Chinese apps like RedNote, which is apparently a combination of TikTok and Instagram. And they're calling themselves TikTok refugees. And even though there are some security concerns, some American users are still choosing to accept the terms and conditions of using RedNote, which are written in Chinese. So even if TikTok manages to dodge that ban, it may actually prove helpless against users moving to other platforms. 词汇表 reassure [ˌriːəˈʃʊə(r)] 使安心，使消除疑虑，再保证 Supreme Court [suːˌpriːm ˈkɔːt]（美国）最高法院 uphold [ʌpˈhəʊld] 支持，维持，批准 administration [ədˌmɪnɪˈstreɪʃ(ə)n]（某一任期的）政府，政府人员 make a ruling [ˈruːlɪŋ] 作出判决 parent company 总公司，母公司 voice concerns [kənˈsɜː(r)n] 表示担忧；表达关切 internal memo [ɪnˈtɜː(r)n(ə)l] [ˈmeməʊ] 内部备忘录（公司内部沟通和记录重要信息的文件） legislation [ˌledʒɪˈsleɪʃ(ə)n] 立法，法律，法规 block the bill 阻止法案通过 degrade [dɪ'ɡreɪd] 降级，退化 refugee [ˌrefjʊˈdʒiː] 难民，避难者，逃亡者 terms and conditions 条款和条件（对商品或服务使用的限制规定） dodge [dɒdʒ] 避开，躲开，逃避 🌟翻译，pdf及更多文本内容见公众号【琐简】

Our love of pets It's said that your personality is reflected in your pet - an animal that you keep in your home as a companion and treat kindly. 'Dog people' are supposed to be friendly, enthusiastic and loyal, whereas 'cat people' are introverted, proud and sensitive. Are you a 'dog person' or a 'cat person', Neil? --I'm definitely a 'dog person', Georgie. I want a pet that's friendly and loves me, not a lazy cat that sits around all day waiting for food. Whether you're a 'dog person', a 'cat person', or have a goldfish, hamster or parrot for a pet, the British are well known as a nation of animal lovers. In the UK, 52% of owners describe their pet as their "best friend", and in 2021, 18 million homes had at least one pet, meaning that for the first time there were more households with a pet than without. --In this programme, we'll be hearing how our relationship with pets has changed over the centuries, and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well. But first I have a question for you, Georgie. Nowadays thanks to the internet, modern pets are getting online. So what percent of dogs and cats in the UK do you think have their own social media profile? Is it: a) 7%, b) 17% or c) 70%? --It sounds crazy, but I'll guess 17 percent of British pets have their own social media account! --OK, Georgie, we'll find out the answer later in the programme. Cats using Instagram and dogs on TikTok may be a strange new development, but our relationship with pets has continually changed throughout history. In the 1800s, people started using the word 'pet' to describe the emotional connection they felt to a special animal, and gradually it became normal to keep pets indoors. Here, Jane Hamlett, professor of history and author of a new book, The Pet Revolution, explains to BBC Radio 4 programme, Thinking Allowed, how early British attitudes to pets were based on economics: First of all, on a very practical level, living standards are gradually increasing across that period, and it becomes more possible to keep pets if you have more disposable income. But I think in British culture, in the 19th century in particular, home and family are increasingly celebrated, and keeping a pet becomes a way of bringing animals into your home life, and also really expressing what it means to be part of the family - animals become part of that. Family pets became more popular as people's living standards increased. Living standards, which are also known as 'the standard of living', refer to the level of material comfort people live in. It's connected to their disposable income, the money left over to spend on things you want, after paying tax and other living expenses. In other words, as people got richer, they had more money to spend on luxury items, including pets. And by the Victorian era, this included new and exotic pets such as tigers, lions, monkeys and elephants which were shipped back from around the British empire. Even the famous Victorian writer, Charles Dickens, owned a pet raven. It was also the Victorians who first described Britain as a nation of dog lovers, a phrase they used to reflect the idea they had of themselves, as Professor Jane Hamlett explained to BBC Radio 4 programme, Thinking Allowed: In the Victorian era, dogs were very much the top pet, and you can see that the values that were often associated with dogs, so loyalty, trustfulness and, steadfastness… all of these qualities were also celebrated by the Victorians of key parts of the Victorian manly character, so dogs really fitted the bill. The Victorians admired the qualities associated with dogs, qualities like self-confidence and loyalty - being strong and unchanging in support of your friends. While dogs were considered strong and manly, cats were feminine and weak, so for the Victorians, dogs really fitted the bill, an idiom meaning they were suitable for a particular purpose. Britain's relationship with pets really has changed over the years - from the manly British Bulldog to funny cat videos on YouTube, it's been quite a journey! Maybe it's time to reveal the answer to my question, Georgie.--Right, you asked me how many dogs and cats in the UK had their own social media profile, and I guessed it was 17 percent.--Which was… the correct answer! What I still don't understand is how they get their paws on the keypad! 📝 完整文本，翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

Most rainforests too degraded to provide good habitats The world's tropical rainforests are home to more than 16,000 different mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, from colourful monkeys and parrots living high in the canopy, to weird and wonderful frogs and toads on the forest floor. But now a study by Canadian scientists has revealed that while there may be tree cover remaining, most of the tropical rainforests across the globe are too degraded by logging, mining and roads to provide good quality habitat for wildlife. They're calling for urgent conservation action to protect tracts of undisturbed forest before extinction for many rainforest species becomes a foregone conclusion. And they say as rainforests are one of nature's best defences against climate change, this would also help stabilise the Earth's climate. 词汇表 mammal ['mæm(ə)l] 哺乳动物 amphibian [æm'fɪbiən] 两栖动物 reptile [ˈreptaɪl] 爬行动物 canopy ['kænəpi] 树冠，（顶蓬似的）树荫 toad [təʊd] 蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 tree cover 树木覆盖 degraded [dɪ'greɪdɪd] 退化的；被降级的；堕落的 log [lɒɡ] 伐木，砍伐 mine [maɪn] 开采，采矿 habitat [ˈhæbɪtæt] 栖息地，生长地 tract [trækt] 大片土地 undisturbed [ˌʌndɪˈstɜː(r)bd] 未被打扰的，不受侵扰的 foregone conclusion ['fɔ:gɒn] 定局，预料中的结局 defence [dɪ'fend] 保护，防御 stabilise ['steɪbəlaɪz] 使稳定，使稳固 ​ 🗒️翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

Managing your Mood: Tips for Staying Present We keep forgetting this lesson, even though it is – quite literally – written above us in the sky, as if someone at the moment of creation knew we'd have trouble keeping it in mind: we are made of moods, our spirits are constantly in motion, like the restless procession of weather fronts across a temperamental sky. Therefore, nothing can be stable for long: a serene, beautiful day will, almost inevitably, be followed by an overcast one, a still morning by a blustery afternoon, a vicious storm by a serene sunset. We keep striving for fixed positions, as if we were made of stone. We say this is what I believe, this who I like, this is what I want… And then the universe laughs and gives us a headache, a bad night, indigestion, a moment of euphoria, an energetic libido, a bout of conscience – and everything is once more upended. We should proceed more cautiously. In the quiet of our minds, so as not to alarm those around us, we should caveat the majority of our ideological positions with a humble 'for now…' This job seems to make enormous sense… for now. I feel I've worked things out… for now. This is who I am… for now. None of us are ever more than a few shifts in serotonin levels away from a transformation of heart. There is in our changeability an almost comedic interplay between what we might crudely refer to as our bodies and our minds; our higher faculties and our basic plumbing. We may feel that our perspectives on politics or love, the quality of a book or our assessment of a friend are built on disinterested, solid ground. We feel sure that the nobler parts of us are guiding our ideas, we don't recognise the extent to which what we are convinced of at a given point is really the outcome of how much sleep we've had or what is happening to our blood sugar levels. We'll solemnly declare that life not worth living long before it occurs to us that we may urgently need to have a nap or reach for an orange juice. Keeping this at the front of our minds can help us to be more generous and accurate about those we live among. It may be – as they tell us with utter conviction at midnight in the kitchen – that they do hate our guts or never want to see their mother again, or it might just be that it's time to get to bed and a heavy meal so late was not particularly a good idea. Understanding that we are a patchwork of moods can be of particular assistance in those states when we can't see a single sliver of blue in the inner sky. We should have the experience to know that even though we don't – right at this moment – have any idea what can shift our condition, if we sit within the inner jet stream long enough and wait, something will eventually come along to push our horrors away. Just as, more sombrely, whenever we can no longer imagine any reasons why we were ever sad, we should always remember the autumn gales. We stumble because of our tendency to too quickly declare 'this is me and always will be…' It almost never is; it's a heatwave, a squall, a shower, an Indian summer. We want to be solid, and we can only be air and water, gas and heat, current and front. We should take most of what we believe in at any single moment with wholehearted amused scepticism – and carry with us, always, an umbrella. 词汇表 in motion [ˈməʊʃ(ə)n] 在运转中，在运动中 restless procession [ˈrestlɪs] [prə'seʃ(ə)n] 不断地移动，不安的行进 weather front [frʌnt] （冷暖空气交汇的）锋面 temperamental [ˌtemprəˈment(ə)l] 喜怒无常的，反复无常的，易变的 serene [səˈriːn] 宁静的，平静的，安宁的 overcast [ˈəʊvə(r)ˌkɑːst] 阴天的，多云的 blustery ['blʌst(ə)ri] 狂风大作的，起风暴的 vicious storm ['vɪʃəs] 猛烈的暴风雨 indigestion [ˌɪndɪˈdʒestʃ(ə)n] 消化不良 euphoria [juːˈfɔːriə] 狂喜，亢奋，异常兴奋 energetic libido [lɪˈbiːdəʊ] 旺盛的性欲 a bout of conscience [baʊt][ˈkɒnʃ(ə)ns] 良心发作，良心觉醒 upended [ʌpˈendɪd] 翻倒的，颠倒的 caveat ['keɪviæt] 警告，提醒 ，附加说明 ideological position [ˌaɪdiəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l] 意识形态立场，思想立场 serotonin level [ˌsɪərəˈtəʊnɪn] 血清素水平 changeability [ˌtʃeɪndʒə'bɪlətɪ] 变化性，易变性 comedic interplay [kə'miːdɪk][ˈɪntə(r)ˌpleɪ] 喜剧性的相互作用 crudely [kru:dlɪ] 粗糙地，简单地，粗略地 faculty ['fæk(ə)lti] 能力，官能，机能 plumbing ['plʌmɪŋ] 生理机能；管道系统，水暖设备 disinterested [dɪsˈɪntrəstɪd] 客观的，公正无私的；无兴趣的 solemnly declare ['sɒləmli] [dɪˈkleə(r)] 庄严地宣布，郑重声明 with utter conviction [ˈʌtə(r)] [kən'vɪkʃ(ə)n] 无比坚定地，深信不疑地 heavy meal 丰盛的一餐；难消化的膳食 patchwork [ˈpætʃˌwɜː(r)k] 拼缝物，拼凑物 a sliver of [ˈslɪvə(r)] 一丝，少量，一点点 jet stream [dʒet] 急流，喷气流 push our horrors away [ˈhɒrə(r)] 驱散恐惧 sombrely [ˈsɒmbəli] 昏暗地，严肃地，忧郁地 gale [ɡeɪl] 狂风，大风 heatwave ['hiːtweɪv] 热浪，酷热期 squall [skwɔːl] 狂风，暴风 shower [ˈʃaʊə(r)] 阵雨 Indian summer 小阳春（指早秋的一段暖和天气） current ['kʌrənt] 电流，水流，气流 wholehearted [ˌhəʊlˈhɑː(r)tɪd] 全心全意地，赤诚的 amused scepticism [əˈmjuːzd][ˈskeptɪˌsɪz(ə)m] 戏谑的怀疑态度 🏫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】