As you probably know, learning a foreign language is sometimes challenging. But it can also be fun. We spend hundreds of hours at school trying to get our tongues round different vocabulary and grammar in order to earn a qualification. But learning to speak a second language is more than just passing an exam—it opens doors to new opportunities, helps you to communicate with others and makes travelling overseas more fulfilling.

It might come as a surprise that the number of teenagers learning foreign languages in UK secondary schools has dropped by 45% since the turn of the millennium. German and French have fallen the most. While these languages from two of the UK's closest trading partners have declined at GCSE level, there has been a noticeable surge in some others, such as Spanish and Mandarin.

Another survey of secondary schools suggests a third of students have dropped at least one language from their GCSE exam options. There are many reasons for this, including a perception by some students that languages are difficult. Getting to grips with the lingo of another country can certainly be a challenge and some pupils think "Why bother?" when English is spoken by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, others have questioned the need for a second language when translation technology is advancing.

Matthew Fell, chief UK policy director for business group the CBI, has told the BBC that" The decline in language learning in schools must be reversed, or else the UK will be less competitive globally and young people less prepared for the modern world." But even for those who are keen to study another language, the opportunity is being reduced. In Scotland, for example, foreign language subjects are being squeezed out of many secondary school timetables with some head teachers blaming pressure on the curriculum.

However, some native English speakers have told the BBC about the benefits of speaking another tongue. Cassandra Scott, from Edinburgh, studied three languages in her final year at school. She is now a freelance translator in Edinburgh, and says" Learning languages at school really set the course for my career."

Yawning is something we all do--maybe because we're bored carrying out tedious tasks or because we're tired. Sometimes, just seeing other people yawn can set you off. But is this biological function really contagious, and why do we do it in the first place?

Many of us think we open our mouths when we yawn to take in more oxygen, but in fact it appears there is no clear biological reason. According to BBC Bitesize, new research suggests it might be because yawning cools the brain down and prevents it from overheating, much like the fan in your laptop. This might be why we're more likely to feel drowsy and yawn in warm temperatures.

What is clear is that we yawn more when we're exhausted and ready for a nap, and we can't control when we do it-—once we start, there's no stopping us! But it's also true that yawning is a very contagious behaviour. John Drury, a researcher from Sussex University, told the BBC that" it's meant to be automatic; it's something that you can't stop. Dogs yawn when their owners yawn, animals yawn to each other. It happens whether you want to or not. "

His research into this cognitive behaviour found that there is a connection with our social group and how close we are to the people in it. If we identify with the person who exhibits the behaviour, we are likely to copy it too.

Other research by the University of Nottingham in 2017 found similar results. They asked volunteers to watch other people yawn. They found their ability to resist yawning when others around them yawned was limited. And the urge to yawn was increased when people were told they couldn't. They also found, when using electrical stimulation, that they were able to increase people's desire to yawn. These findings, they say, could be useful because it could help treat other conditions like Tourette's, which involve the same area of the brain.

What is certain is that a yawn can creep up on us at any time even when we think we're not tired-but, I hope, not when you're reading this article!

It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world; without demands, without conflicts, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in. Conflict would be eliminated; tension become a thing of the past. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by intensive endeavour. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart.

Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!

There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a fake. That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events. Now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one's own. But even the most cynical（愤世嫉俗)secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be disturbing. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for off spring.

We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical era, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honourably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.

When Tal Golesworth was told he needed lifesaving heart operation in 1993, he said no.

Golesworthy has Marfan syndrome, a genetic condition1connective body tissues, including blood vessels (血管). Back in 1993, when he was living in the strength of Cheltenham, in the west of England, his doctor told him that a major artery(动脉) in his heart was so enlarged that it would inevitably bleed unless he 2" "They talked through the surgical 3 major surgery, " says Golesworthy, " and I was not interested. The 4 really didn't look attractive. "What he particularly didn't like was having to be on blood thinners after the operation, something that would prevent blood clots (血栓)but presented its own 5, "I was riding motorbikes then, and skiing, so my whole lifestyle would have been affected. "

By 2000, however, his condition had 6 Golesworthy put his years of 7. Realizing something had to be done, as a research-and-development engineer with the United Kingdom's National Coal Board to good use. He decided he would fix himself.

"Learning new stuff and developing new ideas, that was my job, "Golesworthy says. A bulging(鼓起的) artery, he thought, needed external support. And wrapping something around the outside of the artery would require a less 8operation. So Golesworthy subjected himself to 30 hours in an MRl scanner; used 3D printing to create a physical replica of the 9of his heart; and then used soft textile to make a sleeve to fit around it.

"10, I'd done a lot of work with technical textiles, looking at filters for flue gases in coal-fire processes, so I am quite a (n)11 here, " he says.

Determination, 12with an original yet practical solution, won him the support of two leading surgeons, who helped him raise the money to Determination, 13 at the age of 47, he became someone for his own Determination, 14, the ExoVasc Personalised his idea. In May 2004,

External Aortic Root Support (PEARS). The operation was a success. It has since been used by surgeons in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium. "When you're as Determination, 15 as l was," Golesworthy said," you make things happen. "

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP), the most common indicator of national prosperity, has taken a lot of blame in recent years. Critics say that counting a country's spending on goods, services and investment misses the full value that citizens get from products such as Google and Facebook. They also note that GDP ignores other aspects of development, including personal health, leisure time and happiness.

These criticisms probably exaggerate GDP's failure to capture the wealth of nations. Gallup, a pollster, has asked people in 145 countries about various aspects of well-being. Many of these correlate strongly with GDP per person. To take an obvious example, nearly all residents in the top10% of countries measured by spending say they have enough money for food, compared with just two-fifths of those in the bottom 10%.

Strikingly, many non-financial indicators also track GDP per person closely. Residents in the top10% of countries score their life situation as seven out of ten, compared with just four for those in the bottom 10%. They are also more likely to feel supported by their families, safe in their neighbourhoods and be trusting of their politicians—though they complain nearly as much as people in poor countries do about a lack of rest and affordable housing.

Scholars disagree over the extent to which national wealth itself causes contentment. Some countries' citizens have remained gloomy even as GDP per person has risen, a paradox noted by Richard Easterlin, an American economist. But one way of testing if money buys happiness is to analyze what happens when it goes away.

Studies of the previous global recession in 2009 suggest that economic hardship does indeed lead to low spirits. Academics found dips in life satisfaction and other measures of well-being in the United States and several European countries, though the effects were mainly limited to people who lost their jobs. Adam Mayer of Colorado State University found that among Europeans of similar wealth and education, those who had recently become unemployed and struggled to buy foods had the worst outlook on life.

The current pandemic will allow economists to probe this pattern further. The IMFRs latest forecast points to a fall in global GDP of 4. 9% this year. If past recessions are any guide, the severe shock will have long-lasting effects. Economies will eventually grow larger than they were before the pandemic, but will be less rich than they would have been otherwise. The virus's human toll is therefore vast in terms of deaths and dollars. But given the correlation between GDP per person and Gallup's measures of well-being, it may have an enduring impact on the world's quality of life too.

In 2014, Stephen Hawking reminded us all that, as human beings, we share a small planet in a vast universe and a common destiny. He saw artificial intelligence (AI) as a possible danger and also an opportunity. His passing invites us to contemplate the future. Al, among other new technologies, is now affecting our daily lives. The Chinese government is clear about the exciting potential of AI—it has included this emerging technology in its annual work report for the last two consecutive years and put significant money into the field. You, dear readers, have been given a challenge!

We feel humble in the face of rising computing power. Al makes decisions based on the knowledge collected from experts and big data. It does the heavy thinking and communicates results either directly to us or to another Al system. We do not need to look very hard for examples.

Mapping and navigation systems can tell us the best way home, with roadworks, traffic conditions ahead, the weather and other data all taken into consideration. These systems can even offer alternatives if we are not happy with the initial suggestion. In medicine, the diagnosis of heart disease is now assisted by computers that have harvested the expertise of hundreds of doctors. This machine intelligence is often more powerful than individual doctors and the diagnosis is more accurate. We also let autopilot systems land a plane in the fog. And our favourite shopping sites suggest alternative products when we shop online. "Garbage in and garbage out "was a frequent criticism of computer systems, but with AI, the machines just become so much smarter!

Are you thinking about your role in this smart future? Will you be a programmer of specialist systems or apply Al tools to new problems in business or public life? China's Nanjing University, amongst others, is offering programmes in AI. As people connect with computer systems online, big data grows and clever developers can exploit this to find new business opportunities and also improve health, education, transport, recreation, amongst other services.

This is your future--Al is going to change life for everybody and some people will get to shape the future. Al and robot technology will replace old-world jobs, we know, but there will be exciting opportunities for those with smart skills to use the technology and make a better world for everybody. Al will evolve faster than humans—will you adapt alongside? It might be a challenging ride, but it certainly won't be slow!

学校英文网站拟开设一个新栏目，名为"关爱就在身边"。假设你是该栏目的负责人，为这一新栏目写份公开的倡议书，内容须包括:

●我们身边需要帮助的对象，实施具体设想和过程●期望达到的效果。

In 2018 Dec. 28, Louis Rudd became the second person to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted, two days after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first.

O'Brady, 33, and Rudd, 49, a captain in the British army, began the trek as a (n) on Nov. 3.

Rudd finished his journey on Day 56 at the foot of Leverett Glacier at 2: 21 p. m. Eastern time, a little more than 48 hours after O'Brady completed his expedition.

"It's nice, when you're finished, that you're recorded in the history books," Rudd said by satellite phone that night. "But it's all about the journey."

Rudd's trek 925 miles, according to his main sponsor, Shackleton, a British apparel company.

Like O'Brady, he did the journey . Unsupported by supply drops or similar

help, and unaided by kites or other devices to harness(利用) the wind to help pull his heavy load.

On 28th's , Rudd said, he began stripping clothing off because the weather was so warm. The , though, was pretty poor, he said. ""It wasn't white out, it was a flat light, Rudd said," You could see the sky, but there was no light coming through the high clouds, so you couldn't see the surface you were skiing over. It was really , it was sort of an icy surface. "

Rudd learned about O' Brady's finish soon after it happened, he said, through a message from his expedition manager, Wendy Searle.

The two were on 28th he said, and they expect to be flown to the South Pole on 29th.

Although O'Brady beat him in this quest, Rudd is the only person to complete two traverses of Antarctica. His first was in 2017 with a team from the British Armed Forces. He led that expedition. Altogether, he has covered over 3, 000 miles on Antarctica, spread across three .