The UK should start producing lab-grown meat to help solve the world’s food crisis (危机), according to a research group. A report by the Adam Smith Institute says meat made in a laboratory is better for the environment and would be cheaper than meat produced from farm animals.

Need for meat around the world is expected to increase by 70% by the year 2050. So could people be eating lab-grown meat in the future? Usually animals like cows are killed to produce the meat that people eat, but scientists have found a way to make meat in a laboratory without killing any animals.

Animals are made up of cells (细胞). Scientists worked out how to take cells from an animal, like a cow, and multiply (繁殖) them in a dish. In the end from one tiny cell, tens of billions of cells can be grown. These join together to form meat.

In 2013, the first hamburger grown this way was eaten in London. It took a year to produce and cost over £200,000 to make. Dr Mark Post, who created the world’s first hamburger from meat grown in a lab, told the BBC it “tastes exactly the same as the meat we know”. When two food critics (评论家) tried the burger in 2013, one said it was “close to meat” and another said it tasted like a real hamburger. It’s not just beef that is being created; companies are also working on other meat like turkey and chicken.

The Adam Smith Institute says moving away from the present way meat is produced would help reduce greenhouse emissions (排放) by up to 96% and free up 99% of the land used in farming worldwide. They also think it will reduce chances of food poisoning (中毒) because the meat is grown under such controlled conditions. Jamie Hollywood from the Adam Smith Institute also told the BBC lab-grown meat could be a lot cheaper. He says the price has gone down in five years from £200,000 to £8, so in the future it could be even less.

   Is It Better to Read Books or Listen to Them?

We often think how fast we learn something depends on how smart we are. If your brain is taking in material quickly, you’re clever; if not, well, that doesn’t say great things about your IQ. But science shows context (上下文) and technique (技术) actually play a big role in how fast we learn, and even small changes – like the way you use to read – can make a big difference.

Audio (音频的) books have plenty of advantages: you can enjoy them anywhere, even in the car, and not printing books saves trees. Poor readers also often find them more interesting. But according to the latest research, if your goal isn’t to pass the time in traffic, but instead to learn something difficult, you should choose a physical book.

In a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, psychology (心理学) professor Daniel T.Willingham mentioned a 2010 study where 48 students either read or listened to an article about child psychology. Although the students spent the same amount of time with their material and did about the same number of distracting (分散注意力) activities while they absorbed the information, they scored very differently on a 10-item quiz later. Generally, the readers scored 81 percent but while the listeners scored 59 percent. Why does listening vs reading material have such a great effect on learning?

Willingham explains that first, most of us read more slowly than we listen (especially when pausing and rereading), and when you’re trying to absorb new information, slower seems to be better. “About 10 to 15 percent of eye movements during reading are actually regressive – meaning the eyes are going back and re-checking,” he explains to TIME. “This happens very quickly…”

Second, books offer visual cues (可视线索) that help our brains organize and understand new information. Things like chapter breaks, subheadings, and lists help us in making sense of the material and understanding how it fits together. You lose all that when you go the audio way.

The bottom line is simple: Don’t feel shame about passing your time in traffic with an audio book. However, be aware of audio’s limitations when it comes to studying, and seriously consider choosing good old-fashioned reading instead.

When my daughter was in primary school, one day she brought home 4 tiny trees, which were given to the students by the school to plant. None of them looked very strong but with a hope for the future.

I planted them in our backyard. Over the years an accident brought an end to three of them. All that was left was a weak tree. It grew very slowly and never got very tall. I noticed a few years ago that it was starting to die. The needles on the branches had turned brown. Only the top third of the tree was still green.

Last summer I did my best to save it but it was useless. This morning I went out and looked at it again. I was deciding on whether it would be better to just cut it down.

As I walked over to take a closer look at it, however, I noticed something moving within the needles. It was a bird patiently building a nest in the top branches.

I smiled when I looked at it and decided that maybe this old tree had some life and usefulness left in it yet. It may not be healthy or pretty but it was still giving a bird a home and oxygen (氧气) to this world.

This tree reminded me of something too. All of our lives have purpose. All of our lives have meaning. It doesn’t matter if we are young and strong or old and sickly. Until our last breath there are things for us to do, love for us to give, and joy for us to share. Until our last moment here we can help to make this world a better and more beautiful place.

International Musicians Create Harmony (和谐)

Twenty-five young musicians from around the world have come to California to train and perform this month. They will take part in an international _____called iPalpiti. The name comes from the Italian word for heartbeats. Schmieder is the program’s conductor and musical director. He and his wife _____the program in 1997.

This year, the musicians come from nineteen _____, including Azerbaijan, Israel and Italy. Schmieder notes some of the musicians are from the countries at war with each other. “And they are sitting next to each other, and they become _____.” Through their music and friendship, they are making the world more ____.

Peter Rainer, a German violin player, says, “It’s so great that you have so many excellent musicians. They are all very alert and awake and listen to each other and it’s a lot of fun.” Turkish player Sakul says the international group works _____together.Russian violinist Promoe says, “The experience is a cultural as well as a musical exchange (交流). Everyone has their own opinion of music, how to play every composition. It’s very interestingto ____ with everybody, to play together and to create one opinion for everybody.”

Francisco Vila of Ecuador says the music has no geographic boundaries (边界). Vila adds that the musicians get to _____more about each other as they perform great music. “It’s interesting to see how many things we have in common.”

Can Sakul says the musicians who have taken part in the training and festival make up “a big family”. He adds that he is “proud to be a part of it”.

As a middle school student,__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How is it going?

I am writing to invite you to visit Beijing International Horticulture Exposition in Yanqing.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I'm looking forward to your early reply.