2xOnline Class Notes (Mike)

为什么现代社会的肥胖率在逐年升高？从饮食，生活方式（久坐不动），睡眠这三点说明原因。

There are no clear answers to the question of why we dream, but there are different theories. Dreaming is extraordinary and strange: you hallucinate, believe impossible things, and people you know may merge into one another. And then, to top it off, you will likely forget all about it.

Memory storage could be one reason for why we dream. When you are asleep, the brain decides what information you should move to your long-term memory and what should be unlearnt. In a TED Talk, psychologist Amy Adkins described a 2010 experiment involving participants studying how to get out of a complex 3D maze. It was found that they were much better at attempting it if they had had a nap and dreamt of the maze.

Another purpose of dreams could be the processing of our daily emotions, which may add to emotional memory consolidation. In 2003, the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience published research that experimented with the idea of dreams being a replication of our daily lives. Diary entries and dream journals of 29 healthy young adults over a two-week period were compared, and it was discovered that emotional themes from the day were replicated in dreams 35-55% of the time.

Antti Revonsuo, a Finnish scientist, has suggested that dreaming helps us to prepare for and deal with stressful situations. He studied children’s nightmares, giving an example of being continuously chased by wolves. He believes dreams like this stem from our ancestors and could be a rehearsal for daily struggle and survival. In modern times, dreams and nightmares may be preparing us for social situations such as having a fight with a friend, going on a date or having a job interview.

With such a variety of theories on why we dream, it seems that more research is needed before we can completely understand their purpose.

If you won €1 million in the lottery, what would you do with it? Write an essay and include your ideas. Give reasons for your choices.

If I won 1 million in the lottery, I will buy a house. I will needn’t rent house and move home frequently. No housing loan and no live pressure. I will can taste various of job what I like. I will give me have a long time vacation to travel.But this is a daydream, I don’t believe I have so great luck. The probability is one of several hundred million.So, Wake up! Work hard, worker!

If I won 1 million in the lottery, I will buy a house. I will no longer need to rent a house and move frequently. No housing loans/mortgage and no pressure from life. I will try various jobs that I am interested in.

I will give myself a long vacation. But this is a daydream, I don’t believe I have so great luck. The probability is one out of several hundred millions. So, Wake up! Work hard, worker!

If I won a million in the lottery, I will use the money to do 3 things that I have always wanted to do since I was in high school.

First, I will buy a house in SH so that I don’t have to rent anymore. I will build a garden on the rooftop and plant some common vegetables and spices. Also, I like to work out, so I will set up a home workout room so that I can exercise anytime I want.

Second, I want to spend 2 months driving in China’s Northwestern region. I read an article about GS when I was in high school and I was deeply attracted by the scenery. This region is also known for its unique food culture, so I would like to try all the food.

Last, understanding how airplanes work has always been my main interest, so I want to take a course in aero-engineering. Horseback riding sounds really interesting to me and I have only seen it on TV, therefore, I would use some of my money to sign up for a horseback riding course.

To sum up, I would use the money to do things that I have dreamed for and lead a meaningful life. 

The destructive impact of fast fashion on the environment is widely documented. So how can we, as consumers, reduce our fashion footprint? One obvious answer is to buy less. Another is to buy clothes that have been more sustainably made, using organic and recycled materials. Hiring clothes is another way to get new pieces for our wardrobe. But buying second-hand may be the simplest solution and a trend that is growing fast.

快时尚环境的破坏性影响被广泛记录。因此我们作为消费者怎样才能减少我们的时尚足迹？一个显然的答案是减少购买。另一个是一直买更加可持续性制作的衣服，用有机可循环材料。租赁衣服是为我们的衣柜获取新的衣服的另一种方法。但是买二手的也许是最简单的解决方法并且趋势快速发展。

According to the Boston Consulting Group, second-hand clothes are projected to make up 27 per cent of customers’ wardrobes by 2023. By 2030, the second-hand clothing market is projected to be twice the size of fast fashion, according to a global report by Thredup and GlobalData. So, it seems, the next ten years will see the resale market grow fast, and this is in part because we now have more options than simply buying from charity shops and jumble sales. Online sites are making it easier to both buy and sell pre-loved items.

iPhone makes up 30% of the global cellphone market.

to be projected to: 估计，预估
China’s population is projected to reach 1.5 billion by 2040.

根据波士顿顾问组，二手衣服计划在2023年占据/构成27%消费者的衣柜。。根据Thredup 和GlobalData全球的报告，2030年，二手服装的市场规模预计将达到快时尚的两倍。因此，似乎，下一个十年将看到转卖市场快速发展，因为我们现在有比从慈善商店和杂货出售简单购买更多的选择。线上网站使买和出售二手物品两种都更简单。

It also helps that the perception of pre-loved clothing has changed. Dr Amna Khan, senior lecturer in consumer behaviours and retail at Manchester Metropolitan University, said ‘it’s now become trendy to wear second-hand’ and it’s no longer ‘a case of only buying it if you can’t afford anything else’. The changing values of shoppers is even being seen in celebrity culture, with television personalities, such as contestants on the popular UK TV show Love Island, promoting second-hand clothing.

对改变二手衣服的看法是有帮助的。Manchester Metropolitan大学高级讲师Amna Khan先生在消费者行为和零售中，说穿二手衣服现在变得时髦，如果你买不起任何其他的，买二手衣服不再是个例。这改变顾客的价值在名人文化甚至被看见，对于电视明星，比如作为一个受欢迎的一个电视节目《爱岛》的选手宣传二手衣服。

Not everyone is convinced that these changes in shopping habits will do enough to reduce our fashion footprint. The charity Wrap tells people to repair and revamp clothes they already have in their wardrobe before buying new ones, even if they are second-hand. But it’s clear that some consumers now want to consume less and make more environmentally friendly choices when they do buy. The fashion industry is therefore having to change, and the second-hand market is the star of the show.

并不是每个人确信这些在购物习惯的改变将足够减少我们的时尚足迹。慈善家Wrap 告诉人们买新衣服之前，哪怕是买二手衣服，也要重新修补和翻新一下他们衣柜中已有的衣服。当他们买的时候，一些消费者现在想少消费并且做更环保友好的选择是清晰的。时尚行业因此有改变，二手市场开始展示。

Vocabulary

only (adj.) 唯一的

unique (adj.) 独特的，独一无二的，特殊的

read – read

9 out of 10

taste (v) 尝（食物）
Taste this and see if it is salty.

no longer 不再

mortgage (n) 按揭，抵押

life (n) 人生，生命，生活 – lives (复数)
This earthquake took 10 lives. 这次地震带走了十条生命
This event changed my life.
My daily life is interrupted by Covid.

live (v) 住在，生活在
She has to live in the forest for 3 months for the project.
I lived in BJ for 2 years.
live (adj.) 直播的
Live TV 直播电视

allergic – allergy (n)
I am allergic to pollen. 我对花粉过敏
My allergy is really bad.

athletic (adj.) – athlete (n) 运动员

thunder (n) 雷

fright (n) 惊吓，恐慌 – frighten (v) 吓

strict (adj.) 严格的，严厉，严苛
strict rule 严格的规则
be ~ with

lenient (adj.) 仁慈的，宽宏大量的

enroll (v) 登记入册，把….计入名册

hide

workout (n)
My workout was 20 minutes yesterday.
work out (v)
I worked out for 20 minutes yesterday.

do the dishes
I usually do the dishes at home.

compatible (adj.) 合得来，和睦相处的，不兼容
A is incompatible with B

own (v) 拥有
own (adj.) 自己的
owe (v) 欠
I owe you 100 yuan.

academic (adj.) 学术上的

complete (adj.) 全部的，所有的
(v) 完成

compete – competition

collection (n) 收集，集合

symphony 交响曲

personality 性格

tend to 倾向于

outlook (n) 观点

right (n) 权利
human rights
You have the right to remain silent.
power (n) 权力

Grammar

So that 如此…以至于…

The housing price is so expensive that I have to live in the suburbs.

The summer was so hot that I never turned off my AC.