>Cambridge mulls typed exams
劍橋或終結用紙筆答卷
The increasing illegibility of students' handwriting has prompted Cambridge University to consider ending 800 years of tradition by allowing laptops to replace pen and paper for exams. Academics say that students are losing the ability to write by hand en masse because of their reliance on laptops in lectures and elsewhere. Sarah Pearsall, a senior lecturer at Cambridge's history faculty, said: "Fifteen or 20 years ago, students routinely wrote by hand several hours a day, but now they write virtually nothing by hand except exams. ... It is difficult for both the students and the examiners as it is harder and harder to read these scripts." The university has launched a consultation as part of its digital education strategy after piloting an exam typing method in the history and classics departments.
學生的字跡越來越難以辨認，這促使劍橋大學考慮終結考試用紙筆答題這個延續(xù)了800年的傳統(tǒng)，允許使用筆記本電腦應試。學者稱，因為在課堂及其他地方依賴筆記本電腦，學生整體正失去手寫的能力。劍橋大學歷史系高級講師莎拉?皮爾索爾表示，15年或20年前，學生通常每天要寫上幾小時的字，但現(xiàn)在除了考試外他們幾乎不寫字?！舟E越來越難辨認，這對考官和學生來說都是問題。在歷史和古典文學系開展打字答考題試點后，劍橋大學已開始就此征求意見，作為數字教育戰(zhàn)略的一部分。

>NASA looks for 'joker'
NASA欲招募'搞笑'宇航員
Astronauts have traditionally been serious, sensible types with the "right stuff" who can be trusted to fly equipment worth billions of pounds. But any mission to Mars will need a "joker" or "class clown" figure to be successful, according to NASA research. A sense of humor will be vital for any team to keep morale high on a two-year trip to Mars. Jeffrey Johnson, professor of anthropology at the University of Florida, is advising NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog. He said: "Groups work best when they have somebody who takes on the role of class clown. These are people that have the ability to pull everyone together, bridge gaps when tensions appear and really boost morale." But he added: "Being funny won't be enough to land somebody the job. They also need to be an excellent scientist and engineer and be able to pass a rigorous training regime."
傳統(tǒng)的宇航員是嚴肅理智的，具備"應有素質"，可以信賴他們駕駛價值數十億英鎊的設備飛行。但根據美國航天局(NASA)的研究，任何去往火星的任務都將需要一名"搞笑分子"或"班級小丑"式的人物才能獲得成功。去往火星需要耗時兩年，幽默感對任何去往火星的團隊維持士氣都至關重要。佛羅里達大學人類學教授杰弗里?約翰遜為NASA人類探索研究模擬項目提供建議，他表示："當團隊中有人扮演班級小丑的角色時，團隊的工作表現(xiàn)最好。這些人有能力團結所有人，當緊張局面出現(xiàn)時能彌合分歧并真正鼓舞士氣。"但他也補充說："光是輕松搞笑并不足以勝任這份工作。他們還必須是出色的科學家和工程師，能夠通過嚴格的訓練項目。"

>UK mulls 'fast fashion' tax
英國政府擬征'快時尚'稅
British MPs are demanding a "fast fashion" tax on retailers such as Boohoo and ASOS to help deal with waste generated by the industry thanks to a throwaway clothes culture. The charge would amount to ￡1 per item and would fund the collection and recycling of the ￡140 million worth of clothes discarded by Britons every year. Politicians also want schools to teach children how to make and repair garments in a return to the "make do and mend" approach from the Second World War. Britons buy around 1.1 million tons of new clothing each year – equating to 26.7 kg per person – in a fast fashion culture fuelled by online retailers which sell dresses for as little as ￡5. Around 430,000 tons are thrown in household bins, most of which goes to landfill, while many fast fashion items are made from plastic and shed billions of polluting particles into sewers, rivers and seas.
英國議員呼吁對Boohoo和ASOS這樣的零售商征收"快時尚"稅，以幫助應對快消服飾文化帶來的時尚垃圾。以后每件衣服或需繳納1英鎊的稅，英國人每年丟棄價值1.4億英鎊的的舊衣，這筆錢可以用來收集和回收這些舊衣。政治家們還希望學校倡導二戰(zhàn)時期流傳下來的"修修補補再用用"精神，教會學生如何制作和修補衣服。在線零售商賣的衣服有時便宜到一件只需5英鎊，催生了快時尚文化，英國人每年購買的新衣服達110萬噸左右，相當于每人26.7公斤。而英國每年扔掉的衣物約有43萬噸，大多數廢棄衣物進入了填埋場。但許多快消衣物的制作原料中含有塑料，導致大量污染顆粒進入到下水道、河流和海洋。

>Polar bears invade town
海冰融化致北極熊擾民
Parents in a remote Russian archipelago are scared to send their children to school after a "mass invasion" of polar bears into residential areas, state news agency TASS reported. Novaya Zemlya, located off Russia's northeastern arctic coast, has been swarmed by dozens of polar bears since December. The region's largest settlement, Belushya Guba, with a population of about 2,500 people, has reported more than 50 sightings. Local administrator Alexander Minayev said bears had attacked people and entered buildings. Polar bears are increasingly coming into contact with humans as climate change reduces their sea-ice habitats, forcing them on land for longer periods of time. The World Wildlife Fund has helped set up patrols in some arctic communities to prevent potentially fatal encounters.
據俄羅斯國家通訊社塔斯社報道，由于北極熊"大舉入侵"偏遠的俄羅斯群島，島上居民嚇得都不敢送孩子去上學。自去年12月以來，已有數十只北極熊登上俄羅斯東北部北冰洋海岸附近的新地島。據稱，在該地區(qū)最大的人類定居點白鯨灣(人口約2500人)，當地人已目擊北極熊50多次。當地行政長官亞歷山大?米那耶夫說，北極熊襲擊了人群，還進入了建筑。氣候變化導致北極熊賴以居住的海冰減少，迫使北極熊更長久地停留在陸地上，因此北極熊和人類的接觸越來越多。為防止與北極熊發(fā)生"致命邂逅"，世界自然基金會已幫助人們在北極圈的一些社區(qū)組建了巡邏隊。

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