作者: HHHHRane 时间: 2021-1-18 13:49
Pinduoduo faces growing PR crisis over employee death
-Main Idea
The collapse of Pinduoduo's employee brings back public relations crisis and working condition investigation.
-Argument summary
one of Pinduoduo's employee died on her way home from work; this death revived public over-timing working concern, which is called '996';
Previously 'anti-996' was set up, but it failed to change workplace norm;
Pinduoduo's actual working time is longer than '996', but in return it provides higher pay than other renowned tech companies;
How Pinduoduo reacted after its employee's collapse.
-Excerpta post of Pinduoduo's social media accounts downplayed the worker's death saying:'Look at the people at the bottom - who is not trading life for money... this is an era where we fight with our lives'
-New Words
revive复苏，复兴；brutal残忍的；gruelling折磨人的；collapse(尤指工作劳累后的)崩溃/倒下；netizen网友；call for a boycott of呼吁抵制；downplay轻描淡写；go viral疯狂传播；
Economic Scene; Good news for the down and out, or are the data misleading?
-main idea
two different opinions of the Cox-Alm study, and a unconvetional means by the Dallas researchers was suggested.
-Paragraph idea
Cox and Alm calims: the people in the US struggling to make ends will soon be affluent;
Cox and Alm's opinoin: opportunity matters most for the poor to make a leap;
the infulence of Cox-Alm study: it became a required reading;
BUT, PG thoght many things in that study are amiss;
explain the principal of Cox and Alm study: variation and mobility between the top and bottom casue the standard measures of income distribution;
PG explained in detail the study's misleading points:
A- the measure of bottom individual income cause the low average earnings
B- mingles the impact of real economic mobility;
VDO's question: how much does the mobility offset the inequality & the mainstram answer;
VDO's conclusion: focus on what we can do for the losers.
-New Words
disquiet n. 担心，焦虑，不安； split hairs over sth.对...斤斤计较
Passage 2-Women and Property across Colonial America: A comparison of Legal Systems in New Mexico and New York
阅读时间：3‘44
Main Idea
compared women rights between a common law system and a civil law system, then pointed out the adcantages of the latter one.
Passage Argument
Law controlled women's experiences, the rights women gained were different under a common law system and a civil law system;
Set a comparison between Spanish-American law and Anglo-American law in two different regimes to illustrate benefits women get under cival law systems overweighs that of common law systems;
Strenghtening the point by providing an example of women's property righ iNew Mexico, whose law system is the civial law system.
PASSAGE 1-What Quantum Computer Receal About Innovation: Venture Capital Is Often The Last Guest to Arrive At The Party
MAIN IDEA
This passage suggested the trend of quantum computing by expressing its advantages as well as itsrisks. After all, the author supported quantum computing technology under certain circumstances.
PASSAGE STRUCTURE
Author forcasted that quantum computing will be a common reckoning in the next 40 years. Although not everone agrees, but as least venture capital will invest it.
Furthermore, author expressed the advantages and risks of quantum computing seperately:
Advantage: commercially useful not only for investors but also in logistics, finance and artificial intelligence; offers a worked example of the technology development in the industry
Risk: requires abstruse mathematics and huge funding; the success rate is unpredictable; its progress depend heavily on other various fields
In a word, author support that people should continue quantum computing and try to avoid those risks.
EXCERPT
Nature isn't classical, dammit, and if you want to make a simulation of nature, you'd better make it quantum mechanical, and by golly it's a wonderful problem
The fresh water flowing into the salty sea causes the earth warming.This passage expressed its idea by citing both J and BD's researches and opinions. Although fresh water causes small changes, it yeilds a bid response.
PASSAGE STRUCTURE
J's opinion: the earth is warming, and the cause is the fresh water from Arctic ice;
The fresh water trend becomes major new in ocean-science circles, and BD did a relevant research;
The trend could causes a little ice age, and J thought the fresh water trend is global;
The effect of fresh water on cooler water and thermohaline circulation;
J's opinion: the increasing amount of fresh water would yield a big response.
This prime purpose of this passage is to express the polarising debate over the issue of surrogacy. Author's opinion is that we should consider this crucial issue with fullest range of perspective.
Passage Structure
Some people agrees that surrogacy helps certian types of couples (eg. gay) to become parents; But on the other hand, some people hold the view that surrogacy is exlploitative and unethecial-children seem to be commercialized;
UK entitled the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985 and wish to reform it in 2021. From their view, they focus on the surragacy process, and surrogate mothers' rights;
However, there are still some other severe issues:
the power is imbalance between surrogate mother and intended mother
there is socioeconomic inequality between surrogate mother and intended mother
most surrogate mothers are less-off, less powerful and lower social status than intended parents
risks for surrogate mother
In conclusion, we need to fully consider both the intended parents and the surrogate mothers. Two sides of this story must be told.
Excerpt
Given that the current policy climate and controversy around surrogacy, it's crucial that public discussion of this issue includes the fullest range of perspectives.
As well as hearing from moving stories from intended parents about how surrogacy enabled them ot overcome biological or social infertility to realise their dreams of becoming parents, we also need to hear from a range of surrogate mothers.
That includes those whose experiences have not been so rosy, and who instead encountered challenging power imbalances between themselves and the intended parents, or who felt that their rights were subtly or overtly undermined during their pregnancy or birth, or who suffered unexpected physical or emotional repercussions.
New Words
surrogacy代孕；surrogate mothers代孕母亲；toll过路费，代价；a touching example of一个感人的例子；prostitution卖淫；preconception偏见；crop up突然出现；antenatal突然出现；intrapartum分娩期的；postnatal产后的；altruistic利他的；trivial不重要的，琐碎的；sepsis败血症；pre-eclampsia妊娠毒血症；haemorrhage出血；stillbirth死产；ovarian卵巢的；hyperstimulation刺激过度；embryo transfer胚胎移植；coercion强迫
阅读时间: 5'48
整理时间：35'46
总时间：41'33 作者: HHHHRane 时间: 2021-1-21 19:28 DAY FOUR
PASSAGE 2-Hispanic Law Water Right
Main Idea
This passage discussed in late nineteeth- and early twentieth-century, two systems-the common law water regime and a communal water system-have different opinions and use of specific water rights, which are based on Hispanic law.
Structure
In nineteenth-and twentieth-century, there are two law systems of the municipal and riparian water rights:
common law water regime—state courts asserted water rights were absolute and exclusive——cause legitimated water monopoly and accumulation.
communal water system—water rights were sahred between municipalities and other users.
However, scholars of western water law in the US critized common law water regime; But the historians in common law water regime fought back.
Eventually, there was no conclusion for this argument.
PASSAGE 1-The Pandemic Has Changed China's Nightclubs: It Has Given Local DJs A Chance To Shine
Main Idea
This passage mainly takled about the threat and changes that pademic brought to China's nightclubs.
Passage Structure
With the influence of global pandemic, China's nightclubs finally reopened with certain requirements;
The pandemic posed a severe threat to club business, only rare clubs' owners claimed that they will break even;
The pandemic also has postive changes:
give chances to domestic DJs to show up
speed up the spread of China's club culture
Despite the mentioned benefits to local DJs, some professions claimed that many of DJs do not truely 'understand electronic music culture'
Excerpt
Yet many electronic-music clubs have weathered the disruption, in part because punters freeed from lockdown have flocked back to them
New Words
faff忙乱；wrought锻造的，特定的；draw crowds吸引群众；gyrate旋转
阅读时间：4'03
总结时间：21'16
总时间：25'19
PASSAGE 2-Review: Jim Crow's Offense
Main Idea
The main idea of this passage is to challenge McMillen's debates by providing certain assumptions and the case of Jim Crow's offense in different stages.
Structure
In order to indentify white supremacy in Mississippi, McMillen engages two debates：
social relations of slavery caused informal discrimination
therefore evolved into legally seperation and disfranchisement
However, this debate has some flaws:
it has a threat perception to rigidity
race relations were not functions of class relations
white supermacy was not merely an ideology
Furthermore, the countinuity of white supermacy didn't provide dark effects during Jim Crow's age. The leaders accepted Jim Crow in different stages.
The final paragraph expressed in detail how those leaders treated Jim Crow through different stages of the journey.
New Words
salient显著的；flickering闪烁的；discern察觉出；imperative不必要的；edifice大厦；spatial空间的；hegemony霸权主义；oppresion压抑的；redemption赎回；emerging legal structure新兴法律结构；disinclined不想的，不愿的；be blurred by 被...遮住，模糊的；emblematic象征的；
阅读时间：5‘24
整理时间：28'07
总时间：33'31 作者: HHHHRane 时间: 2021-1-23 18:54 DAY 6
PASSAGE 1-What Really Killed the Dinasaurs? Lingering doubts about the cause of a mass extinction
Main Idea
This passage mainly is to pose two different opinions about the cause of dinasaur's extinction, and the author supports the 1st one by providing Pincelli Hull's research.
Structure
By identifing the cuase of dinasaur's extinction, two hypothesis were provided:
the giant wave originating from a collision between Earth and a large space rock wiped out the dinasaur;
volcanic eruption was the main cause
A research conducted by PH was provided to indicate that the dinasaur's extinction was caused by a collision between Earth and a giant space rock.
the main idea of this passage is to explain that the war of humans arising from a combination of instinct and culture can be avoided by an understanding of how these elements interact.
Structure
1-Identifying that wars of territorial expansion and defense can be motivated by both culture and instinct:
instinct envolves a facotor, which has vaired effects on population growth and size;
death and birth rates come into balance and population density levels off;
individuals have higher survival rates and pass on more genes to next generation. 2-Add new information to make up this argument:
not very species develops the instinct for territorial behavior-territoriality dosen't evolve when certain factors are paramount 3-Conclusion: he war of humans arising from a combination of instinct and culture can be avoided by an understanding of how these elements interact.
New words
incrementally增值地；level off趋平；paramount最重要的
阅读时间：2'28
整理时间：15'24
总时间：17'52 作者: HHHHRane 时间: 2021-1-24 18:28 DAY 7
Passage 1-The Rising Prevalence of Dementia Is A Global Emergency
Main Idea
The main idea of this passage is to discuss both the problems of long-tearm trend of dementia and the actions that government should do to lessen those risks. As well, this passage talked that facing this risk, some changes in human behaviors.
Structure
The trend: the rising prevalance of dementia is a long and slow global emergency, we need a cure and sustainable way to tackle this trend.
The main cause: more than half of dementia was attributed to Alzmeimer's disease.
The effect of this main cause:
elder people bear memory loss and other cognitive functions;
insufficient familiy attention and inability to take care of himself/herself;
The positive effect on human behavior:
people pay more attention on their health before entering elder stage
technology will come soon to stem cognitive decline in Alzheimer' patients
What government should do:
recall the urgency that were used to tackle the problem before
funding more on dementia
plan a strategical dementia system: who pay it and who take care of the patient, and also we need to change the pay and social status of those workers.
Passage 2-Did Tough Antitrust Enforcement Cause The Diversification of American Corporation?
Main idea
The main idea of this passage is to make an assessment of the antitrust cause of the diversification of American corporations
Structure
the cause of corporate divertisfication changes remains unsolved. The author claimed one explanation-antitrust hypothesis, and this view was strongly supported by public but with strong skeptics:
it was universal between large corporations and small-sized ones by using statistical evidence; Within different legal restrictions, global corporations experienced comparable divertisfiction waves.
increasing corporate divertisfiction has been a feature of most western economies in the postwar years.
New words
venerable庄严的；stringent严格的；
阅读时间：6'01
整理时间：14'53
总时间：20'54
Passage 3
Main idea
The main idea of this passage is to indicate that both the low social status and low payment of North American Artisans in the long American history caused significantly decrease of the artisan's popuplation.
Structure
In eighteenth century, the artisan of North American gained no respect.
By the end of the American revolution, these artisans were regarded as a group that contributed little to the new station.
Changes of production undermins the artisan's economic position, thses skilled craftmen were replaced by inexperienced or unskilled ones, leaving no paramount qaulity and the loss of mentoring tradition.
Finally, the number of artisans dropped sharply by 1850.
阅读时间：1'42
整理时间：6'29
总时间：8'11 作者: HHHHRane 时间: 2021-1-25 14:14 Day 8
Passage 1-Does It Matter If 'The Crown' fictionalises reality?
Main idea
the main idea of this passage is to discuss whether it is important to keep reality in the fiction show 'The Crown'
Structure
some people claimed that 'The Crown' traduced the real royals and demanded that Netflix should declare 'The Crown' is a fiction.
explain that why a fiction show doesn't have to insist on historical accuracy.
the reason that the latest episodes of 'The Crown' was charged by conervatives.
the monarchy was unlikely to be effected.
another charge was the untruth of 'The Crown'
'The Crown' , as a fiction show, may could keep it's style.
Excerpt
the intervention should be read as mere virtue-signalling to conservative Britons;
Vocabulary
redeeming可取之处；smear胡乱涂抹，诽谤；burnt cork软木炭；non-nepotisical monarch非裙带关系君主；flunkey奴才；outrraged气愤的；be estranged from与...疏远；purveyor代表；cascade down from从...跌落
阅读时间：6'01
整理时间：22'32
总时间：28'33
Passage 2-Anna Wetherill Olmsted and The Ceramic National Exhibitions in 1930s USA
Main idea
The main idea of this passage is to discuss the importance of Olmested's influence in American ceramics
Structure
Although Anna Olmsted's influence was central to the American ceramics, it was affected significantly by several reasons:
the history of ceramics was written by 'named subjects', Olmested was not regarded as a ceramicist
she was not a self-promoter, therefore her stance was rejected and her works were not recognized
Olmsted's fluctuating reputation was with changing priorities in American ceramics
In the last paragraph, this passage stressed Olmsted contribution to American ceramics around the world, and she established the ctiteria of quality.
Passage 1- Using Satellites to Spot Industry's methane Leaks: To Help Combat Climate Change
Main idea
the main idea of this passage is to discuss the role of satellites to address industry's methane leaks, which is harmful to accelerate global warming.
Structure
The satellite Claire came across the mathane leaks from industry, warning the industris to stop leaking;
Why methane is a risky agent—it's a heat-trapping agent, playing an important role in causing global warming;
DJ studied images from the satellite to discuss the scale of this mathane leak, and found that this leak was the largest one compare to others.Why methane can be detected: it absorbs light, satellite is able to analyse light from it.
Satellite Claire is skilled at specting, and other satellite similar to Claire will come soon. People regard these satellites as a more reliable tool.
Excerpt
Having a number of complementary eyes-in-the sky will be an important way to reduce methane emission.
On top of that, for firms seeking to burnish their green credentials, plugging leaks is one of the most effective things they can do to help combat climate change.
Volcabulary
come across偶遇；methane沼气；spectroscopically分光镜；credentials证书；
阅读时间：6'24
整理时间：16'32
总时间：22'56
Passage 2-Radiocarbon Dating by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Main idea
The main idea of this passage is to discuss the use of radiocarbon dating by accelerator mass spectrometry
Structure
Acclerator mass spectrometry is more effective than the convetional one to detect the odler organic perservation accurately;
In convetional way, minor contamination would make severe skew measurements; however, strigent producers result in relativly small samples;
Minor imrpvements in radiocarbon accelerator can lead to sharper and more extensive chronogies, for example:
the accelerator changed a long standing view of the age of a bone by using the only amino acides from the bone
a long hold view of the first human migration to the New World was refuted by the accelerator
Acclerator dating plays an invaluable role in the chronological filed.
Excerpt
Accelerator mass spectrometry can push the threshold further back in time;
阅读时间：5‘43
整理时间：15'26
总时间：21'09 作者: HHHHRane 时间: 2021-1-27 16:26 DAY 10
PASSAGE 1-The Eyes Have It: A New Book Reveals the Excessive Attention Paid to How Executives Look
Main idea
the main idea of this passage is to discuss the appearance effect of humans on business industry
Structure
People tend to have a stereotype of certain kinds of people, such as an executive;
People tend to respect men with particular physical characteristics:
people with a certain type of appearance are more likely to get promoted
taller and more attractive men earn more than their shorter and plainer colleagues
people with attractive photo in CVs get bigger chance to have an interview
intriguing differences will be considered when the board are discussing who will be promoted
However, people's assessments is absolutely subjective, AI is suggested to select candidate qualifications.
the main idea of this passage is to reexam the hospital competition with the effect of MAR.
Structure
A research on the MAR shows that it's important to do proper MAR, but it will bring an undue effect if MAR is overestimated;
The adversely effect of MAR:
Consumers do not benefit from MAR: higher costs of care and drugs, lower quality of care
MAR is bad to competitive hospitals---accelerate the process of nationalizing the provision of hospotal servese and antitrust decisions; completely reverse traditional economic thinking about the salutory effects of competition.
It reexamines the evidence of MAR and contrast it against the simple economic proposition determined by the extent of the market.