頁共ItcouldItcouldalsoreducemisunderstandingssinceyoucanheartheemotioninpeople'sAsaresult,alotofAirchatusersthinkitoffensivewhentheyareusingInsteadoftypingposts,usersholdtherecordbuttonontheappandrecordvoiceInthefuture,wemayseeadditionalfeaturesthatmakeAirchatstandoutevenAirchatuserscanpostamessageandthereceivercanrespondwhenit'sAirchatcanbeusednotonlyforonlinemeetingsbutalsoforofflineIsthisthenextbigthing,orisitalljustImagineasocialmediaappwheretexttakesabackseatandvoicetakescenterstage!That'stheexperienceAirchatpromises.Andthisnewtakeonsocialmediaisshakingthingsupinthetechworld.Airchatisanaudio-focusedsocialmediaplatform. Theappthentranscribes(轉(zhuǎn)錄)thesemessagesintotextsothattheycanbebothheardandread.It'samixbetweenapodcastandanX(formerlyTwitter)ManythinkthatAirchat'sdecisiontoabandonthetext-firstmessagingmodelfeelsfresh.Hearingthenaturaltoneofsomeone'svoicewhentheypostfeelsmorepersonal.48What'smore,theappoffersanautoplayfeature,allowingyoutolistenwhenyou'reoutandabout.Rightnow,Airchatisaninvite-onlyapp.Onapracticallevel,thismakestheappeasiertomanagebecausetheuserbaseislimited.Butit'salsoamarketingtechniquethatfuelsinterestbymakingaproductfeelspecial.SometechwritershavenotedsimilaritiesbetweenClubhouse,anapppopularin2020,andAirchat.Bothappsareaudio-focused,startedasinvite-onlyandaremostlypopularinthetechcommunity.Butthere'sakeydifference.Clubhousewasaboutlivechatroomsanddiscussions,likeacollectionofonlineconferences.49There'snotime-sensitivepressuretocatchaconversationfromthebeginning.50Beforeitaddsnewfeatures,somewriterssaythatAirchatneedstoimproveitscontentmoderationsystem.Thedevelopersexpectuserstocheckthecontentthemselvesandremoveoffendingpostsusingin-apptools.Inextremecases,Airchatemployeesmayremoveauserfromtheplatform.Butthissystemmaynotbesufficienttokeepalargeuserbaseundercontrol.So,willAirchatblowuporquietlydisappear?Thatremainstobeseen,butonething'sforsure:It'sanexcitingnewvoiceintheworldofonlinecommunication.SoscientistsSoscientistsmadethetwocompeteagainsteachThegroupsofantsweremuchbetteratsolvingthepuzzlethanindividualItwasabitlikemovinganawkwardlylargecouchthroughanarrowhallwayorTomaketheexperimentsevenmorecomparable,theteamalsotookawaythehumans’Furthermore,whenallowedtocommunicate,humangroupsperformedaboutaswellastheaverageindividualinthegroup,sotherewasnoadvantagetoteamingup.Theants“excelincooperation,”theywrite,whilehumansneedtobeabletotalkthroughreasoningtoavoidsimplygoingwithwhattheythinkthecrowdAntsBestHumansatTestofCollectiveWhenpeopleworktogether,theycanachievegreatthings.Butiftheycan’ttalk,they’renotnecessarilysmarterthanants,atleastaccordingtoastudypublishedthismonthintheProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences.Bothlonghorncrazyantsandhumanscanfigureouthowtoworktogethertomovealargeandheavyobjectthroughaseriesofobstacles.47TheyhadindividualsandgroupsofdifferentsizesofbothspeciesmoveaT-shapedobjectthroughatrickyseriesofopeningsinwalls,bothofwhichwerescaledtothebodysizeoftheparticipants.Thiskindofpuzzleishardforantsbecausetheirpheromone-based基于信息素的)communicationaccountforthekindofgeometry(幾何)neededtogettheobjectthroughthedoors.48Insomeofthetrialstheymadethehumanswearsunglassesandmasksandforbiddingtalkingandgestures.Sothepeople,liketheants,hadtoworktogetherwithoutlanguage.TheycouldonlyrelyontheforcesgeneratedbytheirfellowparticipantstofigureouthowtomovetheT-shapedpiece.49Theyexhibitedwhattheresearchersdescribedas“emergent”collectivememory—anintelligencegreaterthanthesumofitsparts.Thegroupsofhumans,ontheotherhand,oftendidn’tdobetterwhenworkingtogether,especiallyiftheyweren’tallowedtotalk.Infact,multiplepeoplesometimesperformedworsethanindividuals—andworsethantheants.Theresearchersassumethat,intheabsenceoftheabilitytodiscussanddebate,individualsattempttoreachanagreementquicklyratherthanfullyassessingtheproblem.This“groupthink,”theysuggest,leadspeopletowardfruitless“greedy”effortswheretheydirectlypulltheT-shapedobjecttowardthegapsinthewall,ratherthanthelessobvious,correctsolutionofpullingtheobjectintothespacebetweenfirst.50 48. 49. 50.TheMercatormap,a16th-centurynavigationtool,misrepresentstheworld’sBesides,theMercatormapscangreatlyinfluencepeople’ssenseofculturalidentity.Similarly,itstillservesasthemainworldmaponmanydigitalplatformsandmobileapps.However,changingclassroommaterialsalonewon’tfullyaddresspublicmisconceptions.Itencouragestheuseofthe2018EqualEarthprojectiontoshowcountries’sizescorrectly.ExpertsarguemodernmappingtoolshavemadetraditionalworldprojectionslessAfricanUnionurgesadoptionofworldmapshowingcontinent’strueTheAfricanUnionhassupportedacampaigntostopusingtheMercatorworldmap.The“CorrectTheMap”initiativeurgesgovernmentsandinternationalorganizationstousemapsthatshowthetruesizeofAfrica. Itmakesareasnearthepoles,suchasNorthAmericaandEurope,appearlarger,whilereducinglandsneartheequatorlikeAfrica.AnditcreatesafalseideaofAfricaaslessimportant,eventhoughitistheworld’ssecond-largestcontinentinbothareaandpopulation.Thisincorrectviewhelpscontinuestereotypes刻板印象)thataffectinternationalmedia,education,andAlthoughcriticismoftheMercatormapisnotnew,thecampaignhasbroughtbackthedebate.48. correctionisvitalbecause,asMokyMakuraofAfricaNoFilterexplains,Africahaslongbeenpresentedinamisleadingwayonworldmaps.Nevertheless,theMercatormapremainswidelyusedinschoolsandacrossthetechindustry.Thiswidespreaduseisobviousinitsstatusasthestandardmapforcountlesseducationalresources.49. SeeingAfricashownsmalleronworldmapshurtspeople’sprideandharmschildren’sself-image.“WeareworkingtomaketheEqualEarthprojectionthemainmapusedinclassroomsacrossAfrica,”saidFaraNdiaye,co-founderofSpeakUpAfrica.Insupportofthiseducationaleffort,theAfricanUnionwillencouragewideruseofcorrectmapsamongitsmemberstates.It’saIt’sareasonableexplanationthat’ssupportedbytheHesentthesamplestoanindependentlaboratorythatfound9.45particlesperTominimizetheirenvironmentalimpact,hikersareencouragedtoavoidwater-richareasalongtheNowtheysuspecttheywereHikersshouldalsoconsiderwearingless-pollutingshoesorclothingmadewithnaturalTheyhavebeenfoundthroughoutthehumanbodyandcancrossthebrainMicroplasticsintheSofttrailshoes(越野鞋)andhikingclothing“appeartobesignificantcontributorstomicroplasticsfindingtheirwayintotheseremote,otherwiseextremelycleanwaters”,saidTimKeyes,aSacredHeartUniversitydatascientist.Microplasticsaretinybitsofplasticthatareeitherintentionallyaddedtoconsumerproductsorformedwhenlargerplasticsbreakdown.Theparticles微粒)maycontainanyofabout16,000plasticchemicals,ofwhichmanypresentserioushealthrisks.47In2023,KeyestooksamplesfromLakeTearoftheClouds,about1,300metershigh.Itseesheavyhikertrafficbecauseitisclosetoatrail.48 Becausetheareaonlyhadhikertraffic,itwasassumedthatmicroplasticpollutionwasbeingbroughttothearealargelybyenvironmentalwater,especiallyasrainorsnow.49 Theresearchersreturnedtwoyearslaterinearly2025tosampleLakeTearagainandalsoanotherlake,MossPond,atasimilarheightbutfarfromhumanactivityThelabfoundabout0.73piecespermLinMossPondandabout16.54piecesinLakeTear—abigdifferencesuggestingthathikertrafficplaysamajorrole.Trailshoeswithsoftsoles(鞋底)candropsmallplasticpiecesjustascartiresdo,Keyessaid.Theauthorssaythefindingsaremeanttogenerateawarenessandunderscorewhyindustryshouldproduceclothingandshoesthatwillshedfewermicroplastics.50HotelsacrossHotelsacrosstheworldareadoptingdelicatedesignchoicestomeetthisTravelsettingsactivateavacationmindsetwhereimmoderationfeelsjustBuffetsoftenleadtoovereatingduetothe“varietyeffect”–morechoiceencouragesgreaterBuffetbreakfastsareamongtheworstwrongdoers,generatingmorethantwiceasmuchwasteasplatedShareyoureffortsthroughwebsiteandsocialmediaupdates,andusebuffetsignstomakeguestsfeelpartoftheWhilemanytravellersareleaningtowardsmoreintentional,low-wastedining,hotelsstillfacethecomplexofmeetingdiverseguestIt’stimetoretiretheall-you-can-eatbreakfastAccordingtoUNEP’sFoodWasteIndexReport2024,1.05billiontonsoffoodwerewastedgloballyin2024,28%comingfromfoodservice. “Wastedfoodmeanswastedresourceslikeland,water,energyandlabour,andonceinlandfill垃圾填埋坑),releasesgreenhousegasesthatharmtheplanetandbiodiversity,”saysJocelynDoyle,headofmarketing&communications,TheSustainableHotelAssociation.“Cuttingfoodwasteisapowerfulwaytomakeadifference–andbreakfastisasmartplacetostart.” ScandicHotelsinNorthernEuropearedownsizingtheircakes,pastriesandmuffins,withtheoptiontocomebackformore;whileHiltonFrankfurtservespre-portioneditemslikeyogurtandfruitcups.NovotelBangkokSukhumvitpostspoliteremindersnearbuffetstations:“Takeonlywhatyoucaneat.”Thisshiftworkswellforthemoderntravellerforwhomsustainabilityisnolongerasidenote. Strikingtherightbalancebetweensustainabilityandserviceisnosmallact,especiallyatbreakfast.Manyhotelsnowtrackhowmuchfoodisthrownawaytodeterminethebuffet’sbaselineneeds.Doylealsosuggeststhathotelsreconsiderunder-consumeditems,installcook-to-orderstations,reducetheselectionofitemsonoffer,reducevolumestowardstheendofshiftandactivelyguideguestbehaviour.“Involveandeducateyourstaffsotheyunderstandthechangesandcanconfidentlyengageguests,”hesays.“ ThistrapsThistrapsmoreheatandmakesthehighpressureTheresult:heatdomescan’tbedrivenawayandthusstaylongerovercertainHowever,predictingheatdomesremainsasignificantScientistsareopeningtheirtoolboxestotryandfigureoutwhereandwhenheatdomeswillTomakethingsworse,forecastingheatdomesishard—abigworryastheworldgetsThatinfluencesheatdomesintwoDeadlyHeatDomesStillConfuseLastmonth,record-hightemperaturessweptacrosstheeasternUS,leadingtopoweremergencies.Thecausewasahugehigh-pressurezoneknownasaheatdome.Thissummer,italsohitEuropeandChina,leadingtothetemporaryclosureoftheEiffelTowerandworriesaboutdyingricecrops.47. “Unlikelarger-scalepatternssuchasElNi?o,whichcanbeforecastmonthsinadvance,”saidScottHandel,leadforecasterattheUSClimatePredictionCenter.“Heatdomeshaveamuchshorterleadtimeandaremorecomplex.”ZachZobel,ascientistattheWoodwellClimateResearchCenter,said“heatdome”isatermtodescribedangerousheatwavesforthepublic.Ithappenswhenalargehigh-pressuresystemsitsoveranarea,heatingitwithstillairandunstoppingsunlight.48. Heatdomescausehugeharmincludingwildfires,droughts,stressedcrops,higherelectricitydemandandprices.Theyevencutairliners’transportcapacityanddamagerailroadtracks.TheUSEPAsaidover14,000Americansdieddirectlyfromheat-relatedcausesbetween1979and2022.Climatechangeismakingheatdomesmorecommonandstronger.TheArcticiswarmingfasterthanotherpartsoftheworld,whichweakensthejetstream—astrongwindthatkeepsweathermoving.49. scientistsarestillstudyinghowthisworks,itisclearthatbetterforecastsandearlierwarningsareneededtoprotectpeopleandreducedamage.50. Measuringhowfastthejetstreammovescanbeapredictor.Whenthespeedislow,itcanbeanindicatorofwidespreadheatdomes.Weatherforecastersalsorelyonmeasureslikesoilmoisture(濕度)sincedrierlandmeanshighertemperaturestoputtheirheatforecasttogether.答案：47. 49. 50.SettingdailySettingdailylimitsfordistractingappscreatesaclearItalsohelpsyoubecomemoreawareofwhereyourtimeisTurningoffmessagesduringthissessioncanfurtherreduceIt’saboutfindingagoodbalancesothatscreensdon’tcontrolyourBeyonddigitaltools,embracingphysicalstudymaterialsprovidessubstantialThismethodhelpsyourbrainstayfreshandmakesiteasiertorememberwhatyou’reHowtoReduceScreenTimeandFocusonIntoday’sdigitalage,wherescreensdominatebotheducationandentertainment,managingscreentimehasbecomeanessentialskillforstudents.Whilewecan’tavoidusingdevicescompletely,learningtomanageourscreentimecanleadtobetterfocus,improvedhealth,andgreateracademicachievements.Agoodwaytostartisbyusingthescreentimetrackeralreadyonyourphoneorcomputer.(47) Itcanencourageyoutotransitiontoofflineactivitiesonceyourtimeisup.Tofurtherminimizedistractions,keepingyourphoneawaywhenyou’restudyingalsohelps.Trymakingyourdeskorbedroomaphone-freearea.Studiesshowthatjustseeingyourphonecanmakeithardertoconcentrate,soputtingitinanotherroomwhileyoustudyisasmartForthoseneedingextramotivation,focusappsofferacreativesolution.Thesetools,likeForest,gamifytheprocessofstayingoffline.Forexample,yougrowavirtualtreethatstaysaliveonlyifyoudon’tuseyourphone.Youcanalsotrystudyinginshortblocks,like25minutesatatimewith5-minutebreaksinbetween.(48) ItiscalledthePomodoroTechnique,astructuredmethodfordevelopingdeepworkhabits,managingenergy,anddefeatingdigital Writingbyhandhasbeenshowntohelpyourememberthingsbetterthantyping.Additionally,youmightalsowanttosetasidetimeeachdaytostudywithoutanyscreensatall.Evenonehourcanmakeadifference.Remember,thegoalisn’ttostopusingtechnologycompletely.(50) Bytryingthesesimpleideas,youcantakebackyourtime,focusbetteronyourwork,andfeelmoreincontrolofyourday.It’saIt’sakindofphasetransition,likewaterturningfromliquidtoTheythenusedtraffic-engineeringmodelstoanalyzehowtheantsDriversoftenfollowants’behaviorwhenthehighwayisHowever,humandriversatrushhourareunlikelytofollowsuchAntscommunicatethroughacentralizedleaderthatdirectstheWithoutthisspace,thewavewouldgrowintoafull“fake”trafficAntsactasModelsforSmoothFromanairplane,carscrawlingdownthehighwaylooklikeants.Butactualants—unlikecars—somehowmanagetoavoidtheproblemofstop-and-gotraffic.Researchersarenowstudyingtheseinsects’cooperativestrategiestolearnhowtoprogramself-drivingcarsthatdon’tjamup.ThefreeflowoftrafficbecomesunstableasthedensityofcarsincreasesonahighwayAt15vehiclespermileperlane,onedrivertappingtheirbrakescantriggerapersistentwaveofcongestion（擁堵）.“47,”saysKatsuhiroNishinari,amathematicalphysicistattheUniversityofTokyo,whostudiesthesejammingtransitions.Nishinari’spreviousresearchhadshownthatforaging（覓食）antscanmaintaintheirflowevenathighdensities.arecentstudypublishedinTransportationResearchInterdisciplinaryPerspectives,researchersrecordedOchetellusantsonsearchingtrails.48Theyfoundthattheantsdon’tjamatrushhourbecausetheytravelingroupsofthreeto20thatmoveatnearlyconstantrateswhilekeepinggooddistancesbetweenoneanotherandtheydon’tspeeduptopass49Butself-drivingcars,iftheyonedaybecomewidespread,couldhavemorecooperativeprogramming.Inonevisionofthisfuture,autonomousvehicleswouldshareinformationwithnearbycarstooptimizetrafficflow—perhaps,theresearcherssuggest,byprioritizingconstantspeedsandheadwaysorbynotpassingothersontheThisvehiclenetworkwouldbesimilartoantsonatrail,whichusescenttocoordinatebehaviorwhileinteractingwithoneanother.“Thereisnoleaderbutthisorganizationemergesanyway,”saysNoaPinter-Wollman,abehavioralscientistcurrentlystudyingantsattheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles.Andinbothantandvehicletraffic,thistypeofdistributedsystemcanbe“very,verystrongandresilient”,Nishinarisays.Today’sdriverscanlearnfromantstoavoidcausingatrafficjam,Nishinarisays:“don’ttailgate（尾隨）.”leavingroombetweentheircarandtheoneahead,driverscanabsorbawaveofbrakinginheavytraffic.“Justkeepingaway,”hesays,canhelptrafficflowSnacktrendsSnacktrendsalsochangeoverIntoday’sdigitalage,appscanaskcustomerstopicktheflavorstheyFlavoursthatarepopularinonecountrycancompletelyfailinanotherHowmuchworkgoesintodevelopingandmakingthesnacksthatweallknowandSnackswithfreshingredientsmayhavetooshortashelflifetobeamarketableEvenwhenahealthierversionislaunched,itoftencostsmorethantheoriginalHowaSnackIsAreyoufeelingslightlyhungry?Maybeit’sawhileuntilyournextmeal,soperhapsnowyou’rethinkingaboutreachingforabrightlycolouredwrapperwithsomethingdeliciousinside.Maybeit’stimeforasnack.You’renotalone;wealldoit.(47) FirstcompanieshavetoworkoutwhatpeoplehaveanappetiteforTraditionallytheymightjusthaveaskedpeopleabouttheirsnackhabits.(48) Companiescansearchtheinternetforeveryrestaurantmenuinaspecificmarket,lookingoutforthelatesttastetrendsandin-demandingredients(原料). WhenBritishsupermarketsareencouragedtoremoveunhealthysnacksfromtheshelvesnexttowherepeoplelineup,companiesquicklyintroducedhealthiertreats.Theycanalsoreflectdifferenthistoriesofpopulationmovement.OneBritishsnackcompanyfoundthatflavourscommoninSouthAsiancuisinesoldwellintheUK,butlesssointheUS,wherethereislessofatraditionofIndianfoodAnddemandformoresustainabilityhasledsomeentrepreneurs創(chuàng)業(yè)者)toexperimentwithusinginsectsasanalternativesourceofproteinforsnacks.Otherbrandsmarketthemselvesasofferingafairerpricetotheproducersoftherawingredients.Ofcourse,whatmightseemliketheperfectideamightnotactuallybethatpractical.Ingredientsthatworkwellinarestaurantmightnotworkonbiscuitsorchips.(50) Somedesignsmightneedexpensivepackagingtoprotectthem,whichstopsthembeingprofitable.Therearemanyfactorsthatinfluenceoursnacks.Thosethataresuccessfulreflectourtastesandconcernsbutcanbelimitedbytheproductionprocess.答案：47D48B49A50InancientInancienttimes,youhuggedcucumberstostaycool,whichwasacommonThereasoningbehinditisrootedinthemelon’sphysicalTheirmildnessbalancesrichingredients—wintermelonandporksoupisaclassicTherefore,IhadtolookintotheagriculturalpracticefurtherthroughaquickonlineUnlikeairconditioners,awintermelonprovidesamildcoolnessthat’slesslikelytocausediscomfortforWehugwintermelonstostaycoolonhotsummerKeepingcoolasawinterAfteraheavysummerafternoonofpickingvegetablesinthegarden,mydaughterandIwerehangingoutonthecouch.Shehadpickedaparticularlylargecucumberandwasreallyproudofit,tellingmehowcolditfelt.Ofcourse,thephrase“coolasacucumber”cameup.Thenmycousinsaidsomethingveryinteresting:“Oh,thatmustbeanAmericanthing.InChina,wedon’tuse “Wait,Iwasobviouslyconfusedastowhymelonswouldbehugged.Butthenmycousinexplainedthatlongbeforemoderncoolingdeviceslikeairconditionersorelectricfans,huggingwintermelon,avegetablenativetoChina,wasapracticalwaytobeatthesummerheatwhilesleeping. Wintermelons,withtheirmassivesizeandthickskin,retain(保持)acooltemperatureeveninhotweather.Oftenstoredincoolplaces,theyabsorbandretainupto96percentwater,whichmeanstheyresistheatingupquickly,stayingrefreshinglycooltothetouchevenonthehottestdays.Backthen,forordinarypeople,awintermeloncoulddoubleasanaturalcoolingpadtowhichthebodytransferredexcessheatto,providingrelieffromsticky,uncomfortablenights.Thispracticeenduresbecausemanybelieveit’sagentler,morenaturalalternativetomoderncooling Andcomparedtofans,whichblowairdirectlyontothebody,themelon’scoolnessispassiveandAndyes,wintermelonsareusedformorethanjusthugs.InChinesecuisine,they’reoftenusedindishesastheyabsorbtheflavoursofsoupsandseasonings,makingthemacommonadditiontosoups. Also,intraditionalChinesemedicine,they’revaluedfortheircoolingproperties,whicharethoughttohelpbalancethebody’sinternalheat.Tofindafull-sized,wholewintermelontohug,headtoafarmers’market.There,you’llsurelyfindonethatholdsenoughcoolnesstomakethisancienttrickfeeljustaseffectivetodayasitwascenturiesago.ButasButasMrHolland’sfundrandry,themuseumhadtolayoffstaffandcutopeningYetcollectingisabasichumaninstinct,andthewilltosharecollectionsisHaveyouheardaboutthemuseumofclocksthatmayhavetobeclosedunlessthefoundercanfindsomeonetokeepitrunningwhenheretires?DoubtsaboutthesizeandpurposeofsuchvastinstitutionsarenothingButifproofoflivingvaluewereneeded,oneoftheirmembersprovidedittwoyearsThisisastorythatwillringbellswithmanysmallTheJoyofSmallOfthe2,500museumsestimatedtoexistaroundtheUK,thegreatnationalinstitutionstakealltheair,withtheirpopularshowsandrowsoverfunding,returnofseizedtreasuresand—inthecaseoftheBritishMuseum—reportedthefts.47Fromtheirearliestdays,criticshavechallengedtheirtendencytocollectanddisplaytheremainsofempires.ThewriterG.K.ChestertononceremarkedthattheMuseumisnotmeanteitherforthewanderertoseebyaccidentbutratherforthemereslaveofaroutineofself-educationtostuffhimselfwitheverysortofintellectualfoodinoneindigestiblemeal.Buttherearehundredsofsmallermuseums,oftenfoundedbyenthusiasts,thatmakeanincalculablecontributiontoculturallife.Forthosefinancedthroughlocalauthorities,thepastdecadeandahalfhasbeenharsh,withspendingonEngland’smuseumsandgalleriesfallingbymorethanathird.48TheMusicalMuseumisacaseinpoint.ItwasfoundedinanabandonedchurchbyFrankHollandtohousehisgrowingcollectionofinstruments,andhesoldhishometosupportit.Ithassincemovedtoanewbuilding,fromwhereitstreamsconcertsontheMightyWurlitzer. Volunteersrolleduptheirsleevesandrespondedbylaunchinga60th-anniversaryappeal,whichisonthepointofreachingitstarget.50 Theyembodymanydifferententhusiasms,frompens(Birmingham)todogcollars(Kent).Suchinstitutionsarelaboursoflove.Theyarealsostatementsofwhatindividualsorcommunitieswanttosaveof,andfor,themselves—andtheworktheywillputintopreservingit.Theyarethestoriesofwhatwehavebeenandwhoweare.ThereisThereisanobviousdownsidetomysteryTheyalsoallowpeopletotrythingsthattheyotherwiseRetailersoftenlosemoneywhensellingmysteryboxestoclearItallowsthemtosellunwantedstockforaCustomersusuallygetalistofcontentsbeforebuyingmysteryThekeythingisthatcustomersdon’tknowwhat’sintheboxbeforetheyMysteryMostofusknowwhatit’sliketogetpresentsfromfriends.Whetherit’sforabirthdayorothercelebration,it’shardtobeattheexcitementofopeningacarefullywrappedboxtofindsomethingthat’sbothunexpectedandsuitsyouperfectly.Now,imagineifyoucouldgetthesamefeelingwhenyougoshoppingforyourself.That’sthefeelingthatmysteryboxeshopetoreproduce.Mysteryboxesarenotanewidea—theywereafeatureofdepartmentstoresinJapanintheearly20thTheycontainarangeofdifferentproducts,whicharesoldatalowerpricethantheircombinedvalue.Allkindsofmysteryboxesareavailable:fashionboxes,foodboxes,beautyboxes,evenluckyboxes,whicharevirtualitemsforvideogames.Thepleasantsurpriseisnottheonlyattractionofmysteryboxes.48Seasonalvegetablesubscriptionboxesmightleadpeopletolearntocooknewmeals.Theycanalsopotentiallyoffergreatsavings—astherecommendedconsumerpriceofthecontentsisoftenfarhigherthanthepurchaseprice.Forsellersandsuppliers,thebenefitsareclear:49BritishfashionmysteryboxbusinessmanMarioMaherhighlightshowmysteryboxescanhelpreducetheamountofwasteinthefashionindustry.Peoplemightdiscoverproductrangesthatwouldotherwisebethrownaway.50Whenyoubuythem,youdon’tknowwhatyou’llget!Itmaybethatthegoodsinsidearenottoyourtaste,butthereisalsothepotentialforcheaterstoemploytheunpredictabilityofmysteryboxestosenditemsthathaveamuchlowervaluethanthepriceofthebox.So,aremysteryboxesafunwayofreducingwasteandmakingshoppingmoreexciting,ormoreanopportunityfordisappointment,orworse—cheating?ThestaffThestaffhavegivenupmakingeffortstoreversesuchaseriousInhisopinion,thetheftsucceededingivingFranceanunacceptableTheanswerpointstoitspublicfinancesalreadyundergreatconstantDigintothequestion,andyou’lluncovertheanswerhiddenbehinditsworksof Duetosuchoverload,museumstaffrepeatedlygaveauthoritieswarningsaboutsecuritythreats.AnambitiousplantotransformthemuseumhasthustakenshapeandisunderHowCouldLouvre(盧浮宮RobberyHaveInthemorningonOctoberthe19th2025,afterthievesbrokeintotheLouvreMuseuminbroaddaylight,makingoffwith8piecesoftreasures,anembarrassednationisaskingitselfaquestion:HowcouldFranceletthishappen? Problemsrelatedtofundshaveactuallyheldbackthestate-ownedmuseum’sabilitytomanagemassivecrowdsandultimatelysecuresomeoftheworld’smostvaluablecollectionsofart.Thefactthatthebreak-inoccurredattheLouvrePalace,asymbolofFrance’sculturalmight,andencounteredlittleresistance,hasFrenchofficialsquestioningnotjusttheLouvre’sdefenselessness,butthatofculturalsitesacrossthecountry.Severalministersarrangedforacrisismeetingtoexaminetheextentofthesecuritybreakdown.JusticeMinisterGéraldDarmaninexpressed,“Onethingiscertain:it’sthatwehavefailed”. Themuseumstaffareplacingtheblameonyearsofstaffingcuts.ThecontinuouslayoffshavelefttheLouvrewithtoughchoicesoverwheretopositionalimitednumberofsecurityguardsandcameras.Theyguardmorethan700,000squarefeetofexhibitionspacethatcontainsmasterpiecesrangingfromtheMonaLisatomanyancientstatuesfromEgypt. “Wewereshoutingfromtherooftops,”éliseMuller,aLouvresecurityguardandunionofficialsaid,“Wecannowseehowlittlewewerelistenedto.”InJune,museumstaffevenmountedaprotestoverconditionsatthemuseum,sayingthecrowdswereaddingstresstothesecurityteaminc