英语流利说20181225

Bill Gate's best books of the year have a New Age twist

"Educated," by Tara Westover(Random House). I never thought I'd relate to a story about growing up in a Mormon survivalist household, but Tara Westover is such a good writer that she got me to reflect on my own life while reading about her extreme childhood.

"Army of None," by Paul Scharre(Norton). Autonomous weapons aren't exactly top of mind for most around the holidays, but this thought-provoking look at A.I. in warfare is hard to put down. It's an immensely complicated topic, but Scharre offers clear expanations and presents both the pros and cons of machine-driven warfare.

"Bad Blood," by John Carreyrou(Knopf). Carreyrou gives you the definitive insider's look at the rise and fall of Theranos, the health tech company that claimed it could perform an array of medical tests from a small amount of blood. This book has everything: elaborate scams, corporate intrigue, magazine cover stories, ruined family relationships and the demise of a company once valued at nearly $10 billion.

"21 Lessons for the 21st Century," by Yuval Noah Harari(Spiegel&Grau). If 2018 has left you overwhelmed by the state of the the world, "21 Lessons" offers a helpful framework for processing the news and thinking about the challenges we face.

"The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness," by Andy Puddicombe(St. Martin's Griffin). The book starts with Puddicombe's personal journey from a university student to a Buddhist monk and then becomes an entertaining  expainer on how to meditate. If you're thinking about trying mindfullness, this is the perfect introduction.

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Key words

relate to, 与...产生共鸣

survivalist, n.生存主义者

thought-provoking, adj. 引起思考的，发人深省的

warfare, n.战争(尤指作战的方式) | air warfare | naval warfare

immensely, adv.非常，极大地 | immensely popular | immensely difficult

elaborate, adj.精心设计的，周密的 | Many people are making elaborate preparations for the dinner.

scam, n.诡计，骗局 | a credit card scam

intrigue, n.阴谋；故事扣人心弦 | This novel is filled with intrigue.

demise, n.消亡，死亡 | his tragic demise

overwhelm, v.感到难以承受，不知所措 | He was overwhelmed wih/by the death of his father.

overwhelming, adj. 势不可挡的，巨大的

mindfulness, n.正念

monk, n.僧侣，修道士