There are some things money can’t buy. Education, however, does not appear to be among them—at least as measured by performance on international exams. On average, pupils in wealthy countries obtain vastly higher test scores than those in developing ones. Do students in the rich world perform better because their governments provide superior schools? Or is the reason that they tend to have richer parents, and enjoy more educational resources at home?

Evaluating test scores around the world is more challenging than it sounds. Although pupils in the rich world mostly take one of a few big international exams, many developing countries rely on regional tests, making apples-to-apples comparisons impossible.

Dev Patel of Harvard University and Justin Sandefur of the Center for Global Development organized an exam in 2016 for 2,314 children in Bihar, in northern India. It included both questions from the leading tests and ones taken from smaller exams. Using answers from the same pupils on the same day to questions from different tests, they built a statistical model they called a “Rosetta Stone”. It can translate scores from a range of exams—such as one used only in West Africa—into an equal mark in other common international tests.

Patel and Sandefur then used these equations(等式) to calculate how pupils in 80 different countries would perform on the benchmark(基准) Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Their data show that the wealth of a student’s country and family has similar influences on test scores, meaning that big gaps in GDP per person matter more than small ones in household income do. For example, pupils from families that are very poor by rich-world standards—those earning $ 5,000 a year (measured in 2005 dollars)—were expected to score around 500 out of 1,000 on the TIMSS in America, and 560 in Japan. In contrast, those whose parents make $ 10,000 a year in an upper-middle-income country, such as Costa Rica, still manage only the equal of a 475.

Since the pandemic (流行病) hit, we’re on video calls more than ever before, and many are finding it extremely tiring.

Being on a video call requires more focus than a face-to-face chat, says Gianpiero Petriglien, an associate professor at Insead. Video chats mean we need to work harder to process facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, and body language: paying more attention to these consumes a lot of energy. “Our minds are together when our bodies feel we’re not. That causes people to have conflicting (互相冲突) feelings, and i: is exhausting You cannot relax into the conversation naturally.” he says.

“Silence is another challenge.” he adds. “Silence creates a natural rhythm in a real-life conversation. However, when it happens in a video call, you become anxious about the technology.” It also makes people uncomfortable. One 2014 study by German Scholars showed that delays (延迟) on phone or conferencing systems shaped our unpleasant views of people: even delays of 1.2 seconds made people regard the responder as less friendly or focused.

An added factor, says Marissa Shulffer, an associate professor at Clemson University, is that if we are physically on camera, we are very aware of being watched. “When you’re on a video conference, you knew everybody’s looking at you; you are on stage, so there comes the social pressure and feeling like you need to perform. Being performative is nerve-wracking.” It’s also very hard for people not to look at their own face if they can see it on screen, or not to be conscious (有意识的) of how they behave in front of the camera.

Both experts suggest limiting video calls to those that are necessary. Turning on the camera should be optional and is general there should be more understanding that cameras do not always have to be on throughout teach meeting. Having your screen off to the side, instead of straight ahead, could also help your concentration, particularly in group meetings, says Petriglien. It makes you feel like you’re in a next-door room, so you may be less bring.

Ask most people which day of the week they fear the most and the answer is likely to be Monday. The first day of the working week can make us experience a sense of tiredness or fatigue. 【小题1】          

【小题2】 It’s the time of year when we’re supposedly feeling at our lowest and most “blue”. We’re thought to be more likely to feel down because the weather’s cold and we’re back at work. We’ve got to make up all the money we spent at Christmas and we’re feeling guilty for already breaking our New Year’s resolutions.

Some consider the term, pseudo-science, saying that there is no such thing as a 24-hour depression. 【小题3】 The decreasing motivation to work, the lack of interest in everything and the regret for what is not finished can be clearly felt on the first day of the week. 【小题4】 Someone who misses the deadline and cannot meet the standard at work affects the overall efficiency and teamwork within a project.

Fortunately, we don’t have to suffer that on Monday, not if we remember: we all have our good days and our bad days, and those aren’t for the calendar (日历) to decide. 【小题5】 Rather than automatically thinking we feel blue on Blue Monday, reflect on the well being of our mind, practice self-care and seek support when needed. In this way, we can weather the Monday blues and any other challenges that come our way.