课程一：You’re kidding, right? — What a sense of humor!

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课程级别： C1 - Advanced 1
学习目标：
- 能够对建议做出正面和负面的反应
- 能够谈论不同类型的幽默

Card 1：词汇匹配（Word Challenge）

Card 3：Talk about it — 讨论问题准备

What do you find funny?
I find dry humor and wordplay the funniest. I enjoy jokes that require you to think for a moment before you get them — that “aha” moment is really satisfying. I also like observational comedy that points out the absurdity of everyday life.

我觉得冷幽默和文字游戏最有趣。我喜欢需要想一下才能get到的笑话——那个”恍然大悟”的时刻非常令人满足。我也喜欢观察式喜剧，指出日常生活中荒诞的部分。

Which words would you use to describe your sense of humor?
I’d say my humor is mostly dry and wry. I tend to keep a straight face when making a joke, which sometimes confuses people who aren’t familiar with me. I also appreciate wit — clever, quick responses in conversation.

我会说我的幽默大多是冷幽默和讽刺式的。我讲笑话时倾向于面无表情，这有时会让不熟悉我的人感到困惑。我也欣赏机智——对话中聪明快速的回应。

Do you watch comedy shows / listen to comedy shows / tell jokes / watch funny movies?
Yes, I enjoy stand-up comedy specials and comedy podcasts. I watch shows like sitcoms and funny movies to unwind. I don’t often tell formal jokes, but I like making witty comments in everyday conversation.

是的，我喜欢看脱口秀专场和喜剧播客。我看情景喜剧和搞笑电影来放松。我不经常讲正式的笑话，但喜欢在日常对话中说些机智的评论。

Is being funny and laughing together part of your office culture?
Yes, humor is definitely present in my work environment. We often crack jokes during meetings to lighten the mood, especially when dealing with stressful projects. It brings a sense of camaraderie and makes collaboration easier. It also helps reduce tension during disagreements — a well-timed wisecrack can defuse an awkward situation.

是的，幽默在我的工作环境中绝对存在。我们经常在会议中开玩笑来活跃气氛，尤其是处理压力大的项目时。这带来了一种同志情谊，也让合作更顺畅。在分歧时也有助于缓解紧张——一句恰到好处的俏皮话可以化解尴尬。

Card 4：Spotlight — 美式幽默 vs 英式幽默

原文：

American humor

Some people – Brits in particular – might categorize American humor as more “in-your-face” than British humor, meaning that it’s obvious when a person is joking or trying to be funny.
一些人——尤其是英国人——可能会将美式幽默归类为比英式幽默更”直白”，意思是很容易看出一个人在开玩笑或试图搞笑。

Understatement isn’t really a good word to describe American humor!
“含蓄”并不是描述美式幽默的好词！

Many classic types of wordplay are common, including double entendre, innuendo, and puns.
许多经典的文字游戏类型很常见，包括一语双关、含沙射影和双关语。

However, the tolerance for truly offensive jokes has decreased in recent decades, given the rise of political correctness.
然而，由于政治正确的兴起，近几十年来人们对真正冒犯性笑话的容忍度已经降低。

In fact, making some types of humorous observations can land you in a great deal of hot water.
事实上，做某些类型的幽默观察可能会让你惹上大麻烦。

British humor

British joke-tellers are known to be a bit more dry than their American counterparts, and also more witty.
英国人讲笑话以比美国人更冷、更机智而闻名。

British jokes are not always obvious, and can often leave American listeners shaking their heads in confusion!
英式笑话并不总是显而易见的，常常让美国听众困惑地摇头！

It is said that irony – which is essential to the humor of the U.K. – is completely lost on Americans.
据说反讽——英国幽默的核心——完全不被美国人理解。

British humor also tends to be more pessimistic and darker.
英式幽默也倾向于更悲观、更黑暗。

Further, off-color humor is more widely accepted here than across the Atlantic.
此外，低俗幽默在英国比在大西洋对岸更被广泛接受。

讨论问题回答：

Do you agree with these differences?
Largely yes. American humor does tend to be more direct and “in-your-face” — you usually know when someone is joking. British humor is indeed more subtle; the deadpan delivery and heavy reliance on irony can easily go over the heads of non-native speakers. However, I think the line is blurring in the age of global media.

基本同意。美式幽默确实更直接和”怼脸”——你通常能分辨出对方在开玩笑。英式幽默确实更微妙；面无表情的表达方式和对反讽的大量依赖容易让非母语者摸不着头脑。但我认为在全球化媒体时代，这个界限正在模糊。

Which type of humor do you find funniest and why?
I personally prefer British humor because I enjoy the subtlety and the intellectual challenge. The dry delivery makes the punchline land harder when you finally get it. That said, American physical comedy and one-liners can be genuinely hilarious too.

我个人更喜欢英式幽默，因为我欣赏其中的微妙和智力挑战。冷静的表达方式让你最终领悟时，笑点的冲击力更强。话虽如此，美式的肢体喜剧和一句话笑话也可以非常搞笑。

Can you give examples?
- British: Ricky Gervais in The Office (UK) — the cringe humor and deadpan delivery are quintessentially British. Monty Python is a classic example of absurd British comedy.
- American: Friends and Seinfeld rely on situational humor and one-liners. Stand-up comedians like Jerry Seinfeld use observational humor about everyday life.

英式举例：Ricky Gervais在英版《办公室》中——令人尴尬的幽默和面无表情的表达是典型的英式。Monty Python是荒诞英式喜剧的经典。
美式举例：《老友记》和《宋飞正传》依赖情景幽默和一句话笑话。Jerry Seinfeld等脱口秀演员用对日常生活的观察来搞笑。

Card 5：Reactions — 短语用法分析

工作中使用场景举例：
- 同事提出一个新的项目方案：“Brilliant! You had me at ‘automated workflow’.”
- 有人建议取消所有周会：“You’re kidding, right? That doesn’t make any sense!”

Card 6：Vocabulary Boost — 对标语的反应

副词用法： incredibly / unbelievably / completely / absolutely / exactly / truly / widely 用于加强语气

Card 8/9：Before you go — 课程总结

Which word would you use to describe your sense of humor, or the style of jokes you find funny?
I’d use dry and wry. I enjoy humor that’s understated and requires the listener to read between the lines. A well-crafted pun or a sharp one-liner can also make my day.

我会用 dry（冷幽默）和 wry（讽刺式幽默）来描述。我喜欢含蓄的、需要听者自己琢磨的幽默。一个精心构思的双关语或犀利的一句话笑话也能让我开心一整天。

Which word would you use to describe a type of humor you do not find funny?
I’d say off-color humor. I don’t enjoy jokes that rely on being offensive or inappropriate to get a laugh. I also find excessive slapstick a bit tiresome — while physical comedy can be clever, when it’s just people falling over repeatedly, it doesn’t do much for me.

我会说 off-color humor（低俗幽默）。我不喜欢靠冒犯或不恰当来博笑的笑话。我也觉得过度的 slapstick（闹剧式喜剧）有点无聊——虽然肢体喜剧可以很巧妙，但如果只是不停地摔倒，对我没什么吸引力。

课程收获总结（You can now…）

• ✅ React to suggestions, both positively and negatively — 能够对建议做出正面和负面反应
• ✅ Talk about different types of humor — 能够谈论不同类型的幽默

课程二：Discovery — Create your own learning

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课程级别： C1 - Advanced 1

Card 2：自选文章/视频分享准备

What article/video did you choose?
I chose an article about renewable energy around the world — specifically how different countries are transitioning to clean energy sources.

我选了一篇关于全球可再生能源的文章——特别是不同国家如何向清洁能源转型。

What was it about?
It was about how countries like France, Germany, Portugal, China, and Costa Rica are adopting various forms of renewable energy, including solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal energy, to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.

文章讲的是法国、德国、葡萄牙、中国和哥斯达黎加等国如何采用太阳能、风能、水力和地热能等各种可再生能源来减少对化石燃料的依赖。

What did you learn from it?
I learned that Germany once produced so much renewable energy that power prices actually went negative — people were getting paid to use energy. I also learned that Costa Rica generated over 99% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2014.

我了解到德国曾经产生了如此多的可再生能源，以至于电价变成了负数——人们使用能源还能获得报酬。我还了解到哥斯达黎加在2014年超过99%的电力来自可再生能源。

Why was it interesting?
It was interesting because it showed that the transition to renewable energy isn’t just a future goal — it’s already happening at impressive scales in several countries.

有趣的是它展示了向可再生能源的转型不仅仅是一个未来目标——它已经在多个国家以令人印象深刻的规模在发生。

What were your main takeaways from it?
The main takeaways are: different countries leverage different natural advantages (sun, wind, water); the technology is already viable at national scale; and the biggest remaining challenge is energy storage.

主要收获是：不同国家利用不同的自然优势（阳光、风、水）；技术在国家规模上已经可行；最大的剩余挑战是能源存储。

Would you recommend it? Why/why not?
Yes, I’d recommend it. It provides a concise overview of renewable energy progress globally and is easy to understand, making it suitable for anyone interested in sustainability and clean energy trends.

是的，我会推荐。它简明地概述了全球可再生能源进展，容易理解，适合任何对可持续发展和清洁能源趋势感兴趣的人。

Card 3：词汇表

Card 4：阅读文章 — Renewable energy around the world

Nowadays, many countries are using different types of renewable energy.
如今，许多国家正在使用不同类型的可再生能源。

The Paris Agreement is a prime example of how the world is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
《巴黎协定》是全球努力减少温室气体排放的典型例子。

It is all about mitigating global warming.
这一切都是为了缓解全球变暖。

Countries are transitioning to relying on renewable energy. These are some examples:
各国正在向依赖可再生能源转型。以下是一些例子：

• Solar energy is provided by the Sun’s rays which comes in the form of radiation. There are many forms of solar energy which makes it an appealing source of energy. Some types are: solar heating, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture, and artificial photosynthesis.
• 太阳能由太阳光线以辐射形式提供。太阳能有多种形式，使其成为一种有吸引力的能源。一些类型包括：太阳能加热、光伏、太阳能热能、太阳能建筑和人工光合作用。

• Wind energy is created by using wind turbines to convert the kinetic energy in the wind into power. Harnessing this type of energy has many advantages, such as being cost effective. In addition, there are basically no polluting properties when it comes to wind power.
• 风能是通过使用风力涡轮机将风中的动能转化为电力来产生的。利用这种能源有许多优势，例如具有成本效益。此外，风力发电基本上没有污染特性。

• Hydropower, also known as hydroenergy, uses water stored in dams and flowing in rivers to create electricity. This type of energy is produced by rotating blades that spin a generator to convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy.
• 水力发电，也称为水能，利用水坝中储存的水和河流中流动的水来发电。这种能源通过旋转叶片带动发电机将机械能转化为电能来产生。

• Geothermal power is generated by using steam produced from hot water found miles below the Earth’s surface. The steam rotates a turbine that uses a generator to produce electricity. This energy source is used for electricity in 24 countries around the world, while 70 countries use geothermal heating.
• 地热能是利用地表以下数英里处的热水产生的蒸汽来发电的。蒸汽旋转涡轮机，涡轮机使用发电机产生电力。这种能源在全球24个国家用于发电，70个国家使用地热供暖。

Let’s look at the countries paving the way in renewable energy.
让我们来看看在可再生能源方面铺平道路的国家。

• France has a plan to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 according to the Paris Agreement. France also wants to increase its energy efficiency and plans to no longer use coal for energy after 2022. By the end of 2014, France was using renewable energy for over 14% of its total energy requirements, so the country is on its way towards using cleaner energy.
• 根据《巴黎协定》，法国计划到2040年禁止所有汽油和柴油车辆。法国还希望提高能源效率，并计划在2022年后不再使用煤炭作为能源。到2014年底，法国的可再生能源占总能源需求的14%以上，因此该国正在朝着使用更清洁能源的方向前进。

• Germany is the world leader in solar power production. In 2016, Germany produced enough renewable energy for 50% of the country’s energy needs. In addition to solar power, Germany generated energy using wind power too. For an amount of time, power prices went actually negative. People were getting paid to use energy—imagine that! But sources are needed in order to store this kind of energy. By 2050, the country has a goal of powering the entire country with renewable energy.
• 德国是全球太阳能发电的领导者。2016年，德国生产了足以满足该国50%能源需求的可再生能源。除了太阳能，德国还利用风能发电。有一段时间，电价实际上变成了负数。人们使用能源还能获得报酬——想想看！但需要找到存储这种能源的方法。到2050年，该国的目标是用可再生能源为整个国家供电。

• Portugal was powered by renewable energy for four consecutive days. They use solar, wind, and hydropower. There have been many changes in this country over the last five years. They are proud of their abundant natural resources.
• 葡萄牙连续四天完全由可再生能源供电。他们使用太阳能、风能和水力发电。该国在过去五年发生了许多变化。他们为自己丰富的自然资源感到自豪。

• China exceeded its expectations of producing 15% of the country’s energy from renewable sources by producing 3% more. Solar and wind power are the most popular ones in China.
• 中国超额完成了可再生能源占国家能源15%的预期，多生产了3%。太阳能和风能是中国最受欢迎的可再生能源。

• Costa Rica is taking good advantage of renewable energy. In 2014, 99% of Costa Rica’s electrical energy was generated from renewable energy sources. In 2016, it was over 98%. Most of this energy comes from hydroelectric power, but the country also harnesses geothermal energy, solar power, and wind power. However, Costa Rica is still dependent on oil, so when will the electric car gain in popularity in Costa Rica?
• 哥斯达黎加正在充分利用可再生能源。2014年，哥斯达黎加99%的电能来自可再生能源。2016年超过98%。大部分能源来自水力发电，但该国也利用地热能、太阳能和风能。然而，哥斯达黎加仍然依赖石油，那么电动汽车何时才能在哥斯达黎加流行起来？

Renewable energy is helping the world be a cleaner place.
可再生能源正在帮助世界变得更清洁。

British billionaire Richard Branson is working to set up a fund to help Caribbean nations that were devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017 by replacing the fossil fuel dependent utilities that were destroyed with low carbon renewable energy sources.
英国亿万富翁理查德·布兰森正在努力建立一个基金，通过用低碳可再生能源替代被摧毁的依赖化石燃料的公用设施，来帮助2017年被飓风艾尔玛摧毁的加勒比国家。

So now the Caribbean is moving towards using clean energy after their catastrophic loss.
因此，加勒比地区在经历灾难性损失后正在转向使用清洁能源。

More and more people are supporting renewable energy and hopefully this will have a positive impact on our world.
越来越多的人支持可再生能源，希望这将对我们的世界产生积极影响。

Card 5：讨论问题 — Renewable Energy

Does your country use renewable energy?
Yes, China is one of the world’s largest investors in renewable energy. We use solar power, wind power, and hydropower extensively. China has the world’s largest installed capacity of both solar and wind energy. The Three Gorges Dam is one of the largest hydroelectric projects globally.

是的，中国是全球最大的可再生能源投资国之一。我们广泛使用太阳能、风能和水力发电。中国拥有全球最大的太阳能和风能装机容量。三峡大坝是全球最大的水电项目之一。

Considering the renewable energy discussed in the article, how is each harnessed?
- Solar: Sun’s radiation is captured by photovoltaic panels or solar thermal systems
- Wind: Wind turbines convert kinetic energy in the wind into electrical power
- Hydropower: Water stored in dams or flowing in rivers spins turbines connected to generators
- Geothermal: Steam from underground hot water rotates turbines to produce electricity

• 太阳能：光伏板或太阳能热力系统捕获太阳辐射
• 风能：风力涡轮机将风中的动能转化为电力
• 水力：水坝中储存的水或河流中流动的水驱动与发电机相连的涡轮机
• 地热能：地下热水产生的蒸汽旋转涡轮机来发电

Which renewable energy do you think is the best and why?
I think solar energy has the most potential because it’s the most scalable and accessible — the sun shines everywhere. With improving battery storage technology and decreasing costs of solar panels, it can be deployed in both urban and rural settings. However, a combination of sources is always ideal since each has limitations depending on geography and climate.

我认为太阳能最有潜力，因为它最具可扩展性和可及性——阳光无处不在。随着电池储能技术的进步和太阳能板成本的下降，太阳能可以在城市和农村环境中部署。不过，多种能源的组合始终是理想的，因为每种都有地理和气候方面的局限性。

What do you think about Richard Branson working to bring renewable energy to the Caribbean?
I think it’s a smart approach — turning a devastating loss into an opportunity to rebuild with cleaner infrastructure. Rather than simply restoring fossil fuel systems, using the rebuilding process to transition to renewables is both economically and environmentally forward-thinking.

我觉得这是个聪明的做法——将毁灭性的损失转化为用更清洁基础设施重建的机会。与其简单地恢复化石燃料系统，不如利用重建过程转向可再生能源，这在经济上和环境上都是有远见的。

Do you think power prices can go negative with renewable energy?
Yes, it’s already happened in Germany and other places. When renewable supply exceeds demand and there’s insufficient storage capacity, prices can go negative. This highlights the critical importance of developing better energy storage solutions — it’s the key bottleneck in the renewable energy transition.

是的，这在德国和其他地方已经发生过。当可再生能源供应超过需求而存储容量不足时，电价可能变为负数。这凸显了开发更好储能解决方案的关键重要性——这是可再生能源转型的关键瓶颈。

Card 6：投票题 — Do you think it is necessary to have managers in business?

My answer: Yes, but with nuance. Managers are necessary to align team efforts, remove blockers, and ensure coordination — especially in larger organizations. However, the style of management matters more than the mere existence of managers. A good manager enables rather than controls. In small, highly-skilled teams, a flat structure with minimal management can also work well.

我的回答： 是的，但需要细说。管理者对于统一团队努力、消除障碍和确保协调是必要的——尤其在较大的组织中。然而，管理风格比管理者的存在本身更重要。好的管理者是赋能而非控制。在小型高技能团队中，最少管理的扁平化结构也可以运作良好。

Card 7：词汇表 — Management Styles

Card 8：阅读文章 — Management styles

What is the best management style? There are many different management styles and each one has a specific purpose or goal, but there are clearly pros and cons for each one.
最佳管理风格是什么？有许多不同的管理风格，每种都有其特定目的或目标，但每种都有明显的优缺点。

Over the years, the word ‘management’ has taken on various meanings, making it the broad area it has become today.
多年来，“管理”一词承载了各种含义，使其成为今天这个广泛的领域。

We only need to look up the definition of the word to realize how broad it is and its applications.
我们只需查阅这个词的定义就能意识到它有多广泛及其应用范围。

The Business Dictionary defines management as: “The organization and coordination of the activities of a business in order to achieve defined objectives. It includes the functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling in order to accomplish a target, objective, or goal. In carrying out these functions, it taps into the available resources of the organization, such as human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and even natural resources, if any.”
《商业词典》将管理定义为：“为实现既定目标而对企业活动进行的组织和协调。它包括为完成目标而进行的计划、组织、人员配置、指导和控制等职能。在执行这些职能时，它利用组织的可用资源，如人力资源、财务资源、技术资源，甚至自然资源（如果有的话）。”

Management vs. leadership: Often, management is used interchangeably with ‘leadership’, although there have been several differentiations made between managers and leaders.
管理与领导力：通常，管理与”领导力”可互换使用，尽管管理者和领导者之间已有多种区分。

Management and leadership are two different things, but they should always go together.
管理和领导力是两件不同的事，但它们应该始终相伴而行。

One way to make the distinction is to know what makes a leader different from a manager.
区分二者的一种方法是了解领导者与管理者的不同之处。

Basically, leaders have people following their lead, while managers have people working for them.
基本上，领导者有人追随他们的引领，而管理者有人为他们工作。

In leadership, the person tries to get the people in a group or an organization to understand an overall vision, and inspire them to join forces and work together towards the accomplishment of that vision to meet the defined targets and goals.
在领导力中，这个人试图让团队或组织中的人理解整体愿景，并激励他们团结一致，共同朝着实现该愿景、达成既定目标和目的而努力。

Management, on the other hand, refers to administering tasks and ensuring that day-to-day occurrences are going according to plan.
另一方面，管理指的是执行任务并确保日常事务按计划进行。

Not all managers are the same. Some are good, some are found to be lacking.
并非所有管理者都一样。有些是好的，有些被认为是不足的。

Some are well liked, while others have a hard time getting the favor of the people above them, as well as the members of their own team.
有些人很受欢迎，而另一些人很难获得上级以及自己团队成员的认可。

Consulting Firm Hay McBer identified these six management styles:
咨询公司Hay McBer确定了以下六种管理风格：

Directive: The primary objective of this management style, which is no different to the concept of micromanagement, is to obtain immediate compliance of employees or subordinates. Often, this management style is not recommended, although there are times when using it may be needed. Thus, this style should be used with extreme caution, and only when absolutely necessary, or as a last resort.
指令式： 这种管理风格的主要目标是获得员工或下属的立即服从，本质上与微观管理概念无异。通常不推荐这种管理风格，尽管有时可能需要使用。因此，应极其谨慎地使用，仅在绝对必要时或作为最后手段。

Authoritative: This style, also known as the ‘visionary’ style, is often touted as the most effective out of all the six management styles, although it is not without its disadvantages. The authoritative style has one goal: providing a long-term vision and direction for employees and subordinates.
权威式： 这种风格也称为”愿景式”，通常被宣扬为六种管理风格中最有效的，尽管它也并非没有缺点。权威式风格有一个目标：为员工和下属提供长期愿景和方向。

Affiliative: This is the ‘people come first’ style, meaning that people are seen as more important than their functions. This management style is aimed at creating a harmonious relationship in the workplace, particularly between the manager and the employees, and also among the employees.
亲和式： 这是”以人为本”的风格，意味着人被视为比其职能更重要。这种管理风格旨在创造工作场所的和谐关系，尤其是管理者与员工之间以及员工彼此之间的关系。

Participative: This is also known as the ‘democratic’ style of management. More than just promoting harmony among employees, the participative management style aims at establishing consensus and building commitment among employees.
参与式： 也称为”民主式”管理风格。不仅仅是促进员工之间的和谐，参与式管理风格旨在建立共识和培养员工的承诺感。

Pacesetting: This is another management style that can also be applied in different working environments. Organizations have goals and objectives to work on and to achieve. With the pacesetting management style, the manager aims to accomplish these tasks to a high standard of excellence.
标杆式： 这是另一种可以应用于不同工作环境的管理风格。组织有需要努力实现的目标和目的。标杆式管理风格中，管理者旨在以高标准的卓越来完成这些任务。

Coaching: As the term implies, this style involves a lot of coaching and mentoring. The coaching style aims to contribute to the long-term professional development of employees.
教练式： 顾名思义，这种风格涉及大量的辅导和指导。教练式风格旨在促进员工的长期职业发展。

Now we come to the all important question: which is the best management style? Sorry to disappoint, but there is no right or wrong management style.
现在我们来到最重要的问题：哪种管理风格最好？抱歉让你失望了，但没有对错之分的管理风格。

The best management style will depend on several factors, such as the nature of the business, the work involved, the personalities and capabilities of the people involved, their levels of experience and values, and even various circumstances during a certain period of time.
最佳管理风格取决于多个因素，如业务性质、涉及的工作、相关人员的性格和能力、他们的经验水平和价值观，甚至特定时期的各种情况。

The best leaders and managers often use more than two or three of these management styles at any time. There is no limit to how many styles can be employed by one manager, as long as they do it right.
最好的领导者和管理者往往在任何时候都使用两到三种以上的管理风格。一个管理者可以采用的风格数量没有限制，只要他们运用得当。

Card 9：讨论问题 — Management Styles

What is the management style of your current manager — or your own management style if you are a manager?
My current manager primarily uses a coaching style combined with participative elements. They focus on helping team members develop their skills while also encouraging everyone to contribute ideas and reach consensus on decisions. When deadlines are tight, they occasionally shift to a pacesetting style to push for high-quality results.

我目前的管理者主要采用教练式结合参与式的风格。他们专注于帮助团队成员发展技能，同时鼓励每个人贡献想法并在决策上达成共识。当截止日期紧迫时，偶尔会转向标杆式来推动高质量成果。

In your opinion, what is the least effective management style? And the most effective management style?
The least effective in most situations is the directive style — it kills creativity, damages morale, and makes employees feel mistrusted. The most effective is probably the authoritative/visionary style, because it gives people clear direction while still allowing autonomy in how they achieve goals. However, the truly best approach is a flexible combination depending on the situation.

在大多数情况下，最无效的是指令式——它扼杀创造力、损害士气、让员工感到不被信任。最有效的可能是权威/愿景式，因为它给人们明确方向的同时仍允许在实现目标的方式上保持自主性。但真正最好的方式是根据情况灵活组合。

Where do you think it would be appropriate and/or necessary to use the directive management style?
The directive style is appropriate in crisis situations — for example, during a security breach, a factory emergency, or when a critical deadline is about to be missed. It’s also useful when managing very new or inexperienced employees who need explicit step-by-step guidance, or in highly regulated environments where strict compliance is non-negotiable (such as healthcare or aviation).

指令式适用于危机情况——例如安全漏洞、工厂紧急事件或关键截止日期即将错过时。在管理非常新或缺乏经验的员工时也很有用，他们需要明确的分步指导；或在高度监管的环境中，严格合规不容商量（如医疗或航空）。

Card 11：Before you go — 课程总结

What was the most useful word or phrase you learned this lesson?
The most useful phrase I learned is “to pave the way” — it’s versatile and works in many business contexts. For example: “Our pilot project paved the way for a company-wide rollout.” I’d teach this to colleagues because it’s a natural-sounding idiom that can replace more generic phrases like “prepare for” or “lead to.”

我学到的最有用的短语是 “to pave the way”（铺平道路）——它用途广泛，适用于许多商务场景。例如：“Our pilot project paved the way for a company-wide rollout.”（我们的试点项目为全公司推广铺平了道路。）我会教给同事这个短语，因为它是一个自然地道的习语，可以替代更普通的表达如”prepare for”或”lead to”。

新闻一：Apple approves Poke as the first AI agent on its Messages for Business platform

⬆️ 回到目录

三分钟演讲稿

Hello everyone. Today I want to talk about a significant development in the AI agent space: Apple has approved the first-ever AI agent to run on its Messages for Business platform.
大家好。今天我想谈谈AI代理领域的一个重大进展：苹果首次批准了一个AI代理在其Messages for Business平台上运行。

The company behind this is called Poke, a startup based in Palo Alto, California. What Poke does is remarkably simple — it lets you interact with an AI agent just by sending a text message. You can ask it to help with daily planning, manage your calendar, track your fitness, control your smart home, or even edit your photos. All through a chat interface.
这背后的公司叫Poke，一家位于加州帕洛阿尔托的初创公司。Poke做的事情非常简单——它让你只需发短信就能与AI代理互动。你可以让它帮你做日程规划、管理日历、追踪健身、控制智能家居，甚至编辑照片。全部通过聊天界面完成。

Now, why is this newsworthy? Apple’s Messages for Business platform was previously designed exclusively for enterprises — airlines, retailers, hotel chains — to communicate with their own customers through iMessage. It had never been open to standalone third-party AI agents. Poke is the first to break through.
那为什么这是新闻？苹果的Messages for Business平台此前专为企业设计——航空公司、零售商、连锁酒店——通过iMessage与他们自己的客户沟通。它从未对独立的第三方AI代理开放。Poke是第一个突破这个壁垒的。

The business model is also fascinating. Poke pays Apple on a per-user basis. The co-founder says this fee is significantly lower than what Meta charges for AI agents on WhatsApp, which increased its fees after EU regulations forced it to open up to third-party AI agents. This per-user toll structure could become a meaningful new revenue stream for Apple, but it’s also a new distribution cost that AI startups need to factor in.
商业模式也很有意思。Poke按用户向苹果付费。联合创始人说这费用远低于Meta对WhatsApp上AI代理的收费——Meta在欧盟法规迫使其向第三方AI代理开放后提高了费用。这种按用户收费的结构可能成为苹果有意义的新收入来源，但也是AI初创公司需要考虑的新分发成本。

The timing is notable too. This news comes just days before Apple’s WWDC, where the company is expected to announce AI-optimized Siri and potentially open its App Store to AI agents. It seems Apple is signaling a broader embrace of the AI agent ecosystem.
时间节点也很值得注意。这条消息在苹果WWDC前几天发布，届时预计苹果将宣布AI优化版Siri，并可能向AI代理开放App Store。这似乎表明苹果正在释放更广泛拥抱AI代理生态的信号。

The startup is backed by Spark Capital and General Catalyst, has raised a total of $25 million, and is now valued at $300 million — all with just a 10-person team. This shows how much investor confidence there is in the AI agent distribution opportunity.
这家公司由Spark Capital和General Catalyst投资，总共筹集了2500万美元，现在估值3亿美元——而团队只有10个人。这显示了投资者对AI代理分发机会的巨大信心。

Thank you.
谢谢大家。

Source: TechCrunch
Author: Sarah Perez
Date: 12:20 PM PDT · June 4, 2026

Poke, a startup that turns using AI agents into something as simple as sending a text message, has become the first AI agent approved to run on Apple’s Messages for Business platform.
Poke，一家将使用AI代理变得像发短信一样简单的初创公司，已成为首个获批在苹果Messages for Business平台上运行的AI代理。

Previously, the platform was designed for businesses — airlines, retailers, hotel chains, and others — to communicate with their own customers through iMessage, offering a standardized interface that supports both automated chat and live agents.
此前，该平台专为企业设计——航空公司、零售商、连锁酒店等——通过iMessage与自己的客户沟通，提供支持自动聊天和人工客服的标准化界面。

Until now, it hadn’t been open to stand-alone third-party AI agents.
直到现在，它都未向独立的第三方AI代理开放。

Launched in March, Poke is one of the first AI agents designed to be accessible to everyday users who don’t have the technical skill set or inclination to work with command-line tools or more complex agentic systems, like OpenClaw.
Poke于三月推出，是首批面向普通用户设计的AI代理之一，这些用户不具备使用命令行工具或更复杂代理系统（如OpenClaw）的技术能力或意愿。

Today, Poke can help with common activities, like daily planning, managing your calendar, tracking your health and fitness, controlling your smart home, and editing your photos, all via text message.
如今，Poke可以通过短信帮助完成日常活动，如日程规划、管理日历、跟踪健康与健身、控制智能家居以及编辑照片。

To date, it’s relayed some 100 million messages, the company tells TechCrunch.
该公司告诉TechCrunch，迄今为止已中转了约1亿条消息。

The AI service operates over SMS, Telegram, and, in some markets, WhatsApp.
该AI服务通过短信、Telegram以及部分市场的WhatsApp运行。

Now Poke will be able to add iMessage to its supported platforms.
现在Poke将能够将iMessage添加到其支持的平台中。

The news of Poke’s launch on Apple’s Messages for Business comes just days ahead of Apple’s anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where it’s expected to introduce an AI-optimized version of Siri along with other AI tools and services for app developers.
Poke在苹果Messages for Business上线的消息，恰好在苹果备受期待的全球开发者大会（周一举行）前几天发布，届时预计将推出AI优化版Siri以及面向应用开发者的其他AI工具和服务。

It is also rumored that Apple would open its App Store to AI agents.
另有传言称苹果将向AI代理开放其App Store。

That’s not quite the case here with Poke.
但Poke的情况并非如此。

Apple’s Messages for Business platform isn’t about offering a consumer-facing mobile app, but rather a way for consumers to interact with a business through iMessage’s interface directly.
苹果的Messages for Business平台不是提供面向消费者的移动应用，而是让消费者直接通过iMessage界面与企业互动的方式。

This allows consumers to reach out to businesses for information, support, appointment scheduling, and more, without having to call them by phone.
这使消费者可以向企业咨询信息、获取支持、预约等，而无需打电话。

Poke’s users ask the AI agent a question or make a request, and it responds via text.
Poke的用户向AI代理提问或发出请求，它通过文本回复。

For founders and investors, the more interesting detail may be the business model it opens up.
对于创始人和投资者来说，更有趣的细节可能是它所开启的商业模式。

Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of The Interaction Company of California, the Palo Alto-based startup behind Poke, says his startup will pay Apple on a per-user basis.
Poke背后的帕洛阿尔托初创公司The Interaction Company of California的联合创始人Marvin von Hagen表示，他的公司将按用户向苹果付费。

While he can’t share the exact pricing, he notes that it’s significantly lower than Meta AI, after it increased fees in response to EU regulation that required it to permit third-party AI agents on WhatsApp.
虽然他不能透露确切价格，但他指出，这比Meta AI的费用低得多——Meta AI在欧盟监管要求其允许第三方AI代理接入WhatsApp后提高了费用。

That per-user toll structure, applied at scale, represents a potentially meaningful new revenue stream for Apple but also a new cost of distribution that AI agent startups will need to factor in.
这种按用户收费的结构在规模化应用后，代表着苹果潜在的重要新收入来源，但也是AI代理初创公司需要考虑的新分发成本。

“I think that Apple is just noticing this is the best way to offer AI, and … actually, good for them, because they charge us. They charge us per user on the platform and actually make money with this, especially if it becomes really big,” von Hagen says.
“我认为苹果只是注意到这是提供AI的最佳方式，而且……实际上对他们有利，因为他们向我们收费。他们按平台用户向我们收费，并从中赚钱，尤其是如果规模真的变大的话，”von Hagen说。

He believes Apple’s support for AI agents will grow over time as well.
他相信苹果对AI代理的支持也会随着时间推移而增长。

Getting Apple’s approval required the company to verify that it could offer live support, if needed, and that its AI agent was clearly identified as such.
获得苹果批准要求公司证明在需要时能提供人工支持，并且其AI代理有明确标识。

Poke also submitted testimonies from its messaging providers and customized its user interface to meet Apple’s guidelines.
Poke还提交了其消息服务提供商的证明，并定制了用户界面以符合苹果的指南。

For instance, Poke on iMessage has to show link previews instead of inline links, as before, and it uses Apple’s style guide for things like buttons and interface elements.
例如，iMessage上的Poke必须显示链接预览而非之前的内联链接，并使用苹果的样式指南来设计按钮和界面元素。

“This took a couple of months to adhere to all of these standards, and it will take anyone else who wants to build on this — it will also take them a couple of months to get through this approval process,” von Hagen said.
“遵守所有这些标准花了我们几个月时间，其他任何想在此基础上构建的人——也需要花几个月才能通过这个审批流程，”von Hagen说。

As for being the first? That had a lot to do with trust.
至于成为第一个？这与信任密切相关。

“It was also just important that we were very aligned in terms of the positioning of the company,” he noted, explaining that many consumer products today are about getting to numbers through questionable tactics.
“我们在公司定位上高度一致也很重要，”他指出，并解释说当今许多消费产品都是通过可疑手段来追求数据。

“We care about quality, we care to have a brand that signals trust,” von Hagen said.
“我们关心质量，我们关心拥有一个传递信任的品牌，”von Hagen说。

It’s not clear if Apple will announce any news related to AI agents on its Message for Business platform at WWDC next week, and von Hagen isn’t clued into Apple’s plans.
目前不清楚苹果是否会在下周的WWDC上宣布与Messages for Business平台上AI代理相关的消息，von Hagen也不了解苹果的计划。

However, Poke is currently rolling out invites to existing users that will allow them to optionally move over to the iMessage experience, if they prefer.
不过，Poke目前正在向现有用户发出邀请，允许他们选择迁移到iMessage体验。

Backed by Spark Capital, General Catalyst, and other angels, the 10-person startup recently added another $10 million to its coffers, on top of last year’s $15 million seed round.
在Spark Capital、General Catalyst和其他天使投资人的支持下，这家10人初创公司最近又筹集了1000万美元，加上去年1500万美元的种子轮融资。

It’s now valued at $300 million, post-money.
其投后估值现为3亿美元。

新闻二：You can now use Ask Gemini in Drive to rummage through your Gmail

⬆️ 回到目录

三分钟演讲稿

Hello everyone. Today I’d like to talk about a new feature from Google that makes searching through your email much easier using AI.
大家好。今天我想聊聊谷歌推出的一项新功能，它利用AI让搜索邮件变得更加简单。

We all know how painful it can be to dig through hundreds or thousands of emails to find that one specific message. Maybe it’s a project approval, a contract attachment, or meeting notes from months ago. Google’s solution is to let its AI assistant Gemini do the searching for you.
我们都知道翻遍成百上千封邮件去找某条特定信息有多痛苦。可能是项目审批、合同附件或几个月前的会议记录。谷歌的解决方案是让AI助手Gemini帮你搜索。

Google’s “Ask Gemini in Drive” feature was first announced in March and initially could only search through your Google Drive files and folders. Now, it’s been expanded to include Gmail as a data source. This means you can ask Gemini questions that span across your emails, files, and folders all at once.
谷歌的”在Drive中询问Gemini”功能最初于三月宣布，起初只能搜索Google Drive中的文件和文件夹。现在它扩展到将Gmail纳入为数据来源。这意味着你可以向Gemini提出跨越邮件、文件和文件夹的问题。

For example, you could ask something like “find the email where I received approval for the Jenkins project” and Gemini will search through your Gmail to find it. You can also have multi-turn conversations — asking follow-up questions to dig deeper into the results.
例如，你可以问”找到我收到Jenkins项目批准的那封邮件”，Gemini会搜索你的Gmail来找到它。你还可以进行多轮对话——追问后续问题以深入了解结果。

Google says users can “ground their responses in a complete view of their business context” — meaning the AI draws from everything in your workspace to give you the most accurate answers possible.
谷歌说用户可以”基于完整的业务上下文视图来获得回答”——意思是AI从你工作空间中的所有内容中提取信息，给你尽可能准确的答案。

Now, there is a catch. This feature isn’t available to everyone. You need to be subscribed to Google AI Pro or Ultra, or be a Business or Enterprise Workspace user. So it’s primarily aimed at paying customers and enterprise users.
不过有个前提。这个功能不是对所有人开放的。你需要订阅Google AI Pro或Ultra，或者是Business或Enterprise Workspace用户。所以主要面向付费客户和企业用户。

The feature is now out of beta and generally available. For anyone dealing with information overload at work, this could be a real time-saver — assuming the AI finds the right results consistently.
该功能现已结束测试并全面开放。对于任何在工作中面对信息过载的人来说，这可能是真正的省时利器——前提是AI能持续找到正确的结果。

Thank you.
谢谢大家。

Source: Engadget
Author: Steve Dent
Date: June 4, 2026 4:24 am EST

Slogging through emails to find stuff can be a chore, but Google AI subscribers and enterprise customers can now get AI to do it.
在邮件中翻找东西可能是件苦差事，但Google AI订阅者和企业客户现在可以让AI来代劳了。

Google’s “Ask Gemini in Drive” feature announced in March can now use Gmail as a source, just as it already can with Drive folders and files.
谷歌三月份宣布的”在Drive中询问Gemini”功能现在可以将Gmail作为信息来源，就像它已经可以搜索Drive文件夹和文件一样。

That means you can ask it questions about Gmail threads spanning emails, files and folders, “to ensure the most helpful and accurate answers possible,” Google explained in its Workspace Updates blog.
这意味着你可以向它提问关于涵盖邮件、文件和文件夹的Gmail对话线程的问题，“以确保尽可能提供最有帮助和最准确的回答，”谷歌在其Workspace Updates博客中解释道。

To employ the new feature, you must be subscribed to Google AI Pro or Ultra, or be a Business or Enterprise user.
要使用这项新功能，你必须订阅Google AI Pro或Ultra，或者是Business或Enterprise用户。

To use it, you select Gmail from the sources in the left pane, then hit the “Ask Gemini” button at the top right.
使用方法是在左侧面板中从来源中选择Gmail，然后点击右上角的”Ask Gemini”按钮。

You can then pose a question like “find the email where I received approval for the Jenkins project,” and it will (hopefully) find the relevant one.
然后你可以提出类似”找到我收到Jenkins项目批准的那封邮件”这样的问题，它（希望能）找到相关的邮件。

“Users can engage in high-context, multi-turn conversations to efficiently explore and understand content,” Google explains.
“用户可以进行高上下文、多轮对话，以高效地探索和理解内容，”谷歌解释道。

“Users can ground their responses in a complete view of their business context — spanning emails, files, and folders — to ensure the most helpful and accurate answers possible.”
“用户可以基于完整的业务上下文视图——涵盖邮件、文件和文件夹——来获得回答，以确保尽可能提供最有帮助和最准确的答案。”

The feature is now out of beta and “generally available” to eligible Workspace and Google AI plans.
该功能现已结束测试阶段，对符合条件的Workspace和Google AI计划用户”全面开放”。

新闻三：Meta’s latest AI tool gives creators a ‘brainstorming partner’

⬆️ 回到目录

三分钟演讲稿

Hello everyone. Today I want to discuss Meta’s new AI tool for content creators, and more importantly, a serious security concern that comes with it.
大家好。今天我想聊聊Meta为内容创作者推出的新AI工具，更重要的是，随之而来的严重安全隐患。

Meta just launched something called Creator Assistant. It’s built directly into the Facebook dashboard and is designed to be a “brainstorming partner” for content creators. Instead of staring at analytics charts, creators can simply ask the AI questions like “why did this particular reel outperform the rest?” or “how has my audience shifted over time?” The AI provides conversational, actionable responses based on the creator’s own Facebook data.
Meta刚刚发布了一款叫Creator Assistant的工具。它直接内置在Facebook仪表板中，旨在成为内容创作者的”头脑风暴伙伴”。创作者不必死盯分析图表，只需向AI提问，比如”为什么这条Reel表现优于其他？“或”我的受众群体如何随时间变化？“AI会基于创作者自身的Facebook数据提供对话式、可操作的回复。

Creator Assistant can also suggest what type of content to make, inspired by what’s currently trending on Facebook. It’s rolling out now to creators in the US, Canada, and India, with more countries coming in a few months.
Creator Assistant还能建议创作什么类型的内容，灵感来自Facebook上当前的热门趋势。目前正向美国、加拿大和印度的创作者推出，几个月后将覆盖更多国家。

Now, here’s where it gets concerning. This tool requires full access to a creator’s account — their analytics, uploaded content, everything. And Meta doesn’t have a great track record here. They recently launched an AI support assistant for account recovery on Facebook and Instagram. That tool was hacked almost immediately.
现在，令人担忧的部分来了。这个工具需要完全访问创作者的账户——他们的分析数据、上传内容，一切。而Meta在这方面记录并不好。他们最近推出了一个用于Facebook和Instagram账户恢复的AI支持助手。那个工具几乎立刻就被黑了。

How easy was it? Hackers reportedly gained entry into accounts simply by asking — through prompt engineering. The internet was quickly flooded with tutorials on how to do this. High-profile victims included the Obama White House account, Sephora, and a high-ranking Space Force official.
有多容易？据报道，黑客只需通过提示词工程”开口要”就能进入账户。互联网上迅速涌现出大量教程。高知名度受害者包括奥巴马白宫账号、丝芙兰和一名太空军高级官员。

So we have a pattern here: Meta deploys AI tools that require deep account access, but those AI systems can be manipulated through social engineering. Now they’re asking creators to grant the same level of access to yet another AI tool. The question every creator needs to ask themselves is: is getting content ideas worth the risk of having your account compromised?
所以这里有一个模式：Meta部署需要深度账户访问权限的AI工具，但这些AI系统可以通过社会工程被操纵。现在他们又要求创作者向另一个AI工具授予同等级别的访问权限。每个创作者需要问自己的问题是：获取内容创意是否值得承担账户被入侵的风险？

This story highlights a broader tension in the AI industry: the trade-off between convenience and security. As AI tools become more capable, they demand more access — and that access becomes a bigger attack surface.
这个故事凸显了AI行业更广泛的矛盾：便利性与安全性之间的权衡。随着AI工具变得更强大，它们需要更多访问权限——而这些权限就成了更大的攻击面。

Thank you.
谢谢大家。

Source: Engadget
Author: Lawrence Bonk
Date: June 4, 2026 1:35 pm EST

Meta just revealed a new AI tool called creator assistant, which is intended to give content creators a “brainstorming partner.”
Meta刚刚发布了一款名为creator assistant的新AI工具，旨在为内容创作者提供一个”头脑风暴伙伴”。

It’s built into the Facebook dashboard and is being pitched as a novel way to understand traffic analytics and that sort of thing.
它内置于Facebook仪表板中，被定位为理解流量分析等数据的新方式。

“Rather than analyzing a bunch of different dashboards and charts, creators can simply go to their dashboard on Facebook and ask creator assistant the questions they want answered, like why a particular reel outperformed the rest, or how their audience has shifted over time,” the company wrote in a blog.
“创作者无需分析一堆不同的仪表板和图表，只需前往Facebook上的仪表板，向creator assistant提出想要回答的问题，比如为什么某条Reel表现优于其他，或者观众群体如何随时间变化，”该公司在博客中写道。

“Creator assistant is conversational, so they can keep asking follow-up questions to dig deeper.”
“Creator assistant是对话式的，所以他们可以继续追问以深入了解。”

This certainly seems easier than being glued to an analytics page, but that assumes the information presented is factual.
这当然比死盯分析页面要简单，但前提是呈现的信息是准确的。

AI chatbots have a tendency to, you know, make stuff up and present it with the extreme confidence of a used car salesperson.
AI聊天机器人有编造信息的倾向，而且会以二手车销售员般的极端自信来呈现这些信息。

Creator assistant can also offer advice as to what type of content to make.
Creator assistant还可以就制作何种类型的内容提供建议。

The tool will provide “clear, actionable responses based on each creators’ own specific Facebook presence.”
该工具将提供”基于每位创作者自身Facebook表现的清晰、可操作的回复”。

Meta says these ideas will also be inspired by what’s already trending on Facebook.
Meta表示这些创意还将受到Facebook上当前热门趋势的启发。

However, Facebook isn’t exactly the hippest algorithm on the block and there’s always the possibility of making some cringeworthy content when constantly chasing what’s viral.
然而，Facebook的算法并不是最潮的，而且不断追逐病毒式传播内容总有可能制作出令人尴尬的东西。

Creator assistant is rolling out right now on Facebook to creators in the US, Canada and India.
Creator assistant目前正在Facebook上向美国、加拿大和印度的创作者推出。

Meta says it’s coming to more countries in a few months.
Meta表示几个月后将覆盖更多国家。

There is one final danger here worth considering.
这里还有一个值得考虑的最终风险。

This tool will likely require full access to a creator’s account, in order to take a peek at analytics and uploaded content.
该工具可能需要完全访问创作者的账户，以查看分析数据和上传的内容。

Meta recently released an AI support assistant to help people with account recovery on Facebook and Instagram.
Meta最近发布了一个AI支持助手，帮助人们在Facebook和Instagram上恢复账户。

This tool required access to account information and was almost immediately hacked, as this process was reportedly extremely easy.
该工具需要访问账户信息，几乎立即就被黑客攻破了，据报道这个过程极其简单。

Just how easy was it? Hackers reportedly gained entry into accounts simply by asking.
到底有多简单？据报道，黑客只需”开口要”就能进入账户。

The magic of generative AI!
生成式AI的”魔力”！

The internet was quickly flooded with tutorials on how to prompt-engineer access into a random account and many high-profile users were hacked.
互联网上迅速涌现出大量关于如何通过提示词工程进入随机账户的教程，许多知名用户被黑。

This included the account for the Obama White House, Sephora and a high-ranking Space Force official.
其中包括奥巴马白宫账号、丝芙兰以及一位太空军高级官员的账号。

You’ll have to decide if this kind of risk is worth getting ideas on viral trends or whatever.
你需要自行判断这种风险是否值得换取病毒式趋势创意之类的东西。