The coming week will be very wonderful with so many events for you to refresh your hearts.

An interactive, experimental drama, entitled "On Darkness' Non-existence," will be staged. The show uses topical events from 2020 such as the breakout of COVID-19, the return of Chang'e V, the election of US president, the case of George Floyd.

7:30 pm, Jan 2-Jan 6, at Eastern Avant-garde Theatre of China. Tel: 6527-6911.

Young musicians who are actually students at Beijing No. 101 High School will feature in a concert, conducted by Liu Fengde, He Rong and Shao En. The talented youngsters won First Prize at the Vienna Youth Symphonic Music Competition, and this time will play works by Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Chinese composers like Huang Anlun.

The China Philharmonic Youth Chorus will present a New Year's Eve Concert, conducted by Wu Lingfen. Piano will be played by Peter Seivewright, trumpet by Ying Cai, and organ by Wu Dan. Programme: "Hallelujah," "Toccata and Fugue in D minor," "Happy New Year to You," and "Moon Reflected on Erquan," a Chinese piece but a jazz version this time for piano and trumpet.

7:30 pm, Dec 31 at Forbidden City Concert Hall. Tel: 6559-8285.

Chinese movie stars from the promising young to the glorious stars of last year will display their talents to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Chinese cinema. They will sing theme songs, act scenes and also share their personal thoughts with the public.

Besides performances by stars, musicians from the China Broadcasting Film Symphony Orchestra will provide the accompaniment. Founded in 1949, they specialize in recording theme musk for films. So far, they have recorded scores for over 2, 000 Chinese movies and TV series.

7:30 pm, Jan 1, at the Great Hall of the People, west of Tian'anmen. Tel: 8589-5049.

Trying to stand out from millions of videos on the social networking platform Douyin can often be difficult, but a relatively new account(帐号), which has only been active since last year, has managed to do so easily.

The star behind this account is not a young woman with a slim figure, but a 70-year-old woman. Within just a few months Chen Jifang has attracted over 400, 000 followers with her energetic workouts (锻炼). She was once even featured on a reality show on CCTV.

"The main group that I wanted to encourage was people aging 30 to 50," says Chen. "I think they will be encouraged to work out after seeing that a granny like me can. It is never too late to pursue(追求)good health."

Chen's passion for exercising was born out of a need instead of desire to become famous. Her health had been poor since she was a child. In 2018, she was diagnosed with a lot of problems such as a fatty liver and hyperlipidemia(高血脂). The doctor suggested that she exercise more to stop the further decline of her already poor health.

Overweight Chen started with light jogging, but a fitness coach persuaded her to enter a gym on Dec 29, 2018. "Everyone in the gym was young. They were giving me curious looks," recalls Chen, who walks 3.5 kilometers to the gym every day.

Her daily training started at 8 am with 50 pushups(俯卧撑)and running. After a short break at 9 am, Chen continued working out until 3 pm. She hit the gym every day in 2019. She also gave up her favorite foods like barbecued meats and spicy hotpot.

When her health improved, Chen did more challenging workouts like weightlifting. Three months later, she lost 28 kilograms. Her health index also returned to normal.

"We cannot stop aging, but exercise can slow it down," she says. "Instead of spending money on medicine, it is better to spend money on fitness."

Dr. John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned against a “vaccine war” among nations. He said on Thursday at a WHO meeting that he “truly feels helpless that this situation is going to greatly influence our ability to fight this virus.” He added, “There is absolutely no need for us humans to go into a vaccine (疫苗) war to fight this pandemic (疫情). We will all be losers.”

It is reported that the Serum Institute of India is delaying major exports of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to meet the rising demand within India. This institute produces the AstraZeneca vaccine being sent to Africa through the COVAX program. It is an international effort to make sure poor countries receive enough vaccines.

South Sudan received its first shipment of 132, 000 doses (剂) of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday. The WHO called the arrival a “big step” toward equal availability of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. At least 28 of Africa's 54 countries have received over 16 million doses through COVAX.

But COVAX has been facing delays related to the limited worldwide supply of the vaccine. Africa has received limited doses and much later than the rest of the world. At least 10 African countries have not yet received any vaccines.

Officials hope to vaccinate (注射疫苗) 60 percent of Africa's 1.3 billion people by the middle of next year to help Africa reach herd immunity (群体免疫), which means when enough people are protected through infection or vaccination, it will be difficult for a virus to continue spreading. But that goal will not be reached without the widespread use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is less costly and easier to store than many others.

Expel warn that until vaccination rates are high worldwide, the virus remains a threat everywhere.

Did you notice any changes in your personal sleep patterns(模式)in the days before the full moon?

A new research suggested that a full moon can affect human sleep cycles. The research led by biology professor Horacio Iglesia of Washington University confirmed that the nights leading up to a full moon have more natural light available after the sun goes down. As a result, in the days before a full moon, people go to sleep later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods of time.

Researchers measured the sleep patterns of test participants as the moon ran through at least one whole 29.5-day cycle. On average, the participants slept about 52 minutes less on nights before a full moon. They also went to bed about 30 minutes later. People had the shortest amount of sleep during the nights three to five days before a full moon.

"I was one of the participants. When I looked back on my own data, I could not believe how much my sleep changed." Iglesia said, "The study provided clear evidence that a person's sleep-wake cycle goes with the changes of the moon."

The research also included the effect that access(接通) to electricity has on seep. The study involved 98 individuals living in three different communities(社区)in Argentina. Each community had different access to electricity. One rural community had no electricity access, while a second had only limited access. A third community had full access to electricity. In addition to the indigenous(土著的) communities, the researchers also examined sleep data on 464 college students in Washington and the same moon cycle patterns were discovered. "Although the effect is more obvious in communities without access to electricity, the effect still exists in communities with electricity," Iglesia said.

The scientists say further research is needed to help explain other possible causes for the changes in sleep patterns in the test participants, such as biological differences in individuals or social patterns within communities.

Hooray! I finished the College Entrance Examination at last! And the hard time of Senior Three too! Senior Three is the best time of us. We are young, healthy, lively, and energetic.    16    Not a day goes without endless homework. Looking back upon the last year of my Senior high, I have some advice to share with the will-be Senior Three students.

    17    You may have wasted your time on games, playing or TV in the last two years, but Senior Three is the year when you can make miracles! It's impossible for you make up for the wasted time in one week, one month, even one term. But believe me, one year later, your insistence will pay off.

    18    Every minute counts. There is no doubt that you should absolutely spend most of the time studying. You may feel tired and dull, but your will is trained to prepare you for future competitions. Balance your time between subjects. You may appoint more time on weak subjects, but still leave time for your excellent ones. You should also balance your time between study and rest. Don't forget to set aside enough time for sleep, or your studying efficiency will go down.

Make friends with hard-working students. Get away from your old friends who have given up. It's hard to form a good habit, but it's really easy to develop bad ones.    19    Similarly, if the friends around you are all focused on study, you won't be distracted.

Relax yourself. Long time of study and endless homework may drive you mad. We see enough reports of students killing themselves for the stress of study. Go around your campus and find the beauty of nature, listen to music and talk with your friends, parents and teachers.    20    It does not only build you up, but also serves as the best way to release your stress.

Just as the old saying goes, "no pains, no gains." Believe you will make it in the College Entrance Examination next year. Good luck to you, my younger fellows!

Attention, all the first grade students!

It's time for the Winter Dance! The Winter Dance    41    (hold) this Friday night on the fourth floor of the dining hall. Tickets for this dance will be on sale on Thursday and Friday. Each ticket costs $5, and $3 for groups of ten or    42    (many). They will not be sold in the school office    43    in the office of the Students' Union, which lies on the third floor of the dining hall.

All the money    44    is collected at the dance will be given to needy families in    45    (poor). This is a great way to start the holiday season by    46    (help) them. When you attend the dance, you are helping    47    poor and this is a fantastic thing to do! So please remember to buy your dance ticket at the Students' Union this Thursday or Friday. With your ticket, you will get the chance ticket at the Students' Union this Thursday or Friday. With your ticket, you will get the chance    48    (go)to a great dance, enjoy the free    49    (drink) and snacks and at the same time you will help others    50    need. We hope to see all of you at the dance on Friday night!