In a few days，I will embark on (开启) a journey     1    (study) for my Doctor’s Degree in the US. Studying abroad in the COVID-19 era is not an easy choice, especially as the cases in the US increase. My mom is worried, and she asks me     2    I would do if I were infected in school. I do not know.But in the coming fall semester, lots of schools won’t provide remote courses. So I have no choices. Fortunately, I have a roommate     3     comes from my hometown city. We have discussed a lot about the future.

While the pandemic has prevented people from traveling afar, there’s a silver lining to that dark cloud: micro-tourism, or mini-vacations

Micro-tourism refers to short-distance travel,    1     people drive two or three   hours to a nearby destination and spend two or three days. According to China Today, micro-tourism began catching on seven or eight years ago, but it    2    (become) increasingly popular since the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic prevention and control measures    3    (make) long and distant trips less convenient, more and more Chinese people choose to take short trips instead.

Mark Hou from Shanghai is one of them. Before the pandemic, the 28-year-old     4     (prefer) taking long trips abroad or leaving Shanghai to see    5    (place)   of interest in other Chinese provinces. But the pandemic meant he had to adapt to    6     extremely new travel style. “Traveling a long distance means you should take public transportation. But that would more    7    (possible) increase the chances of   infection(感染),” Hou said. “To stay healthy, short-distance travel is the    8    (good) choice. When we feel tired, we can put up a tent to rest and have a picnic. That can ease tensions of    9    (day) life.”

With the new trend, young tourists no longer look to get ‘distance’,    10    are   willing to find new ways to experience their cities. Travel doesn't mean you need to go far away to find a resting spot for your heart. That’s also the mission of the micro-tourism.

Singapore has announced new measures     1     (design) to quickly increase local food production, including rooftop farming. Officials in the citystate recently set a goal to meet 30 per cent of Singapore's nutritional needs with     2     (local) produced food by 2030. The plan includes $21 million in government money to support local production of eggs, vegetables and fish “in     3     shortest possible time.” The plans     4     (announce) as the worldwide spread of COVID-19 has caused shortages of many products,     5     (include) food in some areas.

Currently, Singapore produces only about 10 per cent of its own food needs. Only 1 per cent of Singapore's 724 square kilometres is currently used for agriculture. And production costs there are     6     (high) than the rest of Southeast Asia.

Singapore's Food Agency says its goal is to raise local food production levels to make up for climate change and population growth     7     could threaten worldwide food supplies. Singapore officials want all its citizens to have a     8     (believe) that the citystate has enough food to get through the COVID-19 crisis. But they have decided to speed up the process of increasing local production to begin     9     the next six months. This plan includes efforts     10     (identity) alternative farming spaces, such as industrial areas and empty building spaces. It also calls for adding new technologies to improve farming methods.