【推荐1】There is a trend in travel that has picked up steam over the last few years. That trend is called ecotourism. As environmental welfare and sustainability have become more important to people over the last decade, travel companies around the world are the biggest winners. They cash in on people’s willingness to spend lots of money in the name of environmental protection by operating eco-tours.

But how many companies really live up to that? The Marriott or other resorts might talk about their commitments to reducing waste by using recycled toilet paper and low flow shower heads, but they have huge hotels. The nature of their hotels means they will never be truly environmentally-friendly, unless they rebuild the place. And most of their customers wouldn’t put up with higher prices to help balance the capital costs of upgrading to be eco-friendly. And if you look at the most environmentally-friendly hotels and tours, they are also the most expensive.

Companies stress how they are going green to save the environment, but they only make increasing changes designed to make us feel good. Few companies make the capital investment to truly change their business model, especially those in the tourism industry. It’s easier to change toilet paper than to change how you design your future hotels.

Eco-tours market themselves as a low effect, environmental, and Community friendly way to see the world. Tourists come, learn a bit about the local culture, and then leave, satisfied with the knowledge that they “helped” the environment. But the reality is that big companies bring you in, make you feel good about yourself, and take all the profit back home.

I see promise and hope in sustainable tourism. Ecotourism to me is about not damaging the environment and providing a little education, and sustainable tourism is about living and growing with the environment and the local cultures. I believe the ecotourism trend is here to stay and that is for sure a good thing. However, if we want it to have a greater effect, there needs to be a focus not only on “using less toilet paper” but also on sustainable, local measures that help businesses grow and protect the environment.

【推荐3】A pen has always been an important tool when we are taking exams. However, in the digital age, this traditional tool may become a thing of the past. Cambridge University in Britain is considering ending 800 years of written exams and allowing students to use laptops or iPads to take exams instead. The move comes after Cambridge teachers complained (抱怨) that students’ handwriting is becoming too hard to recognize. The fall in writing clearly depends on laptops in lessons and elsewhere.

As a result, more and more students with poor handwriting are being forced to return to university during the summer holidays to read their answers aloud to their teachers. However, some criticized (批评) the move, fearing the handwritten word would become a lost art.

Tracey Trussell, a handwriting expert, asked Cambridge to “make sure that students continue to write by hand, particularly in lessons”. She told The Telegraph that writing by hand could help students improve their memory and understand lessons better.

The move also draws the attention of Harvard professor Eric Mazur. He believes that the rise of mobile Internet use means that we live in an age in which we don’t need to remember anything.

So he encourages students to bring their laptops and mobile phones into exams. With them, students can “look up whatever they want, whenever they want” and be tested on their productive skills, rather than the ability of memory.

【推荐1】More and more people in America are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali. Diwali is Hindi for “row of lights.” It is the most important holiday in India.

Many people around the world are beginning to celebrate it as well. The United States is one of the places where the festival is becoming more common. Diwali celebrations can now be found at American landmarks like Disney land in California and New York City’s Times Square. They are also held in many parks and museums.

Neeta Bhasin created the Times Square event. She said Indian immigrants (移民) have found great success in America. But, she said, many Americans still do not know much about India. So, she decided to act. “I felt it’s about time that we should take India to mainstream America and show India’s rich culture, heritage, arts and variety to the world,” she said, “And I couldn’t find a better place than the center of the universe: Times Square.”

Bhasin came to the United States from India 40 years ago. She is president of ASB Communications, the marketing firm behind Diwali at Times Square. Tens of thousands of people attend the event, now in its fourth year.

In India, Diwali is a five-day harvest festival held just before the Hindu New Year. The exact dates change from year to year but Diwali is always in the fall. Celebrations include lighting oil lamps or candles called diyas. The lights represent “a victory of knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness, and good over evil.”

A Diwali celebration will light up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim this year. Visitors can watch pertormances of traditional Indian dances and take part in a Bollywood dance party. The event is part of a Festival of Holidays program at the theme park to show cultural traditions from around the world.

【推荐2】Every year, FIFA (国际足联) selects a unique character for the World Cup which plays an important role in the event. This started in FIFA World Cup 1966 where Willie, a lion, became the official mascot (吉祥物) of the event. How about this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar?

Actually the Official Mascot for this year’s FIFA World Cup 2022^TM is called La’eeb. La’eeb is an Arabic (阿拉伯) word meaning “super-skilled player” and is based on an Arabic headdress keffiyeh (方巾), which is a traditional piece of Qatari clothing. Mawlawi, an officer said: “We are delighted to have La’eeb as the Official Mascot for the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world. We encourage everyone to imagine what it looks like.” After seeing it, fans started wondering if La’eeb looks like a ghost, a handkerchief, or a “wonton wrapper?” (馄饨皮) “We are sure fans everywhere will love this fun and playful character.” added Mawlawi.

La’eeb will be everywhere-welcoming the world, inspiring young fans and cheering the action during the game, which will take place from 21 November to 18 December. In addition, fans will soon be able to download GIFs of La’eeb through some social media channels (渠道), including Facebook and Whats App.

【推荐1】When “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was first shown to the public last month, a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard. But they weren’t there to throw red paint on fur-coat-wearing film stars. Instead, one activist, dressed in a full-body monkey suit, had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers: “Thanks for not using real apes (猿)!”

The creative team behind “Apes” used motion-capture (动作捕捉) technology to create digitalized animals, spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor’s performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image (图像). In this case, one of a realistic-looking ape.

Yet “Apes” is more exception than the rule. In fact, Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately. One nonprofit organization, which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment, is keeping tabs on more than 2,000 productions this year. Already, a number of films, including “Water for Elephants,” “The Hangover Part Ⅱ” and “Zookeeper,” have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven’t been treated properly.

In some cases, it’s not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried; it’s the off-set training and living conditions that are raising concerns. And there are questions about the films made outside the States, which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States.

【推荐2】On March 16, 2018, eight-year-old Tanitoluwa “Tani” Adewumi, defeated 73 young competitors to win the New York State Chess Championship in his age category-kindergarten to third grade. While the achievement is remarkable in itself, what makes it even more so is that the youngster, who was homeless at the time, began learning the game less than a year ago.

Tani and his family arrived in New York City from Nigeria in 2017, seeking religious protection. A church pastor(牧师)helped find the family of four space in a homeless shelter and soon after, Tani entered the local elementary school. It was here that the young talent was first introduced to the basics of chess by a part-time teacher. Attracted by the game, the then seven-year-old begged his mother, Oluwatoyin, to allow him to join the school’s chess club. Concerned the family would be unable to afford the fees and expenses, which add up to thousands of dollars, Oluwatoyin emailed Russel Makofsky, who ran the club. To her surprise and delight, Makofsky agreed to waive all costs for young Tani. The rest, as they say, is history. The young boy, who has got seven prizes in less than a year, currently ranks 27 in America in his age category.

Though the chess club certainly helps, it is Tani’s devotion to the game that is largely responsible for his great success. Not surprisingly, Tani’s incredible story, first reported by The New York Times, has resulted in an outpouring of support from the American public. It has raised $200,000 in just ten days, far more than the original goal of $50,000, and the funds keep coming.

Since they now have a home, the Adewumis have decided to “pay it forward” and donate the over $200,000 collected on GoFundMe. They plan to give 10 percent of the funds raised to the church that has supported them. The rest will be placed in the newly-created Tanitoluwa Adewumi Trust and given to African immigrants to America who are struggling the way the family was.

【推荐3】I was 15. She looked like she was over 70. But on that day. I think she understood me more than anyone else.

Walking into the church that Sunday was hard I bad never let anyone see me cry. But I knew I would cry that day. My grandfather was suddenly ill. The doctors said he might not live much longer. Everyone in my family was crying. Grandpa was the sweetest man in the world. Why was he leaving us?

There weren’t many people at church that day. One of them was an old lady sitting at the end of my row. She was smiling I closed my eyes and prayed(祈祷) for my grandfather to get better. Soon, my eyes were full of tears I opened my eyes and saw a hand in front of me. It was giving me a tissue(纸巾).

The old lady was sitting next to me, smiling. She didn’t say a word. She just gave me a tissue and a smile. I tried to thank her, but only tears came out. Then she took my hand. I looked into her eyes. They were clear and blue, and they made me feel peaceful. Her smile said to me: I am with you. Everything will be OK. I closed my eyes again. When I opened them she wasn’t there. I left the church but still couldn't find her. I never saw her again.

My grandfather died the next week. We all cried a lot more. But when I thought of that old lady’s warm smile, I felt a little better.

How did she know how I was feeling? I wish I could see her again, to say thank you.

【推荐1】My father and several volunteers from the church gathered every day in the park to feed the hungry. I really didn’t understand why my father bothered to do it.

One Saturday I couldn’t wait for him to leave. However, it didn’t take long for my plans to change and my happiness to dissolve.

“I’m going to need your help today. Some of the others that usually help me won’t be able to make it.”

“Dad, I can’t today,” I complained. “I have plans, television, friends, shopping, and I was maybe going to go to the pool.”

I murmured, “It’s not like I have a life.” My voice was so low that he didn’t hear what I said.

This was going to be the worst day ever. My dad always drove the church van, which also contained clothes and small bags filled with personal items such as combs, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

When we arrived at the park, people were already gathered under a tree waiting for us. I couldn’t believe how many people were there, and all of them were homeless. I was surprised to learn my dad knew most of them by name. He also seemed to know what each one needed and what they had suffered to land them on the street. One old man called Adonis told me if it hadn’t been for my father he didn’t think he would have found Jesus.

When everyone was gone, we loaded things back into the van. Now I understood why my father did so much to help the homeless. I could tell he loved seeing their smiles of happiness. I did too.

That day with my dad taught me that there will always be someone smarter, prettier, or richer than me, and there will also always be someone less fortunate. The difference is in the individual willing to take the opportunity to help others, even if it means sacrificing something of their own.

【推荐2】Get involved with our research

Some of our research projects depend on how generous people like you are. Whether it's using your home PC, taking part in a medical experiment or simply volunteering your time for a study, you may be able to help some of the creative projects which make the University of Oxford a world leader in research. Watch this space for ways in which you could get involved.

Seeking poor sleepers for sleeplessness research

Trouble sleeping? We are looking for poor sleepers between the ages of 18 and 65. The activity will involve spending overnights in the sleep laboratory at Oxford, testing your sleep/wake cycle, and completing the tasks on the computer. If you are interested, please contact the research team at sleeplessness@ndcn.ox.ac.uk

Volunteers with lazy eye wanted

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Oxford Vaccine (疫苗) Group

The Oxford Vaccine Group is an independent medical experiment group. OVG works towards the goal of developing new and improved vaccines for the prevention of infection in adults and children. To get more information, please see the OVG website.

Oxford Experimental lab for the Social Sciences

The Oxford Internet Institute, together with the Business School, is needing some people to participate in computer-based experiments involving online surfing behavior as well as something about economy and politics. We play our subjects well, there are no special skills required and you don't have to come to the lab in person. Contact us at social science. study @ox.ac,nk for more information.

【推荐3】Northeastern University in Northeast China's Liaoning Province said it will remove 52PhD students who failed to finish their studies within the permitted study period. One often has been studying for their PhD for 18 years and another two for 17 years, according to an announcement made by the university's College of Information Science and Engineering on Tuesday.

The students were admitted to the college from 2002 to 2012, a list on the college's official website showed. About 78 percent of them have been studying for their PhD at the college for over a decade. The study period for doctoral students in the university is three years, however, and the maximum length of schooling is six years with suspensions included, according to the management rules of the university.

Chinese universities have been seen clearing those postgraduate or PhD students who fail to graduate at the correct time in recent years. Xidian University in Xi'an of Northwest China, for example, removed 33 PhD students in August, some of whom had been studying for 15 years. Yanbian University in Northeast China's Jilin Province announced on November29, 2019, that it would delist 136 graduate students, including 14 PhD students.

A staff member of the university said that some of the students left without telling the school or going through the correct procedures. The difficulties in PhD study and the improving requirements for academic achievements have been found to be the main reasons resulting in students dropping out, experts said. Yang Liu, an associate professor who graduated with a PhD four years ago from a key university in Shanghai, told the Global Times that it is not strange for some PhD students to drop out under the strict academic review process. He also said that some may be scared off by the economic pressure of long-term schooling.