【推荐1】Uggs(雪地靴) are certainly ugly, or at least inelegant. The shapeless boots, pulled on in a hurry, can make anyone look like a slob（懒惰的人）, which has made them the target of disrespect. It hasn’t been hard to find someone strongly condemning them. “Ugg boots are no sexy,” The Independent declared in 2003, “unless you’re Mrs. Bigfoot on a lone mission across Antarctic to find Mr. Bigfoot. When wearing the boots, a writer of The Gloss complained, “There’s nothing to indicate that you don’t have square, horrible shoeboxes in place of human feet.” In 2015, one coffee shop on Brick Lane in east London ever banned ugg-wearers.

And yet, over the years, plenty of strange and unattractive shoes have met with the approval of the fashion establishment. The problem with uggs wasn’t that they were ugly; it’s that they were common.

But a funny thing happened on the way to fashion’s tomb: the universal ugg has not gone anywhere. Uggs have quietly stayed here since their best time. Once you start paying attention, you’ll be shocked to discover how many people are still wearing them. They are worn by mothers in town and in the country, by teenagers on Saturday shopping trip and by people in fashion.

Perhaps the secret of uggs’s unstoppable success is that, if there is a dividing line between public appeal and private style，it might be a pair of cozy boots. They are certainly comfortable, soft and warm, as if your feet were in the hugging of someone who really loves you. At $150 a pair, they are neither cheap nor entirely out of range. They are casual and indulgent(纵容的）.

Somehow uggs, the boots that so many people hate, have managed to challenge the cruel logic of the fashion cycle and carry on whether you approve of them or not.

【推荐3】The COVID-19 continues to be a healthy threat around the world. Governments, communities and individuals are looking for ways to teach children how to protect themselves.    1    They might want to follow the advice pf imaginative creatures that are adorable,colorful and furry!

Muppets(提线木偶)are puppets from the children’s showSesame Streetcreated by Sesame Workshop.Sesame Workshop started a campaign called Caring for Each Other.    2    The project includes messages for children and caregivers.It offers reading,math and science activities along with songs and fun,educational videos.

Elmo,Grover and other Sesame Street Muppets star in new public service advertisements(PSAs)from the Sesame Workshop.These PSAs teach children about the importance of handwashing and safe ways to sneeze,limiting the spread of germs.    3    Elmo is probably one of the most famous Muppets. He is known for a video of a song about brushing teeth called “Brushy Brush”. He reminds children to wash between the fingers and the tops of the hands.    4    This silly blue Muppet teaches children how to safely cough and sneeze.He even uses a checklist that includes breakfast,brushing his teeth and exercise.

    5    A set of things children normally do can help them stay healthy.Even though things may be a little different right now,health experts recommend having a regular procedure every day while isolated(隔离).By doing so,parents and caregivers can give their children and themselves a sense of stability in this new normal.

【推荐2】Chinese Valentine’s Day(情人节)is on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.(阴历)It is a traditional festival for Chinese people.It comes from a romantic ancient Chinese story.Niu Lang and Zhi Nu,two lovers who got separated by the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens,can only meet that night.Thanks to this touching story,Chinese people call it“Qixi”.

Meanwhile,February 14 of the solar calendar is European Valentine’s Day.It is related to a moving story too.The story goes that,there was a cruel king in ancient Rome whose name was Claudius.He forbade the youth to get married during the wars,which made the lovers angry.There was a minister named Valentine who was very angry at the rule and the king.One day a couple of lovers came to his church to ask for help to get married.Valentine helped them.Later,many couples got married with Valentine’help.But Claudius knew it soon.He put Valentine to death cruelly.And that day was February 14,the year of 270.

Compared with European Valentine’s Day，Qixi is less popular in China though it is a traditional Chinese festival.There may be many reasons.First of all,the lunar calendar is not easy to remember for most of the young people who are used to the solar calendar.Secondly,to many businessmen,European Valentine’s Day is not only a festival for lovers but also a good chance to make money.Most of the flower shops can sell their flowers at a good price on European Valentine’s Day while the business drops in Qixi，because on European Valentine’s Day lovers know more about how to enjoy it.They exchange cards,flowers and go out to date.But most of them don’t know the culture of Chinese Valentine’s Day or how to celebrate it.

【推荐3】Well, let’s continue from where we stopped last time. I’m sure you’re well aware of the dangers lurking (潜伏) on the World Wide Web. And whether it’s for schoolwork, entertainment, or just socializing with friends. the Internet will surely be a major part of your child’s life. So, it’s important to secure their online stays.

It’s not an easy task, but maintaining open communication is key. Let them know they can share their online activities with you. Discuss what interests them online and learn about popular websites and apps from them. This will help you understand and identify potential risks.

Next, monitor without spying. Most kids learn to understand boundaries, like respecting others’ personal space, or not opening the cookie jar without asking. Internet use is no different. It’s helpful to set clear rules for them. like which websites they can visit, which apps they can use, and what they can share online. Remind them that if they feel uneasy with anything that occurs online, they need to alert (使警觉) an adult immediately.

How you handle your kids’ internet usage will depend in large part on their age. There are websites and browsing tools designed for younger children, such as YouTube Kids, which aims to provide a safe online experience for children. Older kids may be allowed more freedom since they want to socialize and need to use the internet for information-gathering. But you can set boundaries that feel right for you. Just limit their access appropriately.

Allowing your children to make good decisions online teaches them responsibility, shows that you trust them. and reminds them that rules may be tightened if they disobey them. Stay tuned.

【推荐1】Different Approaches to Reducing Food Waste

Food plays a key role in people’s life. While many people in poor communities suffer from a shortage of food, a large amount of food is wasted in the rest of the world.     1     Here are some tips on how to reduce food waste.

Learn to store food. Not sure how to keep those greens from wilting overnight?

Can’t keep your tomatoes fresh for more than a day or two? Do your research on food storage and you’ll get the rewards. Not sure where to start?     2    

Use it all.     3     For example, leave the skin on carrots and potatoes (The skins actually have a ton of valuable nutrients!), save the beet greens for a salad, and don’t throw away the outer skin of oranges!

    4     Many fruits and vegetables are thrown away because they aren’t “pretty” enough. Buying food that comes in a different shape, size or colour helps use up food that might be given up.

Understand best-before dates correctly. People often confuse best-before dates with expiry dates. The best-before date has nothing to do with the safety of the food.     5     So while the taste may not be that good, many food items are still safe to eat for many days beyond the best-before date.

【推荐2】Recently I read an article titled “Cutting back on waste is possible — if you can afford it”. It argued that zero waste is something expensive only wealthy people can afford, while those “who are struggling to get by simply can’t”.

The conclusion? Reducing household waste—food-related, in particular — is expensive and a near impossibility for anyone with low-wage jobs and little extra time.

While that may be true, I take issue with the idea that zero waste must be all or nothing. I think this is an unfortunate mentality that threatens to affect valuable progress toward reducing one’s food-related household waste. When we get too hung up on the idea of literal zero waste, of being like the zero waste superstars Lauren Singer and Bea Johnson who can fit years of trash in a single jar, we start missing the broader point. The goal, after all, is to make smarter shopping decisions and establish practices that are sustainable for us, as individuals, with our own unique resources and living situations.

When I first read about Bea Johnson’s multi-stop grocery shopping routine, I tried to copy it. That lasted a few weeks before I gave up. Unlike her, I had babies, and I did not live in San Francisco where stores are closer together than the place where I lived. Instead, I’ve resigned myself to the supermarket being the main supply of food and trying to work with it.

Now, when I enter the supermarket, I view all packaging. I make constant comparisons between how one brand packages its food to another. That is the main factor in deciding what to buy, though I also consider the unit price and the origin. For example, I’ll choose a paper bag of potatoes over a plastic one, the loose bunch of vegetables over the bagged ones. I shop with cloth bags and fill them with whatever loose seasonal produce is cheapest. I also use the strategies outlined in the next points.