【推荐3】It is essential that students have a category of school-related activities they can participate in. These activities can range from activities during normal school hours to after-school activities. No matter the time, these activities should be available to every student, and at Victory Pioneers International Schools (V.P.I.S) it is encouraged that every student participate in at least one activity, educational and recreational.

One of the primary reasons school activities are important at V.P.I.S. is because it gives students the exercise they might not normally receive. Most popularly, these types of activities include major sports such as football, basketball, baseball, tennis, track and field and soccer but also might include gymnasium games and other games.

Activities during V.P.I.S. also make a good impression on colleges if students are planning to pursue more education. Colleges look for students who do not just go to school and go home after school. These activities range from participating in clubs and sports to volunteering after school at a recreation center or having a part-time job. If a college sees you maintained good grades while participating in these activities, it will be impressed.

V.P.I.S. activities also allow students to be creative. Gifted-and-talented activities allow gifted students to participate in what they otherwise would never have experienced in the classroom. They are a great way to allow students to be creative. Additionally, participating in clubs such as drama that appeal to students’ interest also allows them to expand their knowledge and be creative.

Students also can have their interests expanded by participating in activities. These activities could consist of anything, such as joining the Future Business Leaders, the school’s debate team and the chess team, to name a few. By participating in these activities, a student might realize he is interested in something he never knew he was interested in before.

【推荐2】One of Eleven Madison Park’s most symbolic dishes has been whole roasted duck-it’s a classic of the restaurant, and one of its most long-standing offering. But when the restaurant reopens next month after more than a year, that dish, and many others it has become known for, will no longer be available.

The three-Michelin-starred New York restaurant will be going completely plant-based when it reopens next month, it announced Monday-becoming one of the most famous restaurants to do so. “I’m excited to share that I’ve made the decision to serve a plant-based menu in which we do not use any animal products-every dish is made from vegetables, both from the earth and the sea, as well as fruits, fungi, grains, and so much more,” chef and owner Daniel Humm wrote in a statement on the restaurant’s website. The move reflects a growing trend in the food industry, as more and more institutions turn to more sustainable ingredients and food practices. Epicurious, a well-known online food publication, announced just last week it would no longer publish new recipes that include beef, saying beef production creates large quantities of greenhouse gas emissions.

As more plant-based options have appeared on menus across the country, gone are the days when veganism (素食主义) were fringe diets (边缘饮食). Humm has previously said he believes the future of restaurants is vegan. In an interview with NPR’s “How I Built This”, Humm said the way people ate meat was not sustainable, similar to the reasons Epicurious gave.

And though in his statement, Humm said he recognized the risk of making such a move, and he believed it was worth it. “It is time to redefine luxury as an experience that serves a higher purpose and maintains a genuine connection to the community,” he wrote on the restaurant’s website. “A restaurant experience is about more than what’s on the plate. We are thrilled to share the incredible possibilities of plant-based cuisine while deepening our connection to our homes: both our city and our planet.” Eleven Madison Park is scheduled to reopen on June 10 for dining.

【推荐2】“The Delta variant is the most able, fastest and fittest of the coronavirus variants,” said Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program. And the USA’s top health officials said recently that the Delta variant is racing through the country and now is responsible for 83% of all USA cases. So what makes the variant so horrible？

The Delta variant was first identified in India in spring this year. In just a few months’ time，it has spread across the globe. Research from the United Kingdom shows that the Delta variant is highly contagious(传染的). It’s about 60% more easily passed from person to person than the Alpha version, which was first identified in the UK. While a single infected person might have spread older versions of the virus to two or three others, number—called the basic reproduction number—might be around six for Delta, meaning that, on average, each infected person spreads the virus to six others.

Early evidence suggests the Delta variant may cause more severe disease in people who are not vaccinated. In fact, it has raised the risk even higher, increasing the odds that an infected person would need to be hospitalized or could die from their infection by 50% compared to older variants, regardless of vaccination status.

Emerging evidence from England and Scotland, analyzed by Public Health England, also shows an increased risk for hospitalization with Delta. The Delta variant has about 15 different mutations(突变) compared with the original virus. Two of these mutations can help the virus escape the antibodies we make to fight it.

It has another mutation that is also getting researchers’ attention—known as P681R. This mutation appears to help the virus get into our cells. So it’s more likely to be in the right position to infect our cells if we come into contact with it.

P681R may also enhance the virus’ ability to unite cells together to be clumps(团块). These clumps of cells are called syncytia(合胞体). They turn into a big factory for making viruses. Scientists aren’t sure what these supersized syncytia mean exactly, but they have some theories. They may help the virus copy itself more rapidly. That may enhance the ability of the virus to transmit from person to person. At least one recent study from China supports this idea. That study tracked 167 people infected with the Delta variant back to a single case.

Scientists say that what we already know about the Delta variant makes vaccination more important than ever.

【推荐3】Japan has announced emergency Covid measures in Tokyo and three other areas in order to control rising infections (传染病), just three months before the country is set to host the Olympics. The government said the state of emergency — set to last for about two weeks — would be “short and powerful”. Under the measures, bars will be required to close and big sporting events will be held without audience. The government has insisted that the Olympics will go ahead in July.

Prime minister Yoshihide Suga announced the measures on Friday, saying they would begin on Sunday and remain in place until 11 May. In addition to to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo will be affected. It has marked the third state of emergency in japan since the pandemic began. “I sincerely apologize for causing trouble for many people again,” he said. “It is feared that infection in major cities will spread across the whole country if we take no measures.”

Under the rules, major facilities like department stores will close, as well as restaurants, bars, and KTV rooms serving alcohol. Restaurants that do not serve alcohol are being told to close early, and companies are being asked to make arrangements for people to work remotely. Schools will remain open. Besides, the emergency measures coincide with the country’s “Golden Week” holiday, which runs from late April to the first week of May and is the busiest travel period of the year. Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike urged residents to start taking precautions immediately. In an effort to discourage people from going out at night. She said neon signs (霓虹灯) would be turned off.

The coronavirus toll in Japan has been much lower than that in many other countries, with about 558,000 cases and fewer than 10,000 deaths, according to figures collected by Johns Hopkins University. But there are concerns over the latest rise in infections, with reports of hospital bed shortages in some areas.

Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said at a news conference on Friday that organizers were not considering canceling the event. “I hope the coronavirus situation improves with the prevention measures the government, Tokyo, and other regional governments have put into place,” she said. “We, as Tokyo 2020, continue to wish for the swift return to normal and will continue to work closely to make sure a safe and secure Olympics can happen.”