【推荐3】Some people shy away from traveling alone while a few welcome it. So, what is it that makes traveling alone an attractive choice?

First of all, the travel plan and all the decisions you make are yours alone. You don’t nee worry about any other person or group. In other words, there are no arguments. Actually, you can be completely selfish.

Traveling alone is also a great confidence builder. Yes, at times it can feel a bit lonely, but that is just one of many problems you will have to solve yourself, along with making your own preparations and setting your own goals.

Besides, have you noticed that when you’re on your own, people are more willing to start a conversation with you? Interestingly, people tend to keep a distance from couples and groups. However, the lone (独自的) traveler looks ready to connect with their fellow human beings and more likely to get into pleasant conversation about their trips.

Here are two more exciting reasons why you should consider traveling alone. You will find you learn the language faster when you don’t have someone else talking to you in your own language all the time. You are forced to communicate in the foreign language when you travel alone in a country that doesn’t speak your native language. In addition, when you’re on your own, you’re free to meet someone who might turn out to be very important in your life.

Of course, there may be things stopping you: You fear the unknown, or you have friends who may be upset by your decision to take off by yourself. You will have to make them believe the value of traveling done and allay any fears they might have, but with the technology at our fingertips, you can include them in the adventure.

【推荐1】Have you always wanted to visit Disney World or Disneyland, but were waiting for different reasons? The happiest place on earth isn’t far out of reach.     1    .

Disney gets bad fame for raising their ticket prices often. Throughout much of the 2010s, Disney raised fees at almost double the rate of inflation (通货膨化), according to the Wall Street Journal.     2    . In February 2020, Disneyland, in California, raised prices on its one-day park tickets about 5 percent. This is a rather large price increase because it’s the first time Disneyland park tickets have crossed $200.

When Disney World opened, staying at the Bora Bora Bungalows cost $29 per night. Now it can cost as much as $3,400!     3    ? Disney isn’t hunting for money, with a net income in 2019 of $10.44 billion. But here are some reasons:

    4    

Since Walt Disney World opened in Orlando in 1971, Disney has expanded faster and faster, with new parks and attractions, pulling ahead of the competition and attracting double the visitors of its closest competitor.

To Attract Wealthier Customers

    5    , with private tours dinners with princesses, and the opening of a five-star hotel. “They know that the money is in the upper class, the top 10 percent, the top 1 percent.” Niles says. “They’ve created a wide variety of new products to try, and, honestly, earn more money from the rich people.”

【推荐2】"Don't take many English courses; they won't help you get a decent job." "Sign up for management classes, so you'll be ready to join the family business when you graduate." Many of us have heard suggestions like these put forward by parents or others close to us.    1    

The answer is yes. Such comments often seem quite reasonable. However, with regard to finding a correct path of career, it relates to decisions you should make.    2    

One of the worst reasons to follow a particular path in life is that other people want you to. Decisions that affect your life should be your decisions — decisions you make after you've considered various alternatives and chosen the path that suits you best.

    3    For instance, your parents do have their own unique experiences that may make their advice helpful, and having participated in a great deal of your personal history, they may have a clear view of your strengths and weaknesses.    4    They may still see you as a child, in need of care and protection. Or they may see only your strengths. Or, in some unfortunate cases, they may focus only on your flaws and shortcomings.

For the whole life, we are always in the wandering and hesitation.    5    Unless you've already determined to be their faithful audience, you shouldn't worry too much about letting others control your actions. Ultimately, though, you can assure that your own judgments will lead your way.

【推荐3】The cancer death rate in the U.S. fell by the most on record as advances in treatments for lung tumors (肿瘤) like video-assisted surgery helped prolong the lives of patients.

The death rate from cancer has been gradually declining for 26 years, thanks in large part to fewer people smoking cigarettes. But from 2016 to 2017, the most recent period available, it dropped by 2.2%, the most ever in a single year, according to a report released Wednesday by the American Cancer Society. That compares with an average 1.5% yearly decline over the decade. The drop translates to roughly 2.9 million fewer cancer deaths. For lung cancer specifically, the death rate declined 4.3% annually from 2013 to 2017.

"It is really lung cancer that is driving this," said Rebecca, scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, and lead author on the new study. "We found increases in survival for lung cancer at every stage in diagnosis.” She attributed the lower deaths to improvements in treatments, including video-assisted surgery that enables more patients with early lung tumors to become eligible (合格的) for operations; more precise radiation treatment; and better scanning technology allowing doctors to better assess(评估)the stage of tumor, so the patient gets the best treatment right away. At later stages of illness, new drugs that aim at specific disease-causing genes are helping patients whose tumors have those genetic flaws(缺陷). Overall, lung cancer death rates have dropped by 51% for men since their peak in 1990, and by 26% for women since their peak in 2002.

The report, based on U.S. government data, isn't all good news. Prostate(前列腺)cancer death rates have leveled off recently after a period of decline. That may be because many doctors pulled back on using the controversial prostate-specific antigen(抗原)test, or PSA, which can spot the disease but can lead to over-treatment of men who may never have died from their tumors.

"Though it was definitely causing harm, it was also contributing to declines in death," Siegel said. What's needed now is better screening tests to detect only the prostate cancers that will go on to cause harm.

Population death rates are considered one of the most reliable ways of measuring progress in cancer treatment and prevention. By contrast, cancer survival rates can sometimes be influenced by improvements in diagnosing tiny, early-stage tumors that wouldn't necessarily be deadly.

【推荐1】I think the biggest difference between middle and high school is the homework load (工作量) and size of the school. I went from maybe fifteen minutes of homework a night to several hours, so I had to learn how to make full use of time! Our class size is around 550, but joining in clubs, sports, music, and other activities at school makes it easier to get to know people in every grade.

The best advice I can give about the years you spend in high school is to learn things for yourself, not just to get a good grade. There have been so many tests that I’ve prepared for the night before. I have gotten an A, and not remembered anything later. I’ve changed that this year, and I enjoy school so much more. Don’t take easy classes just to have a simple year. If you have a choice between chemistry and sports, the first will prove to be a lot more useful!

While drinking and smoking might be present in some middle schools, they’re also around in high schools. I have a lot of friends who promised they’d never drink or smoke, but are now partying every weekend. If you have “fun” and spend your nights wasted instead of studying, you will regret it when you’re applying for (申请) college. The “friends” who say you’re a loser for not partying are really not your friends at all. It’s hard to see your closest friends grow apart and go in different directions, but don’t follow their footsteps. Create your own path in life and make your own decisions.

【推荐2】As Billboard expands in Asia, Billboard China, a new edition, has been launched.

Mike Van, who was named the new president of Billboard this May, said in an interview with China Daily that, “Billboard is further expanding its coverage in one of the biggest music markets in the world” and the move will be “bringing global pop music to Chinese fans and expose Chinese artists and music to an international audience”.

On Aug 9, the news of launching Billboard China was announced on its official Sina Weibo platform. According to Van, Billboard is establishing local partnerships, such as Tencent Music Entertainment Group, and rolling out content plans such as cover story, which features top-tier Chinese artists and their music stories, and Billboard Master Collections, which brings highly professional music recommendations to music lovers. Pop star Jackson Wang was featured in the cover story of Billboard China Magazine’s August 2022 edition.

China ranks as the sixth-largest music market in the world, according to the annual global music report released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry on March 22, 2022. In 2021, China occupied the seventh spot.

As Van said in the interview, China has a unique, dynamic and fast-changing music market and the industry is constantly evolving. “How to best understand Chinese music culture and promote it is probably our biggest challenge,” he says. “The market potential in China is endless. Compounded by the diversity of Chinese music culture, tremendous music fan base, mature music industry ecosystem and a large energetic community of indie musicians all attribute to massive growth for all involved.”

“Through a series of engaging content collaborations (合作) and features, we aim to offer opportunities for talented Chinese musicians and their high-quality music to be introduced to a broader audience, not only in China, but also to the world,” says Van, who joined in Billboard in 2018.