1 . In a policy address to lawmakers, Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said the country’s population problem was a case of solving the issue “now or never”, and that it “simply cannot wait any longer because it can affect social functions”.

“In thinking of the sustainability and inclusiveness (包容) of our nation’s economy and society, we place child care support as our most important policy,” he said, adding that he wants the government to double its spending on child-related programs, and that a new government agency would be set up in April to focus on the issue.

Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and it recorded fewer than 800, 000 births in 2022 for the first time since records began in 1899. The country also has one of the highest aging of population in the world; in 2020, nearly one in 1, 500 people in Japan were age 100 or older, according to government data.

These trends have driven a growing population problem, with a rapidly aging society, a shrinking workforce and not enough young people to fill the gaps in the stagnating (停滞) economy. The country’s high cost of living, limited space and lack of child care support in cities make it difficult to raise children, meaning fewer couples are having kids. Experts point to the pessimism young people in Japan hold towards the future, many frustrated with work pressure and economic stagnation.

How about other parts of East Asia? South Korea recently broke its own record for the world’s lowest birth rate, with data from November 2023 showing a South Korean woman will have an average of 0.79 children in her lifetime-far below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population. Japan’s birth rate stands at 1.3, while the United States is at 1.6. Meanwhile, China’s population shrank in 2022 for the first time, adding pressure to its economic growth.

3 . On December 16,2023, the first section of Maya Train officially opened, which runs between Campeche and Cancun, carrying up to 231 passengers across 290 miles and stopping at 14 train stations.

Built as an ambitious effort to promote tourism and boost Mexico’s economy, the rail system connects the major cities and tourist regions of the Yucatan Peninsula -from Cancun’s beaches to Tulum’s archaeological wonders. Once the project is completed, the entire rail system will link tourist destinations across five states. However, environmentalists and archaeologists argue that the train route will cause great damage to the environment and ancient Mayan sites.

The Maya Train passes through six UNESCO World Heritage sites and thousands of archaeological sites. One particular area of concern is the Calakmul reserve, which is home to many endangered species, such as jaguars and over 500 other animal species. The train lines, more than 60 meters wide, could act as artificial barriers that may make it difficult for these animals to move around and access food and water sources.

Opponents also express safety concerns. Certain sections of the rail system will be built right on top of the aquifer’s (地下水层的) weakest points of contact with the surface. “It’s like wanting to build over eggshells.” says Guillermo Christy, a water treatment consultant. “Putting trains weighing thousands of tons on top could cause the underground caves to crash down.” To construct the train infrastructure (基础设施) also requires driving long piles deep into the ground, which poses a big threat to this weak ecosystem and leads to water shortages.

In the ongoing debate of Maya Train, it is crucial to consider the delicate balance between economic development and environmental preservation. While Maya Train may provide economic benefits, we must not ignore the potential environmental and cultural losses, as well as the safety risks it may bring. Achieving harmony between progress and conservation may be a significant challenge for the project, but we must take into account the long-term consequences of our actions.

4 . In my 40s, I received a call from my father. He’d been _________ an old shelf and accidentally discovered _________ from a great-great-uncle, Charles Kelley. They dated to 1922, when Charles was told that he had got Type 1 diabetes (糖尿病). At that time, the diagnosis was a deadly _________.

Somehow my uncle, an insurance man from Huron, South Dakota, made his way to the Mayo Hospital in Minnesota, where doctors were _________ a new drug. Charles was accepted as one of the guinea pigs. He noted down that each day’s injection (注射) cost him a small fortune, though luckily he could _________ it.

By the time the University of Toronto team of doctors, who invented insulin (胰岛素), won a Nobel Prize in 1923, Uncle Charles had been back in Huron. The _________ gave him 20 more years of life.

Undoubtedly, this family _________ was helpful to me.

One day when I was in my 20s, I returned home from college, _________, so I went to see my doctor. He called the next day to _________ me that I had Type 1 diabetes. It was a big __________, totally out of the blue. There was no known history of diabetes in my family.

For 20 years, I __________ my insulin and took care of myself, but still I felt orphaned because of my illness. I couldn’t explain why I had such kind of illness, the only one in my family. Charles’s story changed that __________, which brought the once-hidden imperfection in my genes to __________. Now I’m __________ for the mysteries they have solved — and for my uncle Charles’s late messages across generations that I wasn’t __________.

6 . One January evening in 2008, Rachel Lapierre bought a $4 lottery ticket (彩票) at the grocery store. After a tiring day in a full-time emergency-room, she needed something to _________ her spirits.

For years, Lapierre had done humanitarian work and she longed to be able to one day _________ her nursing job and focus on the volunteer work she found most _________. She decided that if she ever won the lottery, that’s what she would do.

Lapierre went home and scratched (刮出) her ticket, _________ three sunny faces. Not sure what they _________, she took it to a corner store, where she was informed that she had won a sum of $6,75,000.

Staying _________ to her word, Lapierre stopped her nursing job and devoted her life to helping others through her passion project, Le Book Humanitaire, which has since become a registered _________.

Le Book, as Lapierre, now 62,   _________ calls it, began as a simple list of good deeds she wrote down in a notebook. She had been using it to keep _________ of what she had done to help those living around her.

To her, the deeds were just small acts of __________ such as delivering a meal to an __________ senior or giving medical attention to someone living on the streets. But word started __________, her phone began ringing and a Facebook page she created for the project became an efficient way to __________ requests from those in need and those who wanted to help.

“When you do a good deed, it has a butterfly effect,” says Lapierre. “One good deed can __________ ten people. So if we all do a good deed? That can __________ the world.”

8 . I am employed in an educational institution. Each day, following the ________ of the students, a delightful young woman named Claire often arrives to clean the classrooms and offices. Once a week, I ________ after hours, doing some extra work. So I often chat for a few minutes with her. She always makes me feel good because she's a good listener and willing to talk about her children. Our ________ are consistently enjoyable.

Last week, she seemed unlike her ________ self. She told me that her husband had been ________ from his job, leaving them worried about their financial ________. Later that week, while I was in a department store, my attention was drawn to the shelves lined with sunglasses. After ________ various pairs, I discovered the ideal sunglasses. As I admired my ________ , it occurred to me that Claire would look great while wearing them.________ with my current pair, I purchased the sunglasses for Claire.

Eager to surprise her, I placed them in an elegant bag and ________ put them in her closet for her discovery. The following day, Claire was chatting with a coworker as she ________ the closet. Upon ________ the bag and taking out the sunglasses and a Smile Card, her face lit up with joy. She expressed that it had been days since she had reason to smile and that this act of kindness ________ her spirits.

She penned a note expressing her ________ for my heart-warming gesture. Choosing to gift her the sunglasses instead of myself brought me much satisfaction. I eagerly ________ creating more moments of joy.

10 . Monet: The Immersive Experience

Monet: The Immersive Experience in Liège invites you to step into the world of the French painter Claude Monet, one of the greatest artistic geniuses of the nineteenth century!

Explore some of the most breathtaking paintings by Claude Monet with the help of a digital 360-degree presentation. The unique exhibition concept is staged with state-of-the-art multimedia technology, which shows very large images of Monet’s paintings on the walls and floors of the building. It has music, the smell of flowers, and voice-over in several languages to make the paintings come alive in a way never seen before.

To fully get into the world of the French painter, visitors are guided through three experience rooms. Each room is a highlight on its own and provides visitors not only with an insight, but also with new experiences and new viewpoints on Monet’s life, his work and his masterpieces.

·Date: from March 2024

·Opening hours:

Wednesday, Thursday: 10: 00 am — 7:00 pm

Friday: 10:00 am — 8:00 pm

Saturday: 9:00 am — 8:00 pm

Sunday: 9:00 am — 7:00 pm

Monday and Tuesday: Closed

·Duration: the visit will take around 60 to 75 minutes

·Location: Eglise Saint-Pholien, Rue Saint-Pholien, 4020 Liège

·Please consult the FAQs of this experience here