1 . Lonely Planet collected a list of the top 10 countries to visit in 2020, taking you from blue Caribbean waters to thick European forests and beyond. Here are the destinations(目的地) not to miss.

Known for its timeless ruins and culture, attractive beaches and welcoming people, Sri Lanka is a key destination for anyone looking for a relaxing vacation full of beach lounging(懒散地躺着), wellness retreats（疗养院）and flavorful food to explorers in search of the next greatest sight.

When to visit: Sri Lanka is busiest December through March. However, the best weather can usually be found in April and September.

From cities filled with museums and nightlife to beautiful wildlife, Germany has something for everyone. Some tourist favorites include Berlin’s Museum Island, the Berlin Wall, The Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, and the Black Forest.

When to visit: Germany is most popular among tourists in July and August. Lonely Planet recommends heading over in the fall and spring.

The attraction of Zimbabwe is all about its gorgeous landscapes and extensive wildlife. Victoria Falls National Park is among the best spectacles to see in this southern African country. Take view of the rushing, mile-long waterfall from Devil’s Pool, a natural infinity pool next to the fall, and peer at its 328 feet drop.

When to visit: April and October bring sunny days and clear, cold nights, while July through September is the best time for wildlife viewing and white-water activities.

The country may be small, but there is a lot to do and see in Panama. Panama City is a diverse and busy city, and it is celebrating its 500th anniversary in 2020 by throwing a huge celebration.

When to visit: High season in Panama is during public holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. The best prices seen are usually between mid-April and early December.

2 . More than great drinks, great rewards.

Enjoy all the benefits and more with your membership to our Loyalty Program!

Whenever you pay with your membership account, you’ll earn a Star.

Collect more Stars, earn more rewards.

Three ways to join us.

Buy a Starbucks Card handy to create an account.

Track your Stars online or through the mobile app, and we’ll send an email when you’ve earned a reward.

You can also join from your phone.

Download the Starbucks^® App.

One of the most exciting benefits of being a member is using our mobile app to: pay for purchases; view your Stars and rewards; access iTunes^® Pick of the Week; see current offers.

Or you can join with specially marked coffee purchased at the grocery store.

Enter your Starcode (limit 2 per day).

Look for the Starcode symbol on specially marked Starbucks^® products where you buy groceries.

Three levels with increasingly greater rewards

To reach each level in our Loyalty Program, you need to collect more Stars. (Remember, to earn a Star you must pay with a registered Starbucks Card.)

Welcome level

To earn your first rewards, just register a Starbucks Card.

Birthday drink or treat on us; birthday coupon (优惠券) for 15% off a purchase at StarbucksStore.com.

Green level

Collect 5 Stars within 12 months and you’ll be in the Green level.

• What is included in the Welcome level plus

♦ Free in-store refills (续杯) on hot or iced brewed coffee or tea

Gold level

Collect 30 Stars within 12 months and you’re at the Gold level.

• What is included in the Green level plus

♦ A free food or drink item after another 12 Stars earned

♦ Personalized Gold Card

4 . Fired bricks are a universal building material, produced by thousand-year-old technology, which throughout history has seldom served any other purpose. But researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a new use for bricks:as energy storage units. A team of engineers and chemists have found a way to transform an ordinary house brick into a battery (电池) — allowing it to conduct (传导) and store electricity.

The researchers connect an LED light bulb (灯泡) to the bricks. They are powerful enough to illuminate it and cost only about $3 to make.

“I love the idea of adding value to things that are inexpensive, things that are affordable, things that we see every day,” said Julio D'Arcy, an assistant professor of chemistry at Washington University and one of the researchers on this project.

The new invention relies on something known as iron oxide, a form of matter in bricks that gives them their red colour. The scientists pumped the bricks with several gases that react with iron oxide to produce a network of plastic fibres. These fibres coat the empty spaces inside the bricks — and conduct electricity.

“What we’re trying to do is:we're trying to make specialized plastics and then we can actually put those plastics inside construction materials,”D’Arcy says. “In the future, a brick wall could potentially serve two purposes at one time:providing structural support and storing electricity produced from renewable energy sources,such as solar panels.”

The technology is still at least a few years away from being ready for the market. And right now the energy that the bricks can store is still not much. Hut the team is now testing ways to improve brick performance — because it looks like you can find a new purpose for an old brick.

5 . Airbnb rentals

Entire apartment hosted by Daniel

2 guests . Studio. 1 bed.1 bath.$ 135

Airbnb star rate 4.87 (230 reviews)

Entire home: You'll have the apartment to yourself.

Self-check-in: Check yourself in with the lockbox.

Sparkling clean: 13% recent guests said this place was sparkling clean.

Daniel is a superhost

Close to Wells beach and Route 1 shopping, restaurants, and etc. Private with its own full bathroom and full kitchen that's located in the room. High-speed Wi-Fi, and AC/heat. Comfy Queen size bed with bedding linens. I don't do long term rentals for the summer but please message me if you'd like to do a long-term rental from October to May.

Private room in apartment hosted by Sarah

1 guest. 1 bedroom.1 bed，1 shared bath . $213

Airbnb star rate 4.56 (98 reviews)

Sarah is a superhost

A cheerful, sunny room in a bright and well-lit street-side apartment. We love people-watching from the windows and the convenience to the subway. We are just a short subway ride from the downtown. Check-in before 9 p.m.

The space

Private room in a very clean apartment 2 blocks from the subway. Shared bathroom and kitchen. Wi-fi included through your own device.

Entire cabin hosted by Selena

2 guests . Cabin.1 bed.1 bath.$ 90

Airbnb star rate 4.91 (23 reviews)

Selena is a superhost

Our cabin is situated very close to the end of the road that runs north along the east side of the Sechelt Inlet. There is little besides wilderness, accessed only by plane or boat. As a result, it is very quiet up here with little to no traffic. We keep our canoe which is always avaible to our guests to use.

Information for transport

Driving is undoubtedly the best way to get around the coast as there is a lot to see   and do, and not a lot of public transport options available. It might be possible for us to come pick guests up from the coast, Do let us know if that is the case.

6 . I recall when I was a young girl back in Canada, I was sitting and watching a baseball game on TV with my father and we started to debate the importance of sports. Different from my father, I argued with all the overconfidence of a teenager that sports is more than just a hobby to keep us physically healthy and went as far as claiming that" There would be more wars if we didn't have sports!"

As an adult, my teenage tendencies of exaggeration(夸张) may have faded but I still firmly believe that sports is more than just a hobby for both participants and audience. The challenging times we are all living through right now with coronavirus is proof to this. The effect of cancelling all sports from professional leagues right down to amateur budding athletic programs, can be felt by millions of people worldwide. To many the social emotional impact is stronger than the physical. The loss of the sense of community, of belonging, and of an extended family is real for many girls, boys, men and women everywhere. Others are feeling physical challenges as well as they are struggling to stay active during these times.

But the human race is incredible and adaptable in tough situations, and sports once again is playing a role. Sports teams are staying in touch online and are a source of much needed support, love and laughter in these times. So many professional athletes are playing vital roles through this crisis by sharing their messages of support and at times, making valuable monetary donations to the cause. Even in areas of isolation(隔离), people are coming out on their balconies and leading their neighbours through a workout programme to help them stay active. Others are turning to online workout programmes to follow. Once again, sports is finding its way.

So, in challenging times such as now, people are still empowered to continue their sports journey and stay strong and healthy.

8 . Some of the Oldest Cities in the World

The name Argos came from Argus, the son of Zeus and Niobe. According to Greek mythology, he was the city's king. It was known as being the birthplace of many soldiers who fought in the Trojan War. Historical account of the city describes it as being a cultural center in the Greek empire, being one of the first cities along with Sparta and Paros to hold music competitions.

The city of Jericho is in the West Bank in the Middle East. It is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Jericho started as a camping ground for Natufian hunter-gatherers around 10000 BC. People did not begin to permanently settle in the area until around 9600 BC, with the end of the last Ice Age and along with it the end of cold and drought.

Susa began as a small settlement around 7000 BC and became an urban center around 4200 BC. It became an important town mainly because of its position near business center. Susa, located at the base of the Zagros Mountains and east of the Tigris River, was the Elamite Empire's capital until the Assyrians had control of it.

Gaziantep，also known as Antep, is located in southern Turkey near Syrian. With a long history dating as far back as the Hittites, Gaziantep offers many historical sites to see. Visitors can explore the Gaziantep Fortress and Ravanda Citadel, both of which the Byzantines repaired in the 6th century.

9 . More than 7,000 runners who raced earlier this month in a half-marathon in London were under the influence of a scientifically designed and powerful stimulant — pop music.

The upbeat music at London's “Run to the Beat” race was chosen based on the research of sport psychologist Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University. He has learned how to design music to be as powerful, if not more so, as some of the illegal stimulant. “Music is a great way to lift spirits both before and during physical activity. A lot of athletes use music as if it's a legal drug,” Costas told LiveScience.

Costas and his team collected data during the “Run to the Beat” half-marathon, allowing them to test on thousands of live runners outside the lab. Despite strong winds and heavy rain during the event, interviews after the race suggested that the runners found the music inspiring and fun.

In the future, Costas expects a fusion of sports and music, where the crowd and the athletes are motivated by music in the race, while motivating one another. “It is beyond the music,” he said. “The music inspires team spirit. One of the key causes of motivation is the feeling of being together with one another. Having suitable music allows you to get this feeling naturally.”

The link between music and athletic performance is just one example of the amazing power that music has over our minds and bodies. Scientists also have confirmed that music improves memories, as we all have experienced, to the point where we don't even have to hear a song. We just think of it and the memories flood in. Music has also been found to relieve pain, make you smarter, and remove bad emotions.

10 . True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost.—Charles Caleb Colton.

Just like in any other relationship, arguments and fights are also a part of friendship. You will hardly find friends who have never fought with one another. Whatever the reason is, if a person feels that he is responsible for creating the differences, it is important that he apologizes to his friend.

Though you can use the email, text messages or chat for expressing your apology, the good old way of saying sorry to your friend through a letter will surely have a great effect on him. This will make your friend realize that your efforts of saying sorry are genuine and you really care for him.

Points to Remember:

Timing: Write the letter at the proper time.It is not advisable to put off it for too long.

Words: While writing the letter, what matters the most is that you truly feel sorry.

Sequence: Always begin by apologizing and saying sorry for your mistake. Then explain to him your side of the story. In the third and last paragraph, talk about what his friendship means to you and make a promise of not repeating the mistake.

Delivery: You can either post it or deliver the letter personally or through someone else. You can also keep it at a location where your friend will be able to find it easily.

Some people may try to point out the friend’s mistake while writing the letter. Avoid this completely, as it can make matters worse. The letter has to be brief and should only talk about the subject that has led to your apology. Keep patient and do not expect immediate results. In some cases, it may take time for the person to forgive and forget.