1 . In the winter of 1910, Dr. Wu Lien-teh stepped off a train in the northern Chinese city of Harbin. He was there to solve a medical mystery, at great personal risk. Over the past few months, an unknown disease had swept along the railways of northeast China, killing 99.9%of its victims. The Qing Imperial court had sent the Cambridge-educated Dr. Wu north to stop the epidemic (流行病).

When Dr Wu arrived in Harbin on Christmas Eve, 1910, he carried little in the way of medical instruments and had only one assistant. One of Wu’s first acts upon arrival was to set up special quarantine (隔离) units and to order lockdowns to stop infected persons from traveling and spreading the disease. He had teams check households for possible cases, and even managed to convince authorities to completely close the railways in the early weeks of 1911. Of particular concern was the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, which had become a great annual migration of people traveling across the country to see their families.

Thanks to Dr. Wu’s efforts, the number of victims began to die down, and by March 1, 1911, the epidemic was fully contained. The pneumonic plague outbreak of 1910-1911 lasted nearly four months, affected five provinces and six major cities, and accounted for over 60,000 deaths. It is clear that without the brave and decisive actions taken by Dr. Wu, it could have been much worse. Had the epidemic gone unchecked, allowing holiday rail passengers to spread the disease to the rest of China could have meant a catastrophic loss of life and possibly a global health crisis.

In April 1911, Dr. Wu chaired an International Plague Conference in Shenyang, attended by scientists from 11 counties including the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Japan and France. They praised Dr. Wu for his handling of the 1910-1911 outbreak. For a time, Dr. Wu was the world’s most famous plague fighter, a title be defended in a malaria epidemic in China in 1919, and a return of plague in 1921.

4 . Going to bed in one major city and waking up in another; toasting the landscape as a new country slips past; being rocked to sleep as you rattle across a continent. It’s no wonder that the night trains of Europe have been a byword for romance, frequently mentioned by writers such as Agatha Christie.

In fact, over the past decade, much of Europe’s night train network has been cut. For many, it seemed the end of the line was coming. But recently there has been a reappearance of night trains across Europe. On December 8, four national rail providers teamed up to announce new routes between 13 European cities.

“You leave work at a normal time, have dinner, make your way to the station, get on the train, and wake up in the place you want to be. There’s no turning up at the airport at an early hour, as you do for a budget flight.” says Monisha Rajesh, author of “Around the World in 80 Trains.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has helped, too. It is easier for people’s social-distance on the train, says Rajesh. And night trains — where you can book an entire compartment (车厢) to yourself — are even better.

Europe’s geography also helps the argument for night trains, says Nicolas Forien, part of Back onTrack, who points out that half of the flights departing France are either domestic, or going to a neighboring country. “The distance between European capitals is mostly ideal for night trains. The continent could be a night-train paradise.”

5 . We all scream for ice cream! It tends to be a favorite frozen treat for anyone of any age. Ice cream may be universally appealing, but many countries have their own versions.

Gelato, Italy

Pasta aside, gelato is considered to be Italy’s food symbol. In fact, visiting the local ice cream shop called gelateria is a way of life for Italians. “Italians get together at gelaterias and socialize,” says Britton Bauer. “They’re popular hangouts and cultural icons.” Italian gelato is lower in fat than traditional ice cream, and crafted with whole milk, eggs, sugar and flavoring — chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio and stracciatella are the most beloved flavors.

Dondurma, Turkey

An ice cream that doesn’t melt? Yes, that’s exactly what dondurma or Turkish ice cream is. “Buying dondurma is like watching a performance,” says Fedorko Sefer, the founder of the travel company Sea Song Tours and an Istanbul resident. “The men who sell it wear traditional Turkish costume and a sultan hat and stretch, twist and turn the ice cream until it lands into a cone. Kids and adults get a kick out of the show.

Kakigori, Japan

Pastry chefs make kakigori, the Japanese version of ice cream, by shaving ice from ice blocks until it builds into a fluffy (蓬松的) pile. They then add syrups to the ice — usually crafted by hand with quality ingredients — in flavors such as green tea, strawberry, grape and melon. Kakigori is almost always served in a bowl.

6 . A study confirmed that the cracks (裂缝) found on the surface of Mars last year by the Curiosity Rover are evidence of ancient lakes that likely dried up about 3.5 billion years ago. The new study provides further evidence of what the climate on the Red Planet may have been like in its ancient past.

The study, published online in Geology, proved that cracks on Mars’s surface previously photographed by Curiosity are dry mud cracks which could have only been formed when wet ground was exposed to the air. This conclusion was based on an analysis of a single area of rock known as “Old Soaker.”

Researchers used the Curiosity Rover and information from its many tools including the Mars Hand Lens Imager, ChemCam Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometer (LIBS) and the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) to study both the physical appearance and the chemistry of the rock, which is described as no bigger than a coffee table.

The analysis showed that cracks on the rock were formed by exposure to air, rather than heat or the flow of water. In addition, the shape of the cracks suggests it experienced a single drying event on the planet, rather than getting wet and drying over repeatedly. The position of the cracks, closer to the center of the ancient lake rather than alongside it, also suggests that the lake levels changed often, rising and falling over time.

“The mud cracks are exciting because they help us to understand this ancient lake system,” lead study author Nathaniel Stein, a geologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, said, referring to the ancient lake system on the planet.

Scientists have known of the existence of ancient water on Mars for years. A 2015 NASA study that measured water in Mars’s atmosphere suggested that ancient oceans may once have had more water than our own Arctic Ocean. However, because the planet has less gravity and a thinner atmosphere than Earth, this water evaporated into space over the course of several billion years.

7 . Two deer jumped out in front of 16-year-old Amanda Floyd’s car. She stepped on the brake, stopping the car just in time. But later, she started texting. Distracted, Amanda turned left and right, then crashed into another car. Luckily, she wasn’t in a real car — she was in a driving simulator at Roosevelt High School, Ohio, US. “I never really realized that cars make a turn that much,” Amanda, a junior, said. She added that she wouldn’t text while driving anymore.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and State Highway Patrol brought the simulator to the school. They said they wanted to help students learn about the danger of driving while drunk, while texting, or while talking on the phone.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving claimed 3,450 1ives in 2016 alone. Experts believe the actual figure is probably higher.

The simulator is basically a computer program. Like many computer games, it was a hit with the students. They lined up and crowded around to watch each other take turns. The simulator has a steering wheel (方向盘) , brake and gas pedal . It is made up of three large computer screens on a table.

Students choose a distraction, such as driving while drunk or texting. They always crash, of course. Then, they are pulled over by the police to be taught the bad results of their driving: how much damage they’ve caused, what their fine is, if anyone died in the accident, and if they’re going to go to prison.

“It teaches how to drive without being on the road,” said Shante Thompson, 16. She had just crashed into a deer.

ODOT spokesman Justin Chesnic said hundreds of kids have gone behind the wheel so far. He said even more have benefited from watching their classmates. “Driving is such a major responsibility, so take it seriously,” he said. “Put away your cellphone. A lot of the accidents out there are because of distracted driving. It can not only change your life, but it can change someone else’s life forever. The results are serious. ”