The lantern fair in Zigong, Southwest China’s Sichuan province, boasts a history of more than 1,000 years.     1     (mark) the Year of the Dragon, many of the lanterns show the Chinese sign of the zodiac (生肖), but there are also     2     wide variety of other lantern designs to meet different needs. Visitors     3     prefer traditional lanterns can find lanterns with flowers and birds, and legendary figures, while lanterns with modern patterns such as cultural     4     (trend) and online games are gaining popularity among young people.

In addition to the     5     (elegance) craftsmanship, modern technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence have also been used to make the lanterns     6     (nice) and more vivid. The lantern show is also accepting the concept of environmental protection. A set of lanterns     7     (feature) the famous Chinese statue “Bronze Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow” from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) was created by using different kinds of waste materials, including tires and plastics to form its outside decorations.

This year’s show will not come to an end     8     July 31. The sets of lanterns     9     (update) to keep up with other traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Dragon Boat Festival. Visitors can also enjoy folk arts, and Chinese music performances during     10     (they) lantern-viewing tours.

2 . This was the big game. The boys were ________ and excited. It was a clear night, and my son Andy’s baseball team, which had ________ all year, had shocked the better teams by making it to this championship game. The atmosphere was ________: the other team’s slugger (强击手),a big kid, was like a snake, dangerous and ready to ________.

Nervously, I looked out Andy’s way. I was ________ to see Andy looking straight up at the night sky! Obviously he wasn’t ________ on the game. I was horrified that he wouldn’t even know the ball was coming.

“Come on, Andy. ________ out there,” I said to myself.

Thank goodness the big kid made a mistake. We (Andy and I) had been ________, and our team still led by one run.

Andy ran up to me at the ________. I was about to ________ him when he said loudly, “Did you see that shooting star?”

Andy’s eyes were glowing (发光) with ________. I paused.

“Yes,” I said. “Well, one inning (局) to go. Hit a home run (全垒打)!”

“Okay!” said Andy, and he ran back to his ________.

I suddenly realized it was nice my son would take time out to ________ the wonder and beauty in life. You might be surprised by the beauty you can find when you least ________ it. Andy hit a triple in that last inning. But I still wish I had ________ that shooting star, too.

3 . Nanako Hama was holding a light envelop. When she tore it open with care, locks of hair emerged. Many strangers send Hama locks of their hair, hoping to recycle it.

People generate a huge amount of hair waste. Nearly all of that waste ends up in landfill, where it can release harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. But hair possesses useful qualities that it’s a shame to simply throw it away. That’s why people all around the world, like Hama, have been collecting hair and finding innovative ways to recycle it, including making mats (垫子) out of it for removing oil leaks in the ocean.

Hama is part of the nonprofit Matter of Trust (MoT) members working at more than 60 centers dotted across 17 countries, using machines to make hair donated from local salons and individuals into square mat, which are then used to clean up the floating oil. “Hair is particularly well-suited for this,” says MoT co-founder Lisa Gautier. “That’s because its rough sort of outer layer lets oil stick to it.” MoT’s mats have been used in major oil leaks, including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and 2007 Cosco Busan incidents.

In a 2018 study, Murray, an environmental scientist at the University of Technology Sydney, in Australia found that mats made of recycled human hair could absorb 0.84 grams of oil onto its surface for every gram of hair—significantly more than polypropylene (聚丙烯),a type of plastic that’s typically used to clean up floating oil. Besides, hair is also useful as fertilizer (化肥). Hair contains a relatively high nitrogen (氮), a chemical element crucial for plant growth, and each lock of hair is made of roughly 16 percent of this essential nutrient. Last year, more than 560 gallons of liquid fertilizer made from human hair was sold to farmers in northern Tanzania and the feedback from the farmers has been very encouraging.

“It’s just a great way to use hair in a productive way. Hair is an answer literally hanging in front of our eyes—for oil and soil,” Hama says.

4 . German physicist Albert Einstein is one of the most famous scientists of all time, the personification of genius and the subject of a whole industry of scholarship. In The Einsteinian Revolution, two experts on Einstein’s life and his theory of relativity— Israeli physicist Hanoch Gutfreund and German historian of science Jürgen Renn— offer an original and penetrating (犀利的) analysis of Einstein’s revolutionary contributions to physics and our view of the physical world.

For the first time ever, by setting Einstein’s work in the long course of the evolution of scientific knowledge, Gutfr eund and Renn discover the popular misconception of Einstein as an unconventional scientific genius who single-handedly created modern physics—and by pure thought alone.

As a large part of the book explains, Einstein typically argued that science progresses through steady evolution, not through revolutionary breaks with the past. He saw his theory of relativity not as something from scratch, but a natural extension of the classical physics developed by pioneers such as Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei and English physicist Isaac Newton in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as nineteenth-century physicists.

The authors highlight how classical physics cannot be separated cleanly from modern Einsteinian physics. The book also includes substantial sections on Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo whose methods inspired Einstein. When Einstein considered himself as standing on their shoulders, he meant that, without their contributions, he would not have formulated (阐述) the theory of relativity.

The Einsteinian Revolution is an important and thought-provoking contribution to the scholarly literature on Einstein and his surprising scientific creativity between 1905 and 1925. Gutfreund and Renn might not have given the final answer as to why Einstein, of all people, revolutionized physics in the way that he did. But they argue in fascinating detail that, to understand his genius, one must take into account not just the earlier history of physics but also the history of knowledge more broadly. Although not always an easy read, the book will interest physicists and historians alike.

5 . Green Line Performing Arts Center

329 E Garfield Blvd. Chicago, IL 60637

Upcoming Programs Include:

Monday Feb 4 | onwards 7—9 pm

First Monday Jazz is a free monthly event showcasing local Chicago jazz artists.

Sunday Feb 17 | 10—11 am

Bring your kids to listen, learn, sing, dance, and interact! South Side Story Time is a small gathering that centres on readings for its young attendees along with the chance for their parents to socialize. Open to families with children of all ages.

Wednesday Feb 20 | 7—8:30 pm

Join us for an evening of storytelling featuring the dynamic singing, In the Spirit by Emily Hooper Lansana. This performance will highlight a range of stories that demonstrate women’s creative and political genius from folk heroines to Nobel Peace Prize winners.

Every 1st Saturday of the Month | 3—5 pm

Explore your child’s artistic curiosity with hands-on art workshops designed to stimulate creativity and play. These interdisciplinary workshops are exciting for the entire family, offering activities from music to arts and crafts. Come to learn something new! Appropriate for families with children. Registration is encouraged.

Follow Arts + Public Life on Facebook for more event details and a full list of all upcoming performances.

6 . I was the only kid in college with a reason to go to the mail box, because my mother never believed in email, in Facebook, in texting or cell phones. I was literally waiting by the mailbox to get a letter with a warmest comfort from her.

So when I moved to New York and got depressed, I did the only thing I could think of. I wrote those same kinds of letters like my mother for strangers, and tucked them all over the city: in cafes, in libraries, and even in the subway. I blogged about those letters and promised if asked for a hand-written letter, I would write one.

Overnight, my inbox became this harbor of heartbreak — a single mother in Sacramento, a girl being bullied in Kansas, a 22-year-old immigrant, all asking me to write them and give them a reason to wait by the mailbox. And this is how I initiated the act The World Needs More Love Letters.

Today I run a global organization fueled by those trips to the mailbox. It is a miracle. But the thing about these letters is that most of them have been written by people brought up in a paperless world where some best conversations happen on a screen. We have learned to diary our pain onto Facebook, and we speak swiftly in twitter.

Therefore, I’ve been carrying this mail crate (大木箱) with me these days, which is a magical icebreaker. So I get to tell total strangers about a woman whose husband was traumatized (受精神创伤) from war, and how she left love letters throughout the house saying, “Come back to me.” And a man, who had decided to take his life, slept safely with a stack of letters just beneath his pillow, handwritten by strangers who were there for him.

These stories convince me that letter-writing will never need to be about efficiency, because it is an art now, all of it: the signing, the scripting, the mailing.

7 . Lonely Planet’s Top Places to Go in 2024

Are you looking for inspiration for your next travel destination? Lonely Planet has published its yearly list of top places to go. Whether you’re looking for adventure, culture, or value, there’s something for every type of traveler. Let’s explore the. top picks for travel destinations in 2024.

Top City: Nairobi

Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, was chosen for its unique music and dance culture, and impressive local restaurants. Nairobi National Park, just a short drive out of the city’s central business district, is a must-see, where visitors can see over-400 species wandering the open grass plains while skyscrapers twinkle on the horizon.

Top Country: Mongolia

Mongolia is loved for its wide-open spaces, adventure activities, and unique food. The Mongolian government has announced 2023 through. 2025: as: the “Years to Visit Mongolia“, easing entry conditions for international travelers and improving public facilities, including a new $ 650 million airport.

Top Sustainable Travel Destination: Spain

The publisher also recommended Spain for the country’s efforts to expand renewable energy, to develop off-season travel, and to bring tourism to new destinations, such as the port city of Valencia, easing pressures on hot spots such as Barcelona.   

Top Best-Value Location: The American Midwest

The American Midwest, including the cities of Chicago and Detroit, is also on the list, as it offers a high-quality travel experience at a reasonable cost. Visitors can enjoy excellent services and facilities. such as old warehouses transformed into art studios, new eco-design hotels, and Michelin-starred restaurants, without having to spend too much money.

Top Beach Destination: Donegal

Donegal Ireland’s most northwestern county, has the country’s longest coastline and over 100 beaches, where visitors can enjoy the highest sea cliffs in Europe and miles of beautiful coastal hiking trails.

9 . Years ago, I was part of a pilot group (试点小组) for my employer tasked with figuring out how to hire and mentor (指导) people with disabilities and make them successful inside the organization. My boss decided to be the sponsor for the _______. Until then, we only had _______ people with a visual disability.

I _______ the interview process and hired a(n) _______ with an autism (自闭症) disability. The man named Roy had the _______ but our interview group felt that the disability would prevent him from learning the skills and being successful.

I convinced my peers to give him a _______. After all, it was a pilot program meant for our organization to learn to. Our HR department was not too supportive to take some _______ so we could only hire him as a _______ employee.

I gave him a lot of _______ and became one of his mentors. ________ but surely, Roy made progress in the workplace. I ________ to mentor him closely and helped him to ________ a number of challenges. Roy also won friendship and ________ at the workplace.

Last night, Roy ________ me to let me know that he got a formal offer from his manager as a regular employee with a job title. I told him his success was the ________ of his hard work and persistence. He was an inspiration to a lot of people.