1 . Heat is the biggest end use for energy all over the world. It’s also critically important for survival in a country like Finland where the winter is long, cold and dark. And the recent move by Russia to cut off supplies of gas and electricity in response to Finland joining NATO has caused concern.

There is good news, however, that the world’s fully first working sand battery has been installed in Finland. It is a device which can store sustainably produced heat for months at a time and can be used to keep homes warm in winter. That’s why the new technology was developed by researchers there. Researchers believe it can solve the country’s year-round crisis in power supply, which is a significant issue for green energy.

The sand battery was installed in the Vatajankoski power plant that runs the heating system for the houses in the area. It works by heating the sand, circulating the heat generated in the sand using a heat exchanger. Researchers used low-grade sand to charge the devices with heat from cheap electricity coming from either solar or wind energy. The sand battery can store energy and heat up to 500 degrees Celsius. which can be used to warm homes during winter when electricity is more expensive.

It is a cost-effective method because when the battery releases the hot air, it warms the water for the district heating system that is pumped around homes, offices, and the local swimming pool. Sand is an ideal material because it is cheap and readily available everywhere. While other inexpensive items like water can store heat, sand can be heated to much higher temperatures. The sand used is of the lowest quality so it cannot be used in construction thus making it a sustainable choice. Besides, sand-based batteries last longer than other batteries. According to a study, researchers obtained silicon using sand to create a battery that lasts three times longer than lithium-ion(锂离子) batteries.

“This innovation is a part of the smart and green energy transition. Heat storage systems can significantly help to increase intermittent (间歇性的) renewables in the electrical network,” said Markku Ylönen, cofounder of Polar Night Energy. “At the same time, we can make full use of the heat waste to keep the city warm.”

2 . With the improvement of privacy protection awareness, everyone has questions about the telephone address, ID card information and so on. This visible privacy has been particularly concerned, but for chat photos and original pictures, it has not attracted enough attention. The topic “How much privacy can a photo reveal” has been trending on Sina Weibo, sparking concern and heated discussion about privacy awareness. In group chats, some people may post their original photos. But that may give away your home address and other information.

Images often contain a lot of information and various traces left by digital cameras or photo manipulation (处理) software. This data, called Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF), is a key tool for many professionals. It can detail whether the photographer used a flash, which digital effects were applied to a picture and when the photo was taken. EXIF can also contain the precise GPS coordinates (坐标) of the location where a photo was taken, according to CNN. If you take a landscape picture from your window and send the original picture to a group chat, it means that you are releasing your location data to all strangers in the group. They may even accurately infer your house number by analyzing the shooting time and angle.

Not just in a group chat, sending an image in a text message, email, or other delivery tools will also include the accompanying information. So how do we protect our privacy when sending photos? The most effective way is to avoid sending original photos in group chats. If it’s necessary, try not to tap the “original picture”. However, photos sent by WeChat Moments are automatically pressed by the system, and they travel without location and other information. To solve the problem at its root, we can delete and remove a picture’s EXIF data on a computer. If you are using an iOS smartphone, you can turn off location services for the camera in the privacy settings. If you’re using an Android, the settings vary. Typically, you can go to the setting menu and switch the services off for the camera, according to CTV News. There is one more thing you can do—photoshop your photos before you share it. What comes with your edited images is photos without stored location data.

5 . New Year’s celebrations take many forms, but most cultures have one thing in common—have a good time after a long, hard year. For much of the globe this involves drinking with friends until the sun comes up, singing together. But others have rather more curious habits, often filled with superstition (迷信).

In Denmark, people stand on chairs and jump off together as the clock strikes midnight, really leaping into the new year. The Danes also throw plates at their friends’ homes during the night-the more pieces you find outside your door in the morning the more popular you are said to be.

In Finland, say tour guides, people pour melted (熔化的) lead into cold water to predict the year ahead from the shape the metal forms. If the shape represents a ship it is said to predict travel, if it’s a ball, good luck.

The Dutch build massive bonfires with their Christmas trees and cat sugary donuts—one of many cultures to consume round New Year’s foods traditionally believed to represent good fortune.

Spaniards, in turn, cat a dozen grapes before the strike of midnight, each fruit representing a month that will either be sweet or sour.

In the Philippines, people wear polka dots (带圆点的服装) for good luck, while in some countries of South America people put on brightly coloured underwear to attract fortune—red for love and yellow for financial success.

Despite regional and cultural differences, for most the New Year’s festivities are a chance to let off steam before the annual cycle starts all over again. “This is a holiday that is about celebration and letting go,” explained George Washington University sociologist Amitai Etzioni.

7 . My 18-year-old daughter was admitted to hospital after a serious car accident. Her head was badly_________and she had to have an operation. The whole floor of the hospital was full of patients with brain injuries or _________problems. Some even had difficulty recognizing people. I visited my daughter once a _________. She was the only patient who had_________ visitors; some were lucky to have a visitor once a week.

Christmas was coming, and one day when I visited her, I was asked by the patients to _________a Christmas basket for them to give to the nurses. I was given enough money to make a beautiful basket. My colleague Olive _________my classroom when I was trying to make the basket while my students were out. She could see I was not good at doing this as I_________to put the materials together. Olive _________the task and made a great job of the basket and then carried it to my car. When I brought the basket to the patients, they were absolutely delighted. I was there when they gave it to the nurses. They’d never been given anything like this before and they were so_________. It was a wonderful moment, as those in hospital knew ____________who was caring for them. A few days later, I received a thank-you card and a box of chocolates from the patients for ____________ them with their basket. How touching it was! Olive also bought me a beautiful Christmas gift, saying that she would always be there, ____________ me and supporting me.

This is a great reminder of the____________of love and support. Despite their own health problems, the patients ____________ their love to the nurses and to me as well. We are all here to love and serve each other, and no matter what our personal situation is, loving and serving others is still____________ .

I liked sitting with my dad in his study every night when I was young after he came home from the office. I’d watch as he put his personal items away: his watch, wallet, comb and car keys would always occupy the same spot on the table every time. It was as if he could see invisible lines drawn specifically for these things, not a centimeter more or less.

What impressed me was Dad’s comb which was jade green. I heard he bought it when he married Mum, which made the comb two years older than I was. Every night, he would smile, hand me the comb and say, “Be a good girl and help Daddy clean it, OK?”

This task brought me such joy at the age of five. I would excitedly turn the tap on, and then brush the comb with a used toothbrush as hard as I could. Satisfied that I’d done a good job, I would proudly return the comb to Dad. He would smile at me and place the comb on top of his wallet.

Two years later, Dad left his sales job and started his own wholesale business. I started primary school. That was when things started to change. Dad’s business wasn’t doing so well, and our stable life started getting shaky. He didn’t come home as much as he used to — just a couple of times a week. And when he did come home, it was always late and I’d already be in bed. I started to get mad. Why didn’t he listen to Mum and just stick to his old job? Why took the risk and placed the whole family in trouble? Over the years, I stopped waiting for him to come home, and stopped going downstairs to check on him. Today, I’m no longer a kid.

Now I have grown up. I’ve graduated from college and got a job. Dad’s business has also started to get back on track. Things are better now. Yet the uncomfortable silence between Dad and me persisted. Two days before my birthday last year, Dad came home early. As usual, I helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave, he said, “Hey, would you like to help me clean my comb? ”

Looking at him a while, I took the comb and headed to the sink. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I handed the clean comb back to Dad. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________