2 . Whom should you marry? Where should you live? How should you spend your time? For centuries, people have relied on their gut instincts (直觉) to figure out the answers to these life-changing questions. Now, though, there is a better way. We are living through a data explosion, as vast amounts of information about all aspects of human behavior have become more and more accessible. We can use this big data to help determine the best course to chart.

There has long been overwhelming- and often surprising- evidence that algorithms (算法) can be much better than people at making difficult decisions. Researchers have collected data on various kinds of choices people make, the information they base those choices on, and how things turn out. They have found, for example, that a simple data-driven algorithm would have been better than judges at deciding whether a defendant should stay in jail (监狱) or be released; better than doctors at deciding whether a patient should get a procedure; and better than school principals at deciding which teachers should be promoted.

The power of data analysis has been proved in the sports and business worlds, too. As made famous by the book and movie Moneyball, baseball teams found that algorithms were better than scouts (物色优秀运动员的人) at picking players, and better than managers at picking strategies. In finance, the hedge fund (避险基金) Renaissance Technologies dramatically defeated competitors by seeking out patterns in stock market data and using them to inform its investment strategy. Tech firms in Silicon Valley have found that data from experiments provides better insights into how to design their websites than designers could.

These are the early days of the data revolution in decision-making. I am not claiming that we can completely outsource (外包) our lifestyle choices to algorithms, though we might get to that point in the future. I am claiming instead that we can all dramatically improve our decision-making by consulting evidence mined from thousands or millions of people who faced dilemmas similar to ours. And we can do that now.

3 . Wonderful trip around the Mediterranean

You’ve got a full day to get to know this British territory (领土), home to many cultures. Choose to ride the cable car (缆车) for great views of the Rock of Gibraltar or discover the beautiful lighthouse.

Enjoy a full day discovering all that Provence has to offer — flower fields, fishing boats or Roman ruins (遗迹). City or countryside, you decide.

Get to know this busy town by walking through the wonderful streets and piazzas (public squares, especially in an Italian town).

Choose to visit wonderful wineries (酒庄) in Tuscany or the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa on your last day in Italy.

Go to the airport for your flight home.

5 . On July 19, China’s first high-speed Maglev (磁悬浮) train with a speed of 600 kilometers per hour rolled off Qingdao, Shandong. Experts believe it will fill the gap between high-speed rail (铁轨) and air transportation.

Maglev technology was first described by Jonathan Swift in 1726 in Culliver’ Travels. It was first developed in the 1940s by British engineer Eric Laithwaite. Shanghai Maglev Train is the fastest passenger train globally, reaching 430 km/h in operation today. The only other Maglev systems currently serving the public are Linimo in South Korea. In 2015, an experimental Maglev train in Japan broke the record for the fastest train globally, traveling at 603 km per hour.

The benefits of Maglev are hard to doubt. The trains can reach higher speeds. Preventing interactions between wheels and rails also means less noise and no mechanical damage. It is highly efficient in maintenance (维护) and has much less trouble in bad weather. It uses 30 percent less energy than traditional trains. Maglev trains use only electricity, which reduces pollution. The main problem facing the development of Maglev has always been high costs. Unlike traditional high-speed trains, the new trains do not adapt to existing transport systems. They can operate only on their unique tracks, unable to switch to thousands of miles of traditional paths. There was already a rail network between two cities, and it was much cheaper to upgrade the lines than to build new lines with new technology.

Roger Goodall, a professor at Loughborough University says, “Maglev is a competitor to cars and planes, as well as buses and subway systems. It has many natural enemies but no natural friends.” He remains convinced that its most significant benefit is “connecting cities”, but doubts that this technology will gain widespread acceptance any time soon.

What will win in the end, the brilliant future of the new technology or the cold mathematics?

6 . I was traveling in Spain with my sister who was living there. I went into a bakery to order a couple of pastries(点心). There were different kinds of bread on a shelf, but only one kind had a little sign hanging from the shelf that said “something something borrachos”. I didn’t necessarily want that kind, but it was the only labeled one, so naturally I waved the guy behind the counter and ordered “dos borrachos por favor”.

I was pretty timid about my Spanish, so I whispered it. The men sitting near me all stopped talking and looked at me. The guy, very seriously, said, “que? quieras? (What do you want?)”

I shyly said again, with less confidence, “dos borrachos por favor.”

All the men around me started snickering(偷笑).

The guy again asked me what I wanted, and he was getting louder. He was raising his voice over the noise of the whole shop. He told me to speak up. Most of the tables now were also quiet.

I was getting a bit embarrassed. I thought he was making fun of my accent or I was pronouncing it wrong. I looked hard at the sign, made sure to pronounce correctly, and shouted “quiero dos borrachos! (I WANT 2 BORRACHOS!)”

He shouted, “aaaah, quieras dos BORRACHOS!” This time, he couldn’t keep a straight face and started guffawing(狂笑), and the rest in the shop followed.

I had no idea what was happening, so I just ran out, empty-handed and ashamed.

I came back and told my sister the story. She started laughing and explained “borrachos” means “drunk men” and the sign probably said that “drunk men were not welcome here” and that sign happened to hang under the shelf.

I had just shouted to a full shop that I WANTED a couple of drunk men.

9 . The London Eye which is 450 feet in height above the Thames River is the world’s biggest spinning structure. It is one hundred feet taller than Big Ben and weighs 1,600 tons. It was built to celebrate the year 2000. Maybe building such a big spinning structure suggested that people longed for bigger and better things in the future.

In London Eye,there are 32 capsules (舱)．Each of the capsules can hold up to 25 people. And they’re air conditioned in summer,heated in winter. From these capsules the visitors can see the most beautiful views of London.

It was difficult to assemble (安装) and put a wheel of this size. And it required new technology and a lot of imagination. The parts of London Eye were sent up the Thames River，and the wheel was assembled on temporary (暂时的) platforms on the river. Lifting it into an upright position was a major challenge. It took a week to winch (吊) it up to its final position.

Now the London Eye is regarded as a monument to new millennium. And many visitors from all over the world come to visit it.