5 . On March 18, 2018, I was alone at home in Costa Rica, unaware that my life was about to change. I received an e-mail with the subject “___________ selection result”.

My heartbeat___________   as I read through it: I had been chosen to receive a full scholarship at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Finally, I would be able to___________ the old legends of China, which had always ___________ me.

In Costa Rica, I learned music well. However, it was my professor in Shanghai who guided me in improving my skills. His teachings emphasized the art of letting the music flow as___________ as tai chi.

In my opinion, that’s the___________   of life in China. You can see it on every corner when you notice how the traffic ___________ or on the way people walk throughout China. Similarly, music can go___________ paper, flowing from the musician to the audience and enriching the world one note ___________ .

When I went back to Costa Rica, I held a(n)___________ piece of Chinese music in my heart. One day, I introduced Molihua to my students and___________ their great interest instantly, which made me pleasantly ___________. Music is indeed one of the best ways to show people about the___________ of another country.

This year, I return to Shanghai and continue my___________of China through its music. Words fall short in expressing the delight and gratitude I experience. I hope to spread the joy of music___________and I believe my ambitions will be fulfilled here in China.

6 . Here are some of the best UK swimming spots.

The River Thames might inspire images of muddy, polluted waters snaking through the capital that you wouldn’t even think of dipping your toe into, let alone your head. But the famous waterway has more scenic settings along its route before it reaches the BigSmoke. Within easy reach of London, this section is unspoilt and a lot cleaner.

This beautiful, part natural, part man-made tidal swimming pool is set in scenic natural surroundings. Constructed in 1930, it has provided safe bathing in Bude for almost 90 years. The pool is filled up by the sea at high tide each day. But be careful when entering as it’s part natural, it’s hard to give an exact depth, particularly as the environment changes with the tide.

This lake is surrounded by impressive views. You might have to stay away from a few windsurfers, but popularity brings great facilities. You can hire wet suits and warmup afterwards at the shoreline café. It also has Scotland’s only award-winning freshwater beach, so you can sunbathe between dips too.

Voted the best beach in Wales and third in the UK, this is a must-swim. This impressive stretch of Celtic coastline, shaped like a giant sea snake, offers three miles of breathtaking views. It’s also a wildlife shelter, with a variety of cliff-nesting birds. Tides can be violent though, so if the sea looks rough, don’t swim.

7 . Imagine that a futuristic roof garden is so intelligent that it knows when to store water for drought conditions, and when to dump water to prevent flooding. Now these smart roofs are becoming a reality in the Netherlands.

With more than half the country located below sea level, the Netherlands has a history of flooding. Now climate change has brought more severe weather, heavy rainfall, and even drought to the area, forcing the city of Amsterdam to consider new ways to protect itself, and that’s where Resilio comes in.

According to their website, Resilio builds blue-green roofs throughout Amsterdam. Together with the local government, from the years 2018 to 2022 they fixed specialized roofs in Amsterdam neighborhoods that are in the most danger of flood damage.

These roofs are made of many layers. The most important layer is the water retention (保存) layer. In time of heavy rainfall, this layer collects rainwater that would otherwise flood the streets, while in time of drought its water feeds the garden on the top layer. It is this layer that differentiates the blue-green roofs from the regular green roofs. A study shows that the blue-green roofs can capture up to 97% of extreme rain, as opposed to the about 12% that the regular green roofs can capture.

What makes Resilio roofs so unique, however, are their systems. Multiple blue-green roofs are connected via a digital network, meaning the roofs can each be controlled individually, responding to the amount of water collected on that particular roof as needed. Each roof also has a valve (阀门) that is connected to a computer system called the Decision Support System (DSS). The DSS networks with local weather forecasts to decide whether the valve on a particular roof should open, spilling water safely and slowly into the sewer (下水道) system, or whether it should remain closed and collect the coming rain.

These are the innovations that make Resilio truly revolutionary. Blue-green roofs show that the solutions to the dangers climate change brings need to be creative and must work on many levels.

8 . When I was a young postdoctoral researcher at Cambridge, I met a bearded professor at a fancy dinner. He asked me, “So young man, what do you do?” I told him I was working on the genetics (遗传学) of childhood obesity (肥胖症). “Ha! Do you know what your problem is?” he replied. “You give fat people an excuse.”

The professor’s reply threw me. I was about to push back, when it occurred to me that this view was shared by much of society. Obesity is seen as a problem of physics; people just need to eat less and move more. But although how we get to our body weight is reliant on physics, the real question is why? Why do some people love food, while for others it’s simply fuel? Besides powerful societal and cultural influences, there are equally powerful genetic factors that influence our eating, and hence our body weight.

Large population-based studies, such as UK Biobank, a survey of nearly half a million adults, have helped to reveal the genetic architecture underlying differences in body size. Butthe childhood obesity data do not exist. And that’s a problem, because we know that children with obesity probably will grow into adults with obesity. Thus, understanding the genetics and natural history of childhood obesity will play a key role in its treatment and prevention.

Luckily, there is hope. D-CYPHR, a genetics research programme, is open to every child. It aims to create a truly inclusive research sample and investigate a range of conditions, for which obesity is a major contributing factor. D-CYPHR is ambitious and will face challenges in creating a truly inclusive research sample. But if it does, it will circumvent many of the problems in adult health research by building inclusivity in from the beginning.

You can help pioneer new treatments for millions of people by helping unlock the power hiding in your DNA. Now, a nationwide movement for ages 0—15 is being held and all you need to do is spit (吐) in a tube and complete a short health and lifestyle questionnaire.