In recent weeks, many parents have realized the difficult truth about school this fall because of COVID-19. Hoping for a better     1    , parents around U.S. have started organizing “pandemic (流行病) pods”, or home schooling pods, for the fall, in which groups of 3 to 10 students learn together in homes under the guidance of the children’s parents or a hired teacher.

For parents who can organize and     2     them, pods seem like an easy choice. “I don’t believe that the online courses for that age group are     3    . Kids at this age really need that multimodal sensory learning (多模式感官学习).” one parent said.

These pods could     4     families with a schooling choice that feels safe—yet also allows kids to have fun and build social skills. However, it also has unavoidable shortcomings.

Depending on how the pods are set up, they may offer parents break. But given that pods can be     5    , complicated to organize and self-selecting, it is possible that they are most popular among wealthy families, experts say, and may     6     educational inequality.

Another     7     about pods is that families may not know how to minimize Covid risks. Pods shouldn’t have more than five kids     8    , said Saskia Popescu, an infection prevention expert. When you add together the teacher and all of the kids’ family members, a seemingly small pod ends up including dozens of people, and the more people in it, the greater the     9     for coronavirus exposure (接触). Furthermore, families in learning pods shouldn’t socialize with people outside the pod unless they wear masks and     10     socially distant, Dr. Popescu said. Pods should have clear rules on wearing masks and washing hands.

No Destination Is the Wrong Place to Go

Everyone has a list of destinations they promise themselves to visit during their lifetime. People travel for endless reasons,whether it’s to experience different cultures,see natural     1    of the world,or learn about heritage.All these ideas are exciting options,because in every situation,you will be     2     to something unfamiliar and life-changing.

I recently had a discussion with someone about my student abroad experience.They listened as I recounted my     3     around Italy and my additional travels. “I would love to do something like that,” they said, “but I feel like everyone goes to Europe now.It’s not really that     4     anymore.”

I was pretty shocked by such a statement.Since when was traveling anywhere not cool enough?Naturally,the older you get ,the more people you’re going to know,especially those who have traveled to     5     parts of the world.However,does standing underneath the Eiffel Tower have less value to me because so many travelers have done the exact same thing?Or climbing and taking a picture at the top of the Florence Duomo also means the decreased value?

My answer:absolutely not.Reading travel blogs and    6     at photographs is helpful and enjoyable,but nothing close to     7     experiencing that place.The truth is,every new destination is unique,and it’s nearly impossible to make a “wrong” decision.

It is important to focus on your own personal journey,not the experience of others.Every city, state,and country,has thousands of different things to     8    .The places you will visit all have fascinating people,different kinds of delicious food you’ve never tried before,and unbelievable history that will blow your mind.Travelling will nevertheless change you and leave an imprint on the way you see the world—no matter where you go.

Whether the destinations we desire are     9     simple or obscure(不清楚的)in the eyes of others,every experience has its own unique value.Keep your adventures     10     while also taking advantage of the opinions and advice of others.In every new destination,you will find a new part of yourself.Truly,no destination is the wrong place to go.

With its wonderful Georgian and Victorian architecture, and winding medieval streets, it’s easy to see why Edinburgh has been listed as a World Heritage Site.

The     1     of Edinburgh is fascinating. Edinburgh Castle dominates the urban skyline, lying on the cliff of an ancient volcano right in the center of the city. Yet Edinburgh is not     2     in the past. And neither is it all about bagpipes, shortbread, whisky and tartan.

In fact, the city is one of the most vibrant, international cities in Europe and is     3     voted as one of the most desirable places to live in the world. The capital is     4     with arts, culture, sports and attractions and is famous for playing host to the world’s largest arts festival. After dark Edinburgh has a lively nightlife with     5     bars and pubs, restaurants, clubs and live entertainment to rival any European city.

In Edinburgh, there’s plenty of open space too, with a large number of public parks and green spaces     6     in the busy city center. For active types, there’s a(n)     7     and varied choice of activities and sports in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. Or if you just want to     8     your wallet, the capital is a great place to shop. This is a city that knows how to be both     9     and modern.

The capital of Scotland is a great place to live and study in, with a wide range of theatres, galleries, clubs and shops to     10    , not to mention the plenty of arty bars and cafes.

In 2016, a young British father was trampled (踩踏) to death by an elephant on the island of Koh Samui (苏梅岛) in Thailand. The     1     once again raised questions over whether it is ethical to use these giant animals as entertainment.

For many visitors, the chance to     2     with elephants is at the top of their holiday wish list. There’s no shortage of opportunities to do so, from taking photos of baby elephants on the beach, to riding them through the jungle, to watching them balance on tightropes and dance.

But what most visitors don’t realize is these animals are involved in     3     cruel methods to make them behave. They are often kept in terrible conditions. This includes being     4     up when not performing, without interaction with other elephants, a poor diet, etc. They are also subjected to training practices including beating and stabbing (刺,戳) with hooks.

Away from their natural habitat and forced to repeat the same routines day in day out, the torture continues throughout their     5     shortened lives. It’s not exactly the stuff that holiday dreams are made of.

Unfortunately, riding elephants is still one of the most popular tourist activities in Asia. The World Animal Protection     6     3,000 elephants at tourist sites across Southeast Asia in 2017. The study found that 77% of them were living in“severely cruel”conditions. It also found that there had been a 30% rise in the number of elephants at tourism venues in Thailand since 2010.   

Many parks     7     themselves as sanctuaries (庇护所) but they are not. Real sanctuaries will     8     contact with the elephants and visitors can only observe them from a distance most of the time.

The tour sector needs to play a much bigger role in restricting elephant tourism. As travelers, please avoid any place offering riding or allowing interacting sessions with elephants. When you see abuse (虐待)     9    , do your bit by leaving your review on review sites and social media to warn other tourists. It really does work—many parks are now becoming     10     as a result of pressure from tourists, the industry and the media.

New E-Commerce Law Takes Effect

China’s new e-commerce law, which was passed last August, took effect on January 1. The law comes amid the rapid development of China into the world’s largest e-commerce market.

The law aims to regulate the market and create a sound     1     environment. It covers the requirement for registration and licensing of e-commerce operators, taxation, electronic payment, etc. It also     2     other important aspects of e-commerce, including false advertising, consumer protection, data protection, intellectual property and cybersecurity.

The new law will apply to three types of operators. These include e-commerce     3     operators like Taobao, third-party merchants who sell goods and services on e-commerce platforms, and online vendors (供应商) who do business via other network     4    , such as social media sites. It means that merchants who sell goods through non-traditional e-commerce platforms, such as WeChat, will fall under the new law. These sellers will now need to finish their business registration and pay     5     taxes.

The law will make all e-commerce platform operators     6     responsible with the merchants for selling any fake or knock-off goods on their websites. Before the law took effect, individual merchants were solely responsible when caught selling liable (负有偿付责任的) goods.

The implementation of the law may bring     7     on online retail (零售) companies and merchants selling goods through social media sites. Many private shopping agents (known as daigou) are considering whether to continue the service under the new policy since it will increase the management cost and lead to a rise in the product price.

But the new law does not aim to     8     small to medium sized online retailer. Instead, it helps lay the legal foundation for the growth of the e-commerce business industry,     9     order in the market and further promotes its growth.

Besides, the law will help clean up China’s reputation as a     10     source of fake or knock-off goods. In the long term, consumers will benefit from it.

At the Oscars, Parasite Makes Best Picture History

At Sunday’s Oscars, on a night when almost everything went as planned and as usual, the one true surprise came in the biggest moment of all.

For the first time ever, a film in a foreign language won Best Picture when Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, a comedy-drama-thriller about class and secrets, took the big prize. Bong also won the awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He    1     three   warm and generous   speeches,   including one when he won for his directing and thanked fellow nominees (被提名的人) Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino for inspiring him and contributing to the progress of his career,     2    .

And, while he gave most of his speeches in Korean with interpreter Sharon Choi, when he won the first one, he stopped and noted in English: “This is very first Oscar to South Korea.” The affection in the room for the film was    3     every time it was mentioned, as well as in its great competition of award. The evening began three and a half hours earlier with a(n)     4     of the old and the new: the kind of themed singing-dancing number that used to be the    5       Oscars opening, but in the absence of a traditional host, it was performed by the thoroughly modern Janelle Monáe. A version of her own song Come Alive was    6     by dancers dressed in costumes showing respect to black filmmakers. The speech that followed, however, was much more    7     and unpleasant, despite the best efforts of Chris Rock   and Steve Martin, the latter of whom    8     blew the name of best actress nominee Cynthia Erivo.

The awards in general have been heavily criticized for how white the nominees are, the failure to nominate any women directors in a year when several made highly regarded films, and plenty of other lack of inclusivity. The Academy’s    9     with that criticism seemed evident: There may not have been a lot of performers of color among the nominees, but there were a lot among the presenters and speakers and performers. Several presenters made mention of the    10     at issue, which is the kind of thing that happens when people are placed in a situation they don’t want to ignore but also aren’t there to challenge too much.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835-April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which provided the     1     for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. After an apprenticeship with a printer, he worked as a typesetter and     2     articles to the newspaper of his older brother, Orion Clemens. He later became a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before heading west to join Orion in Nevada. He referred humorously to his singular lack of success at mining, turning to journalism for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise. In 1865, his     3     story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras spent some time as a miner. The short story brought international attention, and was even translated into     4     Greek. His wit and satire, in prose and in speech, earned     5     from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.

Though Twain earned a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he     6     in ventures that lost a great deal of money, notably the Paige Compositor, a mechanical typesetter, which failed because of its     7     and imprecision. Following these financial setbacks, he filed for   protection   from   his   creditors   via   bankruptcy,   and   with   the   help   of   Henry   Huttleston Rogers     8     overcame his financial troubles. Twain chose to pay all his pre-bankruptcy creditors in full, though he had no legal responsibility to do so.

Twain was born     9     after a visit by Halley’s Comet, and he predicted that he would go out with it, too. He died the day after the comet returned. He     10     himself as the   “greatest American humorist of his age”, and William Faulkner called Twain “the father of   American literature”.

The Trunkster, a bag with built-in smart features might just challenge the standard roller bag. The main security feature: It’s zipperless (无拉链). A sliding roll top-door design allows for easy     1    by the owner, but reduces the risk of theft or accidental opening during baggage

    2    . If airport security has to search the bag, there is a TSA-approved combination lock. Need to juice up your phone? A     3    battery can charge portable devices through a USB connection. Perhaps the coolest part — especially if your holiday shopping habits put you at risk of going beyond baggage weight     4    — is a built-in digital scale. Want to know how much stuff you’re pulling? Lift the bag and the display on the handle shows weight in pounds or kilograms.

Trunkster co-founder Jesse Potash said he and his co-founder, based in New York, created the luggage in 2014, after finding nothing they believed prioritized accessibility. They wanted to “completely     5    ” the classic case — with zippers — for “the modern’ minimal (极简的) traveler,” Polash says. He adds that they didn’t want to     6    the user with “as many features as possible” because that would not be required.

One more feature you can add on? Tracking. Airlines are     7     doing a better job these days of not losing bags. But for those who want to     8     their cases there are stand-alone gadgets (精巧的装置) like the Trakdot or Pocket-Finder Luggage Tracker. For an extra $40, you can add a subscription-free, removable GPS to the Trunksler.

But smarting up a     9     object comes with a problem. “When you have this much technology in a suitcase ... there are more things to break,” says George Hobica, a world traveler. Besides, the Trunkster is all black, and we all know that finding a black-colored bag in a sea of suitcases is like searching for a blade of grass on a football field. Attention, luggage manufacturers looking to     10     the typical pattern: Go bolder with unusual colors and designs.