1 . I was nervous as I had never worked in a hospital before. However, my advisers were amazing and instantly put me _________ . From my first day, I realised that my highlighter pens were my most important _________ in understanding the information given in handover. Never did I know these pens would help make a real _________ to the care of one patient.

I was helping to look after Lily, who had _________ a total left hip (髋部) replacement. My adviser and I were _________ Lily for discharge (出院), but problems with her short-term memory meant she found it _________ to understand her prescribed medications (医嘱). Although we explained it, she was still _________ and became upset. To make it simpler, I decided to create an easy-to-understand medication _________ using my highlighter pens. I _________ all her medications, the amounts and the time of day. By spending just ten minutes creating something __________ to Lily, I made it.

When Lily received a follow-up call later, the nurse __________ a message from her, thanking me for my colour chart, which had helped her __________ . I was pleased by this: it was only a small act, but it made me realise how much the little things __________ and that you can never __________ patients fully understand what is being said. I am always happy to spend that extra few minutes to make sure a person understands what is fully __________ about their care.

2 . A study published in the Health Communication Journal has found that consuming too much bad news can worsen our mental and physical health, leaving us in a state of high alert.     1    ? Here are some tech tools to help.

Listen to positive audiobooks and podcasts

Listening to current affairs radio stations all day means receiving a constant stream of bad news. Even if your favourite radio station only broadcasts news headlines, you still receive negative messages regularly. If you prefer conversation to keep you company, try listening to audiobooks or podcasts. It’s never been easier to listen to positive sources of entertainment and inspiration.     2    .

Escape into nature

    3    . If the bad news gets too much, take a walk outside. You don’t have to venture far; there’s fresh air and plenty of nature in your garden or local park.     4    . Portal is a mindfulness app that immerses you in beautiful locations. From the Scottish Highlands to the Amazon rainforest, you can virtually experience the signs and sounds of some of the planet’s most peaceful places.

    5    

The very nature of social media makes it possible to look indefinitely through negative news, images, and opinions. Limit your screentime using built-in controls like Digital Wellbeing. Or download an app such as Famisafe to help you track and limit the time.

Be kind to yourself and switch off those news notifications. Instead, follow these strategies to make your life better.

3 . Anxieties (忧虑) about children and reading are not unusual, but news that fewer than half of those aged between 8 and 18 admit to actually enjoying it — the lowest level since 2005 — should raise a red flag. The survey, conducted by the National Literacy Trust ahead of World Book Day last Thursday, also showed a worrying picture of growing inequality.

10% of 3,000 parents interviewed across the UK said they were too stressed to read to their child because of economic pressures. And the percentage doubled among those who described themselves as struggling with financial problems. However, the sales data for the last year, released by an organization called Nielsen BookScan, showed a 15% increase in the overall number of children’s books sold compared with 2019. If poorer families are spending less of the money invested in children’s reading, it follows that richer families must be investing more.

Therefore, what is to be done? At a time of financial stress, libraries have a key role to play. A positive sign that they are doing so came with borrowing figures for last year. Libraries are where children of all ages go to choose books for themselves, different from bookshops, which is always influenced by parents’ budgets and tastes.

This is why the libraries are such an important part of the reading ecology. However, libraries have long been in the frontline (前线) of cuts to public services, especially libraries in schools. While prisons in the UK have libraries, primary schools are not. The result, according to one survey, is that 14% of kids have no library space at all. This disadvantage is more serious in the north of England, where children’s reading scores are lower.

As Children’s Prize winner in 2021, the author Cressida Cowell wrote an open letter to the prime minister, Boris Johnson, calling for an annual investment of £100 million a year in primary school libraries. Her demand should be taken seriously, as it directly meets the needs of children most badly affected by the cost of living crisis.

5 . Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh recently made history by becoming the first Asian woman to win “Best Actress” at the Academy Awards. She won the award for her role as Evelyn Quan Wang, a middle-aged laundry owner and Chinese-American immigrant who discovers multiple versions of herself in parallel universes. In Evelyn’s attempts to save the multiverse (多元宇宙) from destruction, the film takes a mind-bending trip through different types, mixing absurdist humour with heartfelt explorations of human connection.

However, before Yeoh landed the role, she was not a big name in Hollywood. In fact, many critics have incorrectly described her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once as her breakthrough, despite she beginning her acting career in the 1980s. Although Yeoh did find mainstream success upon starring in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, her role in EEAAO has truly given the actor the fame she finally deserves.

Before Yeoh made it to Hollywood, she appeared in many Hong Kong action movies, performing most of the stunts (特技) by herself, even though she had never been formally trained to do so. Her first role came in 1984 with The Owl vs Bombo. However, her leading role in 1985’s Yes, Madam saw Yeoh become a star of Chinese cinema. It was the 21st-highest-income film of the year in Hong Kong, and Yeoh’s performance, particularly the fight scenes, was praised.

However, Yeoh has actively spoken out against Hollywood’s lack of accessibility for women of colour, also pointing out her inability to find roles as she has grown older. Thus, over the decades, it was really hard for Yeoh to gain success in Hollywood, although her recent Oscar win is sure to finally send her to even greater, well-deserved heights.

6 . Waterways Watch Explorer

Driven by the vision to be a City of Gardens and Water, our island has started a journey to create beautiful and clean water bodies within living spaces. This movement is brought about by the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters(ABC Waters)Programme launched by the Public Utilities Board(PUB).

Being an interactive learning path designed for students, Waterways Watch Explorer(WWE)aims to provide students with the opportunity to explore our ABC Waters while learning the history and significance to our efforts towards water sustainability (可持续性). Students will also get to discuss and learn about various environmental issues including climate change and water pollution through informative games and hands-on activities. And WWE is suitable for upper primary to lower secondary students.

Details/Information:

Duration: 2 Hours

Group Size: Maximum—40 participants/session

Equipment/Items needed:

·All materials will be provided by WWS

·Participants are to bring their own personal water bottles, pens and paper

·Participants are to wear comfortable outdoor clothes with covered shoes

Price:

·$10/per person. For more information, please consult via the official website of WWE

Important Note:

·This programme can be conducted under shelter and therefore would not be affected by weather conditions

·Allowances may be available for schools

A significant part of daily life in China centers on tea. Tea and all its six primary     1     (category) — green, yellow, dark, white, oolong, and black — all originated in China. The earliest credible evidence comes from ancient plant remains     2     (find) in 2016 in Xi’an, indicating that tea was grown at least 2, 100 years ago.

Today, the country has over 2, 000 varieties of tea,     3     (differ) in taste, aroma, and purpose. According to     4     UN report, about 6 billion cups of tea are consumed every day. In comparison, only 2 billion cups of coffee are made per day.

Generation after generation of tea makers experimented     5     different brewing (冲泡) techniques, leaves, and ceremonies, resulting in today’s diverse tea culture. The inclusion of the country’s traditional tea-making process on the UNESCO list will     6     (obvious) generate practical benefits for tea makers in the country and across the world because more resources are provided     7     (protect) such millennia-old tea culture and technical practices. As additional attention     8     (bring) to this traditional technique, the Chinese tea industry will further boost its growth.

As one of China’s     9     (old) cultural practices, traditional tea processing techniques represent the spirit of modesty and harmony. No matter your preference for green and dark tea, with milk or without, Chinese tea isn’t just brews. Instead, it is a bridge     10     connects different cultures and peoples.

10 . Yesterday I had the chance to step out of my comfort zone. I ______ two strangers for help. I used to be a little bit shy, especially in the ______ surroundings. It really took ______ to get out at the very beginning.

I would have driven the car but I have ______ my arm, so I had to use my feet to get from the doctor’s surgery to another important ______ . A young boy on a bike gave me some ______ for a shortcut to the next village. Though pushed for time, he ______ accompanied me part of the way to show me the start of the path. We had a laugh when I ______ about stealing his bike. It seemed having a small talk with a ______ wasn’t that difficult. My shyness ______ .

Got there in the end—owing to ______ a kind man who was leaving his driveway and about to dry the windscreen of his car. I begged him for a ______ . down the road, seeing as I only had 5 minutes left. It ______ took 20 minutes on foot but only a few minutes by car. Therefore, I asked him a favour without ______ . It was extremely ______ that he was willing to assist rather than ______ my request directly.

Glad I ______ my instinct(直觉)—he was a very nice person and thanks to him-and the boy-I got to my appointment a minute early. ______ to the help from kind strangers who gave me hope and strength, I am well ______ of the fact that even small and random acts of kindness can make a day full of joy and I would like to ______ the kindness to more people.