I have a good friend named Pearl, whose grandmother lives in a     1     town called Jieshi in Lufeng. Last weekend I jumped at a(n)     2     to explore the     3     of the seaside town together with Pearl. A bicycle is often more convenient than motor     4     in a town, so we rented a bike through a smartphone app, and right away     5     the beach. Upon arriving we left the bike where it     6     to be dropped off. With clouds     7     across the sky and the sun shining brightly on us, we enjoyed a great time with the water.     8    , we both got tanned (晒黑的), but the     9     memory of our laughter will     10     remain vivid in my mind.

If you want to beat the crowds to the next major tourist destination in China, get to Xingyi now. This small city in the far west of Guizhou Province is very difficult to get to,     1     that will change when it’s connected to the high-speed rail network. In the meantime, the     2     (easy) way to get there is by slow train from Kunming.

For now, Xingyi’s three main tourist destinations are     3     (absolute) impressive. The Maling Gorge,     4     cuts right through the city, holds dozens of waterfalls and a glass elevator. To the south, Wanfenglin Scenic Area     5     (offer) breathtaking karst (喀斯特) peaks, beautiful country     6     (village), and a temple     7     (build) into the side of a mountain. Further south is Wanfeng Lake, where you can visit an admittedly out-of-place but beautiful European-style castle. There’s also a park     8     boats and a zip line (索道) on the lake.

While Xingyi itself isn’t much of a destination, it makes a great base for visiting the     9     (surround) sites. Make sure to try plenty of Guizhou food during your visit. The local cuisine is     10     delicious mix of spicy Sichuan food and vibrant Yunnan cuisine, which won’t fail to satisfy your appetite.

5 . On June 24, 1853, near Solferino, fighting broke out in a battle that produced heavy casualties (伤亡). Thousands of ________ soldiers lined the streets. That night, Henry Dunant arrived in Solferino. He walked up the road to the main church, the Chiesa Maggiore, and was greeted by the ________ of pain from wounded soldiers.

________ by the horrors, Dunant began attending the soldiers. Not having received ________ training before, he was taught to clean wounds and apply bandages (绷带). There were French ________ as well as Austrian ones. Some of the latter, suspicious (疑心的) of the ________ they received, tore bandages from their wounds. Dunant, however, resolutely ________ a moral principle of treating all the wounded ________, no matter what their nationality.

Dunant eventually returned to Paris. The entire time his ________ kept returning to Solferino. He reached an emotional and inspirational point where he started ________ a book A Memory of Solferino, which vividly described the battle of Solferino and his ________ to provide medical care. He also called for the founding of a(n) ________ to provide humanitarian aid during the war.

In 1863, having read Dunant’s book, Gustave Moynier, the president of the Public Welfare Association of Geneva, contacted Dunant about working towards the ________. They created a five-person committee that organized a four-day ________ held in Geneva on October 29, where they agreed on ten decisions and three wishes, ________ the birth of the Red Cross.

6 . The best things in life might be free, but most things cost money. Being aware of how money gets spent will help kids make wiser decisions. When you teach your child about money, you’ll need to include several building blocks, such as how to value a dollar and how to earn money.     1    

What Is Money?

Money is an accepted form of payment for goods and services.     2     The U.S. dollar is one system. The euro is another. Within these systems, people use paper or coin money, bank accounts, credit cards and more to exchange for goods and services.

    3    

Broadly speaking, you should teach your kids three main skills: how to identify, use and grow their money. These concepts (概念) might seem basic to adults, but kids won’t learn about them quickly without someone to teach them.

When Should I Teach Kids about Money?

    4     Here are several money milestones you can expect your children to understand by age:

Toddlers to school age (2-5): Counting from one to a hundred lays the foundation for understanding money, as does an ability to sort objects by shape and color, being independent, and imitating the actions of adults.

Middle childhood (6-8): Middle childhood money concepts rely on toddlers’ ability to start counting money, setting them up to learn the cost of money. Your child should already count coins and bills by the end of third grade.

Tweens (9-12): Tweens become more independent of the family wanting to receive (or earn) an allowance (零用钱) to do things they want with their friends.     5     Furthermore, with their newfound money, they should develop a sense of responsibility for themselves and their place in the world.

7 . Since the early to mid-2010s, social media apps have made a permanent home in many people’s phones and spending time on social media has become as much of a daily activity as eating food or drinking water. Since so many people — especially kids, teens, and young adults — are on it for much of their days, there is increased concern over what social media is doing to people with its overwhelming (巨大的) information. Many argue that social media is an unhealthy way to pass the time, and false information from online is causing panic and confusion.

While social media may sometimes be linked to negativity, it is not as bad as many make it out to be. In fact, it has given birth to a whole new way to advocate for important movements, and it’s easy to spread one’s message to reach a large audience. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement started with online advocacy and it eventually reached practically everyone around the world during the civil rights movement over the summer in 2020. Activists online can create informational fliers, post resources to further educate people on any given topic, and interact with like- minded people that want to help as well within a matter of minutes without even having to leave the house.

Honieh Hemati, a social activist, agrees that social media can be extremely helpful. “It can be really educational and inspirational. Sometimes it can open your eyes to a new perspective (视角) you wouldn’t have seen yourself,” she explained.

It is unjust to demonize (使妖魔化) social media, when it seems that most issues around social media are user errors, like anyone complaining there are too many people voicing opinions they don’t agree with, or being addicted to social media. It really is up to the individual— how they think of social media, and how they make use of it. People who have any grasp on reality wouldn’t spend every waking second on the phone, and they are responsible for what they post online.

8 . Chinese New Year, an international celebration, perhaps the most widely celebrated holiday in the world, typically takes place in January or February. Although the first few days are the most observed, Chinese New Year actually runs for 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival. Preparations take place for weeks in advance to ensure that this period is filled with luck and prosperity (繁荣).

With people around the globe observing Chinese New Year, you’re sure to find fireworks, parades, and street fairs in nearly every major city. This is also a time for family reunions and lots of food. People will be feasting and spending time together to celebrate the most important Chinese festival. Firecrackers are thrown in abundance (大量) to frighten away unlucky spirits. Red is worn, and children receive money in red envelopes because of its symbolic meaning, seen as a lucky color that represents success and good fortune.

With vibrant (充满活力的) celebrations taking place from Sydney to San Francisco, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to pay your respect and good wishes to the Chinese, especially if you know the customary greetings. Whether you’ll be spending it in China or in a Chinatown in your own city, knowing how to wish people a happy new year in the local tongue is a nice touch. With such diversity in Chinese culture and ethnic groups around the world, there are many ways to say “happy new year” in Chinese, among which “gong xi fa cai” and “xin nian kuai le” are the most popular phrases.

Gong xi fa cai : Pronounced “gong zee fah tsai”, gong xi means “congratulations and is also a way to wish one joy. Fa cai is to become rich or make money, so you are wishing one joy and prosperity in the new year. Business owners and workmates use gong xi fa cai as the usual way to say “happy new year” in Chinese.

Xin nian kuai le: Pronounced “sheen neean kwai luh”, xin nian means new year and kuai le means “happy” or “joyous”. Xin nian kuai le is a great way to say happy new year in Chinese to friends without referencing money.

9 . When New York City asked residents to stay home due to the pandemic, Jesse Means figured he wasn’t going to have any visitors anytime soon, so he might as well turn his living room into a studio.

Means, a Broadway actor turned elementary school music teacher, uses that studio to record weekly lessons that he said seek to not only educate but uplift and encourage. “My job is teaching, but my ultimate work is building up people and making sure their spirits are all right,” he said. “I became the modern-day Mr. Rogers, as some have referred to me.”

Mr. Means Music, his YouTube series, teaches rhythm, songs and vocabulary, but also includes assignments like asking students to write down something kind they did recently or a fond memory with a parent. And because his lessons are public, he said he’s received fan mails from as far as the United Kingdom and Kenya. “These little kids really need to have some normalcy(常态),” he said. “They’re used to seeing specific faces every day, mine being one of them.”

While Means said he works almost straight through every weekend on new 10-to 20-minute episodes, he said seeing video reactions showing strengthened bonds between parent and child has made the extra work worthwhile. One father, for example, regularly submitted videos of his daughter, sitting alone and responding to Means’ weekly questions. Halfway through the school year, the videos changed. “There was this very burly (魁梧的) man who is now in the video with his daughter singing ‘the bell on the buoy goes ding ding ding!’ and touching his nose,” Means said. “You can see how much he loves his daughter. That’s what keeps me going in those moments when I can barely keep my eyes open.”

10 . A List of Best Books about the universe

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking explains the universe in this 256 -page best-seller. The world-famous physicist breaks down black holes, space and time, the theory of general relativity and much more, and makes it accessible to those of us who aren’t rocket scientists. First published in 1988, the book is a great choice for anyone who wants to learn more about the origins of the universe and where it’s all heading.

Astronomy Activity Book for kids by Aurora Lipper (Author), Victoria Stebleva (Illustrator)

Aimed at ages 5 to 7, this book by a former NASA scientist gives kids an excellent introduction to the sky. They’ll learn through engaging STEM activities that are kid-friendly. The book is also richly illustrated with its 160 pages for young readers to better understand astronomy terms. Youngsters will finish this book being able to find at least some things in the night sky and have a handy entry point for more research.

Apollo’s Legacy by Roger Launius

How do we understand a transformative event like the Apollo missions to the moon? In Apollo’s Legacy: Perspectives on the Moon Landings, space historian Roger Launius explores the impacts Apollo had technologically, scientifically and politically, as well as analyzing how to understand the country’s modern space program. With its 264 pages, the book is written as a scholarly text, but it’s accessible to anybody with an interest in the history of space exploration.

Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson

Red Moon, the latest novel from legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, transports the reader to the lunar surface. The story, set in 30 years into the future, takes up 446 pages which opens on the journeys of Fred Fredericks, an engineer, and Ta Shu, a poet, to the moon. At first, as a reader, you may find yourself adjusting to the characters’ awkward movements in lunar gravity, but a shocking turn that follows won’t fail to surprise you ·