2 . Van Gogh painted sunflowers for the first time in the summer of 1886. Two years later, his interest appeared again after he settled in Arles. After he had invited the French artist Paul Gauguin, whom he admired, to join his Studio of the South, he began painting sunflowers to brighten up the whitewashed walls of the yellow house he was living in, not far from the town’s railway station.

Gauguin accepted Van Gogh’s invitation. When he began dragging his heels, Van Gogh painted the last two of the four original Sunflowers for the modest bedroom where his guest would sleep following his arrival that autumn. “Van Gogh saw the Sunflowers for Gauguin’s bedroom as a way of attracting his friend to come from Brittany,” says Bailey.

According to Martin Gayford, “Gauguin was very surprised by the Sunflowers, which he repeatedly praised and asked for as a gift. Years later, Gauguin himself painted some sunflower pictures.”

Van Gogh’s Sunflowers stand for his relationship with Gauguin. “I think he painted them for the joy of it,” says Jansen. “Van Gogh was at the height of his powers in the summer of 1888,” explains Bailey. “He painted the Sunflowers quickly and with great energy and confidence.” Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in late August, “I’m painting quickly now, which won’t surprise you when it’s a question of painting large Sunflowers.”

Van Gogh recognized at once that he had created something important and that his sunflowers were so different. As he told Theo in January 1889, while other artists were known for painting other flowers, “The sunflower is mine.” This, in fact, explains the reason for the popularity of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers today.

3 . There’s been growing concerns about the damaging impact of human travel on the environment in recent years. Irresponsible tourism is a main cause of environmental destruction. The destruction of the natural environment is an urgent matter as it directly affects everyone’s well-being.     1     As a student passionate about travel, you should leave as little carbon pollution as possible wherever you visit.

Avoid takeaways as many as possible

Buying “food to go” seems logical when you are in a rush. Though convenient, this kind of take-out packaging often uses disposable (一次性的) plastic boxes and bags, which can contribute significantly to environmental pollution if not properly disposed of.     2     You can, instead, eat out in a restaurant while enjoying a scenic atmosphere. If you have to take away something like coffee, use a reusable cup.

Go for train or bus when traveling nationally

Transportation accounts for nearly a third of all greenhouse gases produced in the environment. Flying and driving, in particular, are major contributors to carbon emissions within the transportation sector, with domestic flying emitting more carbon than driving.     3    

Stay on designated roads and foot paths

Responsible tourism is about having as minimum physical interaction with the wild as possible. We not only protect the fragile ecosystems around us but also ensure our own safety.     4     If you stray away from designated (指定) paths, you risk damaging plants and the natural habitat for animals.

Pick up trash after yourself and others

    5     Instead of dropping trash, why not pick it up? You can significantly impact the environment by picking up trash along trails when hiking or backpacking for proper disposal.

In conclusion, responsible tourism is traveling with awareness, respect, and consideration for the places you visit. It’s about ensuring that your travel experiences enrich not only your own lives but also contribute positively to the destinations you explore, leaving them better than you found them.

4 . Nowadays, a lot of students are under great stress. Generally speaking, finding something you enjoy doing can improve the quality of your life and reduce your stress levels.     1     It can also help you make friends or even provide a purpose in your life. Then how can you find something you like to do?

    2     Some hobbies, such as albums and gardening, can take up a lot of time. Other hobbies, such as video games or reading, can be done at your own pace and do not require any extra time.

Research the hobby or activity you would like to get involved in. Find out how much time and money you will need to devote to starting and continuing the activity. For example, some sports-related interests might require special equipment.     3     Your local library or phone book should also have information on hobbies and activities in your area.

Talk with other people who are involved in some of the activities you are interested in.     4     Ask if you could follow them to a meeting or spend some time with this person while he is involved in his hobby to see if it is something you would enjoy.

    5     Challenge yourself to try a new activity you are interested in for a week or so. Allow yourself to learn about the hobby and determine whether you will enjoy the activity or not.

5 . How to save money to visit Shanghai Disneyland?

The “happiest place on earth” is a top destination on many families’ bucket lists. But taking a vacation to Disney World can be difficult to do on a budget. There are some considerations that you can make to reduce the cost of your Disney World vacation.

Disney has influenced practically every industry, which makes it easy to find Disney items anywhere, from Walmart, Target, and your local grocery store to department stores and Amazon. You can save a lot of money by purchasing items before your trip at these less-expensive places than at Disneyland.

An autograph book is seen as a must-have by many Disneyland enthusiasts and is a memory you can take home with you. These books can cost anywhere from $7.95 to $19.95 at the Disney Store and up to $30 for the latest-and-greatest autograph book at Disneyland, such as the park’s 60th anniversary edition. Other choices can get the job done for under $5.For example, you can buy a small photo album, cute pads or notebooks.

Breakfast is almost as pricey (昂贵的) as lunch or dinner if you eat inside the Disneyland parks. If you have a hotel with a free breakfast, take advantage of it. If you want to eat out, eat at a local restaurant that is inexpensive or has a kids’ menu, such as McDonald’s which is close to the park.

Disney offers a wide variety of discounts, including for military service members, college students, teachers, and youth groups. If you think you might qualify for a special discount or group rate, call the Disneyland Resort to book tickets.

6 . The village super league, or “Cun Chao” in Chinese, is a soccer game among different villages in Rongjiang county, Guizhou Province, and it is so down-to-earth but popular that it has attracted not only the attention of football legend Michael Owen but also millions of Chinese netizens (网民), who are paying attention to this non-professional football league.

The players come from a variety of backgrounds. They are vendors, drivers, students, carpenters, tilers, former butchers, and brick factory workers. Their ages range from 15 to over 40 years old. At the game site, representatives wearing various traditional national costumes play national musical instruments and enter the field with the players, and perform songs and dances.

“This kind of football game is natural and with ‘pureness’ and it is driven by the love of the ordinary people not the economic benefits. The game is providing not only values of sports, but also a way of socializing with low costs,” an expert noted. This kind of atmosphere is very rarely seen and is treasured, especially for people in urban areas who are getting increasingly busy and under great work pressure, and when they look at the fun, relaxing and down-to-earth way of life in the countryside, they will naturally be interested, experts said. There is at least one good effect brought by the “Cun Chao” to Chinese soccer—to make more people see the pureness of joy and encourage them to play soccer.

Today, more and more grassroots sports events are held in the mountains and are using sports as a medium to showcase the unique charm of the local area, reflecting an energetic lifestyle filled with agricultural activities and rural fun.

7 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.

Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.

There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”

Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.

A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.

9 . Mice were given a memory test in a lab at the University of New South Wales, in Australia. Scientist Margaret Morris set them in their usual box, but she rearranged the objects in the box. Some mice smelled them curiously, but others just moved on. They didn’t remember the objects were once in a different place.

The mice with sharper memory were fed with a regular diet of low-fat, healthy food. However, the mice that ate lots of junk food for two weeks — such as cake, meat pies, chips, and cookies — were forgetful.

Food can have the same effect on people, too. “If you’re eating junk food regularly, and not eating enough fruit and vegetables,” Morris said, “the changes inside your body may be affecting brain function.” Changes inside the body can affect a person’s overall health, too.

Scientists have long known that the brain communicates with the stomach to control digestion. Recently, they have found that the stomach talks back. It may even tell the brain what to do.

Foods with too much salt and sugar affect the microbiome (肠道菌群) in your body by killing the right bacteria (细菌) in it. These bacteria protect you from illness and keep your mind sharp. Lacking them can lead to being overweight and depression.

Robert Knight is a scientist at the University of California, San Diego. He suggests eating yogurt, because it is packed with healthy bacteria. Does that mean no French fries? “Having them sometimes is okay,” Knight says. “It’s the long-term habits that really matter. Being good to your microbiome over the next six months is a lot more important than what you ate yesterday, or what you eat tomorrow.”

10 . Road Trip Apps You Need Before You Leave

Ever wonder how do livery drivers manage to hit so many different places in a relatively short amount of time? It’s because they’re using an app like Road Warrior to plan their routes to be as efficient as possible. However, while many other route planning apps only take things like traffic into account, Road Warrior includes lots of other time-sucking details. The subscription options start at $10 per month.

Gas prices have been something of a catastrophe recently, so travelers are naturally focused on finding the lowest rates whenever possible. GasBuddy is one of the most popular apps for locating affordable gas, especially on long road trips. Simply enter the starting point and destination, and then watch as all of the cheapest gas prices along your route pop up. Like many apps, there is a free version, as well as a premium(额外费用) option with added features.

For people who aren’t totally focused on getting from point A to point B in the fastest time possible, the Road Trippers app is an absolute must-have. Users can pan their trip from start to finish with as many as 150 waypoints stops when using the premium version of the app, which costs $29.99 per year. It won’t let you miss the famous scenic spots along the way. It estimates fuel costs allows for RV drivers to customize routes friendly to their particular vehicle and lets the user cooperate with friends who are also on the road.

Sure you could listen to music or watch movies, but sometimes it’s fun to throw it way back with classic travel games. The Plates Family Travel app is a modernized version of the classic license plate game. There also a map feature that shows you exactly where you saw all the license plates on your road trip. This app is available for Apple or Google devices for free.