3 . Hit Chinese Variety Shows in 2023

The year 2023 saw a wide variety of TV and Internet shows in China, offering to audience not only amazing entertainment but also new insight.

Each week, bands competed in different groups, and via votes cast by the audience and six celebrity judges, five bands earned the title of the “Hot 5” by the end of the season.

The farming-themed reality show Become a Farmer took Chinese social media by storm in the first half of the year, shining a spotlight on agriculture — a crucial part of Chinese culture. The word “farming”, however, may be unfamiliar to many young urban Chinese citizens. In an effort to connect these individuals with the agricultural industry, the 50-episode variety show tackles the topic by inviting 10 young men from various fields to experience life on the farmland. It offers insights into farming practices and modern agricultural production.

With a shocking viewership, the music cultural program Infinity and Beyond 2023 emerged as a resounding success both on TV and on the Internet in the first half of this year. Featuring a star-studded cast, the show improved cross-strait connection and covered classic and popular songs dating back to the 1970s.

This season saw some Chinese actresses and actors embark on a journey to Saudi Arabia, Croatia and Iceland. They explored the beautiful landscapes and diverse cultures of these countries and learned about the collaborative projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative. They have dipped into the local customs and traditions of the places they visited.

Are you interested in what the future holds? Consider Explora Vision’s STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) competition. Working in teams of two to four, students will research a particular technology and assess the ways in which it may impact lives moving forward. Participants are required to write a paper and draw web pages communicating their vision.

Grades: 7th-9th and 10th-12th

Competition Type: Regional and national

You can participate in this competition without leaving the house. eCyberMission is a web-based con test in which participants — working in teams of two to four students — use science, math and technology to solve problems facing their communities. First-place winners receive $1,000.

Grades:9th

Competition Type: Regional, state and national

Held annually, TEAMS invites students to use their engineering talent to contribute to the community. Working in groups of two to four students, participants complete real-life engineering challenges. The competition includes multiple-choice questions, an essay and a design-build component.

Grades: 9th-12th

Competition Type: State and national

In this challenge, participants work in teams of two to five students to develop products or services in response to key issues facing people around the world. The Conrad Challenge empowers students to take control of their learning and apply it to real-life situations. Winners are eligible (有资格的) for scholarships, patent assistance and aid in creating companies.

Grades: 9th-12th

Competition Type: International

Globe-making is a long tradition, which dates back to the middle of the     1     (two) century BCE. Although contemporary world loves GPS, we’ll never get tired of the beautiful skill of a globe. Bellerby &Co. Globemakers is one of the very few workshops in the world     2     still make a variety of bespoke orbs (定制球体) by hand.

The Bellerby & Co. artisans spend months, even years,     3     (train) as globe makers. They use a     4     (combine) of traditional and modern techniques to make the instruments. It all begins with     5     perfect sphere (球), difficult to achieve. Then, the company makes edits to a map     6     (update) the cartography or personalize it for a customer, taking years to get right.

Once the map is ready, it’s printed, cut into shapes and painted by hand with watercolour. It’s a very delicate procedure, but once all of the pieces are     7     (successful) applied, Bellerby & Co. adds more watercolour details and seals it with a finish. Then the globe     8     (place) on a base. And it is finally finished according to the customer’s preference.

The company makes globes in many sizes, from small orbs that will fit on a desk     9     large floor models that are 50 inches tall. The variety of sizes     10     (represent) the demand for globes that still exists today. A globe is a work of art and a nostalgic (怀旧的) thing for many people.

8 . Humor can help you connect with other people and make unpleasant situations more bearable. There are things you can do to make yourself and others laugh.

Read more

Get your hands on everything that is funny.     1    . Hopefully, reading good jokes might inspire you to start making up your own jokes. When reading them, try to analyse the elements that make them good jokes.

Be observant

While knowing a lot can increase your ability for humor, there’s no substitute for seeing a lot. Look for the humor in everyday situations.     2    .

Learn from funny people

Whether they’re professional comedians, your parents or your friends, learning from funny people in your life is a key step to being funny yourself.     3    . Keep a note of some of the funny things they say or do. This will help you develop a toolbox of techniques you can use to be funny.

    4    

Different things make different people laugh. When you’re in a group of people you don’t know, listen to what subjects they’re talking about and what’s making them laugh. The better you know them, the easier it will be to make them laugh.

Trust in your inner sense of humor

Being funny doesn’t come in a “one-size-fits-all” package. What makes you funny is unique to you and the way you observe the world. Trust that you do have a funny bone.     5     — you just need to bring it out.

9 . In ancient Greece, festivals were an essential part of their culture. These festivals were celebrated in honor of various gods and goddesses and were a way for people to come together and celebrate their beliefs.

One of the most important festivals in ancient Greece was the Eleusinian Mysteries. This festival was held in honor of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility (丰产). The Eleusinian Mysteries were a series of rituals (仪式) that celebrated the cycle of life and death. Participants would go through a process that involved fasting (斋戒), purification, and secret rituals.

The Dionysia was another significant festival in ancient Greece. This festival was intended for Dionysus, the god of wine, fertility, and theater. The Dionysia consisted of several days of dinning, drinking wine, and watching plays performed by playwrights such as Sophocles and Euripides.

Festivals were not just about honoring gods; they also served as a way for people to come together as a community. During festivals, people would gather in public spaces to socialize, watch performances or sporting events, or participate in religious ceremonies.

In addition to these major festivals, there were many other smaller festivals throughout ancient Greece that celebrated local traditions or honored specific gods or goddesses. These festivals varied from region to region but all shared the common purpose of bringing people together to celebrate their beliefs.

In conclusion, festivals played an important role in ancient Greek culture as they provided opportunities for people to come together and celebrate their shared culture. These festivals were not just about honoring the gods; they were also a way for people to socialize and participate in community events. The use of festivals as a means of cultural expression is still popular in modern times, and serves as a proof to the enduring treasure of ancient Greece.

10 . If you’re looking for meaningful yet easy ways to volunteer from home, then you’ll love this list of opportunities for remote volunteers.     1    , there are also ways to make a difference without leaving home. Below is a list of virtual volunteer opportunities that allow you to have a positive impact while sitting on your couch.

    2    . NRDC is on a mission to protect the earth, and you can help them through virtual volunteering by joining their Activist Network, which is linked on this page along with current online opportunities. Some sample actions might be contacting congress, opposing bills that are harmful to the environment, and sharing important messages on social media.

Use your voice to protect the earth. Friends of the Earth is committed to changing economic and political policies and systems that lead to injustice and that harm nature.     3    , you can tell congress to save the bees and contact food companies to demand natural ingredients. Friends of the Earth makes it easy to add your voice to a cause, too, as each campaign features a form with a built-in message that you can edit if you’d like and send with one click.

Virtually mentor high school kids. iCloudBe’s mission is -to empower at-risk middle and high school students to stay in school and reach their goals with the help of an online community of mentors.     4    , which entails mentoring a student and helping them prepare for their dream career for one hour per week during the school year.

Scan & proofread books to make reading accessible to all. Bookshare, an e-book library devoted to making reading easier for all, is always on the lookout for remote volunteers to scan and proofread books for their collection.     5    .