1 . Going against the trend of going to well-known yet crowded tourist destinations on vacation, a growing number of holidaymakers in China are spending their holidays at less-known places to look for unique and relaxed holiday experiences. “Reverse tourism” (反向旅游) has appeared as a new trend among young holidaymakers in China.

During the weeklong public holiday, which ended on Oct 7, large numbers of vacationers, especially youth who long to escape their busy city lives, avoid popular holiday destinations in order to get off the beaten track and enjoy some peace and quietness.

According to data from online travel agency Qunar, the number of rooms booked at hotels in less-traveled cities during the holiday was up 30 percent year-on-year. Bookings for four and five-star hotels in less-traveled places, including Linxia in Gansu province and Shizuishan in Ningxia, all increased at least 10 times from the same period of 2021. Even 12.5 percent of youth who normally have little time for themselves simply had a time in a hotel to make the much-awaited holiday more relaxing.

Besides crowds, some vacationers chose less-traveled places to save on the cost of trips to popular destinations, which often involve expensive tickets, meals and hotel stays. What’s more, less-known attractions are able to offer more natural experiences, according to social media posts. And unlike popular destinations, some undeveloped places with little online attention can offer more surprises.

Jiang Han, a senior researcher at the Beijing-based public policy think tank Pangoal (盘古智库), said that reverse tourism will become one of the future directions for the market and is an opportunity for growth which can match the camping economy.

3 . Supporters of education technology have always imagined the bright future in the past twenty years: that by 2019, half of all middle school courses would be online; videos and practice apps could let students learn maths at their own speed; or that students with internet-connected computers could learn anything without the help of schools or teachers.

Then in 2020, 1 billion students around the world turned to online learning as the pandemic( 疫情) shut down schools. It was education technology’s big moment, but for many students and families, online learning has been a disappointment. When the world needs it most, why has education technology seemed so lackluster?

Technology education has a long history, but throughout the history there have been two main challenges. The first is that most people depend on human connection to stay motivated. When a student fails to concentrate on what the teacher is saying in a classroom, the teacher can notice it and take action. But when the same thing happens while using an education technology product, no one can see it. Assessments(评价) are also a challenge. Computers can show students standard answers. In some subjects, like maths, education technology can immediately tell whether the answer is right. But if we ask students to write a passage that explains why the Second World War broke out, computers can not assess the answer, part of which may be incorrect.

Education technology has long promised to change education, but for large areas of school learning, we don’t have online tools that are any better than printed books. For most teachers, the road to successful teaching with technology is not a total change to traditional education, but a slow process towards finding a right tool or way that is suitable for students.

4 . I arrived home from work, my mind racing. I was scheduled to perform an experiment using a pricey piece of equipment, but I had spent the whole day worrying about the experiment which was on the top of my agenda (日程), and I amazingly longed to shut off my anxious thoughts. So after dinner, I made a cup of hot chocolate, stretched myself on my sofa, and opened a page. Almost instantly, my mind left behind the details of experimental design and stepped into a land of monsters, magic dust, and man-like bears comprising a wonderful world distinct (不同的) from my daily life. It was exactly what I needed.

Growing up, I was virtually never a big fan of novels. My classmates would be crazy about the latest Harry Potter book, while my copy sat collecting dust on a shelf. Instead, I would choose to read through the reference books related to my academic fields for better grades. After I started graduate school, extracurricular reading didn’t appeal to me at all but I spent most of my time on campus digesting research papers and textbooks and my mind couldn’t handle processing fact-filled nonfiction books at home, too. So I knew that I needed to find a way to enjoy reading again.

To help me stick with it, I made a New Year’s resolution: I would read two fiction books per month for the entire year. The result was an almost instant appreciation of fiction, along with many unexpected results including ones that have benefited my schoolwork.

What surprised me the most was how much I learned. Some of the best books I read were historical fictional stories happening in a realistic historical setting. I learned about life in different countries, as well as struggles people there faced during difficult periods in their histories. The books have helped me build sympathy and understanding, with an unexpected benefit: I’ve started to think more deeply about the diversity of issues in the scientific community and could serve it, heart and soul.

The Internet is an     1     (amaze) information resource. Students, teachers     2     researchers use it as     3     important tool. Journalists use it to find information for stories. Doctors use it to learn more about unfamiliar diseases and the     4     (late) medical development. Ordinary people use it for shopping, banking, bill-paying, and communicating with family and friends. People all over the world use it     5     (connect) with individuals from other countries and cultures. However, while there are many positive developments associated with the Internet, there are also certain fears and     6     (concern). One concern is a lack of control over what     7     (appear) on the Internet. With television and radio the editors will check the accuracy of the contents of programs, and with television there are limits on what kinds of programs can     8     (broadcast) and at what time of the day. However,     9     the help of the Internet, parents can check a published guide to determine what     10     (suit) for their children to see.

6 . ABOUT SMART

SMART runs both study tours for groups in England throughout the year and a holiday English course for foreign students during the summer in the centre of London. Our courses combine English language learning with cultural studies in different centres around England. Our students have plenty of holiday fun, make new friends and learn a lot of English!

The holiday course

We provide lessons and afternoon activities to help you speak, write, listen and read in English, as well as understand the English people and their culture. We will help you learn through topics which are interesting to you.

The school

The Elite School is in central London, just 5 minutes from Paddington Station and 10minutes from Hyde Park. It has 15 classrooms including an IT room, a science lab, a music room, and an art room as well as a large cafeteria.

Travelling time from Heathrow Airport: 45 minutes

Trips

There are three trips every week. You can have fun either in London or outside London. In London we visit places such as the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and the Tate Modern. Outside London we visit places such us Oxford, Cambridge and Brighton.

Terms

Age:11- 17

Minimum stay: 2 weeks

Maximum number of students in class: 15

Cost 550 per week, including:

-registration fee (C60)

-tuition package: 15 hours of English; 1 half day of creative arts; I full-day trip on Saturday; all course materials; 1 half day of sport; 2“Discover London” tours; lunch; welcome pack

-host family accommodation

How to Make a Good First Impression

Yours,

Li Hua

Long long ago, there lived a girl named Eat. She was a good girl, but she never liked her name because all the kids made fun of her name. She ran away from everybody who laughed at her name, so Eat never really had friends. She played alone all the time.

One day, Eat went to her favorite place near the river behind her house, where she always spoke to the river. On that day, when talking to the river, she said, “You are so lucky, as you can travel to different places and always be with your friends — ducks, turtles, fishes, and plants. I wish I had more friends and wouldn’t be alone anymore.”

When she was bored talking to the river, she picked up some stones and tried to skip (打水漂) them across the river. However, she failed most of the time. Finally, she found a perfect stone. She held it tightly (紧紧地) in her fingers, and said to the river, “Oh, dear river, if I could skip this stone all the way across, I would wish for a dear friend just like you.” Saying this, Eat waved her arm back and threw the stone with full strength.

She watched the stone skip once, twice... and to her surprise, the stone went on skipping and finally, on the seventh skip, made it across the river onto the shore of the opposite side. Eat was totally amazed. She could not just believe her eyes.

Her happiness were disturbed (打断) when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Eat looked around and found a little girl was rolling down towards her. Eat hurried to get up to help. However, she lost her balance and fell off, too.

The little girl was crying and holding her knee. Eat pulled herself and went close to the girl, whose knee was bleeding (流血). She said gently to the little girl, “It will be alright. My house is nearby, let me help you. My mother will take care of the wound.”

Once they arrived at her house, Eat called out, “Mom, help! Someone is injured.”

The little girl looked at Eat and asked, “What is your name?”