If you logged on to weibo over the weekend, chances are that your web page was     1     with videos of US celebrities dumping ice water on their heads. It seems that everyone is getting in for fun, from popular singers like Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake, to high-ranking of tech executives including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

Is it some kind of new, cool way to cope with the summer heat? Of course not. It’s a fundraising game called the Ice Bucket Challenge, and it aims to raise     2     for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症，亦称“渐冻人症”).

The challenge’s     3     is straightforward. It involves daring a person to dump a bucket of ice water over his head within 24 hours, or donate money for fighting against ALS. Even if a person completes the challenge, they’re more than welcome to donate money anyhow.

Once a person completes the challenge, they’re supposed to issue the same challenge to several other people, usually three, which is why the challenge has been growing and growing.

Since the beginning of June, the game has spread across social media timelines and late-night talk shows in the US. According to Facebook, more than 15 million people so far have posted,     4    , or liked a post about the challenge. It has raised more than $2.3 million (14 million yuan) to support research for the illness.

As for the origins of the craze, new data from the Facebook data science team heavily supports one theory: that the ice bucket challenge     5     with Pete Frates, a former captain of the Boston College baseball team. Frates, 29, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, can no longer speak and uses a wheelchair. After Frates posted his own ice bucket challenge video on July 31, the game took off and has now become one of the biggest activities in the online community.

The challenge went popular on social media, particularly in the United States, with people, celebrities, politicians and athletes posting videos of themselves online and on TV     6     in the event. But before the challenge, public awareness of the disease was relatively     7    .

Of course, ice bucket challenges need to be undertaken with at least basic     8     and common sense. Those who tip the water need to be     9     enough — and strong enough—to ensure that they can safely control the bucket. A giant water-filled tub is certainly heavy enough to     10     injure or even kill a person it drops on.

Balancing Profit and Privacy in the Digital Age

Concerns about privacy are becoming increasingly widespread as companies prioritize profit over ethical considerations. The rise of technology has enabled businesses to engage in increasingly     1     practices, often at the expense of user privacy.

Many     2     teams are under pressure and therefore have started adopting tricky strategies to maximize profits. Personal data is collected and analyzed without authorization, and users may find themselves     3     flooded with targeted advertisements based on their online behavior, which is annoying to say the least. Moreover, the rise of social media platforms has worsened privacy concerns. These platforms often require users to agree to lengthy and     4     terms of service, granting the company broad access to their personal data. Despite user protests, these concerns are often     5     by companies in favor of financial gain. As a result, users may feel powerless in the face of corporate interests. The negative impact of this practice can be far-reaching as it affects not only individuals’ privacy but also their freedom of choice.

There is growing awareness and pushback against these practices. Regulatory bodies and advocacy groups are     6     calling for greater responsibility from companies regarding their data collection and usage policies. For instance, the European Union has implemented the General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR), which has     7     considerable international influence on online platforms. It requires organizations to handle and store personal information responsibly and also gives individuals more control over their personal data. The     8     regulations of this kind, as some critics believe, serves as a deterrent (震慑因素) for companies engaging in unethical data collection practices.

While technological advancements have brought numerous benefits, it is fundamental for businesses to prioritize ethical considerations and respect users’ privacy. Only by doing so can they build trust and maintain positive relationships with their customers in the long run. Failure to uphold these principles may endanger the     9     of their business and lead to reputational damage. Businesses must ensure that their practices side with ethical standards and regulations to keep     10     with the best practices in the industry and maintain consumer trust.

Tobacco use and its negative impacts on health have been well-documented for decades. Traditional tobacco products, such as cigarettes, have been     1     to a wide range of health problems, including cancer, heart disease, respiratory (呼吸的) disorders and others. According to a survey, 78.3 percent of smokers start smoking before age 20. Taiwan Province of China has raised the     2     smoking age to 20 or above. By instituting this change, they hope to reduce the number of young people taking up the habit.

Despite being     3     as a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs) are still considered tobacco. As such, they pose significant dangers to human health. The heating     4     used in these products releases harmful chemicals and poisons, including tar (焦油), carbon monoxide and nicotine, a(n)     5     addictive substance.

HTPs are packaged to appeal to young people who perceive them as safer than smoking. To prevent young people from experimenting with HTPs and     6     their health, Taiwan Province strictly controls every kind of tobacco product by adding a health risk     7     review mechanism. Only products that pass the review process are allowed to be manufactured, imported and sold to consumers.

The innumerable downsides to smoking should give smokers     8     and encourage them to quit. Quitting tobacco improves your health and reduces your risk of various diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and breathing problems. Quitting smoking can also improve your     9    . Tobacco use can cause wrinkles and yellow teeth. Quitting can lead to healthier skin, whiter teeth and fresher breath. Smoking can also dull your senses of taste and smell. By stopping tobacco use, your senses recover, leading to enhanced enjoyment of food and beverages.

Unfortunately, quitting tobacco isn't easy. Most people will also encounter numerous challenges including nicotine withdrawal and symptoms such as eagerness, irritability (易怒) and difficulty concentrating. Supportive social environments, coping strategies and professional help are     10     for overcoming these things and living a smoke-free life.

“Dealing with money is a basic life skill”

Why financial transactions are about relationships and why the

quality of the relationship is more important than the transaction itself.

British psychologist, William Bloom, has long argued that society would benefit if money flowed more freely-if, for example, people regularly give part of their salaries or profits to charity.

When you say, “Money should flow more freely,” what do you mean?

“There are two metaphors that I like to use for money. One is the energy of the environment and human nature. Money represents a(n)     1     of these energies; it’s a materialized form of energy. The other metaphor is water. If you look at water, it can be still and polluted or, once the dams are opened, it has the ability to     2     itself. Healthy energy flows in the way rich people should allow their money to flow. If they are good, they will know how to give.”

Money still isn’t flowing freely.

A lot of it is dammed up in banks and in the hands of a small percentage of extremely wealthy individuals. “We have to build a society in which we are not threatened by each other. The gap between the rich and the poor     3     social connection and harmony. The Baby Boomers (婴儿潮一代) are too comfortable for too long. Now they have to ask themselves what their politics are, because life is political. This is the time for all of us to     4     politically.”

How can we deal with money in a healthier way?

“When it comes to money, there is a lot of naiveté. Children need to be taught in school that dealing with money is a basic life skill. They need to be able to read a bank statement in a(n)     5     way. When a transaction takes place, this means     6     pausing to say, ‘This exchange affects me in this and this way.’ We are often in too much of a hurry to realize that. We also forget that transactions are first and foremost about relationships. The quality of that relationship is more important than the transaction itself. That’s why Bedouins (游牧民族贝都因人)   always share a cup of tea when they do business together. They understand the need to     7     their relationship with others.”

Another form of flow is giving. Can that be a kind of spiritual practice?

“Humans are paradoxical beings. It is possible to have pure     8     and to get satisfaction as a by-product from your actions. There is the classic idea that giving away money brings a sense of safety and satisfaction. And it does. Being alive in this universe comes from the     9     that you’re part of a flow in the universe. People think highly of altruism (舍己为人), giving away money to someone who cannot see you. Donating money to charity is not just about the material effect but it also allows you to pay attention to what causes you’re supporting. It’s healthy to give without thinking of the material     10    . Money is neutral, like language. It’s all about the way in which it is used.”

Wedding Bills

Growing up, little girls are brainwashed into believing that their wedding is the most important day of their lives. You’re supposed to dream about it since childhood and when your big day finally arrives, walk like a princess with all your friends and family dressed to the nines, watching     1     in the audience. But real life isn’t directed by Disney and in reality, weddings are anything but the fairy tale day that we were taught to believe. In China, weddings are     2     and more often than not, it’s a money-making event not just for the wedding planner, but also for the bride and groom. It’s all a transaction     3     in a white veil (面纱).

So how’s a typical wedding in China different? First of all, in China, the groom’s family is expected to pay for the wedding. Weddings in China tend to be massive events, and the     4     culture and local belief that the more people come to celebrate the more luck the couple will have plays a huge part in that. In the US, it’s common for the couple to have a gift     5    . But in China, you bring cash in red envelopes. In recent years some bridesmaids have even been seen wearing QR codes around their necks for wedding guests to scan to     6     their wedding gift money. Online, some have praised this trend as providing safety and convenience for the couple. Others call it tacky (俗气), comparing it to     7     an admission fee to watch a spectacle (壮观的场面). One bride admitted to me that her guest list for 40 tables consisted of friends, family and acquaintances she knew would be generous. It’s also an unspoken custom in China that even if you can’t     8     attend someone’s wedding, your money is expected to make an appearance.

Moving on to the wedding photos. In China when you arrive at the     9    , you’ll most likely see a giant poster of the couple in their wedding clothes. Here, there’s no such thing as bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the big day so most couples would take their wedding photos in advance. To be frank, I find this the most reasonable way to do it. There’s already enough     10     on the wedding day, so why add to it by throwing a photo shoot in there too?