South Koreans have enjoyed their first close-up look of new baby giant pandas at a name-revealing ceremony that is also     1     early celebration of the 100 days since the twins’ birth.

What to name the twin sisters was widely discussed among netizens after they were born on July 7 in theme park Everland. The names were     2     (ultimate) decided on through two public voting     3     (procedure). One is named Rui Bao, which means wise treasure, and the other is Hui Bao or shining treasure. Half a million panda lovers helped choose their names with a handful of lucky fans     4     (invite) to the ceremony. “They are even     5     (cute) in real life than they appear on screen,” said a college student in attendance.

The baby pandas,     6     have just begun teething and crawling, are very healthy. Everland has shared videos documenting the pandas’ growth online. The twins’ birth has gained 640,000 views since it     7     (upload). “This feels like a great opportunity to call for better     8     (preserve) of pandas,” said Donghee Chung, head of the park’s zoo. Chung noted that between 40% and 50% of panda births result     9     twins.

Everland said it would monitor the twins’ health     10     (determine) when the twins are ready to be open to the public.

3 . Social media can lead to mental exhaustion (疲惫). And when mentally exhausted, you are more likely to be influenced by a high number of likes on posts—even to the point of clicking on ads for products you don't need or want.

As a professor of advertising, I have studied social media behaviors for years. In late 2022, my colleague Eric Haley and I conducted three online studies on Americans aged 18—65 to test how people under various mental loads respond to ads differently.

The control group in each study were given no introductory task—we just had them look at an ad. A second group had to memorize a nine-digit number and then look at the ad. The third group looked through the Internet for 30 seconds and then looked at the ad. Participants randomly saw an ad with a few hundred likes or tens of thousands of likes. After viewing the ad, each participant rated how willing they would be to buy the product, and how much mental effort it took to think about the information.

The group that used the Internet first were the most likely to want to buy the featured product when there were lots of likes or comments, and they also reported using the most mental effort to assess the ad. Researchers refer to this mentally exhausted state as “cognitive (认知的) overload”. Using social media puts them in this state because they are constantly evaluating different types of texts, photos and video posts from so many different people. In the span of several seconds, they can see a text from their husband or wife, a photo from a co-worker, a video from a celebrity and an emoji from their brother. All of this evaluating leaves them feeling frazzled.

Imagine asking your roommate if they want to go get pizza. Under normal conditions, the roommate might consider several factors such as cost, hunger, timing or their schedule. Now imagine asking your roommate the same question while they are on the phone with a sick relative. They no longer have the mental energy to logically consider whether pizza for dinner is a good idea.

By understanding how social media influences them, consumers can be more thoughtful in regulating their use—and hopefully not buy yet another water bottle they don’t need.

This winter,     1     city of Harbin has spared no effort to show sincerity and     2     (create) in entertaining tourists from all over the world.

Harbin has long been a major tourist attraction in winter, and it has garnered more attention this winter. It ranked     3     (five) among the most popular cities for the 2024 New Year holiday, following Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Among the top 10 cities, Harbin is the only one that     4     (locate ) in northeast China.

    5     (prepare) for a year, Harbin didn’t attributed the boom to pure luck, said He Jing, director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Heilongjiang Province.

She said the city has been rolling out plans since the beginning of 2023     6     (boost) its tourism industry, attracting attention on various social media platforms. “We stand in the shoes of tourists. We pay special attention to their comments under our videos published on social media platforms. Whatever tourists complain about, we move and improve     7     (immediate),”she told CMG

To “rescue” tourists     8     are not used to the cold weather, the city built many temporary heated rest rooms for them, providing warm drinks for free       9     (freeze) pears, a local specialty, were cut into the shapes of flowers so that tourists could enjoy them conveniently.

“We want to impress tourists     10     all the small details, letting them feel comfortable and respected ”

6 . Staying in on a Friday might feel like a good idea—you could really use the “alone time” after a busy week—until you get on Instagram. You see your friends eating at that new restaurant you have been wanting to try, and then you start watching another friend’s story before they set out on an exciting road trip.

Suddenly, that alone time you chose doesn’t feel so good anymore. You feel like it’s boring to stay at home—you may even question the purpose of your very existence. Don’t worry, that anxiety is common—and not that new. You are experiencing FOMO, or the fear of missing out.

We are always comparing ourselves to people around us, but sometimes that self-comparison can lead to some pretty bad feelings. “FOMO” is about having thoughts on missing out on opportunities which might increase our happiness,” says Dr. Aarti Gupta. “Humans are social beings and depend on each other to survive, and being left out or not being in the know could have, once upon a time, been a matter of life or death.”

If you find yourself comparing yourself to others in a way that doesn’t feel productive, Gupta recommends practicing an abundance mindset: “This means remembering that there are plenty of opportunities to go around for everyone, and just because someone else found success doesn’t mean that you won’t.” So next time you see someone else win, try congratulating them instead of feeling unhappy.

So the next Friday night you decide to stay in, keep in mind that we are always missing out on something. Choosing one activity or path simply means you’ll miss out on others.

“I think the irony of all of it is that it’s called FOMO, the fear of missing out. But actually, what it is doing is that it’s making you miss out on today and that comfortable bed that you are in right now, or the job that you’re in right now or the relationship that you are in right now because you are so worried about what else is out there,” says Gupta. You can fight FOMO simply by being more fully present and invested in the life you have today.

In China, an impressive trend (趋势) is appearing where young people are taking an active part in     1     (care) for the elderly. One such person is 29-year-old Yanyang,     2     helps seniors with their needs. Yanyang, a former media professional, was inspired by his own grandparents’ struggles and decided to offer     3     (value) support to the elderly community. Up till now, he     4     (help) more than 200 seniors with their needs, showing his promise to their well-being.

    5     (similar), 27-year-old Wang Cheng, majoring in senior service and management, believes that his professional knowledge allows him to connect deeply with the elderly. Working in     6     social care center in Shanghai, Wang has seen the positive effects he can have     7     the elderly.

This youth’s involvement (参与) not only provides necessary care but also brings joy and energy to the lives of the elderly. These young caregivers, many from single-child     8     (family), share a deep emotional bond with the older generation. Therefore, the involvement of young people in elderly care can reduce generation gap and develop strong     9     (close) to the elderly.     10     (encourage) this trend, local governments are offering rewards to these young and professional caretakers.

8 . What comes to mind when you think about chocolate? A candy bar at Halloween? Ice cream on a hot day?

For Ibrahim, a 12-year-old boy from the West African country of Ghana, chocolate is not about sweet treats; it is about bitter work.     1     But if they did, we would learn that Ibrahim spends his days growing and harvesting cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made. We would also learn that he is just one of more than two million children who perform this difficult labour instead of attending school.

To change the harmful practices like this, some farms use an approach called Fairtrade.     2     It aims to create a different relationship between buyers (chocolate companies) and sellers (cocoa farmers) by encouraging farmers to join together to form a shared business called a cooperative. Because farmers work together instead of competing with each other, they can demand a higher price from the buyers.     3    

Consumers like you can play a role as well. You can buy Fairtrade chocolate if possible, pressure candy companies to change their labour practices, or ask local stores to sell Fairtrade products.     4     It is a programme recognizing schools that provide Fairtrade products in cafeterias or include related lessons in curriculum (课程).

Chocolate has a hidden story that affects children like Ibrahim—children who want a happy future just like you do.     5     By enjoying Fairtrade products or simply spreading the word, you can make chocolate as sweet for all children as it is for you.

9 . Most of us look forward to the weekend as a time to relax, connect with friends and family, and handle items from a to-do list that gets unnoticed during the work week. But as the weekday does come to an end, many of us are missing out on enjoying the weekend and instead experiencing a sense of anxiety and even fear for the upcoming week. Experts call this phenomenon Sunday scaries.

Sunday scaries, also known as the Sunday blues, arise when individuals expect the upcoming work week with a combination of various factors such as work-related concerns, unfinished tasks, the end of weekend relaxation, and the pressure to start the new week. As a result, individuals may find it challenging to unwind and relax before the new week begins.

A clinical psychologist, Renée Goff, said, “Sunday scaries are more than a physical heaviness for them, but they could even jump out of their skins due to the upcoming week. The negative emotions associated with Sunday scaries can have a significant impact on one’s mental well-being and overall productivity.”

“As a matter of fact, such anticipatory anxiety is a natural response that happens in preparation for anything that can cause pain or discomfort,” explains psychotherapist Angela Ficken. “Sunday scaries might even start bubbling up as early as Saturday, but tend to become less intense by the time Monday morning rolls around when you start your work week. This doesn’t mean we leave them unchecked.”

To battle anticipatory anxiety for the upcoming week, individuals can adopt self-care practices that promote relaxation and stress reduction. This may include engaging in hobbies, spending time in nature, exercising, practicing mindfulness or simply dedicating time to disconnect from work-related thoughts. Additionally, we can organize tasks for the upcoming week in advance to create a sense of control, reduce the Sunday scaries and promote a healthier work-life balance.

10 . Growing old is something that happens to all of us. But often, older people seem “invisible” in society. Many people see them as physically weak, helpless or unable to contribute anything.

Starting in 1990, the United Nations has made Oct 1 of every year the International Day of Older Persons. It is a day to fight this stereotype (刻板印象) and raise awareness of issues faced by older people in society.

How do you feel about getting old? I chatted with my grandma to find out her opinions. Born in 1927, my grandma Solveig King grew up in Sweden during the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War Ⅱ. Everything was rationed (定量配给). There were no outdoor lights and no running water. “But it was a very happy childhood: snow every winter and always sunshine in summer, enough food, but no luxuries,” she said. This explains where she got her habit of keeping old boxes and containers and never wasting any food. It’s a habit many people of her generation seem to have.

In 2015, I went to live with my grandma for a few months. We would sit together and read books, go to the swimming pool, watch some travel programs or documentaries on TV, do some gardening, try some crossword puzzles, and then do it all again the next day. It was quite fun!

Now 96 years old and in a wheelchair, Solveig can’t go swimming any more, but she still keeps up with her other hobbies. “I don’t feel ‘old’, just a little disabled! But I never wish I could do something I know I can’t do. I remember one of my favorite teachers saying: ‘That is just wasted mental energy!’ Nor do I ever wish to relive any part of my life. I am very happy with the road I have taken.”

As for getting older and wiser, Solveig thinks wisdom comes with experience and reasoning, but not everyone is willing to take notice of it. And she keeps a curious and adventurous mindset. “Soon, I’ll need to go live at a nursing home for two weeks while my family is away. I’m excited because I’ll get to learn all about old people!” she said.