2 . If you have a chance to talk with a historical figure, who would you like it to be? What would you like to know about the past or share from today? China in the Classics, a new TV show based on Chinese classics started by China Central Television (CCTV) in February, is exploring such possibilities.

In the first episode, the host of the show, Sa Beining, meets ancient Confucian scholar Fu Sheng, who interpreted Shangshu — The Book of Documents. Regarded as one of the five classics of ancient Chinese Confucianism masterpieces, the book records many firsts in the country. Even the expression zhongguo (China) is used there first.

The episode ends with the host bringing Fu to today’s modern society, where the scholar is happy to find children learning the same things he had learned in his childhood. It increased the rating of the series with viewers giving it 9 out of 10 on Douban, a film and TV show reviewing website popular among young people.

The success of China in the Classics doesn’t surprise Shen Haixiong, head of the China Media Group. Shen said in an article in the journal Qiushi, “We are happy to see the program is popular among the public, but we are prouder to find that innovative interpretation of Chinese classics is arousing young people’s interest in Chinese culture.”

Therefore, TV channels have been making bold attempts in recent years to attract today’s younger generations. The Nation’s Greatest Treasures, CCTV’s cultural show in 2017, showcased China’s history and culture through antiques in the top-class museums, and fired up the audience. The treasures include the 3,300-year-old Yinxu Ruins in Henan Province and the 1,300-year-old Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region.

CCTV should make a variety of programs showcasing classics and cultural traditions to appeal to the young generation’s aesthetics, said Zhou, a professor at the School of Arts and Communication, Beijing Normal University.

3 . Looks like Hank and Stefan were hanging out at Olivia’s last night. What were they doing there? Was anyone else there? Why wasn’t I invited? Do they not like me? You might have experienced this emotion we call FOMO, or the fear of missing out.     1     Psychologists have been studying why FOMO happens, what harm it does and how we can cope with it.

    2     This goes back to our earliest ancestors that formed cooperative groups for survival. At that time, being left alone meant being exposed to great danger. So humans have evolved to feel anxious when they find themselves left out.

Nowadays, with the rise of social media, FOMO has become an even bigger issue, especially for young people who seem to be always online. One survey has found that 60% of teens feel stressed if they lose track of their friends or when they find out their friends are having fun without them. In fact, excessive (过度的) worrying about what others are doing only causes teens to admire others blindly and miss out on their own lives.     3     And consequently, the teens lose their sense of identity and struggle with low self-confidence.

Research proves there is a real relation between the time spent on digital technology and higher levels of anxiety. But just switching the phone off does not erase the feelings that FOMO causes. Teens may still worry that they are missing out.     4     The key is to set aside specific time each day to check social media. By doing this, teens will not be glued to their screens and will become more productive.

They can also practice full-concentration, an exercise where a person learns to intensely

5 . Facial recognition is a technology that uses distinguishable facial features to identify a person.     1     It may allow you to unlock your phone, go through security at the airport, and purchase products at stores.

    2     The police use the technology to uncover criminals or to find missing children or seniors. Airports are increasingly adding facial recognition technology to security checkpoints. When people know they are being watched, they are less likely to commit crimes. So using facial recognition technology could prevent crime.

Another advantage is that, since there is no contact required for facial recognition like there is with fingerprinting or other security measures, facial recognition offers a quick, automatic, and seamless contact experience.     3    

The biggest drawback for facial recognition technology in most people’s opinions is the threat to an individual’s privacy. In fact, several cities have considered or will ban real-time facial recognition observation used by law enforcement agencies.     4     It’s just not allowing the government bodies to use live facial recognition software.

In addition, there are issues that need to be resolved when a person changes appearance or the camera angle isn’t quite right. However, it’s dramatically improving now, according to independent tests by a U. S. research institute.     5    

In order to benefit from the positive aspects of facial recognition, our society is going to have to work through some significant challenges to our privacy and civil liberties.

8 . It’s lunchtime, and I’m eager to try a new establishment that opened near our office in midtown Manhattan. I walk to the shiny new storefront, place my order and make my way to the counter to pay. As I dig into my wallet and start to pull out some cash, the person behind the counter interrupts me. “No cash, please!” says the cashier.

These days, establishments that no longer accept cash have increased greatly. It’s long been said that “cash is king”, but the tendency could be turning in the US. While cash continues to be the most common payment method among consumers, its usage is declining. The use of cash in 2019 dropped by 3 percentage points to 30 percent of all transactions in just two years, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s 2020 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice. What’s more, because cash is most likely to be used in small transactions ($10 or less) , it accounted for only 9 percent of the total payment value in the same year. The use of cards, at the same time, has held steady, and mobile payments have begun to grow.

Nearly cashless societies are already a reality outside the US. In Sweden, cash accounts for only 2 percent of the value of all payments, and total cash in circulation accounts for just 1 percent of Swedish GDP. China, meanwhile, leads the way in mobile payments, recording more than $20 trillion in 2019.

But should a cashless future be accepted enthusiastically?

It’s true that not handling cash could allow for an increase in speed and efficiency. Cashless payments, however, have their downside. We might start to see a rise in cybercrimes, while a cashless society could decrease physical crimes. Critics argue that cashless establishments unfairly affect those who are less likely to have access to noncash payment methods—namely the unbanked/underbanked. According to the Pew Research Center, those in households earning less than $30,000 per year are more likely to use cash than those with higher incomes.

A cashless society, no doubt, has its advantages, but it can also bring a host of new challenges.