Covid-19 has brought a great deal of trouble for all of us since March 2020. During this time, mobile phones have been the solution for the boredom and restlessness caused from staying indoors. The most downloaded apps on play store 2020 are;
TikTok
TikTok was the most downloaded app. With over 111.9 million downloads, TikTok has seen a huge growth in 2020, twice more than what it got in 2019. 20% of its total downloads were from India and around 9. 3% of the total downloads were in the US.
Zoom
Zoom was the second most installed app in the overall downloads category. With nearly 94. 6 million installs, Zoom is the most used app for online meetings and virtual classrooms. 17% of its downloads were in the US and India. Offices and educational institutes were shut down and to continue working and studying from home, people relied heavily on Zoom for video conferencing and calling.
WhatsApp ranked third in overall downloads with more than 100 million downloads. It is one of the most popular and widely used chat applications; WhatsApp also supports communication between international phone networks.
It ranked fourth in the overall downloaded list. Facebook is the world's most popular social networking application. Facebook builds technologies that give people the power to connect with friends and family, find communities and grow businesses.
It seems a red squirrel has been causing some trouble for Bill Fischer of Fargo, North Dakota.
The salesman returned from a four-day trip in early September and opened the hood (引擎盖) of his truck, only to find lots of walnuts (核桃) stored inside.
Fischer knew who did that. Since 2013, the red squirrel has been hiding walnuts in his truck every two years when his neighbor's tree produces walnuts. Fischer said last year's walnut collection was the most the squirrel had ever filled in the hood of his truck.
Every walnut season, Fischer had to empty the hood of his truck and gave the walnuts away. "The squirrel will sit in the tree and watch me clean up the nuts almost like, 'That's mine, friend,' as it's watching me clean up his winter storage," Fischer said.
Fischer also said the squirrel overlooked other cars. "There are other cars very close to that tree, and it's always my truck," he said. "I've even parked purposely out on the street-as far away as I can from the walnut tree-but it still finds my truck and hides them there."
"It's very possible that this funny squirrel considers Bill Fischer's truck to be part of its home," Aliperti said, who led a study that found that ground squirrels' personalities are tied to risk-taking. Aliperti added that the hood of a truck is a perfect hiding place to a squirrel because it's concealed and dry. Since the squirrel has taken over Fischer's truck again and again, while Bill has thrown the walnuts away year by year, Aliperti laughed and said this one might be very forgetful.
There's nothing like having a best friend forever—that person who you can have fun with and talk to. July 30 is the International Day of Friendship. Maybe you can keep an eye out for a new friend to get to know. And while we're talking about friends, don't think humans are the only ones who know a thing or two about friendship. Check out these friendly animals in nature who help each other out.
An elephant and an olive baboon (东非狒狒) can be friends? It sounds strange, but it's true. You can find this pair of friends in the grasslands of Africa. This unusual pair helps each other out like any good friends would. The elephant uses its front teeth to make a waterhole in the sand, and it lets the olive baboon have a drink from this "well" when it gets thirsty. In return, the baboon tells the elephant when danger is near. It climbs up to the treetops and calls out so its friend knows that it's time to move on.
In the sea world, the goby fish and the shrimp (虾虎鱼和虾) are well-known for their friendship. While the shrimp provides a home for the goby fish, the goby fish provides a guidance service for the almost blind shrimp. You see, the goby has great eyesight (视力) and stays close to the shrimp. As the shrimp moves around, the shrimp is feeling the goby with its antenna (须) from time to time to make sure it's still there. If the goby senses danger, she will return to the home and the shrimp will follow.
The langur monkey has a very good friendship with the chital deer (花鹿). While the langur monkey eats in a tree, it drops leaves to the ground. This is good for the deer because sometimes there's not much food. The deer will follow the monkey and eat whatever food is dropped. And in return, when the monkey comes down from the tree, the deer will put its foot down heavily to tell the monkey if it senses danger.
When you are lying in bed, every single noise-from the creak(嘎吱声) of the bed to a whistle in your partner's nose-may keep you awake. You may find it hard to get a good night's sleep. Actually, you may just need more noise. While it may sound strange, it is scientifically proven that certain types of noise can help you sleep well. Specially white, pink and Brown noise can mask(掩饰) these sounds, creating a more harmonious background.
White noise contains sounds of all frequencies(频率) that humans can hear. But it comes across as a high-pitched buzz(声调高的嗡嗡声). That's because of the way your ears hear it. Basically, your brain strengthens sounds in higher-pitched frequencies. So while you are hearing sounds from a variety of frequencies, the highest frequencies tend to drown(淹没) the lower-pitched ones.
The pink noise balanced out the noise so that sounds of all frequencies are heard equally. The higher the frequency, the more its volume is decreased. To your ears, the sound is deeper and softer than white noise. Think of rain falling on the sidewalk or a gentle wind in the trees.
In a study at China's Peking University, researchers found that when people hear either pink noise or no noise during the sleep, 75 % reported more restful sleep with the pink noise. Brain activity monitors proved that people had 23 % more restful brain activity at night with pink noise and 45 % more restful sleep during naps.
Brown noise takes this concept to the next level, further weakening higher frequency noise to produce an even deeper and richer sound.
The color of noise that will help you get more sleep is the one you like the best. While pink and brown noises are deeper and more balanced than white noise, your personal sleep preferences will decide which one gives you the best sleep.
Writing tips for travel journals
There are many benefits of keeping a journal when you're traveling. It helps you remember your visit and learn more culture and customs. Also, it helps you reflect on what you have learned. Here are some writing tips for your travel journals.
Write about what you imagine it will be like
Sometimes when you travel, your destination is wildly different than what you expected. Maybe you expected the local food to be bad but it turned out to be delicious. . Maybe you thought you would be more comfortable with the language. Whatever it is, write it down before you arrive. It will be interesting to compare these predictions to your actual experiences.
Write during your trip
. Therefore, try and write as much as you can while traveling. Your journals don't have to be long, but you should let them highlight what you feel. Before going to bed, try and recall what you did that day, what you thought and how you felt. This will serve as a great way to help you reflect and grow from what you experienced.
Even though your journal is meant for writing, pictures are still worth a thousand words. Combining pictures with your first-hand accounts of what they represent, or what happened when they were taken will make for an even more comprehensive narrative of your travels.
Write about your trip after you leave
It is necessary to write about your trip before you arrive. . It is important to reflect on your travels to develop new understandings and apply them to future adventures. This is also a great way to learn about yourself. Step back from all the things you did and try to see the big picture. It may surprise you.
A. Activities on the list.
B. Add pictures to your journal.
C. Such refection can be later applied to other parts of your life.
D. Maybe you imagined the town to be smaller than it actually is.
E. Equally importantly, you should also write about it after you leave.
F. It is always easier to remember things when they are fresh in your brain.
G. Keeping a travel journal offers opportunities to fix your feelings on the page.
I met my art teacher Ms. J in the seventh grade and she changed me.
In her first class, she encouraged us to 1 what art meant. During the discussion about facial structure and paintings, she 2 the "golden ratio (黄金比例)", a beauty standard and explained how Da Vinci applied it to his works to ensure they were visually (视觉上) attractive.
I couldn't help but think that if my 3 had been measured against the "golden ratio", my score would have been low.
I was born with a facial disfigurement (缺陷) and my face looked 4 . After several appointments with 5 , my face was changed many times with little improvement. I 6 seeing myself in the mirror.
People's strange words and curious expressions kept telling me that I was different. Worse still, my photo appeared in a magazine with big letters "Face similar to works of Picasso" right below. I felt 7 .
I told Ms. J about my 8 and how my face was compared to Picasso's painting.
"Art isn't about what you see but about what you 9 ." She comforted me and told me that our 10 appearances were our signatures that we left in the world, which set us 11 and made us beautiful. And then she showed me a picture of an old man with long white hair. "You see, Da Vinci doesn't look too pretty, but his works 12 beauty on us," she added.
I was touched by her words, and I wondered why I had never thought this way.
"Being compared to Picasso may seem like a shame, but it's a(n) 13 . You are unique and you are a masterpiece."
Today, when I look into the mirror, I will remember the words of my teacher, "Beauty is subjective" and I get to know my appearance is my 14 .
It takes me years to 15 that beauty is more than a cold calculation.
Filled with many sights and (attract), China is the best destination in the world. Here are the reasons China should be at the top of your visit list. China, with a history of over 5,000 years, (be) one of the Four Ancient Civilized Countries. You can enjoy Chinese food, tea culture, Chinese medicine as well as poetry and calligraphy (书法) there. China's ancient treasures are (famous) than those in any other country in size and number, from ancient palaces to the Great Wall. Besides, lovely giant pandas are unique China. You can even go to meet wild pandas in their (nature) habitats with our panda experts. What's more, with the (develop) of Chinese public transportation, it is easier to travel anywhere. (take) a smart phone in China, you can take high-speed train from Beijing to shanghai at 250-350 km/h, buy a coffee with your e-wallet, and ride a shared bike (explore) the city.
1）简述其危害：对健康有害，影响学习；
2）提出建议：严格控制玩手机时间，参加课外活动等；
3）表达信心。
注意：1）词数 80 词左右；
2）可适当加入细节，使内容充实，行文连贯。
Dear Tom,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
I am Andrew. My best friend Matthew has stopped talking to me. We have been best friends since childhood and play together in the school football team.
Last week, we had an important match against another school. The other team was super. I was determined to win, but Matthew was playing badly. He could not keep pace with the game, and as a result of his careless playing, we lost.
Afterwards, I got really angry with him, and I told him I thought he was not trying hard enough. He got annoyed, saying it wasn't his fault even if he couldn't play as well as me, and that I shouldn't talk to him in this manner. Then we both started shouting at each other and it turned into a horrible argument.
Since we argued, he hasn't spoken to me even though we sit next to each other in class. It's really awkward. He is usually cheerful and outgoing, but he has been really quiet and looks sad. The things he said hurt me too, but he has not apologized to me.
One day, we met at the school door.
