There's plenty of sunshine, sand, and celebration to go around in July. You deserve a vacation this month, and we have four places that are well worth visiting this July.
Antigua, Guatemala
Antigua is the onetime capital of Guatemala, a colonial-era city that earned UNESCO World Heritage site status more than 40 years ago for its extraordinary baroque architecture. There are grand buildings, cobbled streets, and, notably, ruins that were left after the last major quake in 1976—see the Cathedral of Santiago, for example.
Aix-en-Provence, France
The 75th Festival International d'Art Lyrique is happening in Aix-en-Provence, which runs from July 4 to 24. This is a world-class celebration of classical music, with a heavy emphasis on opera. Performances this year will include Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, and Verdi's Otello. It's determinedly affordable and egalitarian, since the event is state funded, with tickets for performances starting at €37.
San Diego, California
From July 19 to 23 this year, costume play's spiritual home returns to San Diego: the original, and still largest, Comic-Con, which first took place here in 1970 and was canceled due to COVID-19 for the previous two years. Last year, more than 135,000 people attended the event and we expect this year's number to more than match that record.
Calgary, Canada
For 10 days this month, Calgary is the rodeo capital of the world. It hosts the Calgary Stampede from July 7 to 16, 2023. The world's largest outdoor rodeo will take place at GMC Stadium. Here you will see people show their skills at riding wild horses and catching cattle with ropes. Programming will ensure that the native Indian stories of this region aren't overlooked.
With a love and fascination for traditional culture, many young Chinese have begun to use their creativity to innovate (创新) using elements from China's intangible cultural heritage.
Papercutting, the traditional Chinese art of paper design, has been adopted in many creative arts, including food and clothing. On the Chinese lifestyle-focused social media platform Xiaohongshu, a video of cookies featuring a paper-cut styled dragon pattern received over 2.6 million views and 130,000 likes. Liu Shan, a stay-at-home mother who loves Chinese papercutting, is the baker behind the cookies. Liu started designing her dragon pattern last November and spent five days making the cookies before the Spring Festival. She said she would complete all the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac (生肖) since they are so well-received.
Young craftswoman Chen Lingling created a cloak featuring Chinese paper-cut patterns. As an intangible cultural heritage enthusiast, Chen has made a variety of different clothing and headwear, with the aim of making cultural heritage part of young people's daily lives. She chose auspicious patterns like phoenix and golden fish to deliver her Spring Festival greetings. People believe these patterns will bring good luck. Her video featuring the cloak has received around 750,000 views and earned her fans from both China and abroad, encouraging her to continue her interest in intangible cultural heritage.
According to the new report published by Xiaohongshu, users of the platform uploaded nearly one million posts with the topic "recreation" between February 9, the Chinese New Year's Eve, and February 16. Analysts say these recreations demonstrate (表现) young people's creativity and enthusiasm for life, and the innovations that use elements of intangible cultural heritage reflect their growing cultural confidence.
Fragile. Oversensitive. Glued to their phones. Is this what comes to mind when we think of the teens of this generation? While there may be a grain of truth to these stereotypical (刻板印象的) characteristics, there might be more to this generation of teens than what is generally regarded.
Never before have the lives of any generation of teens been as overwhelmed with mobile technology and social media as the teens of this generation. It follows then that there will be unique mental and emotional problems resulting from this new age of technology. As compared to their parents or grandparents who were likely less connected and more isolated, these teens are constantly exposed to their social circles and beyond. It is no wonder then that the mental health of this generation's teens have been badly affected.
Moreover, as many of the older generations complain, the teens today are more individualistic in contrast to the more community-centered attitude of their parents and grandparents. Gone is the closeness amongst neighbors who are friendly with one another and quick to offer a helping hand when they see another in need. In its place, we have teens who may not even have a clue as to who lives in the unit next to theirs, much less offer a friendly nod or wave when they happen to cross paths with a neighbour.
Yet, the effects of technology on this generation of teens are not all bad. Actually, the very connectedness that social media brings about has led to an opening of minds and a flourishing of dialogue among people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. In comparison, the parents or grandparents of this generation of teens probably did not have the same opportunity to get to know people outside of their social circles at their age, and are thus more likely to have fixed stereotypical opinions of people different from them.
To conclude, the teens of this generation differ in many ways from their past generations, in some ways more positive than others. Every generation is a product of the cultural, political and economic events of their time.
In April 2022, the revised law on wildlife protection has adjusted measures for the regulation of wildlife populations in detail. "Graded, categorized management of wild animals bred in captivity (人工饲养)" is what the adjusted law offers, . "Three-haves" species—species that are thought to have "special ecological, scientific, or social significance"—is a case in point.
Concerns have been raised by a few civil society organizations that this will weaken conservation efforts, promote the growth of the wildlife breeding industry, and make it easier for illegally hunted animals to be mislabeled as captive-bred. However, some scholars believe that by making conservation management more case-by-case and less universal, the adjusted law improves regulation efficiency.
The existing law on wildlife protection was created in 1988 and since then had seen three amendments and a revision. According to Yue Zhongming, a member of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the revised law has helped step up the protection of wild animals and their habitats and strengthen the rescue and breeding of endangered wildlife. Yue added that it has also played an active role in preserving biodiversity and pushing forward with ecological conservation in China.
Ran Jingcheng, head of the wildlife and forest plant management station in southwest China's Guizhou Province, pointed out in his article that strengthening the management of wild animals is not as simple as banning artificial (人工的) breeding. In his view, artificial breeding of wild animals has significance in the protection of endangered species and the adjustment of rural industrial structure.
It is necessary to establish the principle of combining key protection and universal protection, and to include all types of wild animals with conservation value within the scope (范围) of legal protection.
If you want to improve your fitness, walking is a great choice. Here are a few tricks that may help you increase your walking stamina (耐力).
Walk for at least 30 minutes 3 to 5 days a week.
But remember—don't sweat it if you can't walk this long at the beginning. Over time, your body will get used to a certain level of activity, and that makes it easier for you to walk longer.
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If you only have a short period of time to walk, add force to work on your stamina. You can simply put a few books or solid objects in a backpack and carry that. Keep track of the amount of weight you're carrying so you can increase it gradually.
Find ways to include walking in your regular routine.
Figure out how you can introduce more walking into your daily routine. For example, you might try using the stairs instead of the elevator. .
Download a step-tracking or general fitness app.
A fitness app allows you to set goals for yourself to stay active and increase your walking stamina over time. These devices often measure the distance you've walked and include information about your heart rate and calories burned.
A. Carry weight while walking.
B. Some trackers also allow you to compete with others.
C. Go on a longer walk at least one day a week.
D. It's free, simple, and adaptable to your schedule.
E. If the weather is unsuitable, use a stationary bike inside instead.
F. Or you can park further away from shops and walk the distance.
G. Going for regular walks improves your cardiovascular (心血管的) fitness gradually.
In the middle of a hot July afternoon, I became a thief of some sort—a thief of music. For the first time, I created a(n) 1 piano arrangement of one of my favorite songs. Using only my ears and iPad, I 2 a mix of sounds and melodies into the tones of a single instrument; I created complex harmonies and voices into something I could 3 with only two hands. No help, no guide—I did it 4 .
I've been a pianist since my hands grew big enough to touch the 5 . For many years, my musical identity was 6 by the notes that others had written in the past centuries. I valued classical music, but I felt such performances were shallow (肤浅的). I had nothing of my own to 7 the great compositions (乐曲) of Bach. This was why, when I put the finishing touches to my piano version of a modern song, my 8 was glorious: this arrangement was mine. What I'd done seemed magical: an ability to take what had already existed—to "steal" a song from my favorite band—and to change it into something 9 all on my own.
In music, as in other aspects of life, I believe that true originality 10 exists. Almost everything has been done before. The most passionate romance novel may be a slightly 11 version of a play written by Shakespeare, which in turn was 12 from the writers of Ancient Gréece.
The gift of 13 is just like what I did on the piano: to find out something beautiful, to analyze and change it and 14 yourself in the mystery of its composition, and then to make it new. Such an act is not copying; it is finding 15 and use it as fuel for your own masterpiece.
Ninety-seven Chinese cities have newly become "gigabit cities (数字化城市)" in 2023, meaning they gained the ability (offer) gigabit 5G and gigabit optical fiber services, (know) as "dual gigabit", said China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recently.
Building gigabit cities is landmark project of new digital infrastructure (基础建设) development in China. By the end of October 2023, all households in China's gigabit cities (cover) by gigabit optical fiber services. On average, there (be) 21.2 5G base stations per 10,000 people in gigabit cities. Users with speed of 500 Mbps or higher reached 33.2 percent, and the average 5G users accounted 49.2 percent.
In gigabit cities, over 99.5 percent of public hospitals rank at the top of China's three-tier grading system, key universities, (culture) and tourist areas, as well as train stations offering passenger services, main airports, and key roads were (wide) covered by 5G network, the MIIT said.
Gigabit cities have greatly promoted the innovation and (apply) of gigabit 5G and optical fiber technologies, which has enabled various industries to improve productivity and efficiency.
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