In Switzerland, a variety of unique festivals take place throughout the year, each offering a distinct cultural experience and unforgettable moments for locals and visitors alike. The following are three typical festivals.

Fête des Vignerons, Vevey

The Fête des Vignerons takes place every 20 years in Vevey, which is full of activities, history and centuries-old traditions and was the first Swiss intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) included into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016. The latest festival was held from 18 July to 11 August 2019.

Fête de la Musique, Geneva

Fête de la Musique runs annually, taking over the streets of Lausanne every summer. Over 50 places show off musicians from across the globe, celebrating a range of music. It is worth noting that most roads are blocked during the festival, and it is best to travel by public transport. The Geneva Fête de la Musique this year was held from 22-27 June.

Grindelwald World Snow Festival

Every year sculptors from all over the world gather in Grindelwald. During this six-day festival, the streets of the snowy town become an awesome museum with temporary creations decorating every corner. The white statues are greatly attractive to both locals and tourists.

“It’s like riding a bike” is a common comment when you want to remind someone that it’s hard to forget a basic skill. But what if you don’t know how to ride a bike?

This was something Annette Kruger, an avid (热衷的) cyclist, saw that was true for many women in Berlin, including refugees, who’d moved to there. Whether they weren’t allowed or didn’t have the opportunity to learn, these women had never experienced the health benefits and independence that cycling offers.

That is why, seven years ago, Kruger started Bikeygees, a non-profit organization focused on teaching women to ride a bike. The group members gather for two hours for training sessions every week. Advanced riders can borrow bikes and helmets for free to practise on their own.

The group also teaches women how to fix bikes, instilling (逐步培养) a sense of self-sufficiency, says Kruger. If they can do bike repairs, ride and learn the German rules of the road, they are awarded with a bike kit, including a bike, a helmet, a bike lock and bike tools. More than 500 bikes have been donated so far, and Kruger says the goal is to eventually provide all participants with their own bikes. To date, the group has taught more than 1,400 women and has met in more than 20 locations within Germany, including in emergency shelters.

Participants have said that riding a bike allows them not only freedom of movement — some of the women use them to bring their children to school — but also hope for the future. Kruger says that she can see the impact that concentrating on a new skill has on the women. “We can’t replace what someone lost in their life, but we can offer something new. The success is measured in the smiles of the riders when they conquer another bike skill.” She recalls one student in her 60s who continued to practice through a bitter winter. She said, “This is a dream for me. I have been waiting my whole life to do this.”

The Qixi Festival, the Chinese equivalent (等同物) of Valentine’s Day that fell yesterday, was not only a disappointment for forgotten lovers, but also for businessmen left with empty pockets.

The cold attitude has made cultural experts seriously worry that the lovers’ festival, marked for generations since the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), is dying out. Some have even called for legislation (立法) to make the festival a legal Chinese Lovers’ Day, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar year. But the effectiveness of such a measure is in doubt, although efforts to preserve traditional festivals deserve high praise.

A growing number of traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, share the same fate as the Qixi Festival. Young people are showing less interest in traditional culture as symbolized by these festivals. Even if all traditional festivals are finally made legal, the risk of them becoming purely formalized celebrations with little meaning is not removed. If the younger generation fails to appreciate the cultural significance of these holidays, there is little that can be done.

While complaining about traditional festivals fading in appeal, decision-makers should reflect on cultural protection. Undeniably, our country has done a bad job of preserving culture and traditional festivals, compared to neighboring Japan and Korea. Only a few years ago did China begin to realize the significance of preserving intangible (非物质) cultural heritage when Korea planned to apply to UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) to list its version of the Dragon Boat Festival as an important example of intangible culture.

Concern about the traditional holidays also reminds people of the growing influence of foreign cultures as the country opens wider to the outside world. With traditional festivals becoming less important and imports such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day gaining widespread popularity, the public, including cultural professionals, has tended to measure traditional Chinese festivals in economic terms. How much money can be made during the holidays is taken into consideration.

In fact, what makes traditional festivals unique and what keeps them alive is their cultural elements. After all, it is a unique culture that contributes to the world’s diversity with globalization.

The idea that boys are more interested than girls in computer science and engineering starts as young as age six, according to a new study. That may be one reason why girls and women are underrepresented in these STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professional fields.

The traditional idea that STEM is for boys begins in primary and junior school, and by the time they reach high school, many girls have made their decision not to go after degrees in computer science and engineering because they don’t think they belong (属于) to the fields.

Researchers surveyed nearly 2,500 students from the 1st to 12th grade with different racial and social backgrounds. Most children believed girls had less interest than boys in key STEM fields. Specifically, 63% of the students believed girls were less interested in engineering than boys were, while 9% believed girls were more interested in the subject. Regarding computer science, 71% thought girls had less interest while 14%thought girls had more interest than boys.

These interest styles play out in the job market. According to the official statistics (数据) of the US, while women make up nearly half of the workforce, they account for only 25% of computer scientists and 15% of engineers.

The laboratory experiments gave children a choice between computer science activities. Fewer girls (only 35%) chose a computer science activity they believed boys were more interested in, compared to the 65% of girls who chose an activity in which they believed boys and girls were equally interested.

It’s time for all to be united in sending the message that girls can enjoy STEM just as much as boys do, which will help draw them into STEM activities. Researchers say educators, parents and policymakers can help close these sex gaps (差距) by introducing girls to high quality computer science and engineering activities in elementary school before traditional ideas take root. They also suggest educators who wish to improve girls’ interest in STEM should consider using inclusive programs designed to encourage girls’ sense of belonging in STEM.

The Guide to Keeping Your Dorm(宿舍) Room Clean

In most cases, students don’t like or have time to clean their dorm rooms. 【小题1】 As a result, everybody’s business is nobody’s business. Read through this guide to keeping your dorm room clean.

Have a cleaning routine(常规). With a cleaning routine in place, you will always tidy up your room at a particular time often. If you can, sweep up your room every day in the morning. You can also do it every other day. 【小题2】 Doing this can make the process harder during exam time. In addition, you can take turns cleaning if you have a roommate.

【小题3】 The quickest way of making a dorm room dirty and unorganized is to throw clothes everywhere. Never throw dirty clothes on the bed or the floor. They will quickly fill your room up. Rather, you should keep your dirty clothes in a basket and clean ones in your closet.

Have a study plan. Being a student does not mean living without a plan. Therefore, having a study plan helps you stay in control of your study life 【小题4】 As a result, you are better able to clean your room if your life is organized.

Avoid eating in your room. Food can easily cause a mess in a room. No matter how careful you are, you will drop a few parts of food in your room if you eat in it. Therefore, the best way of keeping your room clean is to avoid eating in it. 【小题5】

I recently heard a story about a famous scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more _________ than the average person.

He responded that it all came from an experience with his mother that happened when he was about 2. He had been trying to _________ milk from the fridge when he _________ the slippery (光滑的) bottle, its contents running all over the kitchen floor.

When his mother came in, _________ shouting at him or giving him a lecture, she said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful picture you have ‘drawn’! I have _________ seen such a huge pool of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and _________ in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”

His mother then said, “You know, what we have here is a _________ experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let’s go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can _________ it.” The little boy learned that if he _________ the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful __________!

This scientist then said that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be __________ to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just __________ for learning something new, which is, __________, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment “doesn’t __________”, we usually learn something __________ from it.