If you don't think technology can improve your trip better, meet Judy. When she recently checked into the Biu Hotel in Zurich, a clerk asked her to pay hundreds of dollars higher than the online offer. It was not a cheap stay, but it became more of one after she fired up the Booking. Com app she'd used to purchase her room on her smartphone. “As soon as I showed him the rate, he honored it,” Judy says.

    Technology may create challenges for travelers-indeed, it may have led to Judy's rate confusion in the first place-but it can also solve them. The solutions go beyond making sure of a hotel rate. The latest version of Booking.com is among the most feature-rich booking programs. Users can select hotels by location, make a secure booking and view the confirmed rate.

    Another pain point for travelers is traffic that eats away precious vacation time. There's a new app for that, called Commute. As the name implies, it's aimed at users who have to make the same trip every day. Just input basic information about your destination and expected leaving time, and the app will start sending you traffic data 15 minutes before you leave.

    Another source of travel-related conflict and confusion is money. That's particularly true when you're dealing with a foreign currency. The latest version of Travel Money Tracker helps travelers prevent currency mix-ups. It instantly converts(兑换) a country's native currency to yours, so you know exactly how much that Espresso(浓咖啡) in Milan costs in dollars. One extra feature is the ability to set up an alert that tells you when you're overspending, which can sometimes be a problem when you're on vacation. The only catch, of course, is that you have to remember to record all your purchases.

                                                                  Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta

    Ibn Battuta is considered one of the world's greatest travellers. During the 14^th century, he travelled about 75, 000 miles in search of knowledge and for the love of travel. To share the learning and research so highly valued by Islamic (伊斯兰教的) culture, the ruler of Morocco, Abu Inan Faris, wanted Ibn Battuta's worldwide travels recorded and published when he returned home to Morocco after almost 30 years. Ibn Juzayy, a Moroccan Court Secretary, was appointed to write down Ibn Battuta's experiences. His travel journal, The Rihla, documents this extraordinary achievement. It gives us a first-hand account of life in the 14th-century Muslim world. The original book, handwritten in Arabic, can be viewed today at the National Library in Paris.

    The early 14^th century was a favorable age for a Muslim traveller. It was nearing the end of the Golden Age of Islam, one of the great explosions of scientific and cultural achievements in world history. Caravans and sea lanes created transportation and communication networks that spread across continents, including Europe, Africa and Asia. Towns and cities were regularly visited by merchants, traders, doctors, artists, craftsmen, scholars and pilgrims (朝圣者) carrying goods and ideas. All of these promoted the exchange of goods and ideas on a scale not seen previously in world history. As an educated man with professional legal skills, Ibn Battuta enjoyed kindness, companionship and offers of employment throughout the Islamic world.

    Journey to Mecca describes the 5, 000-mile journey Ibn Battuta made in 1325 and 1326 from his hometown Tangier, Morocco, to reach Mecca, in what is now the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to make the pilgrimage. During this dangerous and awesome 18-month pilgrimage, he met many hindrances as he was attacked by robbers, troubled by thirst, and forced to go back to his route due to war along the Red Sea. Joining the legendary Damascus Caravan with thousands of pilgrims leaving for Mecca, he completed the final section of what would be his first of six journeys to Mecca.

    The goal of the film, Journey to Mecca, was to tell the remarkable story of Ibn Battuta and to promote a better understanding of Islam in the West, said the producers.

    After a morning hike in the Saneum HealingForest, 46-year-old firefighter Kang Byoung-wook has tea made from the bark of an elm tree, practices yoga (瑜伽), and makes a picture with dried flowers. He is one of 40 firefighters taking part in a three-day program, the aim of which is to offer "forest healing" (森林治愈); the firefighters all have posttraumatic stress disorder (创伤后应激障碍).

    Saneum is one of three official healing forests in South Korea. Soon there will be 34 more. South Koreans-many of whom suffer from work stress, digital addiction, and great academic pressure have accepted the medicalization of nature with great enthusiasm.

    There is increasing evidence that being outside in a pleasant natural environment is good for us. But how many of us get to enjoy nature regularly? Fewer and fewer, it seems. According to Lisa Nisbet, a psychology professor at Canada s Trent University, evidence for the benefits of nature is pouring in at a time when we are most disconnected from it.

    "We don't think of being outdoors as a way to increase happiness," says Nisbet. "We think other things will, like shopping or TV." But South Korea is starting to challenge this opinion.

    So what are some of the benefits of nature that Nisbet refers to? Being surrounded by nature has one obvious effect: It calms us and reduces our stress levels. This has been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rates.

    Another experiment conducted by psychologist Stephen Kaplan found that people who took a 50-minute walk in a park had better attention and short-term memory than those who took a walk along a city street.

    Perhaps what's more surprising is that nature may also make us more creative. David Strayer, a psychologist at the University of Utah, showed as much with a group of participants, who performed 50 percent better on creative problem-solving tasks after three days of wilderness backpacking.

    In fact, we may never know exactly what nature does to the brain. Something mysterious will always remain, and maybe that's as it should be.

Study lamps are vital to learning. Finding the best lighting for study is important for everyone. For the sake of maximizing the use of time and energy, and for the very important goal of preserving eyesight, anyone reading for understanding needs not only adequate light, but light that ensures reading with ease. Only when eye strain(疲劳) is not interfering does the learning process move forward.

Desk lamps

You can purchase a large number of stylish desk lamps from lamp stores and online. The products range from precious ones to casual ones, from traditional ones to ultra-modern(超现代的)ones. They feature such desirable additions as dimmer switches and night lights. Some have battery backup in case of power failure and a choice of OttLite bulbs that duplicate natural sunlight.

LED desk lamps

MetaEfficient reviews the most recommended LED desk lamps. These lamps come in many different styles and brand names and are valued for their directed beam of light, lack of heat and exceptional energy efficiency and brilliance. LED study lamps are made in goose neck and swivel(转圈)styles, as well as the more modern Z-bar and the human-like- figure of the Moppel light.

Safest desk lamps

According to Knol, StudyLite is the safest of all desk lamp designs. Not only does it provide LED light, freeing people from UV and IR radiation, but it has been tested to be eye-friendly. It has all the advantages-low cost and long life-of any LED lamps, but it is also equipped with rechargeable battery. Its design and choice of colors make it desirable for more than its efficiency.

Recently, a video featuring a student named Chen from China has gone viral. In the video, he is seen wearing a self-made mechanical flower crown（王冠）while {#blank#}1{#/blank#}（perform）a special dance in a classroom.

In an interview, Chen gave the {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（explain）that this special dance served as his final project presentation for class. His aim was {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（introduce）more foreign classmates and teachers to the charm of Chinese traditional culture through this unique performance.

Chen shared that the inspiration behind his DIY flower crown actually came from ancient Chinese headwear noted {#blank#}4{#/blank#} zanhua.

After his classroom presentation, he received positive feedback from his foreign teachers and classmates, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} appreciated the mixture of modern creativity and traditional Chinese elements.

Chen expressed happiness about the video gaining attention from netizens and stated, "I will continue to work hard to produce even {#blank#}6{#/blank#}（good）works and showcase the charm of Chinese traditional culture."

The custom of zanhua headwear originates in Quanzhou, Fujia n Province, and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（date）back to the Han Dynasty. The tradition continued among women after the Han Dynasty, with the flowers used mostly being seasonal fresh flowers.

Interestingly, during the Tang Dynasty, there was also {#blank#}8{#/blank#} phenomenon of men wearing zanhua headwear, which became {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（increasing）common by the Song Dynasty and was even included in certain ceremonies. In 2008, zanhua {#blank#}10{#/blank#}（list）in the national intangible cultural heritage lists.