Over 40 years ago, a country music DJ convention (大会) was held every year in Nashville, Tennessee. Many country performers used to attend (参加) the convention to give their performances. Fans would go to Nashville hoping to see their favorite performers. In the end, so many fans began showing up in Nashville that a festival named Fan Fair was born.

    The first Fan Fair was held in April 1972, in Nashville for four days. Some of country music's biggest stars attended. There were about fifty thousand fans. The first Fan Fair was so successful that planning began almost immediately for 1973. The date was changed to June, when the weather would be better. Over one hundred thousand fans attended the second Fan Fair.

    Every year brought so many performers and fans to Fan Fair that, in 1982, it was moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. Fan Fair stayed at the fairgrounds for another nineteen years.

    There was always the unexpected during the festival. In 1974, former Beatle Paul McCartney attended. In 1992, more than six hundred reporters from Europe, Asia, and South America went to cover the appearance of a popular star, Billy Ray Cyrus, who had introduced a new country line dance. In 1996, Garth Brooks, who made a surprise appearance, signed autographs (签名) for 23 hours.

    In 2001, Fan Fair returned to downtown Nashville as the world's biggest country music festival. Now, over one hundred and twenty-five thousand country music fans go to Nashville every June. As you can imagine, those who want to attend Fan Fair must plan ahead. For example, they need to buy a ticket several months ahead of time. Of course, there's much more to prepare.

    Expensive perfumes (香水) come in tiny bottles, but many hide a whale-sized secret.

    To perfect a particular smell, perfume-makers often use an ingredient that comes from sperm whales, called ambergris (龙涎香). But using ambergris, which helps a perfume last longer, is strongly opposed by many people who think it is wrong to kill whales just so we can smell sweet. Joerg Bohlmann is neither a perfumer nor a whale expert. He's a plant biologist at the University of British Columbia in Canada. But his discovery of a new plant gene (基因) might push whales out of the perfume business.

    The gene comes from fir trees, found throughout North America and commonly used as Christmas trees. The trees produce a chemical that can be used in perfume in place of ambergris-but with a catch. "There's a problem that many people wouldn't consider. In the tree, the chemical is mixed with many others. That makes separation a challenge," Bohlmann says. "lt's like trying to isolate sugar from a biscuit. "

     This is where science becomes useful. When Bohlmann learned that fir trees produce the ambergris-like chemical, he decided to use his gene know-how to find the instructions for how to make the ambergris-substitute.

    Bohlmann found that gene and took it out of the tree cells. Then he did something that might sound strange to someone who doesn't work in genetics: Bohlmann put the gene from the tree into yeast (酵母) cells.

    Yeast may sound familiar because it's used to make things like bread, wine and beer. Biologists like to work with yeast because it easily adopts new genes and changes its features and behaviour. When Bohlmann put the fir tree gene into the yeast, the yeast started making the same chemical that had been produced by the tree.

    Perfumers pay big money for ambergris because it is a fixative, which means it holds a smell in place on a person's body.

    "Cheap perfumes smell good in the first hour or so and then everything is gone," explains Bohlmann. "But expensive perfumes are much more stable.  Their smell lasts much longer, for hours or even a day after you apply them. "

    The new chemical, made from the tree genes, can be used as a fixative, too. And using yeast to make it is far cheaper than acquiring ambergris.

    Bohlmann admits he never thought he'd get into the perfume business. But now, he says, producers have been calling to find out how to use his technology in new perfumes.

    The TED speaker series features “ideas worth spreading.” With over 1,400 to choose from, we've selected a few that are perfect for students.

    ⒈Larry Smith: Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career

    We humans have an excellent ability to make excuses for ourselves. Larry Smith, a professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, tells us why most of us will fail to have a great career. But there is a way out— if you try to pursue your passion.

    ⒉Andy Puddicombe: All It takes Is 10 Mindful Minutes

    Between dance team, volunteering and—oh, right—lectures, your life's crazy factor is about to go way up. In this entertaining and informative talk, mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe teaches us how to be “more healthy, more mindful and less distracted” by taking just 10 minutes out of the day to be more present.

    ⒊Shane Koyczan: To This DAY For the Bullied and Beautiful

    This talk is sure to stay with you. Shane Koyczan's “To this DAY” is an affecting spoken-word poem about bullying and being different that gained over 10 million views on YouTube. In this talk, Koyczan gives a live reading of the poem, along with some stories about his background.

    ⒋Susan Cain: The power of Introverts(性格内向者)

    Does a cup of tea and a good book sound like a perfect Friday night? In this personal talk, Susan Cain argues that introverts have important talents and abilities. Our culture may value being social and outgoing, but the word needs all kinds.

    International Children's Day is coming up on June 1st. Here we have chosen some films from around the world that are most worthy for children to see.

    E, T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

    Director: Steven Spielberg

    Country: United States of America

    Storyline: A group of aliens are visiting the Earth at night. But one of the visitors from space is left behind and finds himself all alone on a very strange planet. Fortunately, he meets Elliot, a lonely boy himself, and slowly makes friends with Elliot's older brother Michael, his sister Gertie. Meanwhile government officers work day and night to track down the little alien. Elliot and others try their best to help the alien go home.

    Children of Heaven (1997)

    Director: Majid Majidi

    Country: Iran

    Storyline: Ali takes his little sister Zahra's shoes to the shoemaker to be repaired but loses them on the way home. There is no money to buy another pair. Ali makes a plan to share his shoes: Zahra will wear them in the morning and hand them to Ali at midday so he can attend school classes. Ali then enters a children's racing competition in hopes of receiving the third prize, a new pair of shoes.

    Kes (1969)

    Director: Ken Loach

    Country: United Kingdom

    Storyline: Bullied (欺凌) at school and getting little attention at home by his mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old boy from a working-class family, finds peace in his pet falcon (猎隼), Kes. With encouragement from his English teacher, Billy eventually discovers a positive purpose to his unfortunate life, until some bad thing comes.

    What's On?

    Happy Reunion

    July 17—27(not on Saturdays and Sundays), 7: 30 pm PG Theater

    Presented by theater director Li Tsung-hsi, “Across the Sea to See You” tells a story of a couple who have a touching reunion after years of separation on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Li says the idea of the drama comes from the story of his grandmother. She reunited with her sister when cross-strait relations became warmer. Following the performances in Shanghai, it will tour around China.

    Post-War Art in Rome

    August 7—27(closed on Mondays), 10 am-8 pm Prada Rong Zhai

    Over 30 paintings and sculptures by Italian artists including Carla Accardi and Afro Basaldella are on display in the “Roma 1950-1965” exhibition at Prada Rong Zhai. The exhibition explores the cultural and art scene that developed in Rome after World War II.

    Storage Memory

    July 8—18, 11 am-7 pm Power Station of Art

    The solo exhibition of works by French artist Christian Boltanski aims to inspire emotional connections through a series of videos, sounds and shadow theater. Boltanski has had a far-reaching influence on the development of contemporary art in Europe.

    Traditional Operas

    August 20, 7: 15 pm STA Experimental Theater

    Classic excerpts(节选) from “The Palace of Eternal Youth” and “The Orphan of Zhao” will be performed in memory of Peking and Kunqu Opera artist Yu Zhenfei. Performers include Peking Opera artist Shang Changrong and Kunqu Opera artist Cai Zhengren.

    Teenagers in America know that they'll possibly need technical skills to find good jobs, but a new survey reveals that interest in technology-related careers may be decreasing.

The percentage of boys aged 13 to 17 who are interested in science, technology, engineering and math —or STEM —careers dropped from 36 percent in 2017 to 24 percent this year, according to a survey by Junior Achievement USA. The amount of girls interested in STEM careers stayed unchanged at II percent.

    But the 1, 000 survey participants still named technology as one of two key skills that will be necessary to prepare them for their future careers.

    "Kids don' t understand how technology can be applied to careers in addition to computers, and maybe robotics, "said Tammera L. Holmes, president of aviation consulting firm AeroStar Consulting （航空资询公司）.“That's all they know, so they can't really translate that interest to career pathways."

    When Holmes was in high school, her mom sent her to an event that featured (以......为专题)the pilots from World War II. One of the pilots took her for a ride and let her take the wheel immediately that was the career for me." she said.

    Women remain outnumbered(超过) by men in fields like technology. For people working to increase the number of women in these areas, the lack of growth in girls interest in STEM careers is concerning.

    Teenage girls are more interested than their male classmates in running after careers in which they can help others, said Ed Grocholski from Junior Achievement. Even with all the programs aimed at increasing girls' interest in STEM, "I don't think we really talk that much about how we improve people's lives through STEM," Grocholski said.

    Society needs to do better at making those connections for kids, said Katherine Latham, founder of an engineering firm. She used civil engineering as an example of a career that will continue to be important.

    However, the fact that students know they will need tech skills in their future careers is encouraging.

    The second skill they said they need is relationship-building.

    "That's going to be the new type of engineers," Latham said.