In Europe, nine out of ten students study a foreign language. In the United States, only one in five does. From 1997 to 2008, the number of American middle schools offering foreign languages dropped from 75percent to 58 percent. From 2009 to 2013, one American college closed its foreign language program; from 2013 to 2017, 651 others did the same.

At first glance, these statistics look like a tragedy (悲剧). But I am starting to accept the strange idea that maybe they are not. What is changing my mind is technology.

I was in Belgium not long ago, and I watched various tourists from different nations use speech translation apps to change their own languages into English and French. The newer ones can even reproduce the tone of the speaker’s voice.

I know a foreign language is a window into a new way of understanding the world. But even beyond the fact that this idea has been rather oversold, can we really say the low level of French or Spanish we and our classmates usually picked up in school really gave us a new look into the world and our lives in it? And if our goals are more limited and practical --- for instance, getting directions to the bus station in Rome-technology now makes that possible at the press of a button. With a smart phone and an app, foreign languages will no longer present most people with the challenge they once did. Learning to speak a new language well will be necessary for those who want to engage with (从事) literature or media in the original language, as well as those of us who find pleasure in it just because they are “there”. Strange as that is, it is in its way a kind of progress.

Famous for its tolerance(宽容) as well as its narrow houses and broad canals(运河), Amsterdam is undergoing a change of attitude when it comes to the millions of tourists that come to see it each year. Tolerance has reached its limits in the capital of Dutch, which is now actively urging visitors to head elsewhere.

Ellen van Loon, a partner at Dutch architectural firm OMA, says, “We don’t want to turn into a Venice. While tourism earns the Dutch economy around 82 billion euros a year, the problem we are currently facing is that Amsterdam is so infatuated by tourists that we just have so many tourists coming to the city. ”

Netherlands tourist officials recently took the decision to stop advertising the country as a tourist destination. “Perspective 2030”, report, published earlier this year, stated that the focus will now be on “destination management” rather than “destination promoting”. The document also describes the country’s future strategy, acknowledging that Amsterdam’s livability will be severely influenced by “visitor overload” if action isn’t taken.

Solutions listed include working to discourage groups of visitors by either limiting or completely shutting down accommodation and entertainment products aimed at them, as well as spreading visitors to other parts of the Netherlands. Some of these measures have already come into play. Last year, the famous “I Amsterdam” sign was removed from outside the Rijksmuseum, the city’s main art gallery. The two-meter-high letters have been moved to various lesser-known neighborhoods in order to persuade travelers to leave the center of the city.

But will the measures being put in place be enough to save it from being damaged by its own success? Like many other locals, Ellen van Loon fears that Amsterdam has already lost its uniqueness forever. “The reason tourists come here is that; there’s something in the character of Amsterdam they love,” she explains. “But at a certain point, when the number of tourists is increasing and increasing, they actually kill what they loved in the first place. ”

Shopping online appeals to the young and the old, but it can also be annoying for there’re too many choices. For example, I need a toy car for my son’s birthday, when searching for one toy car, I’m overwhelmed by several dozens of choices. To scan customer reviews can help get a better sense of products when we can’t judge for ourselves at a physical store. We may check out online recommendations before booking a haircut or visiting a new restaurant. But what happens if some of those reviews can’t be trusted?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it was proposing new measures to crack down (打击) on fake reviews and other practices used to mislead consumers. The commission published a proposed rule that would prohibit companies from writing or selling fake reviews, buying positive reviews, suppressing negative reviews and more.

“Our proposed rule on fake review s shows that we’re using all available means to attack deceptive (欺骗性的) advertising in the digital age,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

Research shows people overwhelmingly consult online reviews, but humans are also bad at telling which consumer reviews hold water and which are nonsense.

What potentially causes people to worry is that nearly one in every three reviews is fake, according to one estimate.

In arguing for the proposal, the FTC cited enforcement actions it had taken against companies that manipulated (操控) review s of their products.

In 2022, for example, the commission forced the online retailer King Flower to pay $ 4. 2 million to settle accusations that it blocked negative review s from being posted on its website — the first FIC action involving a company’s effort to hide negative reviews.

Comments on the proposed rule have to be received within 60 days of its publication in the Federal Register, after which the FIC will decide whether to issue a revised final version.