How to pick souvenirs (纪念品) your friends will actually want is very hard. First, there is the cheap airport and tourist shop selling the decorations and T-shirts featuring local and global attraction. Then, there are the crafts (工艺品) and fashions that try to convince you during a trip to bring them back. 【小题1】

What’s to be done? Here are a few rules to help make sure you don’t regret spending your money—and maybe even bring back a few great gifts.

●What to buy at the airport?

There are only two types of airport souvenirs: the ones you can find in any airport and the ones branded with a local destination. Don’t buy either. 【小题2】 They can actually be a good deal, but they re not souvenirs; they’re just called shopping.

●【小题3】

The best way to avoid terrible souvenirs is to purchase the special foods of the place you’re visiting. Not only does this mean that you get to bring home something that’s actually part of the culture, but, in case you don’t actually like or want it, food can be easily got rid of—either by force feeding it to dinner guests or by dumping it into the trash can (垃圾桶). 【小题4】

●How to buy fashion or decoration you won’t regret?

If you’re looking for fashion or decoration in a foreign country and want to avoid regretting your decision, visit a boutique (精品店) or two. 【小题5】 And while it’s true that many mid-level stores around the world have started to look the same, independent designers usually stick to their ideas and can attract customers with their traditional styles. You’ll have to pay extra, but it’s worth it.

Open an app, place your order, and wait for your food to be delivered to your home—this is how many people eat in China these days. According to the latest data from the China Internet Network Information Center, about 420 million Chinese people use online food delivery (递送) services. That’s equal to half of the total number of Internet users in China.

A recent report that was published by Meituan, a food delivery service, showed that 86. 3 percent of the service’s users are between 20 and 34 years old. These people, who are more likely to live in small families, are the major force driving the development of the food delivery industry. For those families, cooking is relatively more time-and resource-consuming (耗时耗材), so ordering food online has become more popular.

The improvement of China’s food delivery services has also attracted more customers. According to Meituan’s report, the average time it takes to make a food delivery dropped from 38 minutes in 2016 to 29 minutes in 2019. Many delivery platforms (平台) are also offering more services, delivering products such as fruit, vegetables, medicine and flowers. As its services continue to improve, it’s likely that the food delivery industry will keep growing.

A hearing aid is a small electronic device you wear in or behind your ear to make sounds louder. A hearing aid has three basic parts: a microphone, an amplifier and a speaker. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone, which changes the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and sends them to the ear through a speaker. There are three styles of hearing aids.

·Behind-the-ear (BTE) aids are used by people of all ages. “Mini” BTE is a new kind. These small and open-fit aids fit behind the ear completely, with a narrow tube into the ear canal, enabling the canal to remain open. Thus, some people prefer it because their own voice does not sound “plugged up”.

·In-the-ear (ITE) aids fit completely inside the outer ear. Some ITE aids may have added features, such as a telecoil that allows users to receive sound through the circuitry of the hearing aid, rather than through its microphone.

•Canal aids fit into the ear canal and are available in two styles. In-the-canal (ITC) aids are made to fit the size and shape of the ear canal. Completely-in-canal ( CIC) aids are hidden in the ear canal.

The hearing aid that will work best for you depends on your hearing needs and lifestyle. Price is also a key consideration. However, just because one hearing aid is more expensive than another does not necessarily mean that it will better suit your needs. Other features to consider include parts or services covered by the guarantee, estimated costs for repair, and the hearing aid company’s reputation for quality and service.

For more information, contact: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov .