On a recent Sunday afternoon, 15 young people【小题1】 (lie) cozily on colorful rugs and threw pillows arranged in a circle. Their eyes were closed, some with their legs 【小题2】 (stretch) forward and others curled up, looking as if they were asleep. Kong Yi sat cross-legged before them, using a special hammer to【小题3】 (gentle) hit metal bowls in front of her,【小题4】 (arouse) a sound that reverberated (回响) long inside the quiet room.

Following Kong’s instructions, they participated in【小题5】 two-hour sound healing and meditation session. Listening to the slowly fading sounds of ancient musical instruments such as singing bowls and gongs, participants reached a deeper center and a semi-conscious state, 【小题6】 they were led to imagine that they were talking to a wise man dressed 【小题7】 white and they could ask questions and get answers from him/her in half an hour.

“In that session, many people asked the meaning of life but at the end everyone got different answers from the wise man — actually【小题8】 (they),” said Kong, who runs a studio offering   healing courses incorporated with art forms like painting, music and dance.

Such spiritual, meditative【小题9】 (experience) that can lower stress and anxiety and ease depression have become the latest option for the country’s stressed-out younger generation seeking【小题10】 (relax) and inward exploration. “They get rid of some thoughts that are not beneficial to life and feel relaxed at the end,” Kong said.

There are many elective courses for students to choose 【小题1】 at my university, 【小题2】(range) from art to zoology. For instance, I took a course on the harmonica this semester.

I think the elective courses give me 【小题3】 feeling that I can’t get from compulsory courses. For example, when I am bored with learning English, I take out the harmonica and play for a while, and immediately all my 【小题4】(bore) will go away.

One of my roommates chose to take Japanese as an elective, 【小题5】 she believes 【小题6】(prove) useful to her career. After all, a second language can make her resume 【小题7】(attractive). She is more practical than I am, but I’d say that the majority of students choose their electives out of personal interests.

There is no 【小题8】(deny) the fact that elective courses can 【小题9】(broad) our horizon. However, as the saying goes “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.” We shouldn’t neglect the major courses we are studying while immersing ourselves in the 【小题10】(please) we find in elective courses.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, online courses are no longer just an option for many students — they 【小题1】(become) a requirement. Many undergraduate and graduate programs are shifting to a fully or partially online format for semester classes 【小题2】(prevent) the spread of the coronavirus among students and staff.

Web-based education had been gaining energy in higher education. Nearly 3.3 million higher education students 【小题3】(register) in distance education programs in fall 2018, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Whether 【小题4】 student is just starting a degree program or switching to online learning due to these unprecedented (前所未有的) circumstances, online colleges can provide the flexibility to study from anywhere. Students with family responsibilities or full-time jobs may also be able to work around their own schedules. While online learning may ease health and safety 【小题5】(concern), it has still presented students 【小题6】 unique challenges. Those 【小题7】 are accustomed to face-to-face learning, and perhaps daily life on a physical campus, will need to adjust to the lack of in-person interaction. All online students, 【小题8】(especial) those balancing additional responsibilities at home, need to practice strong time management and overcome distractions in their environment.

Prospective students 【小题9】(consider) an online degree and current online students should remember student support is typically available at accredited institutions to help 【小题10】(they) adjust to online courses and plan their academic futures in uncertain times.