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From losing your wallet in the subway to a newly-broken part in your car, the planet closest to the Sun is often blamed for life's misfortunes, big and small. You may hear responsibility placed on "Mercury retrograde (水星逆行), referring to how the planet appears to move backward in its march across our sky fora few weeks about every four months. The apparent backward movement of Mercury is an actual astronomical phenomenon, but its connection to happenings on Earth is largely denied as pseudoscience.

Still, the idea that Mercury holds power over our communication is popular in the West. Retrograde motion has captured sky-gazing humans' attention for millennia. Among ancient astronomers' Earth-centric ideas about the heavens, a celestial body appearing to move backward would've presented an eye-catching sight. Indeed, the apparent retrograde motion of planets was documented quite early in human history. Mercury retrograde was probably first documented by Babylonian astronomers around the 7th century B.C., says Mathieu Ossende, a historian.

The idea that the positions and motion of celestial bodies could predict the fates of a nation, a ruler, a harvest, or an event endured into medieval Europe. "You'd have someone really powerful go to an astrologer and say, ‘I want to surround a castle or attack my enemies, what's a good time?'" says Nicholas Campion, an expert of cosmology culture. Mercury in retrograde was believed to prevent such endeavors, as well as these astrologers' divinations (占卜). In fact, Campion adds, some astrologers might say they couldn't read the chart when Mercury was in retrograde.

Mercury isn't actually moving backward in its orbit around the Sun. Retrograde motion is an optical illusion caused by all the planets moving at different speeds from one another. It's kind of like driving on a highway with multiple lanes going the same direction, explains Carolyn Ernst, a planetary scientist. If you're passing a car in another lane that's going more slowly, it might appear to move backward compared to you, despite going in the same direction, and vice versa. That's what happens when Mercury laps Earth.

Recently, a new kind of tourism has sprung (出现) up in China. Called "special forces (特种兵) style tourism", this new kind of tourism is mainly about visiting many places of interest in a short period, most often on weekends. Most of these visitors are college students.

Yu Yinghua, a college student in Shanghai, is one of them. The 22-year-old started the "special forces style tourism" in March after she was attracted by such experiences of some travel bloggers. "After staying a long time at school, I'm hungry to take trips in my spare time," said Yu, "Now it's time! Spring has come and we can go out to enjoy the beautiful natural scenery."

Most of her trips were inspired by understanding from her daily life, such as a place mentioned in a chat with friends. "But making a plan spot in the city, she was able to find a lot of information and learn more about these sites. That would help her save time when traveling on-site and enjoy the sites better."

Unlike Yu who traveled in nearby cities, Chen Junjun, a doctoral student in Shanghai likes to travel far to get rid of academic stress. In April, the 24-year-old took a two-day trip to Xi'an, Shaanxi province. During her trip, she visited all the scenic sites in the city. "With many academic responsibilities, such a trip can bring color to my life." said Chen.

Even so, the 24-year-old added that such tourism is not suitable for everyone. Chen said that it's labor-consuming (耗费体力的) as visitors have to visit as many sites as possible in a short period. To some degree such trips are not as flexible (灵活的) as days-long trips in which you can change your plan as you like. "Thus, a great deal of energy and a calm mind are needed for this kind of tourism," said Chen.

Two of the saddest words in the English language are "if only". I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying, "Take the extra minute to do it right." I always try to live by the "extra minute" rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an "if only" moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.

I don't only avoid (避免) those "if only" moments when it comes to safety. it's equally important to avoid "if only" in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, "I love you" or "I forgive you." When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn't be here. But then I thought about the fact that he's 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn't give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be occasions when I have to say "if only" about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I'm doing the right thing. I'm buying myself peace of mind and that's the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.

Beyond the blue: Some of the best aquariums worldwide

Georgia Aquarium

Located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium is among the world's largest aquariums featuring more than 11 million gallons of water and over 500 different species. The aquarium also offers behind-the-scene tours, animal encounters, and even sleepovers for a truly immersive experience.

S. E. A. Aquarium

S. E. A. Aquarium in Singapore is not only one of the largest but also one of the most impressive aquariums in the world. The aquarium is home to over 100, 000 marine animals, including more than 1, 000 species from different regions across the globe. It has 45 different habitats and 10 different zones, each with a distinct underwater environment that ranges from the tropical coral reefs to the chilly Antarctic Ocean. 

Dubai Aquarium

Dubai Aquarium &Underwater Zoo is a must-visit when in Dubai. It houses over 140 species of aquatic animals, including the world's largest collection of sand tiger sharks. The aquarium also features three large ecological zone exhibits, each with unique marine life. However, the highlight of the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is the 48-meter-long aquarium tunnel that takes visitors on a memorizing journey below the aquarium's surface.

Oceanográfic

As the largest aquarium in Europe, Oceanográfic in Valencia, Spain offers tourists an unparalleled opportunity to explore the world's major ecosystems and see unique marine animals up close. As tourists walk through the aquarium, they will witness diverse marine life. The aquarium even has a walk-in see-through shark tunnel, which is one of the best in the world.

注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3. 开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。

Dear David, 

Yours, 

Li Hua