No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to the Art Institute, which is the second largest art museum in the nation.
Opening hours:
Mon - Wed & Fri - Sun, 10:30 am - 5 pm; Thu, 10:30 am- 8 pm; closed on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Highlights:
The Modern Wing contains contemporary masterpieces by Dali, Matisse, Miro, Picasso, Pollock, and Warhol.
In the Central Hall visitors can view one of the world's finest Impressionist collections, including masterpieces by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Seurat, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.
Thorne Miniature Rooms offer a detailed view of European homes from the 16th century through the 1930s and American homes from the 17th century to 1940.
The past returns as over 550 works from 4,000 years of art come together in Of Gods and Glamour, located in the beautiful new Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art.
Advice for visitors:
Free guided tours are available daily at noon.
Free art-making activities are available for children each weekend from 11 am to 2 pm.
Visit the Family Room in the Ryan Education Center, open daily from 10:30 am – 5 pm, and introduce your child to the museum's collections with a variety of hands-on activities. Assemble (组装) puzzles based on masterpieces you'll see in the galleries, build architectural wonders with colorful blocks, and learn about art through stories and games at Curious Corner.
Check out the Lion's Trial tour for children ages 5-10. This tour is especially designed for the young people in your group! Don't miss it!
Getting there:
You can take the follow buses: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 14, 26, 28, 126, 143.
PTSD(战后创伤) is sadly a common affliction(折磨) for many soldiers who have witnessed conflict, an invisible wound that continues to cause incredible suffering long after the guns have fallen silent.
"A lot of us come home without realizing we are bringing the war home with us," said Josh Marino, a veteran (退伍兵)of the Iraq war who suffered the effects of PTSD of suicide .
"I didn't want to deal with it anymore," Marino said. He wrote a goodbye note, grabbed a knife and went outside for a final cigarette in the rain. But then, from the deepest depth of despair came hope. Meowing out of the bushes next to him came a stray black and white kitten (小猫) which, according to Marino, "just walked up and started rubbing up against my leg and let me pet him. I came to life again and I broke down crying. I burst into tears."
From this accidental encounter everything changed. Marino found a new purpose in life through the friendly cat, who he named Scout, and who he credits with saving his life. "I stopped thinking about all my problems, and started thinking about all his problems, and what I could do to help him, "Marino said. The bond between them was instant，but that wasn't the end of the story.
Marino has made a video of his and Scout's remarkable story of healing and heartbreak which you can watch on the Internet. The story is dedicated to showing how animals can help humans through tough times, as well as humans can help them. It is a beautiful story that is sure to tug at your heart strings, showing just how powerful the bond between humans and animals can be. We love it, and we hope you do too!
After shopping for deals in stores on "Black Friday", or online on "Cyber Monday", Americans and people worldwide are preparing for newly popular "Giving Tuesday". Starting in 2012, now the global event that is celebrated annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is the brainchild of 92nd Street Y, a cultural center in New York City and United Nations Foundation.
As the name indicates, Giving Tuesday is meant to restart the charitable season and therefore observed by raising funds for local nonprofits and schools, organizing food and clothing drives, and conducting random acts of kindness. In 2015, 700, 000 people from 71 countries came together to donate $116.7 million in cash. An additional $1.08 million was spent on gifts.
While the easiest way to participate is by donating to your favorite charity, this day can be celebrated in many other ways too. You can give back by volunteering at your local shelter or food bank, or even by donating blood. If all else fails, a purchase from the growing number of organizations that give a portion of their sales to charity will do the trick.
But perhaps the best way to celebrate the day is by helping those nearest and dearest to you. Assist a family member with a simple chore like folding laundry, cooking dinner, or even reading to a younger sibling. No matter what you do, be sure to share you good deed on social media and inspire others to celebrate Giving Tuesday as well!
Beneath the water in the China's Qiandao Lake lies a hidden treasure. The ancient city of Shi Cheng (also known as Lion City), located in the province of Zhejiang, has been submerged underwater for 53 years. Shi Cheng was founded about 1,300 years ago in a valley surrounded by the Five Lion Mountains. When the Chinese government decided they needed a new hydroelectric power station (水力发电站)， a dam and man-made lake were constructed and the city was left at the bottom of this new body of water. Now, it sits at depths ranging from 85 feet to about 103 feet.
Much like the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru, this underwater city remained forgotten until some renewed interests lead to its rediscovery. Qiu Feng, a local official in charge of tourism thought about utilizing Shi Cheng for entertainment on the lake and as a destination for diving clubs. On September 18, 2001, scuba divers made their first attempt underwater. "We were lucky. As soon as we dived into the lake, we found the outside wall of the town and even picked up a brick, "Qiu told Guangzhou Daily in an interview. More research was conducted, and it was discovered that the entire town was intact (1881), including wooden beams and stairs. After the initial findings, international archaeologists and a film crew then recorded the preservation of the lost ruins.
Looking at surface of the lake, dotted with over 1,000 islands, you'd never know that an entire city was below.
It's incredible to think that after all this time, the structure still remains intact and we could one day visit it. Until then, Shi Cheng will continue to remain inconspicuously submerged.
Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success. With that in mind, here are some suggestions that will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:
If there's any big truth about life, it's that it usually lives up to your expectations. Therefore, when you rise from bed, make your first thought: "Something wonderful is going to happen today." Guess what? You're probably right.
Take time to plan and prioritize(优先处理)
The most common source of stress is the thought that you've got too much work to do. Rather than worry about it, pick one thing that will move you closer to your highest goal and purpose in life. Then do that first.
Eat high quality food slowly
Even so, at least once a day try to eat something really delicious, like a small chunk of fine cheese or an imported chocolate. Taste it, focus on it and enjoy it.
Let go of your results.
The big enemy of happiness is worry, which comes from focusing on events that are outside your control. Once you've taken action, there's usually nothing more you can do.
End each day with gratitude
Just before you go to bed, write down at least one wonderful thing that happened. It might be something as small as making a child laugh or something as huge as a million dollar deal.
A. Start each day with expectations.
B Give a gift to everyone you meet.
C. Focus on the job at hand rather than some fantasy that might happen.
D. Whatever it is, be grateful for that day because it will never come again.
E. Sometimes we can't avoid eating something quickly and running.
F. Thinking about that thing makes your head hurt.
G. It's impossible to make others happy if you're not happy.
A Tennessee woman celebrated her birthday with a bittersweet gift from beyond the grave ——flowers from her father, who died five years ago.
Michael William Sellers pre-paid for a bouquet of 1to be delivered to his daughter, Bailey, every 2 until she turned 21. And on Friday, Bailey 3 the gift, her last from her dad.
"My dad4 when I was 16 from cancer and before he died he pre-paid flowers so I could receive them every year on my birthday," then she said. "This is my 21st birthday flowers and the5."
Bailey said the special gift made birthdays6."Since that day I've hated my birthday 7he always made it so special," Bailey said "I was especially8 my 21st because I knew it would be the last year."
Bailey said this year's gift and birthday card were especially 9."I broke down," she said. "That letter was very 10and sad all at the same time."
"This is my last love letter to," her father11. "I do not want you to drop another 12for me, for I am in a 13 place. He also told her to always respect her mother and stay 14to herself." Be happy and live life to the fullest," he wrote. "I will be with forever, just 15and I will be."
"That was my dad," she said. "He was trying to make my birthday 16."
Social media users17 the post, calling it both "heartwarming," and "heartbreaking."
Others praised her father, calling him a(an) "18 of what a good man is like," "He would be very 19," Bailey said "he'd be very proud that it20 a lot of people."
Fu Xuewei, a 25-year-old girl from Chengdu, China （recent）shared a beautiful set of wedding photos on the Internet. However, there's a debate on the photographs no groom（新郎）seems to be found in the photos. In fact, the only people featured in the photos are Ms. Fu and her 87-year-old grandfather.
Despite having no plans of getting married anytime soon, Fu decided （wear）the wedding dress for her grandfather. The man fell seriously ill last September, with doctors warning that he could pass away any time. (fear) he might never get to fulfill the dream of walking her down to the Mr. Right, Fu arranged the surprise photo shoot. Keeping her plans a secret, she took （she）grandfather for a regular hospital check-up, only to reveal that they were going to take pictures later and he agreed.
Ms. Fu （raise）by her grandparents from the age of ten, makes them mean a lot to her. She insists on taking care of them in return. The young woman even（have）a tattoo（纹身）of her grandfather. "I had my grandfather's appearance tattooed on my arm because I want all my new （friend）to know what he looks like in the future," she said.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词；
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉；
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear friends,
It is a great honor to share with you my experience in making English speeches.
To tell a truth, my spoken English used to be a big headache for me. Due to my terrible pronunciation, I often got misunderstood or even laughed by others. I never succeed in speech competitions. Therefore, I refused to give up. Every day I spent two hours listen to English programs to improve my oral skills. To my joy, my effort was finally paid off. I made steadily progress and managed to win prizes in some speech competition.
So problems can help us grow if we deal with it bravely and properly. This is which I've learned from my experience.
