Because of COVID-19, tourism industries have to think about new ways of promoting tourist attractions online. One way of getting tourists to travel abroad from their own home is through virtual reality (VR) technology. Here are some of the best virtual travel tours that can be enjoyed online right now.
For wild animal lovers, the company and Beyond has been live streaming (直播) wildlife to viewers at home from South Africa. In order to raise money for the wildlife, and Beyond is also now offering unique virtual experiences such as a private meeting. During the meeting, viewers can chat to guides who will answer all the questions and share their experiences from a recent drive.
Those wishing to explore the US will be excited to know that national parks including Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and the Everglades, now offer 360-degree videos through Google Earth.
On the Google Arts & Culture platform (平台), you can also enjoy a detailed virtual journey through some other national parks, such as Alaska's Kenai Fjords, the volcanoes of Hawaii or Utah's Bryce Canyon.
In the UK, the National Trust has organized many virtual tours from their most breathtaking views and gardens, including the Giant's Causeway and the flower beds of Hidcote House.
Even if it can't compare to a real-life experience, VR technology still allows us to get a little closer to the world's greatest wonders. At the very least, these platforms might help travelers plan their next holiday once the pandemic (流行病)is over.
A valuable musical instrument was played recently in its first public performance (表演) since being rediscovered in 2015. The instrument, a Stradivarius violin, had been stolen and was missing for 35 years.
The violin has a long history. It was made in the 18th Century. Later, the instrument belonged to Roman Totenberg, a Polish-born violinist. He died before the violin was rediscovered. Now, the violin belongs to one of his daughters and its sound is again being heard.
This week, one of Totenberg's former students, Mira Wang, played the instrument for the first time since its rediscovery.
Totenberg's three daughters all agreed that Mira Wang should perform with the Stradivarius. Amy Totenberg says the former student was close to her father.
Antonio Stradivari made the instrument in 1734. Roman Totenberg played the violin for almost 40 years. He performed on many famous concert stages around the world. Totenberg died in 2012 at the age of 101.
The Stradivarius was taken from his dressing room after a show. Daughter Nina Totenberg remembers what happened. " He was greeting well-wishers afterwards and when he turned around to go back and get the violin, it was gone. And they found the case thrown down the stairs in the place where the concert had been and they called the police and the FBI came.”
The disappearance of the violin remained a mystery (谜)for 35 years. Then, the former wife of the man who stole the instrument tried to sell it to a violin specialist who identified it. The former husband had once been a student of Totenberg.
In 2015, the Stradivarius violin was returned to Totenberg's three daughters. They had it repaired to playing condition.
The Totenberg sisters say they will sell the violin to a performer or a group. They want the instrument to be heard again by listeners around the world. Rare instruments also are musical treasures. In 2011, a Stradivarius violin was sold for more than $ 15 million.
The Earth is losing some of its major freshwater supplies. But the water is not in lakes or rivers. They are called "aquifers" (含水层). They formed deep underground as the Earth developed. Some aquifers are so deep that water from very heavy rains cannot reach them through all the rock and dirt.
Many aquifers provide irrigation (灌溉)water for crops. These freshwater are helping farmers in many countries. A new report says some aquifers are being emptied.
Irrigated agriculture is responsible for about 80 percent or more of freshwater use worldwide. A growing part of that comes from underground aquifers because of dry weather or farmers growing crops in areas with little rainfall.
But researchers say taking water from aquifers is creating a large problem. Scientists warn that there is not much that can be done to repair them. It is difficult to measure groundwater because it is so deep underground. It is also difficult to know how much water is there and where it is. The water from these aquifers may not be replaced for hundreds of years.
The report says seven countries use the most non - renewable groundwater for agricultural production. The seven are the United States. India, Pakistan, China, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. The United States is one of the world's major exporters of food. If China and India use up the groundwater they need to feed their populations, they would be forced to buy more food. This increased demand could cause food prices to rise.
The study shows that, while countries like Somalia are dealing with little rainfall, the world may someday face an underground drought. It's a really global issue. All countries around the world are facing this challenge. We don't have any great solutions or strategies to deal with this. So, at the very least, we need to have discussions to come up with new ways, new strategies that recognize this problem and manage how we might adjust our policies (调整 政策).
Any strategy must balance the short-term need for food for the world with the long-term survival of the Earth's aquifers.
Members of a native community in the arctic (北极的)areas of Sweden say their reindeer (驯鹿)are facing possible hunger from unusual weather related to climate change. The local Sami community takes care of about 8,000 reindeer throughout the year. The animals are moved between traditional feeding areas in high mountains close to Norway in the summer and forests farther east in the winter.
A community member, Inga, is worried about his reindeer. He said climate change has affected the area's weather activity and created food shortages. "If we don't find better areas for them where they can feed themselves and find food, the reindeer will die from hunger," Inga said. He verified the problem by reaching down into the snow and pulling up a hard piece of ice close to the soil.
The area received unusual snowfall early in the fall, followed by rain that froze. Inga said this traps the plants that reindeer eat under a thick cover of ice. Some of the hungry reindeer have now moved away from their traditional feeding areas in search of food.
Community members say half the reindeer moved towards the east as planned. But the rest headed back to the mountains, where they face the risk of attacks by other animals or being caught in an avalanche (雪崩). Older members of the Sami community say that in the past, they only remember bad winters about once every ten years. But now, Inga says “extreme and strange weather are appearing more and more often," happening several times a year.
Snowfall is common for the area. But as temperatures increase, rain can also fall, creating a "rain-on-snow" effect. When this happens, food remains trapped under the ice where the reindeer cannot reach it. This causes the animals to grow weaker and struggle to make it through the winter. Weather changes have hit the Sami community hard.
"We don't want money because we can't buy better weather with money. We need the EU to take action and they need to do it now," said Inga.
Being a successful high school student
Being a successful high school student requires both patience and motivation. Unfortunately, there are often many things that can make your success difficult. Here are some tips which can help you become a successful high school student.
Remember that school is important.
It's important to have fun and have lots of extra after school activities, but school study should always be your top priority (优先的事物).
Get involved at your school.
You don't have to be a superstar or a cheerleader to do this. These may include recent events, such as the basketball game held last Friday or attending school events like dances and variety shows.
Take up a sport to get fit.
It's easy to forget to stay in shape when the workload gets heavy. So join a sports team at your school to make you less worried about your schedule and have a healthy body.
Not being an athlete is not an excuse for not having something to do after school. If you're interested in art, join the art club. Music? Join a band. If you're not into any of your school's clubs, advise your principal to start a new one. Most likely he or she will say yes.
Focus on yourself.
Don't compare yourself with others. Every day you should only try to make yourself better, instead of worrying about how the girl sitting in front of you has nicer clothes or is getting better grades, etc. Ten years from now, this won't matter.
A. Join all kinds of clubs.
B. Find a club to develop your interests.
C. All you need to do is stay on top of things.
D. High school is only a competition with yourself.
E. So never take homework, tests and quizzes lightly!
F. Changing your attitude towards study can contribute to your success.
G. Doing some sports can help you relax your body and improve your study.
"You're going to be keeping a journal in this class," I said with the kind of firm authority (权威). "And I want you to tell your 1 as they matter."
"Why do they 2 ?" a boy named Michael asked. He was pretty handsome with a hard-set jaw and beautiful 3 eyes. "I mean, who cares about our stories?" 4 out at the roomful of students, I realized I didn't have a(n) 5 . “Why do your stories matter?" I repeated the question, 6 myself some time for a proper answer. No one said a word.
7 , I looked at Michael. "They matter because they do," I 8 . "Because you're here and you can tell them. Because it's what you have. Stories allow us to make what we've been through 9 . When you 10 your experience into a story, it becomes yours and not just something that 11 to you. " Michael kept staring. He didn't seem to 12 what I had said, but he didn't challenge me either.
In his first essay, Michael wrote about 13 he grew up on the streets of one of the worst 14 in Boston. He wrote how his high school English teacher, an elderly woman who saw his potential (潜力)，helped him 15 a college application. Together, they got him into this 16
I had Michael read his essay out 17 . After he finished, the class went so still we could hear the 18 of each other's breath. I looked at Michael and saw a small softening in his dark eyes. When he finally 19 back in his chair, it was like a coil (线圈)unwinding. After a moment, I said, "That's why I need you to 20 your stories."
It can already be tough growing up without a parent-let alone trying to support yourself through college without parental help. That's why Karl Winsness is lending a hand.
As a means of (help) out local kids, Winsness created the only scholarship (奖学金)in the country that (give) to children with parents in prison (监狱).
Winsness, who calls his educational gift the "Willy the Plumber Scholarship", only makes about $ 30,000, working as an ordinary worker. The father of two says that he is able (afford) the scholarship by living a relatively simple lifestyle.
Winsness spreads word of the scholarship (simple) by spreading homemade fliers (传单)around Salem, Utah. While the sum of the scholarship (be) only about $1,000, the 17 receivers of the scholarship say that the money means a great deal to their own (wallet)—as well as their self-respect.
One of the youths parents both went to prison when she was 5 years old said: "You get really clown on (you), people judge you, you feel like you can't do anything. Then, all of a sudden, you have this stranger who has belief you and knows that you're not who your parents are."
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：在错的词下划一横线，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。
Many people like to go shopping. My mom is no different. She likes to buy shoe. Once, my mother told me to go shopping with her, and so I do. However, after I got home, I made a decide that I would not go shopping with her some more. She always spends long time on window shopping. When I go shopping, I always rapid buy the things I want to. That doesn't take her a lot of time. Some people shop not only to buy things, and also to look at things, which is call window shopping.
1）写信目的；
2）不满之处；
3）表达期望。
注意：
1）词数100左右；
2）开头和结尾已为你写好。
参考词汇:加利福尼亚California；旅行社travel agency
Dear Sir/Madam,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
