What comes to mind when you think of a museum? Perhaps you picture an impressive building in a rather traditional design made of high-quality stone? Some might consider these customary institutions the best way to safeguard the future of typical educational topics. But according to the Museums Association, a museum is traditionally defined as a place enabling "… people to have more knowledge via various collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment."
There are about 2500 museums in the UK; a few are bound to be considered a little unconventional, unusual or even unknown. However atypical your interest is, there's a museum for you!
What about Neil Cole's Adventures? This museum was opened by founder Neil Cole. Visitors to this Allendale attraction in Northumberland can see items ranging from stage properties used in the BBC series Dr Who to part of Thor's costume from the Avengers movie. "Science fiction has now become more mainstream so I thought people might want to see this, " says Mr Cole.
If clocks are more to your taste, why not visit the Cuckooland Museum? Set up by brothers Roman and Maz Piekarski, this Cheshire collection of over 600 cuckoo clocks is considered to be the largest of its kind in the world— and all from the Black Forest region in Germany.
Then, you could visit the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities in London. This offbeat, alternative institution is against the trend of educating visitors through written descriptions alongside its collections. Instead, it displays all of its rare treasures, which include dodo bones, shrunken heads and a collection of McDonald's Happy Meal toys, with no caption at all.
There are many more wonderful institutions out there that march to the beat of their own drum. All you have to do is go and find them!
Airports are mini cities, often with their own firefighters, doctors and even priests. But goat herders (牧工)? Passengers flying out of San Francisco International Airport recently might have caught a glimpse of something strange: nearly 600 goats chewing away at overgrown weed. Each spring the airport needs to remove the brush in a remote comer to protect nearby homes from possible fires.
For the past seven years, the airport has turned to Goats R Us, a goat-powered brush removal company, which charged US $34, 900 for the service this year. A large amount, isn't it? Why not employ machines on humans? Two endangered species, the San Francisco garter snake (束带蛇) and the California red-legged frog, live there. Thus, this humane approach has been adopted to secure their peaceful life.
What do the herders and their dogs do? There's always a goat or two that would like to take a different path. "Just as a kindergarten teacher knows which kids need a little extra attention, so we will make sure the dogs can target the 'naughty goats' to keep them secure, " says Terri Oyarzun, co-owner of Goats R Us. When asked how to lead goats to the next plot of plants. Terri says, "It's effortless. You know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? Goats were the inspiration for that philosophy. "
The goats travel 30 miles each spring from their home in Orinda, California to the airport in a 16-wheel truck. They spend two weeks cutting away a 20-foot firebreak on the west side of the airport. When Oyarzun's mats aren't clearing brush at the airport, they are busy doing similar work on the side of California's free-ways, at state parks, and anywhere else with overgrown vegetation. The family has about 8, 000 total active goats, nearly twice that of three years ago.
We all love to take photographs. It's a simple way to snap a special moment, an amazing view, or just to show off your artistic skills. And it's great to look back through your photo albums and share memories with your friends. In fact, they show a snapshot (快照)in time. This hasn't really changed since the invention of photography in the 1830s. But one thing that has changed is the equipment we use.
For many years, we have used traditional cameras to take our pictures with. Our images were taken onto camera film which was then processed into negatives from which photos were printed— a lengthy process. And we've had a range of cameras to choose from— from the simple compact camera to more advanced single lens reflex, or SLR cameras.
But the biggest change has come with the development of digital devices. This has made taking photo quicker and easier. It's enabled us to take a snap and review our pictures instantly. We've been able to deal with them in post-production, using software on our computer. And of course, we've been able to share them like never before— particularly on social media.
Of course, now we have the smartphone— a phone that is, well, smart because it can take photos and sometimes very good quality ones, and we can share them easily. So does that mean the traditional camera will eventually become outdated? Figures from Japan show how the market is shrinking: shipments of compact digital cameras from companies like Olympus, Canon and Nikon were down 39 percent year on year.
But Phil Hall, editor of Tech Radar magazine, told the BBC that while people are swapping their compact cameras for smartphones, "manufacturers are looking at the more higher-end cameras, high-end compacts, DSLRs, which are the ones you can attach lenses to, mirrorless cameras. In this sense, there's nothing to worry about. "
It's the most popular drink worldwide. According to the British Coffee Association, approximately two billion cups of coffee are consumed every day. But after the beans have been picked, roasted and brewed, the grounds (渣子) are often treated as waste. With the environment and resource consumption such hot topics at the moment, wouldn't it be great if we could reuse this waste to make something useful?
The company OCHIS produces sunglasses. Max Havrylenko, founder of the company, was searching for an alternative material to plastic. He wanted to "solve the problem of plastic use and overconsumption so as to create a greener world," he told the Guardian. OCHIS heats the grounds with vegetable oils, forming a bond. These are pressed into plates which are durable and flexible. These are then cut into the arms and frames of the glasses. "Don't worry, " he says, "They won't dissolve (溶解) in the rain."
Rosalie McMillan, a London jeweler, uses recycled coffee grounds along with gold and silver to make handcrafted jewelry. Mixed with oils, the coffee is then subjected to heat and pressure to create a compound she calls "Curface". Her website says it has a "beautiful surface quality and texture" with similar properties to hardwood.
What about a coffee cup made from them? Kaffeeform is a German-based company that transforms used grounds and renewable plant-based raw materials into a durable composite. This is shaped into a variety of containers and polished and finished, ready to be sold. So, you can drink your coffee from a cup made of coffee.
And it doesn't stop there. Even without a factory, you can make use of coffee grounds. They make excel-lent fertilizer (肥料). You can highlight something against them, or mix them with water to make a brown-toned paint. And the list goes on. So next time you finish your morning cup, lake a while to think again.
As is often the case, it is human nature to lead a sedentary (久坐的) lifestyle and most of us are so involved in our busy schedules that we don't even notice our bad habits. Many worry about the right time or "right age" to start working out. Here're some practical tips to help you get fit.
Master your mind. Most people argue that they are too tired or old to start exercising. Doing so is much easier than trying to change the busy lifestyle. Change your mindset and be more confident in improving your health.
Easy does it. Once you have chosen a fitness program, start slowly and increase it in stages. Begin with just a few minutes of gentle exercises and stretches. About 30 minutes should be devoted to your workout. As your body starts to respond and your muscles get used to the exercises, you can gradually increase the length of your workout.
Always warm up. Always remember to warm up your muscles before exercising. Gentle warm-ups will reduce your risk of injury, aches and pains, and increase blood circulation and flexibility.
There's no quick access to getting fit. It's a common mistake to do too much too soon. If you don't know how to balance your needs and your expectations, you might seriously injure your muscles or just create stress.
Cool down. When you finish your routine, you need to cool your muscles and let your heart rate slow gradually.
A. Don't overload your body.
B. Never ignore your potentials.
C. Tell your body to be more active and say, "I can do it."
D. However, nobody cares about what you have done for them.
E. Go next to some mild activity such as walking, jogging or cycling.
F. Cooling down will help your body to return to its pre-exercise level.
G. But it's never too late for them to start exercising and all they need is enough determination.
A local grocery store is remodeling. And none of the 1 is good for shoppers there. The aisles (走道) have been rearranged and pushed closer, making it 2 to get through. All the items have been moved from their 3 spots. It seems to me that it is intended to 4 the shoppers down so they will make more heady 5 and give the store bigger profits.
However, the most 6 for me was in the check-out aisles. And I felt 7 to see that only a few cashiers (收银员) were left working, with huge sections being 8 into self-scanning check-outs. People were probably going to lose their 9 because of this. I got in a cashier aisle and patiently waited while I saw some other people struggling to 10 how the self-scan machines worked. I 11 at that moment never to use one myself 12 I had to wait longer every time I shopped there.
When I 13 arrived at the front of the aisle, I saw the cashier was an acquaintance. I 14 and asked her how her family was doing. She smiled back with 15 and kindness. We chatted happily while she scanned and bagged up my 16. I felt a friendship and a connection with her that warmed my heart. 17, of course, can do a lot for us, but they can't smile. They can't love. They can't 18 a heart.
Only we can do that. It is time we should realize that profits aren't more 19 than us people, neither machines. It is time we should see that we are here not to 20 the world but to be a part of it.
Da Mao and Er Shun, two pandas sent to Calgary Zoo in Canada in 2014, are being sent back to China two years ahead of schedule. The animals feed on fresh bamboo, is especially flown in for them from China. Some joked that the pandas are "leading too luxurious a life". But with the pandemic (流行病) (disturb) flights, fresh supplies have got delayed. According to the zoo staff, pandas are picky eaters and will reject bamboo that (spend) a lot of time in transport.
The pandas are (possible) just two out of hundreds of animals who might be suffering because of the pandemic. In April, CNN reported that financial issues were forcing Neumunster Zoo in Germany (kill) some animals to feed the others; similar things (report) from the United Kingdom and other countries too.
Our focus is on human welfare all the time, but animal welfare should not take back seat. So, we should say they are fortunate enough to have a hometown to return to when faced with difficulties. It is China has successfully controlled the outbreak that it can consider getting the pandas back and providing fresh bamboos them. In fact, resumption of flights, reopening of zoos and returning home can be （benefit）to millions of animals. It is hoped that other countries control the epidemic soon so that all animals can benefit.
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：在错的词下面画一横线，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。
Yesterday I had my twin sisters in the pushchair and went to shop. I had two paper bags of daily product. Just as I stepped onto a busy main road, both of the bags split. As I tried to pick them from the ground, the pushchair slide downhill. At that moment, I couldn't choose but to watch it going fast. Suddenly the well-dressed man grabbed the girls and got them to safe. He then came to me to check what I needed any extra help. With his timely help, my story might not have had so a happy ending. My faith in humanity has been restoring since that moment.
内容包括：
1）简介中国人对茶的态度；
2）喝茶之于健康的作用；
3）邀请他来中国体验一下。
注意：
1）字数100词左右；
2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
