Located in the middle of Turkey, the Cappadocia region is visited by millions of tourists each year who go for its volcanic rock formations, colorful cliffs and valleys, and ancient buildings carved into the rock. Here are some of the best things to do if you are visiting Cappadocia.
Hot air balloon ride
Perhaps one of the best ways to see Cappadocia's landscape is from the sky. A popular activity for tourists is a hot air balloon ride over the region, which is home to Goreme National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As they fly, tourists can watch the natural rock tower formations known as "fairy chimneys" pass underneath, joining as many as 150 colorful balloons in the air on the same day.
Exploring underground cities
Cappadocia is also known for the 200 or more underground cities carved into its soft volcanic rock. The largest of these cities, Derinkuyu, has 18 levels of tunnels and could be over 3,000 years old. Rediscovered in the 1960s, it is one of several underground cities in the area that are now open to the public.
ATV tours
For a higher-energy experience, consider an all-terrain vehicle（ATV）tour. Often lasting around two hours, the tours will stop at some of the top places to take pictures and enjoy the view. The best time of day to do an ATV tour is at sunset, when the rocks reflect the light from the sun in pink and red colors.
Hiking trails
For those who would like to do things more slowly, the region also offers many hiking trails that pass historical sites and places to enjoy the view. For example, visitors can find churches carved into the rock in Rose Valley and see ancient pigeon houses—carved into the rock for raising pigeons—on the Pigeon Valley hike.
It was while watching the movie The Savages in 2009 that photographer Kendrick Brinson first caught sight of Sun City, Arizona, a big retirement community northwest of Phoenix. The film scene—with bright desert light, golf carts, and tidy rows of farm-style homes— "had this really strange, very visually interesting look to it," she says.
Since then, Brinson, 40, has gone every year to photograph Sun City's residents, some of whom have become her close friends. Observing the enthusiasm people have so many activities there, the self-described perfectionist says she learned something about herself: "I realized that I don't have to be great, or even good at something. I can just like the way it feels." She's taken up hobbies such as watercolor painting.
Opened in 1960, Sun City bills itself as the Original Fun City, designed for residents 55 and older. While retirement communities have rapidly increased across the country to meet the needs of graying baby boomers, Sun City remains one of the largest. Its 14 square miles of palm tree-lined streets feature eight golf courses, eight entertainment centers with seven water facilities, multiple malls, two libraries, a hospital, and one cemetery.
The average age of the nearly 40,000 residents is 73. Sun City has been mainly white, but Brinson says the community is starting to focus more on diversity and inclusiveness. On each visit, she finds herself filled with renewed energy. "It's this purposeful learning, socializing, playfulness that I find super fascinating," she says.
As with any group of aging people, loss is very much a part of life at Sun City; some of Brinson's friends have passed away. But residents say they don't quite mourn death. "This is not God's waiting room," one told her. "Everyone is active and doing something."
At last count. Debbie Baker had 3,000 Barbie dolls. Her affection may seem unusual, but experts agree: Being an excited hobbyist is good for you.
Hobbies reduce stress, says Alice Domar, director of the Mind&-Body Center for Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. They keep you from everyday worries: If you're focused on the pottery you're making. you can't be anxious about your work. says Domar. And knitting. or anything requiring repeated motion, inspires the relaxation response, a feeling of overall peace. marked by lowered blood pressure.
Hobbies provide a calming sense of control. says Domar, and research suggests this strengthens your body. You may have little say at work. but when you're woodworking. you're in charge. You get the credit and satisfaction of a job well done.
As we know. physical activity extends life. but a recent Swedish study showed less active activities are healthy as well. People who regularly took part in hobbies such as sewing and gardening were less likely to suffer mental decline. Similar research in The New England Journal of Medicine found that those who went after mind—boosting activities—such as crossword puzzles—lowered their risk of Alzheimer's disease or other dementia（老年痴呆症）. "Any hobby that challenges the brain should have a positive effect on dementia risk." says lead author Joe Verghese. a neurologist.
Many hobbies are social. From dealing cards at bridge to exchanging tips with other collectors-establishing close relationship with like-minded souls betters health. A Japanese study of almost 12,000 people found that men who were involved in hobbies or community activities were less likely to die of stroke or circulatory disorders than those who didn't.
So keep fishing or collecting dolls. Others may think you' re crazy—you know otherwise.
Mr. Asada is just one of many growers in Shizuoka, one of Japan's largest wasabi-growing（山葵种植）regions, who must face rising challenges from global warming and the effect of untended forests. Already. these hazards have gradually weakened the centuries-old culture of wasabi in the area and damaged the future of one of the area's most important agricultural products and its tourism business.
Over the last decade, the number of wasabi produced in Shizuoka has dropped by close to 55 percent, according to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The wasabi that comes in tubes and packets is actually a mixture of wasabi and horseradish（辣根）—or includes no wasabi at all. These days. almost only expensive restaurants have access to fresh wasabi. giving their customers a chance to experience the unique flavor and traditional culture of wasabi.
Wasabi plants grow up in spring water that flows down from the mountains, helping to improve their flavor and sweetness. Over time. local growers say, the spring water has worsened in quality due to a large number of cypress trees which grow like crazy in the untended forests.
Global warming has upset the balance even further. The delicate wasabi plants, which take more than a year to be full-grown, do best in conditions no higher than about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In recent years, heat waves in Japan have regularly pushed temperatures into the 90s and even above 100 degrees. causing more stems to rot.
Government researchers and local growers have started to experiment with crossbreeding in an effort to develop better wasabi varieties that will grow strong even in the rising heat. The challenge is that. unlike with other crops such as cucumbers or tomatoes. getting seeds and growing seedlings from wasabi requires advanced technology. Most growers rely on specialized companies to clone seedlings in labs and greenhouses. Crossbreeding new varieties needs difficult pollination（授粉）efforts, and most of all. time.
Are you struggling to be yourself at work? Tired of being behind schedule? But relax, it happens to everyone. Here are some important work tips you can follow to improve your productivity.
Focus On One Task
Some people have the habit of multitasking. which is great but it might distract you from the bigger picture. Multitasking might help you with different tasks and you might also feel like the jack of all trades. Focus on one task at a time. this will allow you to complete that task with high standards. When the said task is done. you can move on to the next one.
Regular breaks are actually great at the workplace. They help in reducing stress and also increase your overall productivity. Most workplaces ensure that their employees take regular breaks, which enhances their overall productivity. You can also try this approach at home. Take breaks of 15 minutes after working for about an hour. Move away from work and focus on yourself. then return back to work. This will allow you to proceed with work effectively.
Set Small But Effective Goals
What matters is how you deal with them. You can break any large task into small but manageable tasks. which will help you stay productive and will also make the best of time. Think of it like building blocks and you will have to focus on one small task at a time but the end result will be fascinating.
Try Following The "Two-Minute" Rule
The Two Minute rule is basically about making the best out of small windows at work. If there is a task at work. and you can do it in 2 minutes then you do it in no time. This also increases your productivity.
A. Learn To Take A Break
B. Get Relaxed During Breaks
C. You are definitely having productivity problems.
D. You will be given large and difficult tasks at work.
E. But your productivity won't increase in the long run.
F. In order to make the most of your time, focus your mind on your own productivity.
G. When you complete that small task. you don't have to waste more time getting back to it.
When I'm asked what the biggest culture shock is for me after coming to America. my answer will be the food. Eating roast turkey at Christmas always makes me homesick. What a food 1 is not only about the taste. but also the sense of 2 and the concern from loved ones.
I spent my high school years in a city far away from my hometown. I lived at a school apartment for most of the year and could only go home during long 3 . Getting off the train. unloaded the heavy luggage. stepping into the 4 house. one thing that never changed was a steaming bowl of kelp（海带）and pork rib（排骨）soup on the table. This is a dish that requires half of a day to 5 . People who want to cook it for supper need to start preparing at 6 . putting kelp and pork rib in water and letting them 7 over low heat for several hours.
The process of waiting for this dish to be ready is like a mother 8 awaiting her son's return. When the time is up and the lid（盖子）is 9 . it's like when I open the door coming home. Kelp 10 with the hot soup into my stomach. 11 my body and heart. The soup 12 the homecoming of a traveler and a mother's 13 for her son. The taste of the soup is 14 . similar to my mom's gentle love for me. which makes me feel warm without any 15 of words.
For more than 2,000 years, the teachings of Confucius （be）an important part of Chinese culture. Scholars in ancient China were expected （educate）in the philosophy and moral values of Confucius. Even today. Confucian thought is still greatly valued in China and in other East Asian countries.
When you read the writings of Confucius. you will see a constantly appearing word. a Chinese character that represents the heart of Confucian thought: character ren. What is ren? If you look （close）at the written character. you can understand it means. The left—hand element of the character represents a person: the element on the right stands for the number two. The two elements. when （join）. indicate relationships between individuals, or with all of society.
Confucius taught that ren was the （high）moral principle. the standard which all other morals were measured. Mencius. one of the greatest scholars famous for his in-depth （analyze）of Confucian thinking. explained ren like this: "love one's parents. love people. love everything in the world." This kind of love should direct everything we do. It leads the way to all other virtues in life.
假定你是李华。你的英国笔友 Chris 对中国民族传统节日很感兴趣, 请写信邀请他暑假来中国和你一起去内蒙古旅游，体验当地 7月21日到23日举办的那达慕大会，内容包括:
1. 那达慕大会简介；
2. 旅游的基本计划.
注意：
1. 写作词数应为 80 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
参考词汇: the Naadam Festival那达慕大会 ；Inner Mongolia内蒙古
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Dear Chris, Yours sincerely. Li Hua |
I entered my freshman year of high school with a philosophy: work hard and do whatever 1 could succeed at. I thought I would make some impressive achievements in this way. I wouldn't waste my time on areas I was not good at.
And this philosophy served me well. I worked hard on my lessons and piano practice, which I had talent for, and got the results I wanted. usually in the shape of good grades and rewards. My friends laughed about my all-or-nothing attitude, but I thought it was the only sure path to success.
At the beginning of the second year of high school. I fully intended to keep the same attitude. Then I joined the school cross-country running team. a year after I had watched cross-country races. I joined mainly because my brother was on the team; he was entering his senior year, and I wanted to spend more time with him before he left for college. Also, many of my friends were on the team. and they had been trying to persuade me to join them for months.
When I came to the first practice. I was filled with optimism and dreamed of being an excellent runner. But as the distance we ran each practice gradually increased. I realized however hard I tried. I was the slowest on the team. And the muscle injury was often intolerable. What was the point of putting me through so much pain? I'd never be an excellent runner. For the first few weeks. I had been thinking of giving up.
Then we had our first cross-country meet. When we got off the bus at Lamoille High School. dressed in our blue uniforms with our team name shown on the shirts. the sight of the other teams warming up made me anxious. I thought I would let my team down. And I guessed my coach and teammates would be disappointed at my performance and blame me. This thought made me decide to quit the cross-country running team after the race.
Now. looking at the tough course made up of a series of short. steep（陡峭的）hills. I stood silently with my teammates.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Together, we jogged to the starting line.
Surprisingly, my coach and teammates were smiling and cheering for me.
