Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guizhou
Located in southwest Anshun, Guizhou Province, Huangguoshu Waterfall is the largest and most wonderful group of waterfalls in China. With splendid scenery, the waterfall was included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest waterfall group in 1999. It is 77.8 meters high and 101 meters wide, with 17 smaller waterfalls.
Best time to visit: May to October
Admission: 180 yuan(March 1 to Oct. 31); 160 yuan off-season(Nov. 1 to Feb. 28)
Shigatse, Tibet
Kanas Lake, lying in a valley in the Altai Mountains, is located near the very northern tip of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous(自治的)Region. The lake is famous for its fantastic natural landscape and mysterious local legend. It is surrounded by thick layers of forest, and the color of the water changes according to different seasons, weather and depth. Kanas Nature Reserve founded in 1980 is now considered a paradise(天堂)for travelers and hikers.
Best time to visit: June, September
Admision: 150 yuan(April 1 to Oct. 31); 80 yuan of-season(Nov. 1 to March 31)
Jiuzhai Valley, Sichuan
Jiuzhai Valley in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, is a magical fairyland in nature that enchants tourists with mountains, forests, lakes, waterfalls and crowded wildlife. During autumn, colorful leaves are reflected in the clear waters. Lakes vary in color according to their depths, angles and surroundings, striking a lively contrast with the blue sky and snow-white clouds.
Best time to visit: September to October
Admission: 220 yuan(April 1 to Nov. 15); 80 yuan(Nov. 16 to March 30)
Changbai Mountain, Jilin
Changbai Mountain in southeastern Jilin Province is located on the border(边界)between China and North Korea. Considered as the most famous mountain in northeast China, Changbai Mountain has rich biodiversity(生物多样性). With an average altitude of 2,000 meters, the mountain is well-known for its snowy scenery, cool summers and many mineral springs.
Admission: 100 yuan for adults; 50 yuan for children
Hours: 8 a. m. to 4p. m.
I'm a seventeen-year-old boy preparing for my A Level exams at the end of the year. In the society where my peers (同龄人) and I live, we tend to accept the rat race values. As students, we want to get good grades so that we can get good jobs. I enjoy studying and have consistently received A's in my classes. There was a year when I finished first in my class in the final exams. It was a great accomplishment.
Another one I am pleased with is that I managed to improve the relationship between Mum and Dad. Dad was a successful businessman who was rarely at home. Mum was a housewife who always felt bored and constantly nagged (唠叨) him to let her go to work. Their constant arguing bothered me, so I advised Dad that Mum would be better off with a part-time job. He agreed, and their relationship has improved since then.
My most proud achievement, however, is my successful work in the local old folks' home. My grandparents had raised me since I was a child. I wept (哭泣) bitterly when they died. Unlike many of my classmates, I do not take part in my school's community service to earn points. I enjoy my voluntary work and believe I'm contributing to a worthwhile cause. This is where I can help. I talk to the elderly, assist them with their daily life, and listen to their problems, glory days and the hardships they experienced.
Last year, I hosted a successful New Year party for the elderly and they enjoyed a great time. Many expressed a desire to attend another party the following year. When I reflect on my accomplishments, I'm especially proud of my service at the old folks' home, so I hope to study social work at university and work as a social worker in the future. I wish to be more skilled in attending to the less fortunate as well as find great satisfaction in it, after all.
Many people are trying to learn a new language. Some of them consider it as a hobby, while others have to learn a language because it is required by their jobs or study. As a foreigner who is really interested in Chinese culture, I like learning Chinese.
It is thought that a person needs to know at least 3,000 Chinese characters (汉字) to understand most Chinese newspapers. The problem for most foreigners, however, is that knowing 3,000 characters sounds like an impossible task, for many of the Chinese characters look the same. That's why some people give up halfway. It's the most difficult part for me, too. But I manage to learn how to write each character by watching videos online. Whenever I saw a character I didn't know in the street or on a menu, I would just write it down on my phone and then look it up. Slowly I've learned the characters that are common in daily life.
It's also important to listen to Chinese as much as possible. I downloaded (下载) a lot of listening materials onto my phone and listened to them on the way to school, work and even dates with my friends. I also watched a lot of Chinese TV shows and films, where the words were not so difficult and there were always subtitles (字幕). In this way, I've also learned how to express myself like a native.
As for speaking, I practice talking about different topics in Chinese when I am cycling around, effectively talking to myself or in my head, thinking through different conversations and scenarios (场景). For example, whenever I was going to a shop, I would think how to say that in Chinese. It helps me to think in a Chinese way, which is really important.
Learning a language is never easy. Basically, I just use every tool on hand and take my learning step by step, and I'm still learning new things to this day!
Have you ever imagined what will happen in the ocean when an earthquake happens underground? If you've ever felt a big earthquake or seen one on television you know that it has the power to shake the ground and move large buildings. When a great earthquake happens under the ocean floor, the earthquake's large energy is transferred (转移) to the water above it, creating a series of water waves called a tsunami (海啸). The word comes from the Japanese words tsu (harbor) and nami (wave).
Normal ocean waves have an average wavelength (波长) of about 100 meters and an average height of about 2 meters, while a tsunami can have a wavelength of 193 kilometers or more. Travelling at up to about 800 kilometers per hour in the deep ocean, a tsunami might be at a height of as little as 0.9 meters, which makes it almost impossible to be noticed, even for a ship in the area.
As a tsunami approaches (靠近) a coastline, things begin to change greatly. As it approaches shallow (浅的) waters, the wave speed drops below about 80 kilometers per hour. The wavelength also decreases much, but amplitude—the height of the wave—increases greatly, leading to the huge wall of water along coastlines, which causes great damage to coastal areas.
About 80% of tsunamis happen in the Pacific Ocean. Tsunamis cannot be prevented, but areas that experience tsunamis regularly have developed tsunami warning systems to give as much advance warning as possible to people who live along the coastline. For example, there are tsunami warning signs and warning sirens (警报器) on the top of nearby hills along Japanese coastlines. And many Japanese coastal communities have built tsunami walls, floodgates and others to stop or change the direction of water from incoming tsunamis.
Teenage life: better now, or in the past?
Does this situation sound familiar(熟悉的)?
You're complaining(抱怨) to your parents about something. Maybe your computer isn't powerful enough to play the latest games. Then you hear...
"When I was your age, there weren't any computers or video games. And I didn't get a bike until I was 16. And it was second-hand. "
So is it really true that life is better for teenagers now? It is certainly true that many teenagers have got more things nowadays. So parents have got more money to spend on each child. And many things are cheaper than they were when our parents were children.
Forty years ago, no one could imagine a world with tiny computers and amazing smartphones. And now these things are necessary—we can't imagine living without them!
However, technology often means we spend more time at home. And often it's just us, with our computer or television. Teenagers don't do enough exercise. And, although young people still get on well with their friends, some people think teenagers today don't have so many social activities as the teenagers in the past.
What do you think? How is teenage life better these days?
A. And it was too big for me.
B. A typical family is smaller now.
C. You get very unhappy with this.
D. Or your friends' bikes are better than yours.
E. So they aren't as healthy as the teenagers in the past.
F. Life was not easy in the past.
G. Technology is probably the greatest change in our life.
I was born into a family of educators. Growing up, I heard stories about my grandfather, a headmaster in Guyana. His wife was a teacher. My father and mother continued the 1 , teaching at the secondary school levels. As National Teacher Appreciation Week is approaching, I am 2 by Charles Blow's article in The New York Times to 3 two teachers who have never failed me: my parents.
I hardly remember a period when my parents were not engaged in the act of 4 and teaching. When I was born in1991, my dad, William Panaram, was trying to 5 a doctor's degree in plant science in North Dakota. After we 6 to the Bronx, my mom started night classes to get a master's degree in nutrition. 7 my mom studied, she also managed a full-time job, raised me and learned a new city.
As I watch their schooling 8 , I learn that receiving an education means much more than getting high grades. In fact, a true education has the meaning when its learners 9 .
My parents both show me how to live as a good 10 . Both teach me how to love. My parents — my educators for life — make it 11 that a teacher's job is beyond the classroom. A meaningful teacher stays with students 12 , in mind or in person. I am determined to be a good teacher myself, helping young students think freely and 13 their own ideas, which is a result of living, learning, and loving with my first teachers.
We 14 National Teacher Appreciation Week once a year but the reality is that every single day we need to thank those who 15 more for others than they do for themselves. Who will you thank today?
This is a true story about something that happened to me last summer. I was spending the holiday(happy) with my family at a beach in the south of England. I was very(interest) in exploring the local area, so one morning I(wake) up early and set off along the quiet road. In my eagerness to discover the local area, I forgot ( tell ) my parents where I was going.
It was a hot, sunny morning and I soon felt thirsty, but I was determined to challenge(me) by walking to the highest point. I'm a good walker and so I pushed my way up the hill, although it was quite hard work. At the top, I saw many birds (fly) around their nests(鸟巢). Feeling curious, I left the road and moved towards the nests. Aha, there were some baby birds in the nest. "If I take picture of the baby birds, will I be attacked?" With (butterfly) in my stomach, I held my camera up and pointed it at the birds.
Just then, one of the birds made a loud noise. I was so surprised I dropped my camera! I didn't have time to worryit, though. To protect their nests, the birds started to fly at me one by one to make me go away. I rushed back down the hill. Near the bottom of the hill, I heard a car engine. It was my mum's car! I jumped in and shut the door, looking at her in panic. "Go! Go! Go!" I shouted. I spent the rest of the summer saving up for a new camera.
