Travelers are always looking for inspiration to guide their trips. Coming up with a list of places to visit can be challenging when you're staring at a globe. What are the top tourist attractions in the world? Here comes our list.
The Acropolis, Athens
Follow in the footsteps of ancients as you walk up the same steps that have been walked on since 438 BC. Views out over the city are incredible as you walk between the well-restored old buildings. Near the end of the day, you'll want to stay and watch the sunset from the stairs near the entrance.
The Taj Mahal, India
India is filled with incredible cities and amazing places to visit, but the 17th-century Taj Mahal is the one that says you've been to India. This mausoleum（陵墓）, built by Shah Jahan for his wife, is known internationally as a symbol of love. This fantastic structure, made with precious stones, has to be visited to be fully appreciated.
Petra, Jordan
You may have an Indiana Jones feeling as you walk through a 1.2-kilometer-long narrow crack in the sandstone hills and emerge into a hidden city. Impressive buildings are carved directly into the red rock walls and are wonderfully preserved, just begging to be explored and photographed.
Grand Canyon, USA
The greatest natural attraction in the United States, the Grand Canyon is a key sight for all travelers planning their lifetime of adventures. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking out over the carved landscape will awaken your senses. Several hikes in the canyon and along the edge offer unique perspectives.
On May 21, 2022, Tom Turcich of New Jersey became the 10th person to walk around the world. Over seven years, he walked 48,000 kilometers across six continents and 38 countries, most of which with his dog Savannah.
Speaking to CNN, Turcich explained that after a friend died in an accident at age 17, he started to look at life differently and decided to go on a journey around the world. It took over eight years of saving and planning before Turcich finally left his home on April 2, 2015, just before his 26th birthday, on his way to Panama. He had a stroller to carry his hiking equipment: a sleeping bag, a laptop, a camera and a box of food.
About four months into the journey, Turcich adopted Savannah from an animal shelter in Texas. She joined him for the rest of the trip, becoming the first dog to walk around the world. The pair walked around 30-40 kilometers a day, spending most nights camping. Some parts could not be done on foot, however, such as when Turcich and Savannah took a boat from Uruguay to Antarctica. In late 2017, Turcich had to return home to recover from an illness he got while traveling through Ireland and the UK.
He and Savannah started walking again in May 2018, going through Europe, North Africa and Turkey before getting stuck in Azerbaijan for six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were able to travel to Kyrgyzstan before taking a plane to Seattle. From there, he and Savannah walked back to New Jersey.
Turcich said the most difficult place to walk through was "deserted" Wyoming. Now that he's back home, Turcich says he wants to stay in one place for a while, and write a book about his trip.
Next time you consider striking up a conversation with a stranger in line at the grocery store or while waiting at the laundry, keep in mind that it might be beneficial for your well-being. A recent study by a group of researchers found that there is a link between happiness and a term that the researchers coined called "relational diversity."
Using public data from sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the World Health Organization, the researchers analyzed data sets and survey responses from people who had shared their daily habits, schedules and interactions. They noticed a clear relationship between relational diversity and overall levels of satisfaction.
Hanne Collins, a Harvard Business School doctoral student who co-authored the study, says that relational diversity is composed of two elements: richness and evenness. Richness measures relationship categories, or how many kinds of people you interact with in a day. That could be your romantic partner, a family member, a neighbor or a stranger. "The more relationship categories they talk to in a day and the more even their conversations are across those categories, the happier they are. And we find this in a large sample across many countries," Collins said. Evenness relates to the distribution of conversations among those different relationship categories. Some people may find themselves interacting with colleagues at work more than, say, their family members. "If you have a few conversations with colleagues, a few with friends, a few with a romantic partner or a couple of chats with strangers, that's going to be more even across these categories," Collins explained.
Ultimately, Collins says, the study gives insight to the idea that humans are social creatures at heart. Having a support system is important, but it goes beyond your inner circle. "It's about this mix. It's about connecting with people who are close to you, who are maybe less close to you, who connect you with other people, who provide different kinds of support, "she said. "Essentially, the idea is that the more diverse your social connections, the happier you are and the higher your well-being."
Mosquitoes see red when they look at your skin, and that brings them in for a bite, according to new research showing that these insects find certain colors more attractive.
The findings mean that what you wear can reduce your chances of being bitten, but there's little you can do in terms of your skin. That's because everyone's skin gives off a strong red-orange signal that's highly attractive to mosquitoes.
"I used to say there are three major signals that attract mosquitoes: your breath, your sweat and the temperature of your skin," said senior study author Jeffrey Riffell, a professor of biology at the University of Washington in Seattle. "In this study, we found a fourth signal: the color red, which can be found not only on your clothes, but also in everyone's skin. The shade of your skin doesn't matter, we' re all giving off a strong red signal."
Researchers found that when a common species of mosquito called Aedes aegypti detects carbon dioxide（CO2）from our breath, it then looks for specific colors-including red, orange and black—to find its meal of blood. But it ignores colors such as green, purple, blue and white.
"Mosquitoes appear to use smell to help them distinguish what is nearby, like a host to bite," Riffell said. "When they detect specific compounds, like CO2 from our breath, that smell stimulates the eyes to scan for specific colors and other visual patterns, which are associated with a potential host, and then they head to them."
That process is similar to when a person smells something good. "Imagine you' re on a sidewalk and you smell pies," Riffell said. "That's probably a sign that there's a bakery nearby, and you might start looking around for it. Here, we started to learn what visual elements mosquitoes are looking for after smelling their own version of a bakery."
Knowing which colors do or don't tempt mosquitoes may lead to better repellents（驱虫剂）, traps and other methods to prevent mosquitoes.
I am an editor of an American magazine. The other day, a teenager wrote me an email. The following is the content: I am good at English and Chinese, but learning math is very difficult for me. So I get very tired and bored of math. Do you know any advice on how to learn math? The following is my reply to him:
Math is that subject for you as it was for me and countless others. You've already completed the first step by identifying math as your primary subject to improve. Now you just need to act.
First, you can preview the lesson before class or days in advance. So you won't fall behind during class.
How much do you study? Make math your priority. You can also ask for your classmates' assistance. Someone who is getting top marks in your math class may be able to spend some time helping you out. Studying can also include watching videos of math concepts that your don't understand.
We don't want to blame others for our issues. But it is also possible that your teacher isn't making class as fun as he or she can. It is just the way of student life. In this case, you will have to be proactive（积极主动的）. If you can think of any fun games to play to use math concepts you have learned, I am sure your teacher wouldn't mind hearing them.
A. It may become a little easy for you.
B. How do you do your math homework?
C. I can't even follow the teacher during class.
D. Some teachers will be more "boring" than others.
E. Some subjects in school will require more effort than others.
F. That way, you can prepare yourself for the material ahead of time.
G. They might help simplify complicated topics and make learning fun.
Silence is important for learning. I got it from my fourteen-month-old daughter Arielle.
One day, she sat on the floor with an old baby doll. Without buttons, it could neither 1 nor play music. The whole room was silent. Then Arielle began to explore the baby doll. When her hand touched a tiny 2 . she used one finger to trace（勾画）its shape. Then she 3 one of her own ears and then both ears. She kept tracing the doll's ear and her own a few more times until, 4 , she turned her attention elsewhere.
At that moment I discovered how human 5 took place. Something stimulated Arielle's 6 : Is her body like her doll's? With no outside stimulation, she satisfied her curiosity by comparing the doll's body and herself. 7 , for many kids, experiences like Arielle's are less and less frequent 8 children are surrounded by those so-called 9 toys which can talk and move at the push of a button. This 10 them to push buttons repeatedly without thinking and may rob（剥夺）children of opportunities to solve problems.
Like adults, children need time that is 11 to experience the difference between just reacting to outside stimulation and 12 their own ideas by exploring the world.
Indeed, the toys most likely to encourage creative play are not those that make 13 or have lots of unnecessary functions. 14 , they are simple, quiet and can be used in lots of different ways. So next time, when 15 what to buy your child, make a wise choice.
Originally constructed around 256 BC by the State of Qin as an irrigation（灌溉）and flood control system, Dujiangyan is a remarkable example of ancient engineering skill and is still use today. During the Warring States period, people lived along the banks of the Min River were troubled by annual flooding. Qin governor and irrigation engineer Li Bing investigated the problem （thorough）. He led a team （construct）a levee（堤坝）to redirect a portion of the river's flow. Then they cut a channel through Mount Yulei to discharge the extra water. After the system （finish）, no more floods occurred. What's more, it made Sichuan one of the most productive agricultural （region）in China because the redirected water from the Min River could be used for irrigation. If you visit Dujiangyan, you will see unusual construction that resembles a fish's mouth. This famous （attract）, Yuzui, together with two other important parts, namely, Feishayan and Baopingkou, was scientifically designed to control the water flow throughout the year （recognize）as a UNESCO heritage site, Dujiangyan has irrigated farms while （prevent）floods for over 2,000 years.
注意： 1. 词数 80左右; 2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Tom,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
I live in a small but lovely neighborhood. Our house is neither large nor luxurious, but it has a fairly big garden. My father loves his garden. He planted some seeds in it and took good care of the plants, watering them, applying fertilizer, weeding and getting rid of bugs. He was never tired of doing all that stuff. But at that time, I didn't understand why working in the dirt excited him so much.
Unfortunately, in the summer vacation before senior high school, my father was seriously injured in an accident. He had to stay in bed for a while. My mother had several business trips, so she couldn't take care of the garden. I didn't want my father to worry, so I said that I would take care of his garden until he recovered. I assumed that the little plants would continue to grow as long as they had water, and luckily it rained fairly often, so I didn't think much about the garden.
One Saturday morning, my father said to me, "Christine, the vegetables should be about ready to be picked. Let's have a salad today! " I went out to the garden and was upset to see that many of the lettuce（生菜）leaves and carrots had been half eaten by bugs. There were hundreds of bugs all over them!
I panicked for a moment but then I quietly went to the nearest supermarket to buy some vegetables. When I was making the salad, my mother came home and saw the bag from the supermarket in the kitchen. I was embarrassed and admitted, "Dad would like a salad, but the garden is a disaster. I don't want to disappoint him, so I went to the store and bought some vegetables." My mother smiled, saying, "Honey, you know what is the right thing to do."
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。
My father seemed very pleased when I took the salad to him. …… Feeling guilty, I decided to do the right thing. |
