Central Park
Explore Central Park, one of the largest city parks in the world and one of the most famous symbols of New York.
Let's have a look at its main sights.
Central Park is New York's largest city park and one of the biggest in the world, with an area of 843 acres (about 3.4km2). This park is home to man-made lakes, waterfalls, grass and wooded areas. You will also find the Central Park Zoo, among other attractions in this greenspace of New York.
Besides being the city's primary green lungs, Central Park is also a favorite spot for many New Yorkers. It is perfect for sunbathing, going for walks, or doing any outdoor sports. Something that we found curious is seeing so many people running with their babies in prams (婴儿车).
On Foot or by Bicycle
To get to know some of the wildest parts of Central Park we suggest walking. However, to get a general feel for the whole park, the best thing to do is hire a bicycle and enjoy the scenery.
If you decide to hire a bike, you will find lots of bike rental stores around Central Park that are not very expensive.
Open Time
From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. From 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Price
Entry to the Park is free. But if you visit some parts like Central Park Zoo, you need to buy a ticket.
Transport
Subway: Line 5, 6, 7, A, B, C and D. Bus: Line M1, M2, M3, M4 and M10.
Nearby places
Metropolitan Museum of Art (447 m) Guggenheim Museum (564 m)
American Museum of Natural History (688 m) Whitney Museum of American Art (1 km) The Frick Collection (1.3 km)
Alicia Quarles has her hands full these days—both of them, at all hours of the day and night.
"Having a baby unexpectedly at 41 is one thing; having twins is a whole other beast," says the global entertainment editor.
Actually, until her pregnancy Quarles had been living at breakneck speed. It went so until last year. "I was exhausted," she says. "I'd been working three jobs, doing my charity and going nonstop. I was afraid my mental health was getting worse." In early August she took herself to the hospital, to see if she was OK. Doctors ran multiple tests and told her that she had had an anxiety attack, and she was 11 weeks pregnant.
"She was stressed and decompensated （代谢失调的）, so everything just came to more than she could handle at
the time," explains doctor Miriam Barnes, who began treating her. "Fortunately, she tried to be positive and seek help from me immediately. I told her not to have any medication at that stage and advised her to take natural therapy （ 疗法）."
A week later Quarles learned that she was having twins. But instead of that news adding to her anxiety, "a total peace came over me, and it felt like it all made sense, " she says. Quarles, who did not take any medication, returned home to her loved ones in North Carolina, where she gave birth to Hudson and Harlow on Feb. 16. "There's nothing like family," she says. "I found out through working on myself in natural therapy that there were a lot of things I hadn't dealt with. I just kept going."
These days Quarles uses social media to document her joyful motherhood journey. Quarles has put her anxiety behind but remains in therapy—and wants to encourage others who feel stressed to get help. "At first I felt guilty and embarrassed, " she admits. "I don't anymore. My message is you can fall down. But you can stand up, by yourself or with the help of others. It's not a shame, and it's a blessing."
As we all know, insects can be remarkably agile (灵活的) in flight. This is really hard to build into flying robots, but MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng Chen has developed an insect-sized drone (无人机) that approaches insects' agility.
Typically, drones require wide open spaces. "If we look at most drones today, they're usually quite big," says Chen. "Most of their applications involve flying outdoors. The question is: Can you create an insect-sized drone that can move around in very crowded and complex spaces?"
According to Chen, he overcame many problems when building the drone. The insect-sized drone requires a fundamentally different construction from a larger one. The large drone is usually powered by a motor, but the motor loses efficiency as you shrink it. So, Chen says, "For an insect-sized drone, you need to look for alternatives." The principal alternative until now has been employing a small, rigid actuator ( 执行器) built from new materials. Chen designed a more agile tiny drone using soft actuators instead of hard ones.
Each actuator can beat nearly 500 times per second and weighs just 0.6 gram, approximately the mass of a large bee. It gives the drone insect-like agility. "You can hit it when it's flying, and it can recover," says Chen. "It can also turn over in the air." The drone looks a bit like a tiny cassette tape with wings, though Chen is also working on a new one shaped like a dragonfly.
Chen says his drone can be useful in industry and agriculture. It can perform machinery inspections to ensure safety and function. Its potential applications include completing search-and-rescue missions following a disaster. "All those things can be very difficult for existing large-scale drones," Chen explains.
Science is a process that builds upon existing theories and knowledge by continuously revising them. Every aspect of scientific knowledge can be questioned, including the general rules of thinking that appear to be most certain. So why is science trustworthy if it is always changing? If tomorrow we will no longer see the world as Newton or Einstein found it to be, why should we take seriously today's scientific description of the world?
The answer is simple: Because at any given moment of our history, this description of the world is the best we have. The fact that it can be made better can't diminish（降低） the fact that it is a useful instrument for understanding the world.
Consider a folk healer's herbal medicine. Can we say this treatment is "scientific"? Yes, if it is proven to be effective, even if we have no idea why it works. In fact, quite a few common medications used today have their origin in folk treatments, and we are still not sure how they work. This does not imply that folk treatments are generally effective. To the contrary, many of them are not. What distinguishes scientific medicine is the readiness to seriously test a treatment and to be ready to change our minds if something is shown not to work. A research doctor in a modern hospital must be ready to change his theory if a more effective way of understanding illness, or treating it, becomes available.
What makes modern science uniquely powerful is its refusal to believe that it already possesses ultimate truth. The reliability of science is based not on certainty but on a complete absence of certainty. As John Stuart Mill wrote in "On Liberty" in 1859, "The beliefs which we have most warrant （依据） for, have no safeguard to rest on, but a standing invitation to the whole world to prove them unfounded."
Important Things to Know When Dining Out
Cultural dining manners might surprise you with some of its important rules.. Knowing some tips will help ensure that you have an enjoyable meal with friends or family一no matter where you are in the world.
Chopstick Rules
The way you handle chopsticks is important to avoid annoying your companions.When you put them down between bites, always put them down together so they are parallel with the edge of the table in front of you. .
Hands or Utensils (餐具)
In India and the Middle East, it's considered very rude to eat with your left hand. People in France expect you to eat with a utensil in each hand. , preferring to use their hands instead. In Chile, you may never touch any food with your fingers. People in Thailand generally use their forks only to push food onto their spoons.
Making Requests
. In Portugal, this would be a serious mistake, because it shows the chef that you don't like their seasoning skills. Similarly, in Italy, never ask for extra cheese to add to your food.
Some of these cultural dining manners may seem random and strange, but they are important in various countries. ,the more comfortable you'll begin to feel with its foreign cultural practices.
A. The more friends you make in your lifetime
B. The more time you spend in any given country
C. Mexicans consider it inappropriate to eat with knives or forks
D. Don't get caught making an embarrassing mistake at a restaurant
E. It's a good sign for the chef if you make a mess around your plate
F. Never stick them upright in your food or cross them as you use them
G. It may seem like a simple request to ask for salt and pepper at a meal
Devi had never been to a swimming lesson in her life. But now that her mother had found a new job in the city, Devi faced a new1 —school field trips to the local pool.
The first time Devi went with her class to the pool, she had no 2 what she was in for. Devi 3 into the water and held onto the side of the pool, expecting to be able to touch the 4 with her feet. But when Devi 5 the side of the pool, she sank under the water. Devi soon 6 the cement ledge ( 水
泥 平 台 ) to prevent herself drowning. Then, seized by 7 , she just sat on a bench, too embarrassed to try again.
When she came home, her mother 8 right away that Devi was upset. "Honey, I made a call to the local pool, and you start lessons this weekend." Devi felt 9 that lessons would help, but she had to 10 her fear.
11 , when the time came to take her first lesson, Devi was even more embarrassed than before. "I'm 13, and I'm taking lessons with all little kids! This is12 !"
When she was standing there, her 13 came over and said, "Hi, Devi! I'm Angela. You know what, I didn't learn to swim until I was 20, and now I'm a swimming teacher!"
Angela's words put Devi14 . She couldn't help but smile, realizing that she might never be a fearless swimmer, but she would sure have fun15 .
Ecotourism is commonly regarded as low impact (影响) travel to undisturbed places. It is different from traditional tourism because it allows the traveler to become (educate) about the areas - both in terms of geographical conditions and cultural characteristics, and often provides money for conservation and benefits the (develop) of the local areas.
Ecotourism has (it) origin with the environmental movement of the 1970s. It was not widely accepted as a travel concept the late 1980s. During that time, increasing environmental awareness made it desirable.
Due to growing popularity of environmentally-related and adventure travel, various types trips are now being classified as ecotourism. Actually, a true eco-friendly trip must meet the following principles:
·Minimize the impact of (visit) the place.
·Build respect for and awareness of the environment and cultural practices.
·Provide (finance) aid and other benefits for local peoples.
·Make sure that the tourism provides experiences for both the visitors and the hosts.
Komodo National Park, officially recognized in 1980, is popular for ecotourism because of its unique biodiversity. (activity) there range from whale watching to hiking (远足) and accommodations aim (have) a low impact on the natural environment.
注意：1.词数 100 左右；2.短文的题目和首句已为你写好。
Our Oceans, Our Responsibility
June 8th was officially named by the UN in 2009 as World Oceans Day.
This past summer, I joined my sister's family for their annual Adirondack vacation in a rented cottage on a lake, the same place my family has stayed since I was a little kid. There are plenty of activities to keep everyone busy: swimming, fishing and sand castle building on the beach.
By the third day, I had noticed that my ten-year-old niece, Jannie, had spent most of her time watching cable TV and browsing through the gift shops in town. Not exactly the wilderness experience I remembered from my youth. So, at dinner, I told Jannie we should hike to the top of the mountain across the lake the following morning, which was called Rocky Point because the peak is bare and rock-covered.
"Well." replied Jannie, "Tomorrow there are some shows on the Disney Channel, so I'm going to be pretty busy." "When your mother and I used to come here when we were your age, we were too busy swimming and hiking up
mountains."
"Sounds more like punishment than a vacation." She shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, I don't think I can walk that far."
When I said it only took a half-hour of steady walking to get to the top. She grumbled(抱怨;嘟囔), "Fine, I'll go."
I knew she was agreeing just to shut me up, but I would take anything I could get.
The next morning was a perfect day for a hike, with sunshine and clear skies. I got up early and took some sandwiches and water bottles, which I tucked into my backpack along with the bug spray(驱虫剂) and the camera.
Jannie came shuffling( 坐立不安) downstairs, sighed dramatically, rolled her eyes and announced in a very unenthusiastic, robot-like voice. "I'm ready to go hiking, Uncle David." Anyway, we climbed into my car and drove to the trailhead(小道起点) about ten minutes away. As we stood at the edge of the parking lot and caught sight of the shaded trail that led into the woods, Jannie said, "I am still not sure this is a good idea, but if you and Mom could do it, I can too, I guess."
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。
Paragraph l: For the moment she was determined to start our journey.
Paragraph 2: A while later we did it to the top.
