In the UK, the best racecourses (赛马场) are in all corners of the country, which means that it is accessible for all fans of the sport to see the biggest stars. So, what are the four best racecourses in the UK?
Cheltenham
Nothing comes close to excitement levels when the Cheltenham Festival is approaching. It is the home of National Hunt racing, and every year millions of fans are glued to the horse racing on the track. It is the festival for the die-hard lovers of the sport, as the racing takes front and centre of the attention as the biggest prizes are handed out.
Aintree
The race that draws the viewers to the sport is the Grand National. The race is an essential part of British life, as everyone makes a habit of watching the race annually with friends and family. It is a perfect course for visitors too, as it is situated just a short distance outside of Liverpool. There is extra emphasis on fashion when attending Aintree.
Ascot
For lovers of flat racing (无障碍平地赛马), Ascot meetings are a must. The biggest of the season is Royal Ascot, which is one of the most fashionable race days on the calendar, as all visitors entering certain zones must be wearing a top hat. However, there is no better reason to get dressed up.
Newmarket
Newmarket is a hotbed full of racing fans, and is a must-visit for all lovers of the sport. It is the headquarters of flat racing, as the whole town is devoted to the sport. There are two racecourses, the July Course and the Rowley Mile. The final race day of the season takes place in October. Regardless of when you visit in the season, you will feast your eyes!
At first sight, Alma Deutscher, a twelve-year-old girl from England appears to be like any other typical pre-teen. She loves to skip rope, read and play with her younger sister. But this modest youngster, who composed her first musical work at age six, first short opera at age seven, and first full-length opera based on Cinderella at age ten, is anything but average. Though her parents downplay her extraordinary talent, young Alma is being described as "little Mozart" by the music world
Alma's operatic take on the classic fairy tale, which she began writing at age eight, has a slight twist. Her Cinderella is a musician who meets her Prince Charming through a song. "In my Cinderella, she sings the beginning of a ballad — but at midnight she flees. Eventually, the prince finds her after asking all the maidens of the land to sing the end of the ballad."
The opera was first performed in Vienna, Australia on December 29, 2016, where the then eleven-year-old skillfully switched between the piano and the violin and receives enthusiastic reviews. The young genius has since performed two new piano works, once in Australia and the other in China.
While this may appear to be a lot for someone so young, Alma is not worried. She says, "of course I have to work hard. But all children have to work hard for exams, and at least when I work hard, I work hard for something incredibly exciting, like seeing my whole opera put on stage."
Alma's musical talent first came to light before she could even talk. Her parents recall that as an 18-month-old toddler, she was able to hum a pitch perfect version of the children's rhyme
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
However, Alma's abilities only gained international attention in 2012, after a family friend posted a video online comparing her to Mozart. The family was suddenly swamped with media requested and Alma became an overnight star, dubbed "little Mozart". This nickname makes her parents unhappy because they believe it puts added pressure on the young girl. They would instead prefer her to be called "a composer and musician".
Alma does not want to be compared to the famous artist either, saying, "There was only one Mozart, and I prefer to be little Alma." Regardless of what she calls herself, the twelve-year-old is changing the world of music forever!
Your mobile phone vibrates in your pocket. ‘Need to see you,' reads the screen. Nothing new, considering that texting is currently the most common form of long-distance communication. But how were messages conveyed in the past?
One of the first methods was the smoke signal. This practice was used by Chinese soldiers guarding the Great Wall to warn of the enemy's approach. The Greeks invented a whole alphabet of smoke signals for sending messages. But it was Native Americans who made the system mobile by carrying small bunches of dried grasses around with them. These could be lit quickly from any place at any time.
Moving on to messages transmitted by sound, an early technique was the drum. Drums are still used today in the rainforests of Africa, Papua New Guinea and Central and South America for broadcasting news. The instrument is made from a piece of wood, which is empty inside, and this is hit with a stick. On receiving the message, each village passes it on to the next, which means that news can travel at up to 150 km an hour.
In some parts of the world, humans are able to convey messages over long distances without using instruments. On La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands, people use Silbo, or the ‘whistling language' to communicate across the valleys. The language involves the use of the tongue, lips and hands to make sounds, which can travel up to 5 km. To ensure its continuation, Silbo is currently a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools on the island.
A look at long-distance communication would not be complete without mentioning the art of yodelling. This is a form of singing, in which the voice changes sound levels very quickly, making it easily heard over long distances. It is believed that the technique was developed in the Swiss Alps, but it is also found in other places such as Central Africa. At one time, yodelling was popular in theatres and music halls, but this is no longer so.
D Shouting in a loud voice.
Daily physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. For this reason, many architects and designers are working to create buildings that encourage people to make exercise a part of their ordinary routine. The movement to promote healthy activity through architecture is called active design. It began in 1998 as part of a university public health program, and it has since gained popularity in cities around the world. Active design uses a number of techniques to encourage the occupants of a building to be more active.
One of the most important strategies of active design is inspiring people to make walking part of their routine. A particularly successful tool for promoting walking is the skip-stop elevator. These elevators stop only on every second or third floor, leaving riders to take the stairs in order to reach their destination. Another strategy of active design is to make stairs more pleasant and inviting. Instead of creating dark stairwells that are located in isolated parts of buildings, active design uses well-lit and centrally placed stairs to encourage more foot traffic. Skip-stop elevators and appealing stair design are both effective tools of active design because they offer incentive and opportunity for exercise. In fact, researchers studying a building that employs both skip-stop elevators and more attractive stair design said that 70 percent of building occupants reported using the stairs every day.
Active design encourages physical activity using not only the interior features of a building, but the relationship between a building and its surroundings as well. A building that employs active design may integrate outdoor space in order to make the environment more engaging and promote physical activity. Some elements that architects use to incorporate the exterior with the interior are glass walls, interior gardens or park spaces, and courtyards with open ceilings, all of which de-emphasize the boundaries between inside and outside. These elements make the building more physically and mentally invigorating. Similarly, by increasing the number of entrances and exits to a building, architects can help keep a building's users interested in their surroundings by providing a variety of routes for them to use. If people continue to be stimulated by new sights or experiences, they are less likely to choose the quickest and easiest path to their destination and may instead choose a more physically challenging route.
Earlier this year I removed all Internet services from my home, which was very upsetting at first.
I was not content with the time I was wasting—I felt I could spend it in doing more purposeful things than on the Internet. If there is something I want to research on the Internet, I write it down and use that list when I have access to the Internet. . I'll go to the office, the library, the coffee shop or some other places with free public Wi-Fi, and work on what I need to do online.
. I use the Internet with the intention of doing things such as logging on to watch some You Tube videos or laughing at funny pictures. Whenever I'm on the Internet now, I use it in a deliberate way that benefits me and adds value.
. I could focus on writing without being disturbed. I have more time to read, to write, to think, to exercise and to walk. Because I'm out of the house, I meet new people. Additionally, I have more time for friends and I feel less stressed and my thoughts are clearer. My mind is more focused on important things. . Plus, I no longer long for the Internet like I once did.
A. I don't have a monthly Internet bill.
B. Now the Internet is a tool I use to improve my life.
C. Now I'm forced to leave the house to use the Internet.
D. This doesn't mean I think the Internet is bad or wrong.
E. Since I got rid of the Internet at home, I've found so many benefits.
F. Here are some of my tips for using the Internet in a more productive way.
G. But it ended up being the most productive and wisest decision I've ever made.
When I was a child, my father taught me five words that I've used all my life — in my acting career, as a mother, in my business activities. If I 1 that I was afraid of the dark, or if I seemed worried about meeting new people, Dad would say, "Stand porter to your find."
A porter is a gatekeeper, who stands at a door 2 people in or out. Dad would get me to 3 myself stopping destructive things — such as fear — at the door, but saying "Come in" to faith, love and confidence.
As a(n) 4 before I went on camera, I'd make sure anxiety stayed out and confidence in my ability came in. As a mother, when I was 5 about my children, I would try not to let worry in but would 6 my mind with trust in them.
Of course there were always times I'd 7 those words.
In 1972 my husband, Fillmore Crank, and I opened the doors to our own 8 in North Holly wood. This was a new business venture for us, and it was a lot more 9 and complicated than we had 10 .
We were on call 24 hours a day. Something was always going wrong. Electricity went on the blink, food wasn't delivered, employees called in sick. Once, a pandemic suddenly left us with no servants. Fillmore gave me a 11 : scrub floors or do the laundry. For 10 days I folded enough king-size sheets to blanket the whole state of California.
Then there was the 12 crisis. The price of gasoline doubled, and tourism in California 13 . How could we fill our beds? What if we kept losing money? What if we failed? Fear and worry were sneaking in. But I caught them just 14 . I stood porter.
I stood in the door of my mind and sent fear packing.
These days at the hotel, whenever fear tries to register, I just smile and point to the sign that 15 No Vacancy.
Confucius and Chinese Philosophy
(bear)in 551 BC, Confucius has made the greatest contribution to Chinese culture of anyone in history. he was raised in a poor family, he visited famous scholars and learned a lot. He developed his thoughts into a system of philosophy, (know) as Confucianism, emphasized(注重) self-cultivation, harmonious relationships with each other and respect the elderly. Friends should be honest to each other. (rule)should make an effort (provide) a happy life for people. Meanwhile, he was a great teacher who devoted himself to（promote）education for ordinary people. He travelled around to publicize(宣传) his political thinking but failed. But he never gave up. Over the last 2000 years, his philosophy (continue) to influence China as well as rest of the world. He is considered as the symbol of oriental(东方的) culture as well.
1. 基本信息：位于中国北部，总长度超过21000公里；拥有超过2000年的历史，在古代用于防御外敌(invaders)入侵；
2. 推荐理由：
1) 登上长城，可以欣赏周围的美丽风光；
2) 见证多个朝代的兴衰，可以了解中国的历史和传统；
3) 其他吸引人之处(自拟)
注意：
1. 词数80以上；
2. 要求使用语言结构：非谓语动词，倒装句；
3. 可增加连接成分，使结构清晰，行文连贯；
4. 信的开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
I'm so glad to know that you are coming to China this summer vacation.
Yours,
Li Hua
