【推荐2】WOMAD (World of Music, Arts, and Dance) Festival is a famous event that brings together music fans from all around the world. With its diverse lineup, exciting performances, and celebration of different cultures, WOMAD has become a global leader in music and art.

WOMAD was created in 1980 by musician Peter Gabriel and other artists who wanted to show music and culture from all over the world. The first WOMAD Festival took place in Shepton Mallet, England, bringing together artists from around the world to perform and celebrate their unique musical traditions. As WOMAD grew in popularity, it began hosting festival s in various countries including Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Chile. Each festival offers a diverse lineup of artists representing different genres and cultures.

This mix of music and arts creates an exciting experience for attendees.

By featuring artists from different backgrounds, the festival provides a space for artists and audiences to connect and appreciate the beauty of various cultures. It encourages unity and a global community. One of the highlights of WOMAD Festival is the collaboration between artists. Musicians from different cultures come together to create unique and memorable performances. These collaborations not only produce amazing music but also encourage dialogue and appreciation between cultures.

WOMAD Festival goes beyond music and has made a great effect on social and political matters. It addresses human rights issues and raises awareness about global challenges. The festival inspires attendees to engage with important issues and promotes positive change. The history of WOMAD Festival shows the power of music to. bring people together and overcome differences. From its small beginnings to its global influence, WOMAD continues to attract audiences with its celebration of diversity, collaboration, and the global language of music. As we look to the future, let us embrace the spirit of WOMAD and celebrate the beauty of world music and culture.

【推荐3】BEST CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD

If you’re planning on hitting a cultural festival this year, make sure you check out the background information about some of them.

Burning Man started in 1986, when Larry Harvey and Jerry James built a 8-foot-tall wooden figure and dragged it to San Francisco’s Baker Beach. They lit it on fire and thus one of the world’s strangest, wildest parties was born. It takes place from the last Sunday in August to Labor Day, with an emphasis on freedom, creativity, and self-expression.

Arguably the biggest festival in the world, Brazil’s Carnival is widely considered “the greatest show on Earth”. The event takes place in February or March, attracting nearly 5 million people who’re baking in the heat each year. There are annual samba competitions for the celebration, and the carnival parades are usually the stuff of legend.

Located in Northeast China, Harbin receives some seriously cold winter winds blowing over from Siberia. So why would any healthy person want to visit for this month-long Chinese festival, which officially starts on January 5. Because it’s home to the largest ice sculptures in the world, and the celebration takes over the entire city. Activities in the area during the festival include touring ice lantern exhibitions and swimming in the river’s cold waters.

The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from the Netherlands about properly celebrating the national governor’s birthday. King’s Day is now officially celebrated on April 27 and includes an official government ceremony followed by sporting competitions and family-friendly celebrations. The great climate also makes for ideal conditions for a country-wide flea market you have to see to believe.

【推荐1】Following tips from a tourist guide 15 years ago, Zhao Jiang went to Mahabalipuram, a town, that despite its architectural splendors, golden beach and performing arts, was strictly off the map for Chinese holiday-goers at the time. Then in October, came the news that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have an informal summit at the same seaside resort in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

“I was happy that Tamil Nadu got the chance to host the summit and enjoy the spotlight, and I was proud that what I have learned and am working on has now become well-known,” Zhao, who heads the Tamil language service at China Radio International (CRI), said.

It has been an illuminating journey for Zhao. In the mid-1990s, when she went to study a foreign language at the Communication University of China, she chose her major more on a quirk.

“At that time, the university was offering Bangla, Nepali, Swahili and Tamil as foreign languages. I knew Bangla was spoken in Bangladesh, Nepali in Nepal and Swahili in Tanzania. But I had never heard of Tamil and I had no idea where it was spoken. So I signed up for this unheard-of language,” she said.

Today, she is an expert in Tamil, the predominant language in Tamil Nadu. It is also spoken in Sri Lanka ,Singapore and Malaysia. One of the oldest languages in the world with a history of about 2100 years, its script is formidable, leading to a noted Indian business tycoon calling it “the Great Wall of Tamil.”

【推荐3】Before there was writing, there was storytelling. Every culture has its own stories to tell. Oral storytelling is telling a story using your voice and moving your body. It can include poems, songs, legends, and more.

The Native Hawaian word for story is “mo'olelo.” The word means “to pass down a language" because the stories are shared orally. Native Hawaiian storytellers know a lot about history and family trees. They are special members of their communities. Hawaiian storytelling also uses sons, chants an dances. For example, hula tells a story through dance. Stories are very important to Hawaiians. They are fun to listen to and they teach young Hawaiians about behavior and traditions.

People in many parts of Africa listen to storytellers after dinner. The storyteller's job is to enteitain (娱乐) and educate. The most famous west African stories are about a clever spider named Anansi. Griots are people who tell stories, sing, write about history, and more. There used to be schools where people could learn how to be a griot. Usually, the job stays in a family. It is passed from an older member of the family to a younger member. Both men and women can be griots.

Passover is an important Jewish holiday. It celebrates the Jews' escape from slavery (奴隶制) in Egypt. This escape is called the Exodus. The Passover celebration includes a storytelling tradition called a seder. During the seder, Jews eat a large meal and tell the story of the Exodus. The storytelling begins when the youngest child at the seder asks why this night is different from other nights. The story also explains why the Jews celebrate certain Passover traditions. This story of Exodus is written down in the Jewish book, the Torah.

The seanchai were Irish storytellers. They traveled to different villages to talk about the new and old stories. Many of the stories were about kings and heroes.

Storytelling is not a thing of the past. Today, storytelling is making a comeback, which helps people become more connected in real life.

A．	B．
C．	D．

【推荐1】Trained goldfish demonstrated a remarkable ability to accurately estimate the distance. Spatial navigation (空间导航) in mammals, birds, and reptiles is well understood, but it was unknown whether similar structures existed in fish. This knowledge would allow us to better understand how spatial navigation systems evolved.

Researchers from the University of Oxford tested whether goldfish could perform a task central to spatial mapping-distance estimation — to see if they have similar spatial navigation systems to land species. The study, led by Dr. Adelaide Sibeaux, trained nine goldfish to travel 70 cm within a narrow tank covered with a repeating pattern of vertical stripes (竖条纹) every 2 cm. When the fish reached the predetermined distance, they were prompted by an external cue to turn around and swim back to the starting point. The researchers then tested whether the fish would swim the same distance if the external cue was removed and the starting position was changed. They also tested whether goldfish would swim the same distance when the background pattern was changed.

According to the researchers, the results indicate that goldfish estimate distances by visually streaming the apparent motion patterns of objects in the environment (called “optic flow”). Many land species are known to use optic flow to estimate distance, but goldfish appear to process the information differently. Land animals, including humans, ants, wolf-spiders, and honey bees, estimate distances by measuring how the angle between their eye and surrounding objects changes as they travel. Goldfish, on the other hand, appear to use the number of contrast changes experienced on the way.

“We present strong evidence that goldfish can accurately estimate distance and show that they use optic flow to do so,” says lead author Dr. Adelaide Sibeaux. “These findings support the use of goldfish as a model system for studying the evolution of the mechanisms in vertebrates (脊椎动物).”