【推荐1】Traveling by train may seem like a pain when there are faster ways to get around, but unless you’ve taken a long journey by train, there is no way you can begin to understand how amazing an experience it can be. Trains offer a certain romance (浪漫) which planes and cars never could.

Trains offer you a view like no other. When you fly in a plane, yes, the view is breathtaking for the first part of the flight and the final part, but the flight itself means pretty much clouds or darkness—both of which get real boring and real fast. And by car, the actual act of driving and navigating (导航) means that you don’t really get to fully take things in. The train offers a comfy (轻松的) spot that gives you the chance to relax and enjoy the beauty around you. Many have said that they’d never known how beautiful their own country is until having the chance to see it from the train. There is something magical about travelling around the country using one of the oldest known methods of transportation. It’s so...Orient Express...without the murder of course!

If you’re inspired by this article enough to want to consider a trip enjoying the train, then my first suggestion would be a trip in and around Europe. You’ve likely heard of Eurail which is the best way to get all around Europe, but before we get into that,know that many European countries still use the old fashioned locomotives (火车头) for regional trips. Imagine travelling along the beautiful countryside of Portugal or Austria in a compartment. The quiet setting, the history and the magic is enough to take your breath away. That really is the ultimate in travel.

【推荐3】Best Hotels Along the California Coast

Crystal Cove Beach Cottages

These 1938 beachfront rooms occupy a part of Newport Beach’s Crystal Cove State Park. At the beginning, developed as a movie set, these attractive houses, now repainted in lively beach style, aim to remain the original look with Murphy beds.

Advance booking is required, as the rooms sell out the moment they are available (可获得的).

www.crystalcove.org.

Montage Laguna Beach

Standing guard over 30 beachfront acres, Montage Laguna Beach transports you to that pleasant house with marble baths, comfortable bedding and ocean views.

Three swimming pools, including one just for kids and another relaxation space, four onsite restaurants and a kids club are just a small part of the outstanding service offered by this hotel.

www.montagehotels.com.

Terranea

Just south of Los Angeles, atop the Palo Verdes Peninsula, Terranea offers ocean-view guest rooms along with heated baths and rain showers.

Families love the huge swimming pool, the water slide, the kids program, the nightly bonfire (篝火) and the selection of kid-friendly restaurants. The young appreciate the dirt road that snakes away into the distance.

www.terranea.com.

El Capitan Canyon

Just north of Santa Barbara in a coastal corner, El Capitan Canyon promotes a life lived outdoors, with some extra comfort.

Guests stay in heated tents (帐篷) decorated in the Native American style with raised beds, and private outdoor picnic tables. Guests can also access a swimming pool, and taste dinners at the award-winning restaurant.

www.elcapitancanyon.com.

【推荐2】Each year, the women of Olney and Liberal compete in an unusual footrace. Dressed in aprons (围裙) and headscarves, they wait at both towns’ starting lines. Each woman holds a frying pan with one pancake inside. At the signal, the women flip (轻抛) pancakes and they’re off!

This “pancake racing” tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday, 1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent (大斋戒) begins. During Lent, many people decide to give up sugary or fatty foods.

Legend says that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes to use up some of her sugar and cooking fats before Lent. She lost track of time and suddenly heard the church bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the door still wearing her apron and headscarf and holding her frying pan with a pancake in it. In the following years, the woman’s neighbors imitated her dash to church, and pancake racing was born.

The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They must flip their pancakes twice - once before starting and once after crossing the finish line. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church   services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and declare a winner.

In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney’s festival is an all-day event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a talent show, and contests that feature eating and flipping pancakes. Although the women’s race is still the main event, both towns now hold additional races for boys and girls of all ages.

【推荐3】In response to the rumor that “80% of Tsinghua graduates go abroad”, Tsinghua University clearly stated: “NO!”

Data show that the proportion of 2023 graduates of Tsinghua University going abroad for further study is 8.0%. Among them, the proportion of undergraduate students (本科生) studying abroad is 15.6%, and the proportion of undergraduate students studying in China is 65.2%. The proportion of master students (研究生) going abroad for further study is 5.9%. The proportion of domestic advanced education was 6.9%. In addition, according to the “Tsinghua People” mini-program registration information of Tsinghua Alumni Association, most of the alumni (校友) who have studied abroad in the past 20 years have returned to work after completing their studies and play a backbone in all walks of life.

What industries do Tsinghua graduates go into? According to the statistics of Tsinghua University, 83.0% of the graduates of 2023 are employed in key units in important fields related to the national economy and people’s livelihood, covering many important industries such as national defense science and technology, manufacturing and energy industries, information communication and Internet, public administration and service institutions of higher learning and research institutes.

Where do Tsinghua graduates go? According to statistics provided by Tsinghua University, 53.8 percent of its 2023 graduates are employed outside Beijing. In the past 10 years, most graduates of Tsinghua University have gone to work outside Beijing, and the number of employment in the national defense and military industry and the western region has continued to rise.

The university also announced the most employable employers for the class of 2023. Among them, the top two state-owned enterprises are China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and State Grid Corporation, and the top two private enterprises are Huawei and BYD.