【推荐3】Seasonal city breaks: 4 of the best pre-Christmas European getaways to start your festive spirit.

Zagreb, Croatia

The Croatian capital takes the Christmas seriously, with street decorations, outdoor concerts and a traditional Christmas market. Most of the action is centred on Ban Josip Jelacic Square, which has a history of more than 3 centuries, and European Square. The two squares have market stands and live music performances given by popular musicians.

The recommended hotel: President Pantovcak — Doubles: £200 (a parent and a kid with a 10% discount)

Malaga, Spain

Start your day at the Casa Aranda before diving into the Atarazanas Market. In the afternoon, take your pick of the city’s cultural spots the Picasso Museum, or the Centre Pompidou Malaga. Then head to Calle Marques de Larios, the main shopping place, at dusk when the Christmas lights are switched on: the sight attracts visitors from all over Spain.

The recommended hotel: Room Mate Larios — Doubles: £250 (a parent and a kid with a 20% discount)

Le Touquet, France

From 30 November, the trees lining the avenues of this city are decorated with fairy lights, and there are facilities, like a skating spot and horse-drawn carriage rides. The pedestrianized (步行的) street Rue St. Jean is lined with stores selling everything from chocolates to jewellery. Join the locals in gathering cheese at the Marche Couvert and wines at the excellent Le Touquet-Vins.

The recommended hotel: Hotel Bristol — Doubles: £180 (a parent and a kid with a 10% discount)

Aarhus, Denmark

Head to the Latin Quarter for independent stores, cafes and a great Christmas market. Shop for Scandi homeware (家居用品) and fashion on Stroget, the city’s important shopping street, before heading to the rooftop of the historic Sailing Department store, for a glass of wine with views of the city lit up for Christmas.

The recommended hotel: The Mayor Hotel — Doubles: £200 (a parent and a kid with a 20% discount)

【推荐1】Generations of children grew up reading comic(漫画) books secretly, hiding out from parents and teachers who saw them as a waste of time and a risk to young minds. Comics are now gaining a new respectability at school. That is thanks to an increasingly popular and creative programme, often aimed at struggling readers, that encourages children to plot, write and draw comic books, in many cases using themes from their own lives.

The Comic Book Project was started in 2001 by Michael Bitz at an elementary school in Queens. Since its creation, the programme, which is mainly conducted after school, has spread to more than 850 schools across the country. It has gotten a big push from the craze(狂热) among adolescents for comic book clubs and for Manga, a widely popular variety of comic originating in Japan.

The point is not to drop a comic book on a child’s desk and say “read this”. Rather, the workshops give groups of students the opportunity to collaborate(合著) on often complex stories and characters that they then revise, publish and share with others in their communities.

Teachers are finding it easier to teach writing, grammar and punctuation with material that students are fully invested in(投入). And it turns out that comic books have other built-in advantages. The pairing of visual and written plotlines that they rely on appear to be especially helpful to struggling readers. No one is suggesting that comic books should substitute for traditional books or for standard reading and composition lessons. Teachers who would once have dismissed comics out of hand are learning to exploit(利用) a style that clearly has a powerful hold on young minds. They are using what works.

【推荐2】Western artist R.V.(Ron) Jahns creates his unique western wildlife paintings by tapping into (利用) his vast experience of true life. He has rich western experience in the mountains in the great Northwest.

Ron paints from the heart and his experience as a cowboy in the West. He has a particular passion for the mountains from Eastern Oregon to Alaska and draws from his many years of mountain adventures as inspiration for his western paintings. Born and raised on a farm, this cowboy artist is very knowledgeable about the subjects of his western art. Ron struggles for historical accuracy in his western cowboy paintings when an artist gives a false description of the facts about cowboys in the West!

Living in Alaska for 17 years added a new factor to Ron’s western art. As a hunter and fisherman he observed the wildlife in its natural setting and has conveyed this spirit to his canvas(油画). Ron’s western art can be viewed throughout the United States, in Europe and through occasional private showings. You can find western wildlife paintings by Ron at various art shows throughout the year. For a list of art shows the cowboy artist will be attending, visit his Art Show page. Although he is a self-taught western artist, Ron himself has taught painting in colleges and through private lessons. Ron is quite a storyteller and the last of an old kind of cowboy poets and western storytellers. If you’ve met Ron at the Flea Markets in Sumpter, Oregon then you no doubt have already had a taste of his knack (技能) for telling tall tales and sharing his original cowboy poems of true life on a farm.

【推荐3】What could driving a race car and pointing a camera at the Milky Way have in common? More than you might imagine. Race car driver Bubba Wallace and photographer Batak Tefreshi made a journey together to remote Gooseberry Mesa, for an adventure aimed at taking pictures of the night sky.

Gooseberry Mesa, far from population centers, is protected from the nighttime light pollution, making it perfect for star photographers. Nature night environments such as this are rare.

Camping, hiking, and shooting stars in mountainous Mesa stress the similarity between photography and racing. Bubba notes, “Once you start the engine there’s no turning back—I know I’ll be in that seat for more than three hours.” Batak agrees, “I have the same feeling as soon as I touch the wheel of my camera—I’m ready to continue through the entire night.” For Bubba, developing patience allowed him to become a better driver and it is equally important to his photography.

Seizing the moment is crucial too. “Every minute things are changing—the Earth’s shadow, the moonlight, the rise of stars,” Batak explains. “If you lose the moment, it’s gone forever.” Bubba finds the physical and mental demands of racing as important when travelling in Utah’s rough landscapes under freezing temperatures.

Think incoming clouds, wind, or mist will ruin your chance at a perfect photo? According to Batak. “With wide-angle nightscapes every unexpected weather condition can be an opportunity. Our photos show oranges and blues around the moon you wouldn’t see under a clear sky.”

The team discovered shared interests that go beyond photography. “We are both crazy about bringing cultures together and using our work to break down boundaries(边界),” says Batak. “The night sky has a unifying power. The sky connects the whole world under one umbrella.”

【推荐1】Begin your global journey

At University of Wisconsin (UW)-Eau Claire, you’ll find your investment pays off well before you graduate. Because here, we believe that your journey is just as important as your destination. You will have many opportunities to develop: from internships (实习) to undergraduate research to foreign cultural experiences. We seek students who are curious, innovative and compassionate. If this sounds like you, submit your application to join our big family!

Admission application process

To complete an application for admission, submit the following:

1. Online application;

2. 25 USD application fee;

3. Evidence of English proficiency;

4. Financial documentation;

5. Academic records;

6. Passport copy.

Submit the supporting documents listed above by including them with your UW-Eau Claire specific application. You may also submit application materials to admissions@uwee.edu.

Paying for college

2023—2024 undergraduate student estimated expenses (The numbers below are in USD per academic year):

Tuition and fees: $18,460

Housing and meals: $8,800

Health insurance: $1,900

Application deadlines

We accept applications February 1 — June 1 for admission the upcoming fall term (September) and August 1—November 1 for admission the upcoming spring term (February). We must receive all of your required application materials prior to the deadline. Start applying early!

Check your application status

To check your application status, as well as other important steps in the enrollment process, you must first activate your Campus Account. The information you will be able to access through your Campus Account includes the following:

·View your admission decision in real time;

·Track the progress of your completed next steps after admission;

·Pay your enrollment fee of $500;

·Sign up for Orientation (迎新会) when you are qualified.

Please note that official admission decisions will always be sent via US Mail.

【推荐2】What is bodysurfing?

Bodysurfing is related to riding on a wave with no help from aid tools such as a surfboard. That’s why it is called the “purest” form of surfing. In fact, it is one of the very few extreme sports—free climbing and cliff diving are others—that can be practiced using nothing but the human body.

How do you do it?

To catch a wave, swim to where the waves break and, as one approaches, start swimming towards the beach. You must try to travel at the same speed as the wave and, if you do it correctly, you will feel the wave lifting you and pushing you forwards. Then try and cut along the surface of the wave.

What do you need?

It is more enjoyable and safer if you use flippers (large flat rubber shoes). This is because they enable you to swim faster and surf along them more easily. A wetsuit is also advisable. Another aid is a handboard, a mini-surf board about the size of an iron, held in one hand to speed up along the wave. If you are lucky enough to be surfing in warm water，make sure you have your boardshorts (冲浪短裤) at the ready.

Unofficial world championships

Bodysurfing is not a professional sport, but in Hawaii there is such a festival called the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic each year. Local bodysurfers compete against athletes from places such as Australia, Brazil, Japan and France. Famous bodysurfer Mike Stewart has won the event no fewer than 12 times, and Kelly Slater, the greatest surfer in history, has also competed.