With over 2,000 animals and more than 400 species, the whole family will learn so much about animals and conservation here. Bring your walking shoes because the Dallas Zoo is 106 acres, and you want to be comfortable as you walk from the gorillas to the giraffe feeding area and everywhere in between. For a behind-the-scenes tour of the Dallas Zoo operations, sign the family up for a 90-minute guided tour called the Backstage Safari.

When the summer gets hot, it’s nice to have some indoor fun with kids. Check out the Legoland Discovery Center, where the whole family can play with LEGO Bricks or take photos with their favorite characters from LEGO films. Relax in the 4D cinema and watch some stellar short, action-packed films. Grab a quick snack at the cafe before letting the kids run wild on the playground.

Dallas may not be anywhere near an ocean, but that doesn’t mean the family can’t learn about the fish and mammals that call it home. At the Dallas World Aquarium, which is housed in a couple of old storehouses in Downtown Dallas' West End Historic District, the family can admire colorful fish, sharks and sea animals while walking through the aquarium.

Walk through 66 acres of beautiful parkland, creative nature displays, and an ever-changing selection of art. Children will love exploring the Rory Meyer’s Children’s Adventure Garden. In addition to an adventure bridge, the garden has various interactive exhibits that teach kids about the science of nature and space. Families with older children might enjoy cooking classes or Thursday night concerts in the arboretum.

The giant panda is one of the most popular animals in the world. A giant panda can grow up to 1.5 meters long and weigh up to 160kg. People think the giant panda is very lovely. ①So it is not surprising that the World Wide Fund for Nature chose the giant panda as its symbol. The WWF tells people about animals that they are in danger and raises money to save them.

The giant panda only lives in the wild in China. In the early 1980s, were only 1,000 left in the wild. The main reason why pandas are endangered is that the area where pandas can live has become smaller.

The WWF works to help giant pandas in the wild in many ways. One of the ways that helps them is to increase the size of panda reserves. Some reserves need to be joined together by planting bamboo between them to make “corridors”. These are paths that lead from one reserve to another. No one may harm the pandas in these areas. The corridors let pandas move from one habitat to another to look for food. ②People are working very hard to make sure the giant panda does not die out. (213 words)

【推荐3】The forest was full of shadows as Sylvie hurried through it one summer evening in June. The child hurried the cow through the dark forest to her grandmother’s home.

Suddenly the air was cut by a sharp whistle not far away. Sylvie knew it wasn’t a friendly bird’s whistle. She hid in some bushes. But she was too late.

“Hello, little girl,” a young man called out cheerfully. “I’ve lost my way. Can I spend the night at your house?” he asked.

Sylvie didn’t answer. The stranger began walking with Sylvie as she followed her cow through the forest. She was glad when she could see her grandmother standing near the farm house. The stranger explained his problem to Sylvie’s grandmother.

“Of course you can stay with us.” she said. The young man explained he was a scientist, who collected birds.

“Do you put them in a cage?” Sylvie asked.

“No,” he answered slowly, “I shoot them and preserve them with special chemicals.”

“I’ve been looking for a white heron(苍鹭),” he said, “It’s a very rare white bird.”

But Sylvie’s heart began to beat fast. She knew that strange white bird! Early the next morning, she quietly hurried through the forest. She finally reached a huge pine tree, and climbed to the top. Sylvie’s bare feet and tiny fingers grabbed the tree’s rough trunk. Sharp dry branches scratched her like cat’s claws.

Suddenly, a bird with broad white wings landed on a pine branch next to her. The white heron smoothed its feathers and called to its mate. She knew the wild bird’s secret now.

Were the birds better friends than their hunters? Who can know?

【推荐1】With a thirst for a new challenge, I decided to begin my language journey and my only regret is that I didn't start earlier. Since starting to learn, I have made good progress. The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) is a test of Chinese language for non-native speakers. In July 2020, I passed my HSK3 exam with a score of 100 percent. I am now almost ready to start HSK5.

Learning to speak Chinese isn't as insurmountable as I once thought. When I speak to native speakers in Chinese, they almost always understand me. I also find it not too difficult to remember characters and I am now even able to write over 400 characters. I find studying the language relaxing and worthwhile, particularly writing the characters.   The thing I find most challenging is listening since native speakers talk at such a speed. I can't always understand what's been said, but my weekly online language exchanges help with this greatly.

Despite my progress, it has still been the challenge I desire and has taken a lot of hard work. Furthermore, there is a long way to go before I reach my goal of fluency. The key to progress is to be patient and persistent (坚持不懈的). The satisfaction that comes from simple things like ordering food in Chinese, buying things on the Internet or communicating with a taxi driver makes all the hard work worth it.

My biggest takeaway from learning Chinese is that it's not only doable but can also be enjoyable. Learning Chinese not only helped me in day-to-day life, but deepened my cultural understanding of such a colorful and beautiful country.   Considering where I am now, compared to two years ago, as long as I keep studying hard, I can image a time when I'll be able to read famous Chinese novels not in English but in the original text. So, to all my non-Chinese friends, I always say “Don’t give up. Embrace (拥抱) the challenge.”

【推荐1】The post office is not my favorite place. However, that was the day I went through the door with a huge smile. My story had been accepted for publication. I had read the e-mail three times before I actually believed it.

Grasped in my hand was the form giving permission to print my story. No faxing for me — I decided to send it back through the mail just to be sure it reached its destination. Filled with excitement, I told the clerk about my good news. “Wow, look at you go!” she said. “That will be ten dollars.” I reached for my credit card. “Our system doesn’t work today, so we can only accept cash,” said the clerk. I searched through my purse. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I carried cash. But now, I rarely did. Then a deep voice behind me said, “I’ll take care of it.” I hadn’t noticed the man behind me. I turned to meet him as he held out a ten-dollar bill.

“Congratulations on your story,” he said. “Just pay it forward.” I thanked him. Then I drove to the seaside restaurant to meet Tina. As we walked back toward our cars, I noticed something on the sidewalk, shining in the sun. I picked up a credit card.

“How are we going to find the person who dropped this?” Tina asked. “First, let’s try to spot someone who seems to be searching anxiously,” I said. A moment later, Tina said excitedly, “I’ll bet that’s her!” A young mother had a baby on her back as she dug through some bags.

I approached the woman. “Are you Jessica Slate?” I asked.

Her eyes grew round. “Yes!”

“I believe this is yours,” I said, handing her the card.

“Thank you! During normal times, I’d give you a hug,” she said. We laughed and bumped elbows instead.

I realized being on both the receiving and the giving end of kind gestures felt equally good. I had experienced an interpretation of paying it forward-first with cash, then with credit.

【推荐2】Four men who would become fathers were in a hospital waiting room while their wives were in labor (分娩). The nurse arrived and proudly said to the first man, “Congratulations, sir. You’re the father of twins!”

“What a coincidence (巧合)! I work for the Minnesota Twins Baseball teams!”

Later the nurse returned and congratulated the second father on the birth of his triplets (三胞胎).

“Wow! That’s unbelievable! I work for the 3M Company.”

An hour later, the nurse returned to congratulate the third man on the birth of his quadruplets (四胞胎). Surprised, he only could answer, “I don’t believe it! I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!”

After this, everyone turned to the fourth man who had just fainted (晕). The nurse ran fast to his side. As he slowly came to himself, they could hear him speak in a very low voice over and over, “I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven.”