【推荐1】On March 17 there will be an explosion of green color across the world in celebration of St Patrick’s Day. The Irish traditionally wear something colored green on this day as the color is connected with Ireland. Another St Patrick’s Day tradition is for the non-Irish to make jokes about the Irish. Usually these jokes will be about Irish stupidity or their famous thirst for alcohol, or their reputation (名声) for telling tall (untrue) stories. These characteristics are all part of the famous Irish stereotype (成见) that Irishmen are hot-tempered drinkers, who love to fight and will do anything to avoid a day’s work.

The real joke, however, is that this negative Irish stereotype still exists. The stereotype might have had some truth back in the 19th century when Irish was poverty-stricken and starving. Many Irish moved to the United States to escape famine (饥荒), but there they had to compete, occasionally with their fists, for jobs and housing with other immigrant groups. It was on America’s streets that the Irish earned their reputation for street fighting. However, it was far from truth today, with the exception of the drinking perhaps.

Today, the Irish are admired for their story telling gifts and musical talents. It is no accident that several of the greatest writers of the 20th century were Irish. Or that many of today’s most popular music groups such as singer Enya and rock band U2 are Irish born and growing. LonelyPlanet readers even ranked Irelandas the friendliest country in the world.

However, one bit of the Irish stereotype is true, their love for drink. Drinking in Ireland is a job, but it’s not necessarily something to criticize. It was the Irish alter all who created one of the world’s best-loved beers, Guinness.

【推荐3】What do you think of British people and American people? You might think that there are no differences between the people in the two countries. After all they speak the same language, don't they? But if you ask a British or an American person, the differences are quite great.

What do British people think Americans are like? The British think Americans are very strange. They make a lot of noise and they laugh too loudly. They are rich, and they only think about money. But the British do say that Americans are kind, friendly people. They are happy to help you if you are in trouble.

What do Americans think of the British? Well, they think the British are cold and very unfriendly. They are not interested in success or in making lots of money. They think Britain is the best country in the world. They look down upon other countries. But Americans say that the British are quite good workers. They are brave and honest. And in time of trouble they face difficulties happily.

You can see that these ideas can cause misunderstanding between the British and Americans. But when American and British people become friends, they usually find things are not as bad as they expected.

【推荐1】Some American National Parks

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The 28th American president Theodore Roosevelt established the park to escape the reminder of his mother and wife, who died of illness on the same day. The park has three main areas -- the South Unit, the North Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch（大农场） Unit. In the South Unit, visitors can drive along the Scenic Loop road. It offers many places to see wildlife and the surrounding badlands. Many visitors st op to look at Painted Canyon（峡谷）. Trails near the canyon offer visitors a chance to see animals, from the huge American bison to small black-tailed prairie dogs. The North Unit also offers several hiking trails. The third area of the park is what Roosevelt described as his "home ranch."

Olympic National Park

The park is located in the western state of Washington. It is on the Olympic Peninsula, in the northwest part of the state. The park covers more than 400,000 hectares. It has several different ecosystems. Visitors will find temperate rainforests, glacier-covered mountains, and almost 120 kilometers of wild coastline. Olympic National Park has meadows and lakes. It has glacier-fed rivers and mountain peaks that rise more than 2,300 meters. To protect the nature of the area, President Grover Cleveland declared the Olympic Peninsula's forests as the Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897. And in 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the bill that established the Olympic National Park.

Voyageurs National Park

The state of Minnesota is known as the land of 10,000 lakes. Voyageurs National Park covers almost 88,500 hectares. About half of that surface is water. Much of the park is accessible only by boat. President Richard Nixon signed the bill that finally established Voyageurs as a national park in 1971. Nature and art meet at the Ellsworth Rock Gardens in the park. A carpenter and artist from Chicago named Jack Ellsworth built a summer home. He designed, built and created about 200 rock sculptures from native stone. Voyageurs National Park may be best seen at night. The most special light display on Earth is sometimes visible at Voyageurs.

Petrified Forest National Park

The word "forest" may mislead visitors. The park is in a desert. And the word "petrified" -- which can mean "afraid"-- may scare visitors away! But fear not. "Petrified Forest" gets its name from the trees that have, over millions of years, turned to stone. That natural process is called fossilization (化石化). The Petrified Forest National Park is one of the wonders of Arizona. The oldest geological formations in the park are about 227 million years old. Differently colored formations show different time periods. Long before humans entered the area, dinosaurs dominated. Petrified Forest National Park is a world-class area for fossil research.

【推荐2】A long time ago, soldiers fought wars on foot. Then they began to ride horses to battle. Until the invention of the stirrups (马蹬), though, men could not fight well with swords or spears while on horseback.

Without stirrups, soldiers had no place to put their feet. They could not stand up to use their swords without falling off their horses. They could throw spears only with the force of their arms.

Using stirrups, a soldier could stand up in his saddle (鞍). He could put a spear under the top part of his arm and charge with the force of his horse. He could use force when fighting with a sword. And he could win most fights against soldiers who did not use stirrups.

The first stirrups were made in India. Because the weather was warm, people did not wear shoes. The Indian stirrup was made of rope. It fit around the big toes. Later, the Chinese made a foot stirrup of wood. Because the Chinese lived in a colder country, the stirrup had to fit around shoes. Still later, around A. D. 700, soldiers in Asia used strong iron foot stirrups.

【推荐3】Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum

Location and History

Arbeia Roman Fort is situated on Hadrian's Wall. It was the most important structure built by the Romans in Britain, and now it has been a World Heritage Site. Built around AD 160, Arbeia Roman Fort was the military supply base for the soldiers who were stationed along Hadrian's Wall. The fort has been gradually uncovered and some original parts have been revealed. There are reconstructions that show how Arbeia Roman Fort would have looked.

The Reconstructions

The reconstructions of the Commanding Officer's house and soldiers' quarters are strikingly different. The accommodation for soldiers is dark and uncomfortable, while the Commanding Officer's house is spacious and luxurious, with courtyards with fountains for him and his family to enjoy.

The Museum

Visit the museum and see many objects that were found at Arbeia. They are historically important and show what daily life was really like at that time. You will see weapons, tools, jewellery, and so on. You can also discover how the Romans buried their dead and see tombstones which survive to this day. There is a "hands-on" area allowing visitors to dig on a certain site and study their findings with the help of museum staff. You can piece together pottery (陶器), or try writing just as the Romans would have done. For children, they can build this Roman fort with building blocks by themselves.

【推荐2】When I was young, I wished for a good car and a big house. That was my idea about success. I took all the advanced classes and tried to do well in the exams with my mind focused on going to a key school. I just knew that I would somehow become famous and be able to afford the car and the dream house. All the way through the previous years, my mind was planning this beautiful future.

Then in the eleventh grade, many losses changed my mind. First, one of my friends died at 16. Soon after, my great-grandmother passed away, followed by my beloved teacher who taught me when I was in the fourth grade. These events left me not knowing what to do or where to go. Death had never touched me so closely.

After a long period of emptiness, it finally struck me： life is not promised, neither is future success. Though I was attempting to achieve material success, I was not enjoying my daily life. I realized that finding inner peace, purpose and happiness will stick with me forever and that is real success.

Enjoying life’s precious unexpected events makes an ordinary person more successful than a wealthy person who isn’t content and takes-everything for granted. The summer before my junior year in. high school (高中三年级), my attitude changed greatly. Instead of memorizing facts, I began to learn skills. Instead of focusing on the future, I focused on today and then the blessings and successes came with it.

I still get excellent grades, but now I devote weeks to studying instead of struggling for exams, and I think about the future with a deeper sense of meaning. For me, being successful means truly living life each day.

【推荐3】Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his work and traveling.

Then, after returning to the United States from a busy and tiring trip to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)，Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip, a chemical change began to take place inside him. The material between his bones became weak.

In less than one week after his return, he could not stand. Every move that he made was painful. He was not able to sleep at night.

The doctor told him that they did not know how to cure Mr. Cousins’ problem and he might never get over the illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up hope.

Mr. Cousins thought that unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. Instead，he felt that happy thoughts or laughter might cure his illness.       

He began to experiment on himself while still in hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that 10 minutes of real laughter during the day gave him two hours of pain-free sleep at night.

Deciding that the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could continue his experiments with laughter. For eight days，Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television，reading funny books，and sleeping whenever he felt tired. Within three weeks，he felt well enough to take a vacation to Puerto Rico where he began running on the beach for exercise.

After a few months，Mr. Cousins returned to work. He has laughed himself back to health.