【推荐1】If you’d like to go sightseeing, the following World Heritage sites (世界遗产保护地) may be your best choices.

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Jiuzhaigou Valley, which lies in the northern part of Sichuan Province, China, reaches a height of more than 4,800 m, with a series of different forest ecosystems (生态系统). It’s particularly famous for its narrow landforms and excellent waterfalls. Some 140 kinds of birds also live in the valley, as well as a number of endangered plants and animals, including the giant panda. Jiuzhaigou Valley was recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1992.

Khami Ruins National Monument

The city of Khami, which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been given up in the mid-16th century, is of great archaeological (考古的) interest. The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time. It joined the World Heritage List in 1986.

Henderson Island

Henderson Island, which lies in the eastern South Pacific, is one of the few atolls (环礁) in the world whose ecology (生态) has been untouched by humans. It is particularly famous for the 10 plants and 4 birds that can only be seen on the island. It was recorded in the World Heritage List in 1988.

Old City of Jerusalem

As a holy (神圣的) city for three different religions in the Middle East, Jerusalem has always been of great religious importance. It was given a World Heritage Status in 1981 and placed on the “World Heritage in Danger List” the following year.

【推荐2】Trip 1  Black Bear Count

There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living.  Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Bookings necessary.

Cost: Free              When: May 8

Trip 2  Garland Valley

Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful  area of the  Blue  Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Bookings necessary.

Cost: ＄15                     When: May 8, May 15

Trip 3  Flashlight Adventure

Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly limited on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.

Cost: ＄12                                When: May 8, May 15, May 22

Equipment to be needed:

     Please bring enough water and food for all walks.

     Wear good walking shoes--no high heels.

     Wear a hat for day walks.

     Dress warmly for night walks.

     Children must be with an adult.

     Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.

     Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are a dangerous place.

Bookings:

     Bookings for the above trips can be made by telephone (893-4847) or on the Internet at www. blue-mountaintour. com.

【推荐1】Mickey Mouse and Shrek are just a couple of the American animated (动画的) characters loved by people all over the world. And they are examples of the evolution of animation, which has brought unique new life to the film industry.

Among the first American animated films was By the Light of the Moon, a silent movie produced in 1911 using silhouette (剪影) animation, where the characters are represented only as black silhouettes.

The real breakthrough for American animation came with Steamboat Willie, created by Walt Disney and released in 1928. It was the first animated film to be accompanied by sound, and its main star, Mickey Mouse, became one of the most loveable and enduring animated characters ever created. Disney also created the first American full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Released in 1937, it enjoyed worldwide box-office success.

Disney’s extremely careful attention to high-quality details in the thousands of hand-painted drawings required at that time to make an animated film elevated this film technique to the level of a serious art form.

Clay animation is a type of stop-motion animation using forms made of clay. Clay animation films have been produced in the United States since 1908. But this form of animation only won wide popular appeal in 1955 with a short film called Gumbasia, created by Art Clokey.

Computer-generated imagery, or CGI, brought animation to a new level of artistry and realism. CGI animation had been used in films since the 1960s. It began to develop rapidly in the mid-1990s. Toy Story, released in 1995 and created by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures, was the first completely computer-generated animated feature film.

In 2001, DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images released Shrek, the first computer-animated feature film to win an Oscar. Shrek returned in 2004 with his talking donkey, his princess bride Fiona and an army of fairy-tale characters in Shrek 2. Hugely popular, that film became the highest-grossing(票房最高的) animated film of all time.

In addition to strictly animated movies, animation has been mixed into films showing live actors as well. Who can forget the terrifyingly real dinosaurs thundering through Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park movies and the actors they chase? Thanks to the powerful capabilities of today’s computers and the unlimited imagination of American filmmakers, animation will be entertaining audiences worldwide for a long time to come.

【推荐3】While inventions like the wheel and the Internet have changed the way the world works today, there are some creations that never quite got off the ground. Let’s look at the strangest inventions from across the globe.

Japanese juice seller, Kagome, invented a robot that will feed you tomatoes with its long metal arms extended on either side of your face while you run. Originally created for the Tokyo Marathon, the robot even has a timer so that tomato-eating runners won’t use up their supply too quickly.

It’s lunchtime and many people may be looking for a park bench to sit on, but the rain has made every surface humid. This is when the rolling bench comes in. When one side is too wet, a handle on the side can roll up another dry side for better sitting conditions. The inventions come from designer Sung Woo Park, from Seoul in South Korea.

We all hate hurting our toes in the dark, but a revolutionary footwear design can prevent this from happening again. The slightly strange LED slippers are designed to be comfortable, yet shine your path at night. With two in-built LED lights at the top of each slipper, the users can direct their toes at any area that needs light.

It’s the unusual invention of German designers Tom Hambrock and Juri Spetter. Besides an unusual appearance, its function is also slightly strange, as the user must run to get the bicycle moving. As soon as the riders have enough momentum(动力), they’re able to rest their feet on the back wheel and use the handlebars to control its direction.