【推荐1】Some Must-see Travel Destinations for 2020

National Geographic has issued its 2020 list of best travel destinations across the world and it's sure to inspire would-be vacationers.

Guizhou Province, China

Historically one of China's most undiscovered provinces, southwestern Guizhou is gaining global notice as a big data center. The mountainous region's plentiful water and cool climate are attractive to Huawei, Apple and dozens of other tech powerhouses that have been established there. This has improved access to the entire province, including the traditional villages of ethnic minority groups, such as Dong and Miao.

Zakouma National Park, Chad

Home to a rapidly growing African elephant population — some 559 in 2019 and a thousand expected by 2024 — Zakouma National Park is an off-the map African destination. The park's location, in southeastern Chad, one of the world's least-visited countries, makes Zakouma a best-kept secret. Illegal hunting previously had made the park nearly a war zone, with 90 percent of the wild elephants killed. Funding from the European Union has brought back life to the region.

Cairo, Egypt

The Great Pyramid, one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, can be found just outside Cairo. This triangular structure has been of interest to travelers far and wide for more than 4,000 years. Yet splendid as it is, it also houses some of the most interesting mysteries. It makes visitors wonder what's inside the pyramid.

National Blue Trail, Hungary

Hungary is a dream hiking destination thanks to the country's National Blue Trail. Winding its way from Irottko Mountain to the northeastern village of Hollóháza, the Blue Trail is a wonderfully diverse web of paths labeled with white-and-blue way markers. As Europe's first long-distance trail, it's part of the nearly 6,500-mile European long distance walking route E4.

【推荐3】Tourists are strongly advised to consult an etiquette(礼仪) guide before visiting Thailand’s honoured temple. The list of taboos is very long and the country’s ruling group is strict—do not turn your back on a Buddha statue, the Bangkok Post cautions. Don’t wear sleeveless tops to the temples, or show your knees. Remove shoes when tour the Wat Pho Royal Monastery.

Last week Joseph and Travis Dasilvas from California were in Bangkok where they encountered the Temple of Dawn.They took “butt photos” there and posted them in Instagram.

“They didn’t know it was a temple,” the house sitter told NBC. “It is just like a building.”

Most of Thais didn’t see it the way. Certainly not Sudarat Wajanasiri, who shared the Dasilvas’ photo on Facebook over the weekend, adding “I got no words to rip them.”

A commenter attempted to figure out what drove two men to moon a holy site, discovering that travelling butt photos are something of a cultural tradition in West countries that the Americans may not have meant to offend.

Thai immigration officials put the men on a watch list after seeing the photo, according to BBC. The “Travelling Butts” account was deleted from Instagram. Police prevented both men at a Bangkok airport on Tuesday from leaving the country, BBC reported. They face a $150 fine and punishment of never coming to Thailand. But a police had accused them, which could put them in jail for up to five years.

A commissioner(委员) told San Diego Gay & Lesbian News that she had reached out to the US government to help the men, who could not be reached by the Washington Post. Their house sitter, told NBC7 that they were trying to find a lawyer in Thailand, and no idea if or when the “Travelling Butts” would come here.

【推荐1】I enjoyed English, biology, and chemistry at school, but which one should I choose to study at university? I did not know the answer until one evening when I sat down at the computer to do some research on great women of China.

By chance I came across an article about a doctor called Lin Qiaozhi, a specialist in women’s diseases. She lived from 1901 to 1983. It seemed that she had been very busy in her chosen career, travelling abroad to study as well as writing books and articles. One of them caught my eye. It was a small book explaining how to cut the death rate from having and caring for babies. She gave some simple rules to follow for keeping babies clean, healthy and free from sickness. Why did she write that? Who were the women that Lin Qiaozhi thought needed this advice?I looked carefully at the text and realised that it was intended for women in the countryside. Perhaps if they had an emergency they could not reach a doctor.

Suddenly it hit me how difficult it was for a woman to get medical training at that time. That was a generation when girls’ education was always placed second to boys’. Was she so much cleverer than anyone else? Further reading made me realise that it was hard work and determination as well as her gentle nature that got her into medical school. What made her succeed later on was the kindness and consideration she showed to all her patients. There was story after story of how Lin Qiaozhi, tired after a day’s work, went late at night to deliver a baby for a poor family who could not pay her.  

By now I could not wait to find out more about her. I discovered that Lin Qiaozhi had devoted her whole life to her patients and had chosen not to have a family of her own. Instead she made sure that about 50, 000 babies were safely delivered. By this time I was very excited. Why not study at medical college like Lin Qiaozhi and carry on her good work? It was still not too late for me to improve my studies, prepare for the university entrance examinations, and. . .

【推荐2】Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humor. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.

One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (摇动)his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are not relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”

After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.

Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.

But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.

【推荐3】In the depths of my memory, many things I did with my father still live. These things come to represent, in fact, what I call joy and love.

I don’t remember my father ever getting into a swimming pool. But he did love the water. Any kind of boat ride seemed to give him pleasure. And he loved to fish; sometimes he took me along.

But I never really liked being on the water, the way my father did. I liked being in the water, moving through it, having it all around me. I was not a strong swimmer, or one who learned to swim early, for I had my fears. But I loved being in the swimming pool close to my father’s office and spending those summer days with my father, who would come by on a break. I needed him to see what I could do. My father would stand there in his suit, the only person not in swimsuit.

After swimming, I would go inside his office and sit on the wooden chair in front of his big desk, where he let me play with anything I found in his top desk drawer. Sometimes, if I was left alone at his desk while he worked in the lab, an assistant or a student might come in and tell me perhaps I shouldn’t be playing with his office things. But my father always showed up and said easily, “Oh, no, it’s fine.” Sometimes he handed me coins and told me to get myself an ice cream.

A poet once said, “We look at life once, in childhood; the rest is memory.” And I think it is not only what we “look at once, in childhood” that decides our memories, but who, in that childhood, looks at us.

【推荐1】I never meant to be a teacher. I watched my mother over the years, and I knew it wasn’t for me.

Going back to school to learn French and then teach the language, our mother changed the center of her world when we are little kids.

I saw how hard our mother worked, the long hours she kept as she graded papers when we went to bed. I knew how worried she could be over her students when they were troubled and how much of their stress she took on herself.

What I didn’t realize was that this life she’d chosen offered her wonderful things in return.

As I grew up, I fell in love with a French-speaking Swiss man who asked me to marry him and move to Switzerland. Years later, when I found myself back in my hometown with a small child and a love of my second language, a chance came up for me to join my mother’s world of education, and I accepted it.

I found a teaching job in a primary school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. From the first week, I knew I’d stick with teaching. This is the most challenging experience I’ve ever had, and absolutely the best. I teach French, and I have never felt so much excitement as when I receive smiles from children, or praise from other teachers.

Most of my students have not travelled outside the town where they live, and for some, a trip to the city museum proves the most adventurous experience in their lives.

I work late into each night creating lessons and activities for the following day, trying to come up with ways to attract my students and connect them to the larger world. I also plan to go back to school for further study so that I can also teach science, math, social studies, reading and writing.

【推荐2】My name is Jaimic Eckert and I’ve been into volunteer work since childhood. As a girl, I volunteered at animal shelters, played music at nursing homes, and helped with community cleanup after disasters. In college, I volunteered heavily at a large yearly conference for young adults, which is where I fell in love with my husband-to-be, who was on my team of co-volunteers. Since getting married in 2013, we’ve been living in Beirut, Lebanon. I actually have an online coaching business but I’ve had many opportunities to volunteer with projects for Syrian refugees(难民) and youth education.

Volunteering has been a way of life for me for a very long time, and I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it. Most of the time, you do feel that you’re making a difference. Once I was leading out a project that provided food boxes to Syrian refugee families. When it was nearing Ramadan, the biggest holiday season in Islam, I literally stuffed the food package with extra treats... dates, nuts, olive oil and sweets. We took the package unannounced and ended up arriving just as the Syrian family was sitting down on their floor for breakfast.They had nothing more than a few pieces of bread and a pot of tea. The mother was in tears as she received us. I’ll never forget their gratitude.

Another time, back when I was in college in the US, a group of friends and I volunteered to drive to a distant church that was way out in the suburb and had only a few elderly members. The building was in disrepair and the church yard needed attention. We stayed the weekend in the home of one of these old ladies so we could clean and repair the church. I’ll never forget how new life sparkled in her eyes. She couldn’t repair broken doors or pull weeds. but her love for us was unmatched. It breaks my heart to remember this old lady beaming with joy for such small efforts that we made. Sometimes, volunteer work is fulfilling not because of the actual job you get done, but because of how your presence impacts the people around you.

Volunteering makes me a better person because it gets me outside of myself. It puts my focus on others. It makes me grateful for what I have.