【推荐1】You’ve flown halfway around the world; you’ve sniffed out this place that nobody in Falongland or Thailand seems to have ever heard of; so what on earth is there to do here? You consider this question as you sink into an old wooden beach chair that holds you above the sand.

It was a long journey from Bangkok to Huaplee. By the time you found the bus station and got yourself sorted out, it took almost as long as the flight from Falongland.

Huaplee is located just south of Hua Hin, about two hundred kilometres from Bangkok, down the west side of the Gulf of Thailand. Not many tourists find this place, and the ones that do wonder if finding it has been their purpose all along.

There’s an apparent laziness that surrounds you here. It’s what this place offers, and it’s free of charge. The small waves that tap the shoreline seem to slow everything down. You settle into your beach chair in preparation for a long rest. You sit there and watch the sea.

It’s early afternoon, so the cook comes out and asks what you’d like to eat this evening. Before long he’s rushed off to the market to buy the ingredients for whatever it was that you ordered—every meal fresh and to order. No menu here.

There is no poolside noise here but just that wonderfully warm, clear blue sea. There’s no street noise. The only sounds are the murmurs of nature. For now you just count your blessings (福祉), listing them in the sand with your toe (脚趾). You don’t have to worry about being late for work. You don’t have to do anything.

The beach to your right stretches off to the horizon (地平线), slowly narrowing to nothingness only to re-emerge again on your left, now steadily widening until it covers the chair beneath you. Sand to your left and sand to your right; it’s unbroken, endless. No start, no end, just sand, sun, and peace. Step off it, and you re-enter the world of traffic, stress, work, and hurry.

Normally you’re the type who can’t sit still for more than ten minutes, but you’re on Huaplee Lazy Beach now and, in the right frame of mind, it stretches all the way around theworld.

“How could it take me so long to find it?” you wonder.

【推荐3】A flood hit Yellowstone National Park on June 13, 2022. The disaster was caused by a combination of unusually heavy rains and rapid snow melt. The high and fast water flows destroyed bridges and swept away entire roadways, leaving communities and homes isolated. Fortunately, the approximately 10,000 park visitors were safely evacuated.

The town of Gardiner, along the Montana-Wyoming border, was particularly hard hit. The floodwaters left almost 900 people with no power or water for many days. Gardiner’s economy, which depends on the almost three-quarters of a million visitors who pass through the park’s north gate annually, is likely to take a hit. The floodwaters severely damaged the main north entrance road to Yellowstone, and could take years to rebuild.

Park officials have begun work on improving an alternative road to Gardiner. This will ensure that locals can access food, supplies, and other essential emergency services. A limited number of tourists may also be allowed into Gardiner once the road is stable.

Yellowstone’s north gate is closed indefinitely. But the park’s south gate opened to visitors on June 22, 2022. Park officials have started a new entry system to prevent overcrowding. It is based on the last number of the visitor’s vehicle license plate and the calendar date of the month. Cars with odd (奇数的) numbers can visit the park on odd days of the month, while those with even (偶数的) numbers can go on even days.

Established in 1872, Yellowstone is America’s oldest national park. The 3,472-square-mile reserve spans three states and is home to many unique wildlife. It is known for its natural beauty that includes mountains, rivers and lakes. The forces of fire and ice shaped the park over thousands of years.

【推荐1】Pale Horse, Pale Rider

Katherine Anne Porter was a celebrated American journalist, essayist, short story writer and novelist. Her works deal with dark themes including justice and the unforgiving nature of the human race. Pale Horse, Pale Rider（ 1939）is her short novel set during the influenza pandemic（流感大流行）of 1918, which killed five times as many Americans as did World War I. Its main character, Miranda, is a young reporter who falls in love with a soldier； the book's fever-dream style captures the experience of the disease.

The Andromeda Strain

Michael Crichton was one of the most successful novelists of his generation. The Andromeda Strain（ 1969 ）is his best-selling techno-thriller that begins when a military satellite crashes to the earth and releases an organism that kills almost everyone in a nearby small town. Then things get bad.

Love in the Time of Cholera

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a major Latin-American author of novels and short stories, a central figure in the so-called magical realism movement in Latin American literature. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1982. Love in the Time of Cholera ( 1985 ) is his great Colombian authors attractive tale of a 50-year courtship, in which lovesickness is as stubborn as disease. ^u My best, " he said of it. " The novel was written from my soul."

The Road

Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright. The Road (2006) is his beautifully written, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set after an unspecified extinction event has wiped out most of humanity. An unnamed man and a boy travel on foot toward a southern sea, having to avoid cannibals(食人者)and despair. The Road is a specially moving story¹ of a journey.