【推荐2】Amsterdam. capital of the Netherlands, is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. It is often referred to as the "Venice of the North"due to its huge system of bridges and canals. Here are some key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.

Must-see Attractions

The Old Centre is full of traditional architecture and coffee shops. you' ll also want to check out Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark.

Transportation

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in the world. You can catch a train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Central Station, which has many connecting routes. Cycling is very popular here, and It's easy to find cheap bike rentals around town.

Recommended Restaurants

Amsterdam is a top destination for foodies(Ex), so it is difficult to narrow down your dining choices. Here are a couple of our favourites.

Money-saving Tips

Unless you really want to see the tulips(郁金香) blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May.This is when hotel and flight prices rise sharply.

Look for accommodations in Amsterdams South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city centre.

Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.

Instead of hiring a tour guide, take a canal boat. They're inexpensive and will give you a different view of the city.

【推荐2】The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers. It spread from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.

Traders travelling along the Silk Road carried silk, of course. They also carried and traded spices (香料), cloth, valuable stones and gold.

There is a famous old story along the old road. It is said that Roman soldiers travelled through central Asia. They started to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese village of Liqian. Sortie of these Romans married local Chinese women and the story of blue-eyed villages of China was started.

During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable goods and new ideas. These included people and trading goods from the Mediterranean, Persian, Magyar, Armenian, Bactrian, Indian and Chinese areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road, and they shared goods, stories, languages, and cultures.

In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35,000, objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.

【推荐3】Rock and roll music developed in the United States in the early nineteen-fifties. It was based on the music called rhythm and blues that was performed by African American musicians.

Early rock and roll singers developed their own kinds of music. Elvis Presley. Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan were the most popular rock and roll musicians and band in the early 1960s. All were American. Then, in 1964, a new rock and roll group from England invaded America: The Beatles.

Some people say The Beatles’ music shook America like an earthquake. The Beatles changed rock and roll forever. Their early songs were influenced by American rock and roll musicians, including Chuck Berry. But The Beatles looked different and sounded different from any musical group before them.

The Beatles released their first album in the United States in 1964. when all of the top five records in America were by The Beatles. In 1967, they released an album called Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was one of the first “concept” albums. That is, all the songs were linked by a common story or idea.

The popularity of The Beatles led the way for more rock and roll bands from England to become popular in America. The Rolling Stones was the most important of these bands. The Rolling Stones is one of the few groups from the 1960s that is still performing and recording today. In 1965, the group recorded one of its most famous songs, Satisfaction.

By the 1970s, rock and roll music had become known as rock music. Experts say rock music regained some of the energy of early rock and roll. Bruce Springsteen and the E. Street Band became popular with their album Born to Run. Springsteen’s music was like the lively rock and roll music of the early nineteen-sixties. Many of his songs were about social issues. He sang about the effects of unemployment and the war in Vietnam

【推荐1】I was standing in the checkout line behind a woman who looked to be in her 60s. When it was her turn to pay, the cashier greeted her by name and asked her how she was doing.

The woman looked down, shook her head and said, “Not so good. My husband just lost his job and my son is up to his old tricks again. The truth is, I don’t know how I’m going to get through the holidays.”

Then she gave the cashier food stamps.

My heart ached. I wanted to help but didn’t know how. Should I offer to pay for her groceries, ask for her husband’s resume?

As I walked into the parking lot, I spotted the woman returning her shopping cart. I remembered something in my purse that I thought could help her. It wasn’t a handful of cash or an offer of a job for her husband, but maybe it would make her life better.

My heart jumped hard as I approached the woman.

“Excuse me,” I said, my voice trembling a bit. “I couldn’t help overhearing what you said to the cashier. It sounds like you’re going through a really hard time right now. I’m so sorry. I’d like to give you something.”

I handed her the small card from my purse.

When the woman read the card’s only two words, she began to cry. And through her tears, she said: “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

I was a little startled by her reply. Having never done anything like this before, I didn’t know what kind of reaction I might receive. All I could think to say was, “Oh my, would it be OK to give you a hug? ”

After we embraced, I walked back to my car—and began to cry too.

The words on the card?

“You Matter.”

A few weeks earlier, a colleague gave me a similar card as encouragement for a project I was working on. When I read the card, I felt a warm glow spread inside of me. Deeply touched, I came home and ordered my own box of You Matter cards and started sharing them.

【推荐2】From the age of seven，Cameron was educated at two independent schools.Due to good academic grades，Cameron entered the top academic class almost two years early.At the age of thirteen，he went to Eton College in Berkshire，following his father and elder brother.His early interest was in art.Six weeks before taking his O Level he was caught smoking cannabis(大麻)．He admitted the offence but had not been involved in selling drugs，so he was not expelled.However，he was fined and prevented from leaving school grounds.

After leaving Eton in 1984，Cameron started a nine­month gap year.He worked as a researcher for Tim Rathbone.In his three months there，he attended debates in the House of Commons.Through his father，he was then employed for a further three months in Hong Kong by Jardine Matheson as a“ship jumper”，which was an administrative post.

Cameron then began his Bachelor of Arts studies in Philosophy，Politics，and Economics at Brasenose College，Oxford.His tutor described him as one of the ablest students he had taught，with moderate and sensible Conservative political views.

Guy Spier，who shared a tutor with him，remembers him as an outstanding student，“We were doing our best to grasp basic economic concepts.However，nobody even came close to Cameron.He would be integrating them with the way the British political system is put together.He could have lectured me for it，and I would have sat there and taken notes.”

While at Oxford，Cameron was a member of the excellent student dining society，the Bullingdon Club，which has a reputation for a strange drinking culture associated with boisterous(狂放不羁的) behavior and damaging property. Cameron graduated in 1988 with a first­class honours degree.

【推荐3】The sense of obligation to continue is present in all of us. A duty to strive is the duty of us all. I felt a call to that duty.

—Abraham Lincoln

Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham. Lincoln. If you want to learn about somebody who didn't quit, look no further.

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, failed in business twice and suffered a nervous breakdown

He could have quit many times-but he didn't and because he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of the U.S.A.

Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House.

1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.

1818 His mother died.

1831 Failed in business.

1832 Ran for state legislature — lost.

1832 Also lost his job -wanted to go to law school but couldn't get in.

1833 Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.

1834 Ran for state legislature again-won.

1834 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.

1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.

1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature — defeated.

1840 Sought to become elector—defeated.

1843 Ran for Congress—lost.

1846 Ran for Congress again—this time he won—went to Washington' and did a good job.

1848 Ran for re—election to Congress—lost.

1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state—rejected.

1854 Ran for Senate of the United Sates — lost.

1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention and got less than 100 votes.

1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again—again he lost.

1860 Elected president of the United States.

The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knowing the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself, "It's a slip and not a fall."

—Abraham Lincoln (after losing a senate race)