3 . Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices and schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.

One advantage of living outside London is that the houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.

Then, in the country, one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time on trains or buses, one can sleep better at night. Besides, during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering, and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.

Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night.

6 . The hike to the lost Incan city of Choquequirao is one of the most difficult in Peru. From the town of Cachora, which is 161km west of Cusco, it’s an 18km walk to Capuliyoc Mountain, then down to Playa Rosalina, where travelers camp for the night. Waking early, travelers then have to cross the Apurimac River and walk uphill to carp close to the ruins. Then, the next morning, it’s another 2km walk up to the ruins (遗迹), 3,100m above sea level. To get back? Well, it’s the same way you came.

“I’ve had people in their 60s and 70s do it,” said Juan Barrios, a guide from the Adventure Life company. “But some people come out thinking that because it’s only 28km from the drop off they can do it in a day. Six or seven days for the hike is best.”

It makes sense, then, that Choquequirao draws only about 30 people a day during the high season (June through August). Compare that to the 2,500 people who arrive each day at the famous Incan city of Machu Picchu.

But for those who make the journey, the rewards (回报) are great: beautiful mountain views at every turn, and the chance to explore the wonderful ruins nearly alone.

Believed to be created around the same time as Machu Picchu, in 1445, Choquequirao is actually larger than better-known Machu Picchu. But very little has been written about Peru’s other lost city and researchers are still uncovering new parts of the ruins, leaving life on the mountain relatively untouched.

But officials say that the building of the first cable car (缆车) to Choquequirao will shorten the several-day walk to a 15-minute cable car ride. As a result, the number of travellers that now make the journey each week could turn into 3,000 visitors per day.

Choquequirao is beautiful now because of how untouched it is. Even though the lost city was discovered by Spanish explorer Juan Arias Diaz in 1710, the ruins still make you feel as though you’re the first to find them. Will it be the same when more travelers flood in (大量涌入)?

8 . When I was in my college, I have a full class schedule and a part-time job. I ________ had time for exercise. On top of that, my lifestyle as a starving college student lent itself to many a fast-food run. Undoubtedly, I was ________.

After graduation, I decided to go to the ________.Together with a friend, I began to work out ________. I was very satisfied. My friend, however, became ________. One day, he suggested that we take up a sport.

Me? Sports? No way. I was not ________, and no one was going to change my mind. However, after a few weeks, I stepped onto an outdoor racquetball court (球场) unwillingly. I hit the ball, sending it flying in every direction (方向) except for the direction that I had ________.

But just as I was beginning to feel comfortable.my friend suggested we play tennis ________. Tennis? I can’t play tennis! I was ________ against his new suggestion. However, weeks later, I found myself standing on a tennis court.________.I ran after every ball that he served to me, completely ________ about ninety percent of them, and hitting the rest into the woods and the other court.

The first few months were quite ________. But one day, as the ball came flying toward me, my racket and the ball finally met in what tennis players consider as the “sweet spot”. I watched ________ as my return landed powerfully on the other side of the court, almost exactly where I had aimed. I had finally learned how to play tennis properly (正确的)!

Obviously, if I hadn’t stepped outside of my comfort zone (区域), I would have never ________how much I enjoyed tennis. I began to try new things willingly, with a sense of ________.

9 . Six Chinese survived the tragedy of the Royal Mail Ship Titanic, but disappeared soon after. Now a British documentarian, Arthur Jones, will uncover stories and histories of discrimination (歧视).

There were eight Chinese between the ages of 24 and 37 on the Titanic, sharing one 59-pound third-class ticket, but only six survived from its sinking. When they arrived, in the United States, they were not helped like the other 705 survivors. Instead they were forced to leave the country within 24 hours, because of the Chinese Exclusion Act signed in 1882.

Some westerners questioned the six Chinese survivors as stowaways (偷渡者) and claimed that they survived because they secretly climbed on the lifeboat or dressed as women to board lifeboats.

But after visiting foreign documents, museums and cooperating with American and Chinese historians, Jones believes they did not do anything disgraceful (不光彩的) in order to survive the disaster. This is not only a story about the survivors of Titanic, but also a story of a group of brave Chinese people exploring the outside world at that time, he said.

When the ship hit an iceberg, like other third-class passengers the eight Chinese were released from the locked gates at last, but not allowed to board the lifeboat. Luckily, four of them boarded a small broken boat, and one was rescued by another lifeboat. Another one, Fang Lang, floated on a piece of wooden board in the sea. The only returning lifeboat saved him from freezing.

To restore (还原) their real stories, Jones and his team found Fang Lang’s son in Wisconsin, US. Also, Jones will visit Taishan city in south China’s Guangdong province, recorded as the survivors’ hometown. The filmmakers also established a website, whoarethesix. com, for more clues.

Ordinarily, people think of Titanic as a story of rich white people, but don’t know there were people from all over the world, including Chinese. Their stories are never told, Jones said.

The documentary (纪录片) The Six is expected to be released in China late this year.

10 . Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven’t thought about it, don’t have it on their schedule, didn’t know it was coining or are unwilling to change their routine.

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, “How about going to lunch in a half hour?” She would say, “I can’t Mary. My hair is dirty. I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain.” She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

We Americans put so much into our lives that we even schedule our headaches. We do things only when all the conditions are perfect!

We heard so many people around us say, go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We’ll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We’ll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.” Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a list of “I’m going to,” “I plan on,” and “Someday, when things are settled down a bit.”

I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy “Seize the moment”, and I think she is the wisest woman on this planet. She is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you’re ready to go with her for an adventure.

My lips have not touched ice cream for 10 years. I’ve been waiting for the moment when I become slim enough. But I really love ice cream. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a huge ice-cream. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now, go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to, not something on your SHOULD-DO list.