1 . Travelling feels good. Seeing new places and gaining new experiences make us feel happy.     1     You must have taken a trip away and come back with new ideas in life. Why is this? When you’re travelling, a chemical called dopamine is produced in your brain. Dopamine causes feelings of relaxation, which in turn encourages creativity.

However, not many of us can afford the time or money required to travel often.     2     With these changes, you can get the travelling feeling even when you’re in your hometown.

Stimulate (刺激) your five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch). To achieve this, you can try out any new restaurant that opens near you or cook at least one new dish every week.     3     Even if you have walked around your local area thousands of times before, there will be a few back roads you’ve never explored before.

    4     This will cause the creative feeling that comes with travelling. Sign up for an evening course or learn an instrument. Along with the intellectual (智力的) stimulation of the new activity, you’ll also get to meet new people, who in themselves can provide you with new ways of looking at the world.

Remember that travelling isn’t just about your physical position.     5     Follow the above tips and you can get that travelling feeling every day.

2 . I’ve had many opportunities to experience living in a foreign culture, but my first experience came in an unexpected place-my own country. When I was 20, I got an internship(实习职位)in New York City. It was my first time to _________ outside of my home state of Texas.

With my move north came culture _________. I grew up in a big city in Texas. But it was no comparison to the tightly _________ New York with their 8 million citizens. I was used to life at a _________ pace; New York moved fast. The saying is true-this city never _________ . I had to adjust.

My first reaction was fear. Fear I would _________ at my new internship in the 54-story office building. Fear of getting lost on the subway. Fear that the locals wouldn’t have _________ for my frequent moments of confusion. My _________ ranged from reasonable to silly. But I _________ my fears and kept trying.

I learned quickly never to __________ a New Yorker always speaks English. New York is home to people of all walks of life, from all corners of the world. At weekends, I would spend hours __________ along Canal Street in Chinatown—the closest I’d ever been to an __________ country.

By the end of my internship, I was a little older, a little wiser and sick of big city life. I __________ the skyscrapers, tourists and the high price I had to pay for a cheeseburger and fries. But I had __________ , too. I was quicker, smarter and more independent. I knew I would miss that feeling of having the world right at my doorstep. But it was good __________ for the life of travel I’d soon begin.

5 . Keller is a first-grade teacher at Ellen Woodside Elementary in Greenville County, South Carolina. She was on her way home when she noticed a little boy _________ his bike down a busy highway.

The _________ of such a young child in the midst of all that traffic _________ her. So, she decided to _________ her car around. And when she did, she _________ the little boy was one of her former students!

Seven-year-old Cameron wasn’t out for a casual bike ride. He was on a (n) _________ mission(任务)to save his diabetic(糖尿病的)father who had _________ collapsed at home.

Cameron had tried calling 911, but didn’t know the code for his father’s phone. _________, he didn’t know how to place an emergency call from the phone. And when he tried seeking _________ from the neighbors, he __________ no one home.

So, the __________ little boy did the only thing he could think of. He hopped on his bike and __________ on the five-mile journey to his grandma’s house. Not only did Keller __________ him and stop, but also she __________ emergency services who were able to go to the home and assist Cameron’s father.

This teacher helped a student save a life and the whole __________ left Keller in awe. Both Cameron and his dad are grateful for the help they received in their time of need.

6 . Africa is often called the cradle(摇篮)of civilization. The first human beings appeared on the continent about 2 million years ago. Old civilizations grew along the banks of the Nile River. Thousands of years ago ancient Egypt became a powerful empire, to the south Nubia emerged(出现)in today’s Sudan. After 1000 AD, great empires emerged in Ghana and other areas in western Africa. City-states, including Mogadishu and Zanzibar, grew into powerful trading centers in East Africa. Towards the end of the Middle Ages the first Europeans came to Africa. From the early 1500s on, they made money by bringing slaves to North America. The British, Dutch and Portuguese set up trading posts along the western African coast where they searched for gold and ivory. In the 17th century, the Dutch set up a trading post at the Cape of Good Hope. It grew into a Dutch colony(殖民地)until the 19th century, when the British took over. At the end of the 19th century, Europeans ruled most of Africa. They saw the continent as a major source of raw materials that they could bring back to Europe for their emerging industries. As a result, the Industrial Revolution did not take place in Africa. Throughout the colonial period, European countries fought for influence and control in Africa. In the “Scramble(争夺)for Africa”, they divided the continent into areas of interest. Native Africans often resisted colonial governments and in many areas, they were killed in uprisings(起义).

One of the last countries to gain independence was Rhodesia, today’s Zimbabwe, where blacks fought for over a decade against the British. In South Africa, white Europeans gave up control of the country after Apartheid(种族隔离)ended in the 1990s.

Many African countries did not know how to deal with their newly gained independence, largely because they had no experience in administrating and governing a nation. As a result, civil wars, tribal(部落的)conflicts and power struggles broke out. They resulted in dozens of wars in Africa since the 1960s.

7 . On Mondays, two of my children get ready for school in an unusual way. Each packs plenty of food and water, a pair of rubber boots and sometimes a cup of hot chocolate. Then, I drop them off at a nearby park where they spend the entire day outside at a certified forest school.

When I first signed them up for forest school program, I loved the idea, but as a mum, I was concerned about a few things: Would they be comfortable outside for that long? Would they stay engaged for that many hours? Then I asked them if time ever seemed to move slowly, they stared at me in confusion. They didn’t understand my question, which fittingly removed it.

In this program, kids direct their own play, climbing tall trees or testing ice on the frozen lake. They are never told their play is too high or too sharp, but are rather trusted to self- adjust. Something else my sons appreciate about forest school is not being told to move on to the next activity, but being left to stay in a particular spot for as long as their curiosity allows. :

“What about all the things they’re missing in real school?” concerned parents have asked me. Neither of their classroom teachers thinks it’s a problem, but most significantly, my kids are learning new and different skills that a classroom cannot teach. They are learning to sit silently and observe nature up close-a skill that’s virtually impossible to develop in a noisy and overcrowded classroom setting. They are making social connections across a broader range of age groups. They cooperate together, using their different sizes and strengths to fulfill various roles within their games.

I appreciate it that forest school is shaping my boys’ relationship with the outdoors. They’re learning how to spend extended periods of time in nature, what to do to pass the time, and developing knowledge that will get them much closer to nature in the coming decades.