1 . Must-See Destinations in 2024

Are you ready to explore the world in 2024? Whether you dream of sailing down famous European rivers or exploring unique places, our list of must-see destinations is here to inspire your travels.

Throw yourself into the rich culture and history of Spain. From the sunny beaches of Tenerife to the Moorish architecture (建筑物) of Andalucía, there’s so much to explore in this lively country. Discover the UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) city of La Laguna and become amazed at the beauty of Cordoba, Seville, and La Alhambra, or relax on a beach holiday to Majorca or Tenerife.

Despite its size, Montenegro has beautiful beaches, rich history, and a breathtaking channel. Experience the beauty of the Montenegrin coast — Dalmatia’s jewel (宝石) is the UNESCO World Heritage listed oasis of Dubrovnik, famously praised by Lord Bryon as The Pearl of the Adriatic.

Discover the beauty that is Dubrovnik. Explore the 16th-century city’s defensive walls and red-roofed buildings. Sail along Croatia’s Adriatic Coast, where attractive villages and beautiful towns like Pula, Rovinj, and Poreč are just waiting to be explored...

Explore the wonders of South Africa, from the Garden Route’s nature reserves to the thrill of a Safari drive in the Kariega Game Reserve. Discover the different plants and animals while searching for the “Big Five” on an unforgettable South Africa holiday.

With over 25 years of experience creating holidays for the curious, Travel Department ensures that your journey is in good hands. Plus as a trusted Reader’s Digest Travel partner, you can get special deals when you travel with them across lots of different 2024 holidays. If you want to know more information, please click here.

4 . In the 19th century the novel came into its own. Thousands upon thousands of novels were published. Of those novels, very few are remembered today. However, there are exceptions: the works of Jane Austen—Pride and Prejudice (《傲慢与偏见》)，Sense and Sensibility (《理智与情感》)—for example. They achieved only modest success at first but grew and grew in fame (名声) and reputation.

How did Jane Austen become so popular? Of course, the novels are romantic (浪漫的). Everyone knows the love story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett (in Pride and Prejudice), and how they overcome their own pride and prejudice to live happily ever after. The lovers are almost as famous today as Romeo and Juliet.

But there is more to Austen’s popularity than the fact that she wrote about love. The books are very witty (机智的) and ironic (讽刺的), and show a great understanding of society and of people. Pride and Prejudice opens with what must be the most famous sentence in the English novel: “It is a truth universally acknowledged (认可), that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

The truth, of course, is the opposite: wealthy, unmarried young men are extremely attractive to young women. And women—especially penniless (身无分文) or near­penniless ones—are the subjects of Austen’s tales.

Women nowadays may be more equal to men than they were in Jane Austen’s day. However, a sense that women still basically live in a world dominated (控制) by men ensures that Austen still has many keen readers.

a．They are mostly love stories.

b．Most of them have a happy ending.

c．They are full of wit and irony.

d．People can still relate to them today.

e．They explain how to succeed in a male­dominated society.

5 . With historic cities, amazing beaches, and a beautiful countryside, a visit to Turkey promises a fascinating vacation. There are many more great destinations. Here’s a look at the best places to visit in Turkey.

Mardin

Located in the south of Turkey, with a long history and rich cultural heritage, Mardin is one of the oldest settlements in the region. Mardin is famous for its Old City of sandstone buildings that line the slopes of the hill, forming a unique and picturesque scenery. The maze of meandering streets. in the Old City leads visitors along terraced (排屋的) houses, mosques, churches and mansions. Many boutique hotels, fashioned from the charming old buildings, have opened in recent years, along with a few upmarket hotels.

Antalya

Nestled along the beautiful Turkish Riviera on the Mediterranean coastline, Antalya is a lively city welcoming tourists with numerous resorts, bars and restaurants. Spectacular scenery frames the city with splendid beaches and beautiful green mountains dotted with ancient ruins. From swimming and sailing to mountain climbing and sightseeing, Antalya offers something for everyone.

Cappadocia

Situated in Central Anatolia, Cappadocia is best known for its fairytale landscape of unusual formations looking like chimneys, cones and peaks. Natural processes such as ancient volcanic eruptions and erosion have all sculpted these odd formations over the ages. Thousand of years ago, mankind added remarkable touches to the landscape by carving out house churches and underground cities from the soft rock.

Side

Located on a small peninsula, Side offers fantastic dining and nightlife. Its star attraction: an unearthed site of ancient Hellenistic and Roman ruins that include the remains of a hug theater and various temples. Featuring narrow streets and attractive gardens, the charming tow. of Side offers many restaurants ranging from delis and pizza shops to upscale dining in a variet of cuisines.

7 . How do we learn a language? Suzanne Graham, Professor of Language and Education at the University of Reading, investigates how learners make sense of what they read or hear in a foreign language and how teachers can support their learning. Before she began this work, she studied French, German, Latin and Russian herself and became a language teacher, which sparked her curiosity in the process of language learning.

Early in her academic career, Professor Graham analysed motivation levels among several hundred 16-to-19-year-olds who were learning French. Her study provided evidence of a relationship between students’ understanding of how to improve their learning, their confidence in their own ability, and their motivation to continue language study.

Professor Graham went on to explore ways to improve strategies for learning French listening skills.   She also examined how secondary school teachers thought about second-language listening, and how they taught it to Key Stage 3 (11-14 years old) pupils. Professor Graham embedded(把…嵌入) the outcomes of this research in a set of Principles for Practice, which she developed, along with supporting materials and tools. These are now helping teachers learn how to develop students’ listening skills in a more effective, research-informed way.

Now, Professor Graham is leading the Language Learning strand of the Creative Multilingualism research programme, a large project involving several universities and partner organizations. Her own research for the programme is on Linguistic Creativity in Language Learning. It focuses on the development of literacy skills in foreign languages and learners’ motivation for and conceptions of language learning. For example, do people learn better when asked to give creative, personal and emotional responses than when they simply concentrate on grammar and vocabulary? Does this kind of teaching change learners’ levels of creativity? This ambitious project will, she says, help us to gain a better understanding of the creative dimension of linguistic (语言学的) diversity and the contribution it makes to our creative potential as human beings.

8 . Scientists say a mineral found in moon dust suggests Earth’s moon is 40 million years older than scientists had believed. The finding was made by researchers who examined moon rock samples gathered from the moon surface in 1972—the last time humans walked on the moon. The samples were part of a collection of 110 kilograms of dust and rock returned to Earth for scientific study.

The American space agency NASA says the leading theory on how the moon formed involves a huge crash. NASA says a Mars-sized object likely crashed into Earth and released material from both objects, which formed the moon. But the exact timing of when the moon was created has been difficult to identify. A new study based on the 1972 samples suggests the moon formed about 4.46 billion years ago.

The research was led by a team from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. The study examined small minerals found in the moon dust. The team said these minerals contained Zircon, which is believed to have formed when the moon surface cooled after the crash. Philipp Heck, a researcher from the Field Museum, noted that the huge crash that formed the moon was a major event that changed Earth’s rotational (自转的) speed. He added, “The formation time of the moon is important as only after that Earth became a habitable planet.”

Jennika Greer, the leader of the research, said the finding is “a great example of what the atomic scale can tell us about big-picture questions.” Greer hopes the finding can serve as a basis for answering many questions about the moon. “It’s amazing to know that the rock you’re holding is the oldest bit of the Moon we’ve found so far.” She added, “When you know how old something is, you can better understand what has happened to it in its history.”