1 . Though the following ski resorts (旅游胜地) listed are less well-known, going skiing there is exciting for everyone this season.

Bear Valley is one of the less well-known ski resorts in California when compared to popular resorts like Mammoth Mountain and Squaw Valley. This ski area has runs that satisfy the needs of nearly everyone with or without experience. Skiers will find 1,280 acres of skiable areas with an average annual snowfall of over 350 inches. There are even snowcat tours that take adventurous skiers to the terrain (地带) that is harder to access but less tracked.

Located in Jay, Vermont, Jay Peak is the snowiest ski area on the east coast, averaging 355 inches of snowfall annually. Jay Peak is known for its challenging terrain and good backcountry skiing. The peak is best known for getting some of the most snow on the East Coast.

Located outside the town of Whitefish, which offers plenty of fun after a long day of skiing, Big Mountain has over 3,000 acres of terrain, with almost 100 marked trails and plenty of bowl and tree skiing. Skiers will find a summit elevation at over 6,800 feet, and a vertical drop of almost 2,500 feet.

Schweitzer Mountain is one of Idaho’s greatest skiing treasures. Visitors will enjoy the views of Lake Pend Oreille, and can visit the lovely town of Sandpoint after a long day of enjoying the snow. There is an annual average snowfall of 300 inches, and over 90 trails. Schweitzer even has open bowl skiing, cat skiing, and even night skiing.

3 . The practice of drinking tea has a long history in China. According to a popular story. tea was discovered by Shennong in 2737 BC when a leaf from a nearby shrub（灌木）fell into the water Shennong was boiling. Tea is deeply woven into the history and culture of China.

The Chinese have a saying: “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.” Though tea is the last on the list, we still can see its importance in daily life. A simple meal in Chinese is Cu Cha Dan Fan, which shows even a simple meal is finished with tea.

For the Chinese, tea drinking and tasting are not parallel. Tea drinking can help keep up one’s spirit while tea tasting has cultural meaning. Tea and tea sets should match the breeze, the bright moon, bamboo and so on. All these show the goal of Chinese culture: the harmonious（和谐的）unity of human beings with nature.

Similarly, tea-drinking habits differ in different parts of China. Generally. flowering tea is popular in northern China; green tea is preferred in eastern China, and black tea is fit for people in Fujian and Guangdong. Green tea is the most popular type of tea drunk in China. Green tea usually loses its flavor（味道）within a year while the flavor of black tea can remain for several years. As a result, black tea has long been traded worldwide. It still accounts for over ninety percent of all tea sold in the West. At present, tea is commonly seen in Chinese restaurants and grocery shops worldwide.

4 . Creative alarm clocks

It is not a real dumbbell, but you have to shake it up and down 30 times to stop the alarm clock. And there is no stop button. Of course you will be totally refreshed by then. Don’t be lazy and take some exercise in the morning.

The alarm is ringing at the time you set it for！Do you see the target？Then hit it to stop the sound with a laser gun（激光枪）. Of course you have to be fully awake if you don’t want to miss the target.

I’m sure you won’t be able to simply ignore this alarm as you usually do, because it flies！Its propeller（螺旋桨）flying off the alarm is the key. Before the frightening alarm sounds drive you crazy， you’d better quickly put the key back.

Have you been keeping a pocketful of change for some time without knowing what to do with it？Maybe you can put those coins in your alarm. This is both an alarm clock and a money box. It only stops ringing if you put a coin in it.

What about a brain workout in the morning？ IQ alarm will go off and ask you a set of IQ questions. Don’t even think about removing the battery, because it is hard to open. The only way to shut it off is to answer all questions correctly.

An alarm clock is so annoying when you are too tired and sleepy to get up. You can release your anger on Mr. Bump. It looks like a blue ball covered with “bandages（绷带）”. Just throw this alarm at the wall to silence it.