1 . Biking is an amazing family activity, but finding a route that can accommodate a wide-range of ages can be a challenge.

Lee McNeil and his family are crazy about biking. They have seven children, from 4 to 24 years old. When looking for a route, they look for enough protection from traffic, good surface condition, easy access and interesting views.

With that in mind, here are some great routes for biking with your whole family, as are suggested by McNeil.

Iron Horse Trail

This is the McNeil family’s favourite ride. The route is 26 miles and goes through the 2.1mile Snoqualmie Tunnel.

“Beautiful views, the thrill the tunnel, and places to stop and watch the rock climbers make it special,” McNeil said. “All our kids have taken their turn at braving the black tunnel bravely for the first time, which we celebrate it at the end of the ride.”

How to get there: If you prefer, check http://bit.ly/Mlt9y4 for more information.

Centennial Trail

The Centennial Trail runs for 23 miles from Snohomish to Bryant. The trail is wide and smooth, and is safe for kids as it is off the roads. A nice stop is Lake Cassidy east of Marysville. A dock on the lake is fun to explore. It also has picnic tables and washrooms for a convenient lunch time stop.

How to get there: The trail can be accessed from a number of trailheads. For a map, go to http://bit.ly/L5qCeY.

Cascade Trail

The Cascade Trail follows an abandoned Burlington Northern railroad grade for 23 miles between Sedro-Woolley and Concrete. Because it’s on a railroad grade, the slope is gentle and it makes for an easy family ride.

McNeil said it is a “beautiful ride up the Skagit Valley, with lots of places to watch wildlife along the river.”

How to get there: Go to http://bit.ly/PR4wOW to see a map showing the trail, parking areas and bus stops .

Other good choices

Snoqualmie Valley Trail: http://l.usa.gov/nWGWO

Guemes Island: http://bit.ly/LJ3RxL

Burke-Gilman Trail: http://l.usa.gov/s33li

2 . The Ostrich Pillow was created by a European designer, who wanted to find a creative way to provide people with the health and productivity benefits commonly associated with power napping (小憩). Power napping is as important as normal sleep. Only when you’re done with a power nap, are you expected to actually work better.

When you wake up from a normal nap, it’s completely OK to glance around the room, confirm that John Hodgman riding a unicorn (独角兽) was just an amazing dream, and then roll over to fall back asleep.

But the Ostrich Pillow is specifically designed for those shorter periods of rest-the power naps-and the creators say that their invention allows you to sleep anytime, anywhere by creating a “little private space within a public one, to relax and rest.”

Perhaps this says a lot about people’s attitudes toward napping and the importance of taking a little nap during the busy workday. The advertisement for the Ostrich Pillow even claims that a 20-minute power nap can increase productivity by 37％.

Amazing! I can only dream of all the things I would get done at the office if I actually worked at 37％ productivity. And to think, all I need is a quick nap as soon as I get to my desk!

In general, the Ostrich Pillow seems like a great idea. It’s convenient. It’s comfortable. It has a place for your hands. But the big question is whether people will actually wear it in public.

Nevertheless, I’m still hoping to get my hands on one of these to give it a proper test drive. But, until then, if you need me, I’ll be sleeping buried on my desk!

3 . I Still Look for Patches

Aren’t we lucky, when we had a childhood friend willing to be our everlasting, faithful companion(同伴)？I can still remember the day I met my special _________ .

One spring evening, my mother and I patiently waited for my father to come home. His_________ in the doorway made no clear impression on my mind. Suddenly, I heard a_________ “Yip”. “Did I hear something? Daddy, please tell me. What was that?”

As he_________ his pocket he answered, “Nothing. It was only my pocket.” The look on my face must have been a sign of_________.

“Amy!” Softly, daddy called.

I slowly turned around to look at daddy’s_________. There, crawled in his palm was a little dog. _________ several brown spots on her white fur, I named her, “Patches(斑点).”

Patches became a_________ and blame taker. If I was troubled, I could depend on her two ears to listen_________ to everything I had to say. If unfortunately I broke a glass, my trusting companion would willingly__________ responsibility. Her__________ devotion(奉献) only made it hard to separate from her.

When I was about 10, my family moved into a house which wasn’t__________ enough to contain a dog. Sadly, we had to__________ her. My auntie, owning a house with vast pieces of land, __________ her.

I can still remember her eyes__________ at me forlornly(可怜地) as she left. The__________ in her eyes will be with me forever.

I saw her once or twice before she__________. Until my dying day, I shall always expect to see her. I believe that, to this very day, she is still trying to find her way back to her true home. Because I have no__________ that she died, I continue to have faith. The picture is__________ in my mind: a thin white dog comes jumping up, __________ me in loving dog kisses.

6 . Bangkok’s Grand Palace is the busiest tourist stop in the city. People keep coming because the Grand Palace could arguably be called the birthplace of Bangkok

How to Get to the Grand Palace

Making your own way to the Grand Palace in Bangkok is more enjoyable and rewarding. Moving around by river taxi is inexpensive. Additionally, you’ll have a good excuse to see the Chao Phraya River up close. Going by boat won’t make you caught in traffic jams. It will let you see beautiful river scenery!

People staying in the Khao San Road area may choose to walk (around 20 — 25 minutes) to the Grand Palace.

Opening Hours

The Grand Palace is open seven days a week from 8:30 a. m. until 3:30 p. m. Occasionally, the Grand Palace does actually close for official visits and state functions. However, this is rare. Don’t believe any driver who states the Grand Palace is closed. If the statement of closure is too convincing, confirm it by calling: +6626235500 ext.3100.

Entrance Fees

Considering that temples in Thailand are often free, the 500 baht (around $16) per person entrance fee at the Grand Palace is relatively expensive. Thai nationals do not have to pay. An audio tour can be rented for an additional 200 baht. Besides, human guides are available for hire. Choose an official guide rather than accepting someone’s offer on the outside.

Dress Standards at the Grand Palace

To show enough respect, you shouldn’t wear sleeveless shirts in any temple or state building in Thailand. But unlike many of the other temples, dress standards are strictly required at the Grand Palace.

Men must wear long trousers, women must cover legs to just above the knee.

Don’t wear shirts with religious themes or symbols of death on them.

You may be told outside that flip-flops (人字拖鞋) are unacceptable footwear.

8 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.

Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "

For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.

A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.

These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.

"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.

9 . The United States rose to global power on the strength of its technology, and the lifeblood that technology has long been electricity. By providing long-distance communication and energy, electricity created the modern world. Yet properly understood, the age of electricity is merely the second stage in the age of steam, which began a century earlier.

"It is curious that no one has put together a history of both the steam and electric revolutions." writes Maury Klein in his book The Power Makers, Steam, Electricity, and the Men Invented Modern America. Klein, a noted historian of technology, spins a narrative so lively that at times it reads like a novel.

The story begins in the last years of the 18th century in Scotland, where Watt perfected "the machine that changed the world". Klein writes, "America did not invent the steam engine, but once they grasped its passwords they put it to more uses than anyone else. "

Meanwhile, over the course of 19th century, electricity went from mere curiosity to a basic necessity. Morse invented a code for sending messages over an electromagnetic circuit. Bell then gave the telegraph a voice. Edison perfected an incandescent bulls that brought electric light into the American home.

Most importantly, Edison realized that success depended on mass electrification, which he showed in New York City. With help from Tesla, Westinghouse's firm developed a system using alternating current, which soon became the major forms of power delivery.

To frame his story, Klein creates the character of Ned, a fictional witness to the progress brought about by the steams and electric revolutions in America during one man's lifetime. It's a technique that helps turn a long narrative into an interesting one.