1 . Not every architectural landmark is grand in scale, with splendid decorations, or amazing colors. Suzhou Gardens may just be the opposite.

When a group of monks during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) first constructed Lion Grove Garden, they may have just wanted to enjoy a quiet place, hidden away from urban noise, while in the following centuries, this charming garden - most notable for its waterside rockeries resembling the shape of lions—has attracted a constant stream of celebrity guests, who have left a long list of poems, paintings and historical anecdotes (轶事).

In recent years, nine of the best-known classical gardens of Suzhou, including Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator’s Garden and Great Wave Pavilion, were registered into the World Heritage List. As UNESCO remarks, “Classical Chinese garden design, which seeks to recreate natural landscapes in miniature (缩略图), is nowhere better illustrated than in the nine gardens, which reflect the profound natural beauty in Chinese culture and inspire people to pursue harmony with the world.”

Nowadays, relevant administrations have been trying to restore the historical landscapes of Suzhou’s classical gardens. Consequently, last year, a new project was launched allowing tourists in small groups to reserve places to enter the garden in the early morning before the regular opening time. Their visit ended with them completing the last step in making a traditional folding fan, adding a poem about the garden on its surface. The experience was also regarded as a way to help people understand the wisdom, elegance and philosophical worldview of the ancient Chinese literati (文人).

The delicate beauty of the gardens still flows via the canals that snake across Suzhou. Hardly felt, their strength in shaping the city’s character seems to last forever.

2 . What Are Grasslands?

Grasslands are wide areas of land covered with low growing plants such as grasses and wildflowers. Grasslands don’t get enough rain to grow tall trees and produce forests, but they get too much rain to form a desert. Temperate (温带的) grasslands have different seasons including hot summers and cold winters.

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Grasslands are generally found between deserts and forests. The major temperate grasslands are located in central North America in the United States, in southeast South America in Uruguay and Argentina, and in Asia along the southern part of Russia and Mongolia.

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A variety of animals live in the grasslands, including dogs, wolves, and eagles. A lot of smaller animals hide down in the grass, such as snakes, mice, and rabbits.

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Different kinds of grass grow in different areas of the grasslands. There are actually thousands of different kinds of grass that grow in this type of environment. Where they grow usually depends on the amount of rain that area gets. In wetter grasslands, there are tall grasses that can grow up to six feet high. In dryer areas the grasses grow shorter, maybe only a foot or two tall. Other plants that grow there include sunflowers, butterfly weeds, and butterweeds.

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Grasslands play an important role in human farming and food production. They are used to grow crops such as wheat and corn. They are also good for feeding farm animals such as cows.

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Unfortunately, human farming and development has caused the grasslands to become gradually smaller. Governments have carried protection measures to try and save the grasslands that are left, along with the endangered plants and animals that live there.

4 . Fort Smith National Historic Site

At the Fort Smith National Historic Site you can walk where the Mexican-American War and the Civil War soldiers drilled, pause along the Trail of Tears, and stand where justice was served to some of the most horrible outlaws (歹徒) of the Wild West. The park includes:

Trail of Tears Overlook

Walk along the great Arkansas River and enjoy exhibit panels that tell the story of the Five Civilized Tribes that were forcibly remove to Indian Territory. The walking path begins from the parking lot and follows along the Arkansas River to Belle Point.

Belle Point (Site of First Fort Smith)

Established in 1817 at an area overlooking the meeting point of the Arkansas River and the Poteau River, it had been named Belle Point, French for “beautiful place,” by 18th-century French fur trappers. Visitors will enjoy a scenic view of the two rivers and are able to walk the foundation remains of the First Fort Smith.

Commissary (杂货店) (Site of Second Fort Smith)

The oldest building still standing in Fort Smith is the Commissary, the site of the Second Fort Smith. During the Federal Court period, Judge Parker’s private office was located upstairs. Today, you can visit the Commissary as it looked in the 1850s when it supplied the army with food items. You can also see the reconstruction of the Fort Smith Gallows where a surprisingly large number of outlaws met their fate at the end of a rope.

Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is located in the historic barracks (兵营) / courthouse / jail (监狱) building. The barracks was built in 1851 and was changed into a courthouse and jail in 1872. In 1888 a new jail building was built next to it. Here visitors can see Judge Parker’s restored courtroom, the “Hell on the Border” jail, as well as exhibits and videos on the operation of the Federal Court and its impact on Indian Territory.

Price: $10 (Adults 16+), FREE (Ages 0-15), $35 Annual Pass

The Marble Chapels are an absolute must when visiting Patagonia. The stunning caves are located in the middle of General Carrera Lake, which makes them accessible only by boat. The Marble Chapels arc layers of calcium carbonate formations resulting from wind and water slapping the rocks. The best time to visit is in the austral summer, from December to March.

Yosemite National Park, USA

One of California’s crown jewels, Yosemite National Park is an outdoor playground for nature enthusiasts. The protected park is approximately3108 square kilometres, and it features towering sequoias, dramatic waterfalls, beautiful mountain ranges and sheer granite towers. May or June is the best time to see the waterfalls.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

One of the world’s greatest spectacles also happens to be one of the most vulnerable. Whether you choose to view this global treasure from a helicopter or go diving to enjoy close encounters with tropical fish, it’s hard not to notice the direct impact of climate change. Warmer temperatures have led to amounts of coral bleaching. If the damage continues at the rate, more than 90 percent of the living coral will erode within the next decade.

Blue Grotto, Malta

Malta is known for year-round warm weather, ancient cities, dazzling beaches, and the Blue Grotto: a series of caves that form high arches along the southern coast of the island. On a clear day, you can see the fluorescent colours reflected on the cave. Try to book a boat tour early in the morning when the sea is calm, the sun is bright, and there are fewer crowds.

6 . The Dead Sea might be the most famous saline body in the world, but it’s by no means the only one. Here, we uncover some other salt lakes around the world.

Dead Sea

The most famous of the lot, the Dead Sea—also known as the Salt Sea—is a natural place to start. It’s technically not a sea at all, but a land salt lake. Its waters are mainly drawn from the Jordan River, and the high salinity (盐度) means no life can survive here, so don’t expect any colorful fish. However, much amusement results from the sea’s buoyancy (浮力): Bring some reading material to the waters and lie back—nature will do the rest.

Lake Assal

Surrounded by black volcano rocks, Lake Assal takes the title of being the lowest point in Africa. Vast salt fields mark its edges; the lake has long been at the centre of the area’s salt trade, on which the region’s African locals still rely. Though the area might not be suitable to live in, the waters are rich in minerals and related to health benefits.

Great Salt Lake

The biggest salt lake in the western hemisphere, and the one that gave Salt Lake City its name, the Great Salt Lake finds its home in northern Utah. What makes the lake well-known is not only the lake’s blue and green waters and white-sand beaches, but also Great Salt Lake State Park and Antelope Island State Park, both offering super hiking and biking trails, and great long views.

Don Juan Pond

Don Juan Pond might not win any prizes for its beauty—at four inches deep, it’s little more than a pond, but it is worth visiting. Its salinity content of almost 40 percent   makes it   one   of   the   saltiest   bodies   of   water   on   Earth, meaning it doesn’t freeze even when Antarctic temperatures drop to -50℃. And with suggestions that water in a similar form could exist on Mars, there’s more than one reason for scientists to study this fascinating dry, cold environment.

8 . Banff National Park is Canada’s firstborn national park and was recognized in 1885. Located in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Banff includes 6,641 square kilometers of glaciers and ice fields, thick coniferous forest, and alpine(高山的) scenery. The Icefields Park-way spreads from Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park in the north. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbors to the west while Kootenay National Park is situated to the south. The main commercial center of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was contributory in Banff’s early years, building the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise hotel in the park and attracting tourists through widespread advertising. In the early 20th century, roads were built in Banff, at times by prisoners of World War I, and through Great Depression-era public works projects, As Banff has over three million visitors annually, the health of its ecology has been endangered. In the mid-1990s, Parks Canada launched a two-year study to preserve ecological integrity.

Banff National Park has a subarctic climate(副极地气候) with three ecoregions. The forests feature lodgepole pine at lower heights and Engelmann spruce at higher ones below the tree line, above which are chiefly rocks and ice. Mammal(哺乳动物) species such as the grizzly bear, cougar, wolverine, moose and bighorn sheep are found along with hundreds of bird species. Reptiles(爬行动物) are also found but only a restricted number of species have been recorded.

The mountains were formed from sedimentary rocks(沉积岩) which were pushed east over newer rock formations, between 80 and 55 million years ago. Over the previous few million years, glaciers have at times covered most of the park, but today are found only on the mountainsides though they include the Columbia Icefield, the largest continuous glacial mass in the Rockies. Erosion(侵蚀) from water and ice has molded the mountains into their existing shapes.

9 . A 2020 study in the journal Science concluded that marine heat waves have increased more than 20-fold as a result of climate warming. The authors found that in the first decade after satellites began recording ocean temperatures (i.e., after 1981), there were 27 large marine heat waves, with an average duration of 32 days and an average peak temperature anomaly of 8.5°F; in the 2010s, there were 172, which lasted 48 days on average with an average peak temperature almost 10°F above normal.

Much remains unclear about marine heat waves. For example, explains Nicholas Bond, research scientist at the University of Washington and Washington’s state climatologist, there is the question of why so many persist for weeks or months. “There must be something else going on that helps maintain them,” he says. He notes that one explanation is that as the ocean surface warms, it radiates heat into the atmosphere that prevents cloud cover from forming, exposing the seawater to increased sunlight and further warming.

However, enough is known about marine heat waves for scientists to be gravely concerned about their potential impacts. Of special note is the fact that those impacts can last long after the heat waves have disappeared. After three years of the Blob, the waters of the northeastern Pacific began to cool in 2016; but years later, scientists are still determining the extent to which the region’s ecosystem is likely to return fully to its pre-Blob status. Similarly, notes Scannell, who is a data scientist with Jupiter Intelligence, Inc., following the 2010-11 Western Australia event, “lots of kelp(巨藻) forests died, and it takes literally decades for those ecosystems to bounce back”.

Eric Oliver, a scientist from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, expressed his own opinion about the potential impact of the heat waves in tropical waters. “I think that’s really a tough issue,” he says. Life in the tropics, he notes, is adapted to “quite a narrow range of temperatures. So that’s where things can get really messy. We can have complete shifts in tropical systems.”

The Badlands National Park, one of the most popular attractions in western South Dakota, contains one of the world’s richest fossil     1    (bed). Scientists believe that 33 million years ago, a watering hole was located in the Badlands and that a drought forced mammals to travel long distances     2    (detect) water. Ancient horses, turtles, and hornless rhinos once     3     (live) here. Nowadays, the park is mainly home    4     mammals like big horn sheep, antelopes, and deer,     5    wander the 244,000 acres of the park. The park is also a reintroduction site of the endangered black-footed ferret(雪貂), one of the world’s     6    (rare) mammals.

Visitors can enjoy hiking on eight routes from 400 meters to 160 kilometers long and     7    (camp) at Cedar Pass Campground with attractive scenic views. Badlands National Park has no formal reservation system, but visitors ought to obey some rules. Firstly, apply for     8     pass ahead of time. Maps are     9    (strong) recommended and are available for purchase in the Badlands bookstore. Besides, campfires     10    (ban) under any circumstances. Finally, remember to take away all garbage, including toilet paper, and all human waste must be buried in a small hole 6 inches deep and a minimum of 200 feet from any water source.