| A. attraction B. waiting C. mystery D. unique E. simply F. originally G. stable H. popularity I. donating J. searching K. interfere |
There’s a rarely-visited, dusty corner of the world where something magical happens. The place, which looks like Mars with its red rock landscape, is the Tatacoa Desert, in Colombia.
Tatacoa is located in the region of Huila, south of the country’s capital Bogotá. Although Tatacoa, with its protruding cacti and red rippled rocks, is called a desert, it is in fact a dry tropical forest. But the exciting, and very
Thanks to its remote location — it’s almost 30 miles and an hour’s drive over bumpy winding roads to the nearest town — Tatacoa has no light pollution to
Up to 88 constellations (星座) are visible on a clear night, as well as both hemispheres — something that happens nowhere else in the world.
The warm and dry climate helps with stargazing; a
Not only is Tatacoa a natural wonder, but the DIY observatory that’s run by a Colombian man named Javier Fernanda Rua Restrepo has become a star
The Colombian, who is
At first Restrepo had worked at the Colombian government’s observatory, which he helped staff for 15 years. But after budget cuts meant he lost his job, he figured he would
In 2015, Restrepo opened the doors to his observatory — Tatacoa Astronomia — with just one telescope. Now, as Colombia has grown in
Tatacoa Astronomia is only open on starry nights, and Restrepo remains the sole employee. But that doesn’t distract from the intimacy and the specialness of the place. The structure sits on a small patch of land that Restrepo bought himself, and is cordoned (隔离) off by tarpaulin (油布) to add an extra sense of
“The stars… they put my life into its tiny perspective,” he says, “and they constantly remind me there are greater things out there.”
| A. abandoned；B. adventure；C. allow；D. appreciate E. curving；F. effortlessly；G. exploring；H. outlines I. relatively；J. territory；K. winds |
Marvelous Mallorca
Located off the southern coast of Spain, the island of Mallorca is often praised as one of the jewels of the Mediterranean. As the Spanish royal family’s preferred summer vacation spot, Mallorca
Since it is a(n)
However, most of the island’s visitors come to see Mallorca’s splendid coast. Though there are several busy beach resorts built specifically for tourists, you’re better off
Although Mallorca’s beaches have been its main attraction for many years, more recently, visitors have begun to appreciate the island’s cultural attractions too. Many of Mallorea’s grand old houses and
Palma, Mallorca’s lively capital, is also home to many museums, historic buildings, and galleries. Here you’ll be able to
As the day
| A. technology B. contemporary C. stretched D. hidden E. recognized F. discovery G. updated H. extensive I. countless J. estimated K. definition |
Most of us learn at primary school that there are seven continents, but the next generation of kids may be adding one more to that list.
According to a recent paper published in the Geological Society of American Journal by a group of researchers, "Zealandia" is a new continent that's
Zealandia is
The small country is the only part of Zealandia that isn't underwater, but the paper's authors want the huge landmass to be
"The scientific value of classifying Zealandia as a continent is much more than just an extra name on a list," the researchers wrote in their paper.
Scientists discovered Zealandia all the way back in 1995, then started
But who decides on what is a continent and what isn't? There is, in fact, no official organization that does. Some countries' schools teach that there are six or even five continents. This changes depending on where in the world the school is.
Due to their
And to make things even more confusing, France and Greece, as well as other countries, classify North America and South America as simply America.
This argument over how land is defined has even
But will the world take the same notice of Zealandia? The best way to tell is to keep an eye on our textbooks.
4 . Hunting to Farming Is Not Necessarily Good
A. support B. effectiveness C. expanding D. escape E. reached F. questioning G. switched H. control I. recording J. allowed K. inferring |
Shifting from hunting to farming made life 50 percent more difficult for humans, a study by Cambridge University suggests. Although farming
“For a long time, the shift from hunting to farming was assumed to represent progress, allowing people to
Previous studies suggested the adoption of farming grew up to help cope with
| A. approach B. architectural C. captured D. complicated E. defensive F. defined G. extension H. houses I. reflect J. shades K. status |
Why India’s ‘Pink City’ is a Photographer’s Heaven
The city of Jaipur is one of India’s wonders. It
A romantic dusty pink type—which has
Walking in glass skyscrapers for century-old royal palaces and historic castles, the pair—who have 130,000 Instagram followers between them—said that the images they
For the photographers, one of the city’s most fascinating features is the light pink coloring of its buildings. “The first gates you see when you enter are pink,” said Wong. “Once you’re through, everything around you varies in different
The building is a(n)
