1 . Since the mid-1990s, tourists have paid storm-chasers to take them to places in the American Great Plains where they expect to see tornadoes. Why, a reasonable follow-up question might go, would anyone want to get so close to something so disruptive? These tourists, a study found, characterized their relationship to severe weather as a “passion”, describing their feelings about tornadoes using words like “enjoyment”, “fascination” and “love”. Some people seem spiritually moved by tornadoes-one tourist called the storms “humbling” -but the main motivator seemed to be simple: Twisters are cool.

America has many more tornadoes than any other country, and its people have long regarded twisters with a mix of fear, awe and thrilled pleasure. Fast-moving and dramatic, tornadoes have been irresistible parts for popular entertainment. One needn’t be an extreme-weather enthusiast, however, to take a brief and far-less dangerous tour: of culture tornadoes have inspired and of the transformation of American society’s feelings about these storms from fear to excitement.

European colonists in the future United States were fascinated-and sometimes horrified-by their new land’s weather. In the Early Republic, the influence of romantic ideas about the terrible and wonderful power of nature became clearer in American tornado culture. Some people began to write about tornadoes in terms of awe, and to produce art that explored the phenomenon’s natural beauty, while also moralizing about its meaning. Since the 1930s, American tornadoes have been less deadly: the country has much better early-warning systems, fewer people live in rural areas and tornado activity has largely shifted from the southeast to the thinly-populated Great Plains.

Storm-chasing-a scientific, thrill-seeking activity that most Americans found out about via the1996 blockbuster film Twister, is still incomprehensible to many who don’t practice it. “I find it difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t chased what forces us to seek pleasure from risk,” wrote Jennifer Henderson, a scholar and crazy storm-chaser, characterizing her feelings while chasing as “a sense of exposure and revelation tightly coupled”.

2 . The huge structures of ancient Rome have survived for thousands of years—a testament to the abilities and wisdom of Roman engineers, who perfected the use of concrete. But how did their construction materials help keep grand buildings like the Pantheon(万神殿) (which has the world’s largest unreinforced dome)and the Colosseum(斗兽场)standing for more than 2,000 years?

Roman concrete, in many cases, has proven to be longer-lasting than modern concrete, which can worsen within decades. Now, scientists behind a new study say they have uncovered the mystery ingredient that allowed the Romans to make their construction material so durable and build splendid structures in challenging places such as docks, sewers and earthquake zones.

The study team, including researchers from the United States, Italy and Switzerland, analyzed 2,000-year-old concrete samples that were taken from a city wall at the archaeological site of Privernum, in central Italy, and are similar in composition to other concrete found throughout the Roman Empire.

They found that white chunks(块)in the concrete, referred to as lime clasts(石灰碎屑),gave the concrete the ability to heal cracks that formed over time. The white chunks previously had been overlooked as evidence of careless mixing or poor-quality raw material.

The new finding could help make manufacturing today’s concrete more sustainable, potentially shaking up society as the Romans once did.“Conerete allowed the Romans to have an architectural revolution,”Masic said,“Romans were able to create and turn the cities into something that is extraordinary and beautiful to live in. And that revolution basically changed completely the way humans live.”

3 . Whatever your interests, Hong Kong has a museum to suit your tastes.

The Hong Kong Museum of Art collection includes hundreds of art works of old Hong Kong. There are seven exhibition galleries, among which two special exhibition galleries show collections of works of art drawn from around the world to keep the visitors up to date with international artistic trends.

Open: 10am－6pm Friday to Wednesday. Closed Thursday.

Location: 10 Salisbury Road.

A popular visitor highlight is “The Hong Kong Story” Permanent Exhibition, which outlines the natural environment, folk culture and historical development of Hong Kong from 400 million years ago until the return to China in 1997. Guided tours are available on weekends and public holidays.

Open: 10am－6pm Monday ＆ Wednesday to Saturday; 10am－7pm Sunday and most public holidays. Closed Tuesday.

Location: 100 Chatham Road South.

Learning has never been more fun! Five hundred interesting exhibits, 80 percent of which are hands-on, offer an insight into a wide range of science-related subjects. Science and technology topics included in the exhibition cover robotics, transportation and much more.

Open: 1pm－9pm Monday to Wednesday ＆ Friday; 10am－ 9pm Saturday, Sunday and most public holidays. Closed Thursday.

Location: 2 Science Museum Road.

Learn all about astronomy and space technology here. There are two exhibition halls — Hall of Space Science and Hall of Astronomy. It is renowned for its Space Theatre which features Omnimax and Sky shows several times daily.

Open: 1pm－9pm Monday, Wednesday to Friday; 10am－9pm Saturday, Sunday and most public holidays. Closed Tuesday.

Location: 11 Salisbury Road.

The Universal Beijing Resort,     1    (current) the largest in scale worldwide, was open to the public on Monday, which coincided with this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Sept. 19 to 21. The film-themed lands, rides and shows, such as the Transformers Metrobase and the Harry Potter rides, and Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness among other Universal “firsts”,     2    (be) the most popular attractions during the opening so far.

In the Hollywood zone, movie lovers will not only see a recreation of the Hollywood Walk of Fame,     3     get a behind-the-scenes film making experience at the film studios,     4     was created by Hollywood film director Steven Spielberg and Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. More than a magical land for cinephiles (影迷), the resort is also a foodie heaven with a total of 80 restaurants and food stalls     5    (serve) all kinds of food that one can name from different movies.

    6     the first Universal Studios theme park in China, UBR has many China-related elements. For example, the Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness,     7    (inspire) by DreamWorks Animation’s Film, is Universal’s first “land” with such a theme. The land has small bridges and flowing water. Lanterns are hung in many places. Accompanied with Chinese music, visitors can eat     8    (variety) of Chinese desserts in restaurants that look like ancient buildings.

Building such an     9    (impress) park isn’t easy. But Chinese     10    (wise) and power help push it forward. It is the fifth worldwide for Universal Studios and the third in Asia, after Japan and Singapore.

8 . Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, is by far the largest city in the country. Here, you’ll find a multitude of tourist attractions to please even the pickiest of travelers. For ideas on the best places to visit in this magical city, read our list of the top attractions in Copenhagen.

Tivoli Gardens

It’s impossible to miss the grand entrance of the famous Tivoli amusement park and pleasure gardens dating from 1843 at Vesterbrogade. Here, visitors are welcomed through a dramatic archway and you will also find more than 20 attractions including a roller coaster, roundabouts, halls of mirrors, puppets and other entertainment facilities for your family of all ages. No matter what time of year you visit, Tivoli feels festive. At Christmas, Tivoli becomes an extravagantly decorated wonderland. The park is famous worldwide and appears in many movies.

National Museum of Denmark

An easy 10-minute walk from Tivoli along Vestergade brings you to the National Museum, a must-see attraction for anyone with an interest in Danish history and culture. It was established in 1807 and has been the biggest cultural and historic museum in this country. Some impressive runic stones are on display here, and the Danish history collection includes a sun chariot, antiquities and coins. You’ll also find collections from other interesting areas including Asia, Africa and Oceania, as well as the culture of the Indians.

Christiansborg Palace

On the tiny island of Slotsholmen is the Danish seat of government and an attraction that should top any visitor’s agenda. Christiansborg boasts more than 800 years of history and today, the palace is home to the Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court. In addition, several parts are still used by the Royal House, although thankfully, much is open to the public. Opening hours for each section of the palace can vary since they are in use, so be sure to reserve ahead if you are interested in a specific area.

The Round Tower

The Round Tower is a 36-meter-high structure built as an observatory in 1642. It now also houses a small collection connected with the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. A particular treat is the platform. From the top are magnificent views over the city. A new attraction is the glass floor hovering 25 meters above the ground where you can peer down into the castle’s core.