In today’s lecture we will center on the people who lived five thousand years ago in the Sahara Desert. Most of these desert people moved across the countryside throughout the year. But if the journey was long, extra food and tools were sometimes stored in caves. One of these caves is now an exciting historic site. Even though the cave is very large, it was certainly too dark and dusty for people to live in, but it was a great place to hide things. And huge amounts of food supplies and daily tools have been found there. The food includes dried fish and nuts. Some decorations were also found in the caves. There are necklaces, earrings, and so on. Most of them are made of bone. From the above talk, we can see that there are really a lot of differences between ancient people’s lives and our lives today.

Welcomes all school groups to explore technology and the natural environment on a field trip designed to meet the learning needs of the students.

You can visit the museum from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Groups must have at least one teacher for every ten students. Students must be supervised at all times, and teachers are responsible for their behavior inside the museum. Unsafe behavior is not permitted and will result in the entire group being asked to leave.

No backpacks, headphones, candy, gum, or lunches are allowed inside the museum. Lunches may be eaten outside in the park. We regret that the museum is unable to provide a place to have lunch indoors. In the event of bad weather, please plan to eat in your vehicle.

3 . Many of the world’s most famous landmarks now offer virtual tours, meaning people can visit museums, world heritage sites and other attractions from the comfort of the sofa. Such virtual travel experiences, as some experts have considered as an eco-friendly solution to the problem of overtourism, are seeing an increase in popularity. For overcrowded destinations, virtual reality experiences can help divert (使改道) some tourists, easing the burden on the location’s infrastructure (基础设施).

However, there’s a big gap between using virtual reality to “try before you buy” and treating virtual reality like the destination itself.

To start with, the technology isn’t ready yet. 360-degree virtual reality videos are usually experienced through a headset or an app. The headsets are expensive and heavy, and aren’t comfortable to wear for more than 30 minutes. The apps have none of these problems, but simply aren’t as impressive.

Limited physical feelings are another problem. The videos focus on sounds and sights but can’t do much with smell, touch, or taste, and VR experiences tend to only be a few minutes long—hardly equal to a two-week vacation in Spain. Some researchers are creating a full-body suit with enhanced sensory experiences, but it still doesn’t satisfy the deeper needs that make people travel.

What’s more, tourists on virtual tours see a world only to the extent that someone was able to film and construct it. In a virtual experience, visitors can’t choose to wander down a side street and discover a charming café—unless those options have already been programmed. It can definitely disappoint those who tend to be less directed in their explorations and more focused on new experiences and discoveries.

Virtual reality may never replace traditional travel, but it still offers possibilities. If the technology becomes advanced enough, those who are more environmentally conscious among us—especially those aiming to reduce our carbon footprint—might prefer this form of escape. Also, VR travel does bring parts of the world to people who are physically unable to visit certain landmarks.

4 . I wanted the pleasure of being in Africa again. Feeling that the place was so large that it contained many untold tales and some hope and comedy and sweetness too, I aimed to reinsert myself in the bundy, as we used to call the bush, and to wander around. There I had lived and worked, happily, almost forty years ago, in the heart of the greenest continent.

In those old undramatic days of my school teaching in the bundu, folks lived their lives on bush paths at the end of unpaved roads of red clay, in villages of grass-roofed huts. They had a new national flag, they had just gotten the vote, some had bikes, many talked about buying their first pair of shoes. They were hopeful, and, so was I, a schoolteacher living near a settlement of mud-huts among trees and fields—children shouting at play; and women bent double—most with infants on their backs—hoeing(锄地) the corn beans; and the men sitting in the shade.

The Swahili word safari means “journey”, it has nothing to do with animals, someone “on safari” is just away and unobtainable and out of touch. Out of touch in Africa was where I wanted to be. The wish to disappear sends many travellers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is perfect: let other people wait for a change. Travel is a sort of revenge(报复) for having been put on hold, or having to leave messages on answering machines, not knowing your party’s extension, being kept waiting all your working life. But also being kept waiting is the human condition.

Travel in the African bush can also be a sort of revenge on mobile phones and email, on telephones and the daily paper, on the aspects of globalization that allow anyone who chooses to get their hands on you. I desired to be unobtainable. I was going to Africa for the best of reasons—in a spirit of discovery—simply to disappear, to light out, with a suggestion of I dare you to try to find me.

Home had become a routine, and routine made time pass quickly. I was a sitting duck in this predictable routine: people knew when to call me, they knew when I would be at my desk. I was in such regular touch that it was like having a job, a mode of life I hated. I was sick of being called up and asked for favors, hit up for money. You stick around too long and people begin to impose their own deadlines on you.

5 . We humans have always been obsessed with reaching higher, building taller, and touching the sky. In effect, we have been building towers and buildings each taller than the other. Today, we will look at four of the tallest buildings in the world.

Burj Khalifa

Since it opened on January 4, 2010, the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest building in the world. The United Arab Emirates broke world records in the 21st century for building a needle-like, 162 story skyscraper in Dubai. A public observation deck called “At the Top” is located on the 124th floor. The top floor is home to a private VIP club, closed to anyone except members.

Taipei 101

Featured in many videos, the tallest building in Taipei, China, is famous for its unique shape and awesome fireworks display every year. It houses lots of hotels, offices, apartments, and an observatory deck. There’s an outdoor round observatory square on the 91st floor of the building, at 392m above the ground, it’s now the third highest open-air observation deck in the world.

Shanghai World Financial Centre

The Shanghai World Financial Centre, is a soaring glass skyscraper with a distinctive opening at the top in Pudong District, Shanghai, China. The construction of this building began in 1997, but due to the crisis in Southeast Asia, it temporarily halted and resumed in 2003. Its final height is 492 metres and has 101 floors.

International Commerce Centre (ICC)

The ICC building, completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, is the tallest building in Hong Kong, China, and one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers at 484 metres. Original plans were for an even taller building, but zoning laws prohibited the construction of buildings higher than the surrounding mountains. The design of the skyscraper was revised (修改) and plans for a pyramidal-shaped top were abandoned.

Touring “Treasure Island”

Chinese mainland tourists will be able to visit Taiwan via charted flights in July according to two landmark agreements signed on June 13. So, 21^st Century invited two young Taiwanese to     1     their favorite site on the island.

Yangming Mountain, north of Taipei

Young couples can definitely enjoy a     2     evening on the mountain and a bird’s eye view of the Taipei city. College students often visit the mountain for a     3    : others ride motorbike to the top. The mountain and the nearby town of Pei-tou have many hot springs, which often appear in romantic Taiwan TV dramas.

Ali Mountain, Jiayi County

Ali Mountain is the general name for 18 hills. The highest     4     of Ali Mountain is Tower Hill, which has a height of 2,663 meters. Ali Mountain is famous for its “five rare sites” - the sunrise, the Ali mountain Forest Railway, the famous Alishan Sacred Tree, the Grand Sea of Clouds and the Flamboyant Cherry Blossom. The best time to visit the     5     scenery is during the comfortable midsummer.

Taipei 101 tower, Taipei

The 101-floor landmark is one of the world’s tallest completed skyscrapers. Besides the shops inside and outside the tower, Taipei 101     6     splendid firework shows during festivals. A new     7     next to the tower is under construction. It will be a     8     beach on which the public will be permitted to     9    .

Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei

The squares in front of these halls are open all day to the public. They have become a paradise to colleges students, who often meet there for an activity that     10     space. You will run into students dancing, rehearsing skits or even playing musical instruments.

The Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous architectural wonders of the modern world. Instantly recognizable both for its roof shells and its     1     location in Sydney Harbour, it has become one of the best known images of Australia.

Situated close to Sydney Harbour Bridge, this large     2    arts center was started in 1959 and completed in 1973. After a(n)     3    to choose the design, the Danish architect Jorn Utzon was chosen. The Opera House includes five theatres, five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars, and several shops.

The construction of the Opera House was fairly controversial (有争议的) as the     4     cost of the building was much higher than     5    . It was expected to cost $7 million, but in fact, the final cost was $102 million. This was     6     due to difficult weather conditions, problems with the structural design, and changes in the contract. The remarkable roof shells were also difficult to construct. Furthermore, the construction took longer than planned. Completion of the building was     7     expected in four years, in 1963. Unfortunately, because of the many problems and changes which were necessary in the design, the building was not     8     until ten years later, in 1973.

It was inaugurated (落成）by Queen Elizabeth II on 20^th October, 1973, and millions of people attended the     9    . The event was     10    , and included a fireworks display and a classical music performance.