2 . The Charles Dickens Museum in London is the world’s most important collection of material relating to the great Victorian novelist and social commentator (评论员). The only surviving London home of Dickens (from 1837 until 1839) was opened as a museum in 1925 and is still welcoming visitors from all over the world. On four floors, visitors can see paintings, rare editions, manuscripts, original furniture and many items relating to the life of one of the most popular and beloved personalities of the Victorian age.          

Opening Hours:

The Museum is open from Mondays to Saturdays 10:00-17:00; Sundays 11:00-17:00.

Last admission is 30 minutes before closing time.

Special opening times can be arranged for groups, who may wish to book a private view.

Admission Charges:

Adults:￡5.00; Students:￡4:00; Seniors:￡4.00; Children:￡3.00; Families:￡14.00 (2 adults & up to five children).

Group Rates: For a group of 10 or more, a special group rate of ￡4.00 each applies. Children will still be admitted for ￡3.00 each.

Access:

We are constantly working to improve access to the Museum and its collection. Our current projects involve the fitting of a wheelchair ramp (活动坡道) for better access, a customer care kit and an audio tour for visitors with impaired vision. Our Handling Sessions are also suitable for the visually impaired. The Museum has developed an online virtual tour through the Museum. Click here to visit all the rooms in the Museum online.

Hire the Museum:

The Museum can be hired for private functions, parties and many other social occasions.

Find Us:

The Museum may be reached by using the following buses: 7, 17, 19, 38, 45,46, 55, 243. And by these underground services: Piccadilly Line; Central Line. For a map, please click here. The British Museum and the Foundling Museum are within walking distance.

3 . Look at the map of Spain and point at the center. You’ve located the country’s capital and one of Europe’s most beautiful cities: Madrid. This popular destination is considered a city of contrasts with its abundant historic sites, resting in the shadows of modern skyscrapers.

History

This city of over 3 million people is proud of Western Europe’s largest royal palace, and some consider it to be Madrid’s most beautiful building.

Inside the Royal Palace 2,800 rooms are decorated in glory with museum-quality furniture and artworks. Tourists can tour 50 of these large and splendid rooms.

Art

The Internationally respected Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive art gallery in Spain. Opened in 1819, it is filled with works of art that feature the world’s most comprehensive collection of Spanish paintings.

Shopping

Madrid has some of Europe’s best shopping, and potential buyers love to look through the stores looking for bargains. But for 500 years, shoppers have gathered to an extremely large outdoor flea (跳蚤) market known as the Rastro where they find everything from antiques to CDs.

Entertainment

No trip to Madrid is complete without seeing a performance of Spain’s famous art form, flamenco. Every day, flamenco performers sing, dance or play the guitar in small cafes and grand theaters alike.

Food

Madrid has a wide variety of restaurants, but because the Spanish typically eat late at about 9 or 10 p.m., it’s difficult to find good dinner food earlier. If you get hungry before then, the best solution is to try a tapas bar where light snacks are served. Be sure to try the jamon, a kind of dry-cured ham: Spain is famous for it.

Suzhou is a cultural and historical city in China’s Jiangsu Province. It is celebrated all over the world for its classical gardens     1    have been added to the list of World Heritage Sites. They were first laid out as far back as the 6th century BC and     2     (reach) their top during the period from the16th century to the 18th century. Records show that there were over 200 gardens during their golden age. The gardens show the importance of natural     3     (beautiful)in Chinese culture.

Today, dozens of classical gardens are still     4    good condition ,including the Humble Administrator’s Garden, which     5     (have) an area of some 52,000 square meters. No other gardens of Suzhou are     6     (large) than it. It was originally the dwelling(住宅) of Lu Guimeng,a poet of the Tang Dynasty.     7     (consider) as “the mother of all gardens under the sun”, the garden     8     (divide) into the eastern, central, western and residential parts. The gardens of Suzhou are     9     (extreme) elegant (漂亮雅致的) and a feast for the senses, used as both tourist attractions    10    residential houses. They also add a human touch to the natural delights(乐趣) of the gardens themselves.

7 . Many families take their children on vacation.They will usually travel for a few days or weeks during school breaks.But Julie and Tim Smith planned a longer vacation with their two children.The Smith family is on a one-year trip around the world.They plan to visit 30 countries in all.Right now,the four travelers are about halfway through their trip.Ms.Smith says they are trying to see as much of the world as they can.

Mr.Smith says one of the most interesting experiences of the trip has been meeting new people.He says people have been extremely friendly,very welcoming and love their kids.Eleven-year-old Tyler says he has enjoyed learning about the people they have met.He said,“I learned in Africa that people have very different lifestyles than in America.”His sister,9-year-old Kara,discovered that she liked Thai food.Ms.Smith says that the trip teaches the children a lot.

It took the family a year to prepare for the trip.They had to sell their house and cars.Ms.Smith left her job and her husband is using unpaid leave.They carry small bags filled with lightweight clothing and whatever else they need.Ms.Smith says she enjoys being able to carry everything she needs on her back.She says she does not miss the things she has back home.“What has become more important is making these memories as a family and taking those with us instead.”

The Smiths will continue to head east for the next six months.

Plovdiv is situated in south-central Bulgaria（保加利亚） on the two banks of the Maritsa River. The city has historically developed on seven hills, some of     1     are 250 m (820. 21 ft) high. Because of these hills, Plovdiv is typically referred to in Bulgaria     2     “The City of the Seven Hills”. Plovdiv’s history     3     (date) back to 6000 BC. Though originally it was     4     Thracian（色雷斯人的）city, Plovdiv has been ruled by many empires over centuries. Later it     5    (conquer) by the Romans. Only in 1885 did the city become part of Bulgaria. Nowadays it’s the second     6     (large) city in Bulgaria and it’s a significant economic, educational and cultural centre.

Plovdiv remains a popular     7     (choose) for vacation travel. I     8     (fascinate) by the city for years. Last summer I was lucky     9     (spend) a couple of days in this city and I just fell in love with its narrow paved streets and neat beautiful houses! The Old Town is definitely worth       10     (see). It is overwhelmed with restaurants, workshops and museums that were previously famous houses.

Two years before，My sister and I got a chance to take a bike trip. The journey was really hard, especial in the mountains. At first，our leg were so heavy and cold that they felt like blocks of ice. Have you ever seen snowmen to ride bicycles? That's how we looked like. Along the way, children dressing in long wool coats stopped to look us. We found it was so cold that my water bottles freezes. To climb the mountain was hard work and as we looked around, we were surprised to see beautiful lakes shining like glass in the setting sun. What a unforgettable experience!