1 . How to prepare for a museum visit

●Decide which museum to go to.

If you’re visiting a small city, then it’s pretty simple. Your choices will necessarily be limited. If you’re going to a big city like London, Paris or Rome, then you’re faced with a large number of choices.     1     You may prefer small less crowded museums to large museums.

●Identify the museum’s masterpieces.

Once you’ve chosen a museum to visit, visit the museum’s website.     2     Then, read up on its collection and highlights. This kind of pre-trip studying will make the art and artifacts (文物) more fun and accessible.

●Decide how long you want to visit a museum.

Another good tip for visiting a museum is to decide in advance how long you want to stay. This may depend on the size of the museum. Or, it may depend on how long you can stare at art without getting “museum tiredness” and starting to glaze (变呆滞) over the artworks.     3    

●Get a museum or audio guide.

Another way to have an enjoyable and relaxing museum visit is to book a private tour, especially for a very large museum or popular tourist attraction. The tour guide knows the museum very well.     4     Besides, Museums typically have either free or docent (讲解员) museum tours available as well. They are super informative and usually last roughly two hours. And you’ll also have a chance to ask any questions.

●    5    

If you’re visiting a big museum, you’ll want to be efficient with your time. In the case, the best museum tip is to look at the layout of the building in advance. Some museums are shockingly disorganized, sometimes because they’re housed in ancient buildings.

When it comes to using winter tourism to boost its economy, Harbin seems to have already taken the first step. No one had expected such     1     (crazy) to occur in this far northern city. During the three-day New Year’s holiday, more than three million tourists crowded into the city. And the snowball effect of social media has suddenly turned the “ice city”     2     a hot spot.

The Zhongyang Street is an old street     3     (locate) in the center of Harbin. These Russian-style architectures reflect the diverse history of the city. The most famous snack here is ice cream,     4     during the holiday of the New Year’s Eve, 100,000 pieces     5     (sell). Obviously, no freezer is needed.

The winter wonderland is a symbolic tourist attraction of Harbin. Here, excitement is the     6     (easy) thing to find. This year’s seasonal theme park covers an area of over800, 000 square meters.     7     (stand) at the top of the Ice and Snow World, I realized that the reason Harbin could have such a success story was just that it is Harbin. It is the Harbin     8     local residents will give free rides to tourists, where the     9     (authority) would prepare public warming shelters and where you can     10     (total) enjoy yourself with no worries at all.

My hometown is Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province. The province     1     (previous) went through a period of speedy development given its large coal reserves, but was then trapped in an unhealthy mode of economic development     2     (dominate) by coal.

But those days     3     (be) long gone. In recent years, Taiyuan     4     (witness) many pleasant surprises. With its strong promotion of the green transformation and development of tourism, Taiyuan has become     5     hot tourist destination.

Beyond Taiyuan, the whole Shanxi Province has become popular. Tourism     6     (order) in Shanxi on the first day of the Spring Festival holiday increased by 16 times compared to the same period of last year. A friend of mine came up     7     the idea of driving around Datong City but found that all the hotels had been fully booked. The Yungang Grottoes in Datong City and the Ancient City of Pingyao were both crowded with tourists, with the locals     8     (describe) the scenes as feeling like "a billion people have come". The queuing (排队) time at some scenic spots could be around five hours or even     9     (long).

Taiyuan,     10     was once covered by coal ash (煤灰), has completely changed its image with nearly 20 forest parks, while enjoying a green environment.

5 . When it comes to high-proof fathering lessons, few adventures can compare with the motorcycle trip I shared with my 20-year-old daughter Ewa.

In 2023, we _________ a one-week motorcycle trip in the southern part of British Columbia. Each _________ a motorcycle, we headed north on the Sea-to-Sky highway. What made this trip so _________ was that Ewa took it on herself to be the planner. We didn’t even have a _________ about it. As a father, wasn’t I supposed to plan it?

My old Harley had no gas gauge (汽油表). So, when the main gas tank was empty, the motorcycle _________. After all, these years I hadn’t known whether I would _________ it. But on the first day of our annual trip, when we were on a lonely highway leading to the US border in Sagna, Ontario, it came to a _________ after some time.

Ewa headed into the distance_________ that she was riding alone. When she _________ noticed that I wasn’t in her rearview (后视镜) mirror, she stopped and waited as I pushed my Harley to meet with her. In my adult life, while __________ children, I always followed my parents’ __________: I stood by and provided support. When Ewa __________ her own way of life, I seldom said ‘no’. But when she said she wanted to __________ with the out-of-fuel motorcycle on the side of the country road while I was going for gasoline, I said “no way”. I wouldn’t let her stay there on her own. She insisted, but I was very __________. Ewa finally __________ and went looking for gasoline with me.

I learn from the trip that however old my child is, I will never stop being a father.

6 . North Rim to reopen on June 2 with limited services available

The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will open as scheduled, on June 2, with limited visitor services and water conservation measures due to a break in the North Rim water pipeline. A landslide from winter storms destroyed more than 300 feet of the North Rim water pipeline.

The Grand Canyon Lodge will operate day-use services with limited food and beverage service beginning on June 2. No overnight accommodations will be available until at least July 23,2023.

The North Rim Campground, managed by the National Park Service, will operate as scheduled beginning on June 9 with potable drinking water and toilets available. The public laundry and shower facilities will not be open at least through July 23, 2023.

The North Rim Visitor Center and Grand Canyon Conservancy’s bookstore open as usual, 8 am to 6 pm daily, with a variety of ranger programs offered.

Visitors exploring the North Rim this summer should be self-sufficient and should bring adequate food and water for the day as services are limited and may be subject to change. Nearby, accommodating is available at the Kaibab Lodge and food services and fuel at the North Rim Country Store. Year-round accommodating, food services and fuel are located 45 miles north of the North Rim at Jacob Lake. As a result of substantial winter rockfall and landslides, trail (步道) repair work on the North Kaibab Trail continues. There is a trail closure in effect on the North Kaibab Trail and it will officially reopen on June 16, 2023.

7 . Some people travel because they want to go to warm places for winter vacations or because they want to visit art museums in Europe. But other people travel simply because they have a passion for it.

Luisa Yu, a 79-year-old woman, fell in love with travel as a young girl in the province of Leyte in the Philippines when she watched movies. “I saw the beautiful scenery, the rivers and the mountains, and that fascinated me,” Yu said. “That’s why I always thought someday I would go to these places and travel.”

At 23, as an exchange student studying medical technologies in the US, Yu decided that she wanted to visit all of the countries in the world, but visa restrictions (限制) didn’t allow her to travel outside of the country.

It took Yu 15years to get her admission allowing her to travel internationally and there were times when she worked three jobs to save money to travel. She eventually took a part-time job as a travel agent, which gave her many more opportunities to travel to new places around the globe.

For the past 50 years, Yu has been visiting countries across the world, even some that are very difficult to get into. She has tried dog meat when she visited the DPRK, explored the beaches of Somalia, and even skydived in Dubai when she was 73. “Everyone said, ‘Don’t go to Somalia, that’s dangerous,’” Yu said. “If I want to go somewhere, nobody can stop me. I want to do everything.”

Yu achieved her goal to visit all of the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, in November 2023. To date, there have only been around 400 people who have set out to achieve this amazing cause.

Yu’s advice to people who love to travel is to just do it. “Don’t wait for anybody. If I keep on waiting, it will never happen, because the opportunity sometimes comes only once,” she said.

8 . A Break in Llandudno, Wales

A Victorian favourite once billed as the “Queen of Welsh resorts”, Llandudno has kept much of the charm (魅力) that made it so popular. The walking path around Llandudno Bay, the smell of fish and chips moving in the air, and old-fashioned amusements all combine to deliver a typical British seaside break. And a stay in Llandudno can be combined with a trip to Conwy, which has an impressive castle and Britain’s smallest house.

Where to eat

Dylan’s, on Llandudno’s East Parade, is set in a Grade Ⅱ-listed building and offers sea views plus a menu starring local produce. Dishes might include Welsh lamb tacos and Conwy pork. Its attached shop has a range of award-winning Welsh sauces and preserves to take home.

Where to stay

Set in a Grade I-listed 17th-century country house, Bodysgallen Hall is one of only three National Trust-owned hotels. It has views of Conwy Castle. Guests can tour the grounds with the head gardener. From £260 per night.

What we like

A half-hour drive or train ride away, the picture-perfect market town of Llanrwst has an impressive three-arched (拱形的) bridge across the River Conwy. Take a walk and drop by a wine shop and restaurant Amser Da. Highlights include Welsh cheeses and Anglesey sea salt.

Don’t miss

A 20-minute drive from Llandudno, the National Bodnant Garden has Italian-style rose terraces (梯田). The step-free Rose Walk takes in key parts of the garden, such as Waterfall Bridge and Old Mill, set against the backdrop of the Eryri foothills.