3 . From the deserts of Southern California to the forests of Alaska, the U.S. possesses an incredible diversity of nature. For most of her life, Joy Ryan never saw the landscape beyond her home state of Ohio. Then, when she was in her mid-eighties, her grandson Brad Ryan decided to take her on a journey to all of the U.S. National Parks — a mission that took eight years to complete. At the age of 93, Grandma Joy has finally seen all 63 parks, ending the monumental feat in the National Park of American Samoa.

“When I learned she had never seen the great wildernesses of America — deserts, mountains, oceans, you name it — I thought that was something that would trouble me if I didn’t take action in some way,” Brad says. This idea sparked their first trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. However, once they were on the road, Brad realized that they could visit more parks nearby, and their trips multiplied. Over the years, they managed to see all the famous sights at Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, the Redwoods, and so on.

Despite Grandma Joy’s older age, she could hike mountains and do white water rafting. Brad praises her enthusiasm for life as the key to her good health. She expresses gratitude for each new day and is always excited about the next adventure. Finally, their long journey across the U.S. ended with American Samoa. “It’s about 6,700 miles from Ohio, where we live. It’s the only U.S. National Park south of the equator. It’s a long trip, but we’re excited to go,” Brad explains. “We can enjoy the beach and the beautiful tropical paradise. But as we’ve learned from the rangers that work there, American Samoa is an island community firmly rooted in family. And I think that there’s a bit of a poetic beauty to ending it there, too.”

4 . My wife and I had decided on Ireland for our first big family trip. It’s been about a hundred years since my Irish ancestors left County Carlow for Canada. I’m so-so on U2 (a famous Irish-rock band). Irish pubs in Ontario don’t inspire me much. The most “Irish” thing about me is a ginger(姜黄色) beard and an occasional drink. My excitement for this trip was firmly rooted in the opportunity to drive on the “wrong” side of the road for a couple of weeks.

We arrived in Dublin from the overnight flight with our two kids. After picking up our rental car, we headed west. Wherever we went, I felt an undeniable sense of closeness with strangers. It wasn’t just the faces that looked like they were pulled out of my family’s photo albums. I felt at ease with the simple way of expression here, too and the shared appreciation for a self-deprecating(自嘲式的) joke.

I’ve recently learned the word “anemoia” means missing a time or a place you’ve never known. For me, the word describes the kind of longing I encountered on this trip. I’ve never experienced a longing to know Ireland or even my family’s history beyond a couple of generations. But during an hour-long trip to Inishmore Island, with the North Atlantic waves knocking us about, I felt a desire to repair the connection to my ancestors.

One day on the island, when the rain got worse, we chose a tour bus to take us to Dun Aonghasa, a 3,000-year-old stone fort(堡垒). As I walked around, I started to feel excited. By the time we entered the innermost ring of the fort, I was swimming in enthusiasm for our trip. Dun Aonghasa was full of meaning I couldn’t understand but sensed was valuable to me. For the first time in my life, I could personalize something ancient. I felt that I belonged. Yes, Ireland had many memorable things. But it was a pile of rocks that gave me the ancestral awakening I needed.

In ancient times, Quzhou, a city in the western part of Zhejiang province,     1     (know) as a center for spreading Confucianism. However, with time it lost its     2     (significant), and some people cannot even pronounce the city’s name     3     (correct), as the first character, qu, is written in a complicated way.

Quzhou,     4     (boast) a population of about 2. 27 million, has become one of the most popular tour destinations for young Chinese this year, thanks to the     5     (power) impact of a number of pop stars, who have added the city to their performance schedules.

In March 2023, singer-songwriter Xue Zhiqian held two concerts at the Quzhou Sports Center, which was designed by architect Ma Yansong     6     has a capacity of more than 30, 000. Hotels in the city reported record-setting occupancy levels, even though they raised their room rates due to the surging demand.

The nation’s booming performing arts scene has also helped promote tourism, a report     7     (release) by the China Association of Performing Arts said. Large cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, are no strangers     8     pop stars drawing up tour plans. However.     9     handful of third-tier and lower-tier cities were also included in artists’ schedules.

Since March, Quzhou     10     (stage) concerts by other pop stars, including Jeff Chang and Alex To. along with music festivals and galas featuring singers such as Li Yuchun and Pu Shu.

Inside the Barbecue city

Zibo, an unknown city in Shandong Province, suddenly turned into the     1     (hot) tourist destination in China. This city of 4.7 million received 4.8 million visitors in March, after it     2     (begin) attracting notice on social media. The local government has set up 21 buses to carry visitors from the train station directly     3     barbecue restaurants. “We’ve all had good food before, but this kind of     4     (warm) is hard to find,” said Zhang Kexin, a college senior. The reason for     5     (it) overnight success has absorbed all of China. Most explanations attribute (把……归因于) the origins to college students, some of     6     posted on social media about the joys of the local barbecue style. Diners gill (烤) their own skewers on tabletop stoves,     7     (make) the meal a D. I. Y. feel, and wrap them in a local hand-made pancake, alongside a sprig of raw green onion and a smear of hot sauce. The cheap prices also played     8     important part in attracting the tourists—food started at 15 cents at the most popular restaurants—so the city     9     (crowd) with young people. As a result, locals, seemingly unable     10     (believe) their luck, tried to do all they can to keep the city alive.