1 . Everyone loves travelling, right? Unfortunately, money can sometimes be a problem. Here are some tips for gaining better travel experience, regardless of your bank savings!

Tip 1: Decide where you’ll go based on your budget.

The cost of your trip can depend greatly on where you want to go.     1    . For example, countries like France and the UK can be pretty expensive to visit. By contrast, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia are cheaper and still offer great cultural experiences.

Tip 2:     2    .

Yes, everyone loves the luxury of a five star hotel. But sadly, in a lot of places, this is just not realistic for those on a budget. That’s why whenever I travel to countries which are expensive, I choose to stay in hostels or campsites. Hostels are a sure way to meet potential travelling companions while also saving money.     3    .

Tip 3: Don’t always rely on restaurants.

Another advantage of staying in hostels(招待所)is that you will always have access to a kitchen. Eating in a restaurant can be very expensive,     4    . Many cities have markets where you can buy fresh food and vegetables on the cheap, and you can even try to make the popular food of the country.

So you see, if you come prepared, you can easily travel the world,     5    .

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Yours,

Li Hua

5 . In life, do you choose to take the road everyone has taken, or do you choose the path that is best for you? It might be _________ to choose what everyone has done, especially if it seemed to work for them. But is that what truly _________for you?

On a recent hiking _________, my partner and I decided to take a popular path in the _________ direction. This was a(n) _________, well-traveled path where people had been hiking and biking from A to Z for years. For our own reasons, we chose to travel from Z to A. Going backwards made more sense with my _________. The trip would take several days and going backwards _________ that I would end the trip closer to the airport for my flight home.

As my partner and I walked, everyone crossing our path had something to say, “You’re going the wrong way. Are you _________? Are you returning _________ you forgot something? Are you crazy? The path occasionally crossed a __________. When it did, even passing cars beeped (鸣笛) to __________ us in the “right” direction.

Why did people only see one way? Because that’s what everyone does? Because that’s how it’s always been done? We even __________ to talk to a Danish woman who said, “There is an old __________ in my country: when you go backwards to everyone else, it’s because you’re avoiding something”. I couldn’t __________ it. We were just enjoying connecting with nature, hiking the way that __________ us. Had we gone the “wrong” way? No. __________, not for us.

I decided to __________ the path I chose. __________, we had an amazing experience. Choosing the “wrong” path was right for me. When your inner __________ tells you something is right (or wrong), listen to it. It’s your instinct (本能). It’s speaking to you for a reason and it __________, better than anyone, what’s best for you.

7 . The Taj Mahal(泰姬陵)is a love story, a sad and beautiful one. If it didn’t exist, we would easily imagine that the story of its construction was simply a fairy tale. Three hundred years ago, there lived an Indian emperor called Shah Jahan. His wife was a beautiful and bright woman whom he loved greatly. Her title was Mumtazl

Mahal: its shortened form Taj Mahal, means “pride of the palace”. In the year 1630 this beloved wife of the emperor died. He was so brokenhearted that he thought of giving up his throne(王位). He decided out of his love for his wife, to build her the most beautiful tomb that he had ever seen.

He summoned the best artists and architects from India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was completed. It took more than twenty thousand men working over a period of 18 years to build the Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

The building itself stands on a marble platform 29 meters square and 6—7 meters high. Towers rise from each of the four comers. The Taj Mahal itself soars another 61 meters into the air. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble.

The emperor planned to build an identical(相同的)tomb of black marble for himself on the other side of the river connected by a silver bridge. However, his son put him into a prison in the palace before he could finish, and for the rest of his life, he could only gaze across river at the tomb of his beloved wife.

8 . Each time Chinese New Year is approaching, preparations are underway around the world. Here are some Chinatowns for those outside of China wishing to celebrate Chinese New Year.

London

Although it may not be as large or as long-built as others, having only become a center for the Chinese community during the 1950s, London’s Chinatown is a perfectly formed firework that knows how to welcome the new year with a bang. Decorated with red lanterns, previous years have seen shows with acrobatics (杂技), martial arts (武术), dances and operas nearby.

San Francisco

San Francisco’s Chinatown is perhaps the most famous in the USA. The city was the main entry point for Chinese who had crossed the Pacific to the USA during the early 19th century. Between Grant Avenue and Stockton Street, this historic area is a local treasure, attracting more visitors per year than the Golden Gate Bridge.

Bangkok

With an about 100-year-old history, the Thai capital’s Chinatown contains complex streets offering all kinds of tasty food, clothes and toys. Sunday Market days are such a good time to get the full atmosphere of the neighborhood. The area is also known for its gold dealers, whose shops line the road.

Port Louis

Founded in Port Louis, this Mauritian Chinatown shows the island nation’s rich cultural diversity. Built in the early years of the 20th century by settlers from China, its tiny shops and restaurants serve locals and visitors. During Spring Festival, the most exciting sight is the dragon dances on the Rue Royale where Chinese musicians and dancers perform the traditional dragon dances through the streets.

Melbourne

The Chinatown in Melbourne, Australia was formed with the Victorian “gold rush” in the mid-19th century. According to Reuters, Melbourne Chinatown is not only the oldest Chinatown in Australia, but also the longest in all cities in the Western world. Many architectural relics of that time are still preserved, making this street a corridor of traditional Chinese architecture.

10 . It was not turning out to be the great fishing trip we had imagined. It certainly was not the one Father had promised. All day the rain beat against the roof of our cabin.

Father sat at the window, looking out over the lake. My older brother Jeremy, who had recently turned sixteen years old, lay on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. I paced the room, occasionally glancing toward Father to see if there was any sign that the rain would let up.

“I wish we’d never come out to this boring place,” Jeremy said.

I stopped pacing and looked at Father. He gave no sign that he had heard, and I hoped he hadn’t. This trip meant a lot to him. He used to come out here with own father.

I started pacing again.

“I mean, if we’d stayed home, at least I could watch TV, go out with my friends or play my guitar,” Jeremy continued.

Silence continued for some time. I kept pacing, imagining the trip I had dreamed of before the bad weather had set in. I saw us in the boat, anchor dropped in a calm bay casting our lines toward shore, the way Father had described it when he was trying to convince Jeremy to come along.

Father stood up and turned to face us. He smiled at me. “Come on, get up, Jeremy,” he said. “Let’s go fishing, boys.” He picked up his fishing rod and the tool box, opened the door, and walked out into the rain.

Jeremy and I watched Father walk down the pathway toward the dock (码头)，the wind whipping (打) at his hair,the rain wetting his clothes. Jeremy shook his head. “He's crazy if he thinks I’m going with him,” he said. “Maybe I would have when I was a little kid, but not now,” he said.

I waited for a while, unsure of what to do, looking out the open door at Father, who was walking onto the dock, facing against the storm. Jeremy couldn’t believe I picked up my rod and walked out into the storm after Father. I couldn’t quite hear what Jeremy said because of the wind in my ears, but I heard his footsteps behind me as he began to follow me out to the boat.