1 . Unusual Castles Around the World

Whether a fantastic achievement of architecture or just a try to appeal to the public intentionally, the four curious castles below are far from ordinary.

When viewed from some sides, Kelburn Castle looks like a typical Scottish castle. But on the building’s south side, the stone tower and walls are covered in cartoon-style graffiti (涂鸦). The castle’s graffiti is the work of four artists. The graffiti took 1,500 cans of paint to create.

Predjama Castle was built directly into the mouth of a cave located halfway up a little over 123-meter cliff (悬崖) face. Although the site dates back to at least the 13th century, the current building was reconstructed during the 16th century. The impressive castle holds the Guinness World Records for the largest cave castle in the world.

It’s common for castles to be built near the edge of a cliff, but few look so unsafe as the Swallow’s Nest in Crimea, which extends out over the Black Sea. The foundation of this small castle, which measures 20 meters in length and 10 meters in width, extends beyond the edge of the 40-meter cliff. The current stone building was once a wooden structure.

On the top of two volcanic mouths is Trosky Castle, which dates back to the end of the 14th century. Along with the towers on each peak, the castle is also built on the ridge (山脊) that connects the peaks. After a defensive stronghold during war time, the castle was abandoned. The government took control of the site in 1925 and the remains of its walls are now carefully maintained.

2 . Hosting the Olympics is costly in both infrastructure and money. The 2012 and 2014 Olympics cost upwards of $16 billion. That was merely to create the various buildings needed for the games.     1     This costs the host city much more in continuous maintenance and upkeep. Or the buildings are simply being left to decay into the landscape.

Berlin is a perfect example. It hosted the Olympics in 1936. Afterwards, the Olympic Village was left to crumble in the surrounding wilderness. Recently, funding has been approved to turn the former athlete residences into new apartments. This could breathe new life into the 135-acre site.     2     That is, they continue to host sporting events. Only occasionally do host cities get more creative. Here are three locations that took a different approach. They repurposed their Olympic buildings for decidedly less sporty uses.

The Olympic Village in Lake Placid

Most people entering this place are in a lot of trouble. The complex, first built in 1980, no longer welcomes athletes. Instead, it houses prisoners. It is the Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook. The facility originally housed about 1, 800 athletes.     3    

The Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles

This building used to host weightlifting as well as boxing and wrestling matches. It was first constructed in 1924. After the Games, it continued to host boxing and wrestling matches.     4     The building even served as the film set for parts of Rocky.

The National Aquatics Center in Beijing

This building was built for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and is commonly referred to as the Water Cube.     5     Half of it is now Asia’s largest water park, called Happy Magic Water Cube. There are 13 water slides, a wave pool and a spa. The second floor of the building has an auditorium with 17, 000 seats. There’s a theater, several restaurants, and also a museum of Olympic history.

3 . Top Places to Visit in the World

Bora Bora Island

Bora Bora Island is known for its expensive stays and adventurous activities. The hotels in Bora Bora offer full privacy and their floating villas (别墅) have direct entrance to the sea. May to October is the time when the island receives a lot of tourists. But the best time to go to Bora Bora is November to April. During this time you can skip the crowd and get the perfect weather.

Bali Island

Bali is an Indonesian island and known for its volcanic mountains. It’s very distinctive in terms of history and culture. For its beauty, it has a lot of names, such as Island of Gods, The Last Paradise, Land of Thousand Temples and Morning of the World. Bali has world-class surfing and diving places. April to June and September to October along with Christmas & New Year are the best time to visit Bali.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is an American national park located in southwestern Utah. This place is known for layered red and orange rocks which are geological (地质的) structures and make this place a famous one with more than 2 million people visiting it every year. May to September is considered the best time to visit Bryce Canyon National park.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

One of the most remarkable Australian natural gifts is the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The feature of this place is “richness” and “beauty”. This place is blessed with the breathtaking beauty of the world’s largest coral reef. The water is clear there, which allows you to take a deep dive. The best time to visit the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is between June and October. Visiting is not allowed in April.

4 . A WONDERFUL NIGHT AT CHANGSHA AQUARIUM(海洋馆)

Have you ever seen sea animals at night? What do they do? Eat? Sleep? Swim? Let’s go and enjoy the happy time.Time:6:30 p.m.～8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

* You can enjoy dinner at our restaurant under the water from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

*You can’t eat anything while you are watching the sea animals.

*Each tour costs 15 yuan. You can buy the tickets at the gate of the aquarium.

*You can decide which tour you will join after you arrive at the aquarium.

5 . Hershey’s Chocolate World Tours

The centre of the Hershey’s Chocolate universe, the 2-story redbrick Hershey’s Chocolate World delves (钻研) into the company’s history and production

process. Located in aptly named Hershey, Pennsylvania, the venue offers free tours that reveal the how-it-happens details of their luscious products — and, naturally, offers chocolate tastings.

Things to Know Before You Go

●Hershey’s Chocolate World is ideal for chocoholics of all ages.

●Strollers are allowed inside the building but must be parked in a designated area to ride the rides. Strollers are available for rent on-site.

●Free WiFi is available throughout Hershey’s Chocolate World.

●Hershey’s Chocolate Tour, Chocolate Tasting Experience, and 4-D Chocolate Mystery are accessible to wheelchairs.

How to Get There

Hershey’s Chocolate World is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about 18 miles (29 kilometres) from Harrisburg and 96 miles (155 kilometres) from Philadelphia. It’s free to park at Hershey’s Chocolate World for up to one hour. Shuttles run to Chocolate World from all of the Hershey park resorts.

When to Get There

Chocolate World is open from 9 am daily;closing times vary by season, and it is closed on Christmas Day. Saturdays are the busiest day to visit Chocolate World and nearby Hershey park; visit on a weekday if you want to avoid crowds. The trolley dons seasonal themes for Halloween and the holiday season with special hours to visit popular downtown light displays in winter.

DIY Candy Bar

One of the most popular activities at Hershey’s Chocolate World is the Create a Candy Bar zone. After purchasing a ticket, you can choose your own ingredients and wrapper to make a custom candy bar to take home.

I     1    never     2    (see) such beautiful sights before I visited Paris in 2021.I     3     (save) money for 5 years before I     4     (book) my trip to Paris.I was very excited！Before my trip to Paris，I     5     never     6     (be) out of the United States.

When I went to Paris，I     7     (spend) many days touring the city. The city is big. Sometimes I     8    (get) lost and asked for directions.I asked for directions in French.That was easy because I     9     (study) French for 2 years before I visited Paris.

By the time I left Paris，I    10     (tour) many beautiful places.The Eiffel Tower，Notre Dame Cathedral，and Luxembourg Gardens     11     (be) just a few of the places I saw. Before I     12    (visit) Paris，I had only seen those places on television.

10 . Yellowstone National Park, located in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, was established as the first national park in the United States. The park is a popular destination for visitors who enjoy ecological (生态的) tourism as it offers forests, mountains, and many ecosystems to explore. Some of Yellowstone’s most well­known landmarks are its geothermal (地热的) hot springs and geysers (间歇泉), the most famous of which is named Old Faithful.

Last fall, Lisa and her friends decided to take a camping trip to Yellowstone National Park. They arranged to stay at one of the park’s many convenient campsites. For their camping trip，they brought their backpacks, sleeping bags, and a cooler of food and drinks. They set up their tents immediately upon arriving at their campsite.

During their trip, Lisa and her friends hiked the many trails (小道) of the park, exploring its natural surroundings. In the forest, they saw a lot of local wildlife. Lisa was blown away by a family of grizzly bears, some gray wolves, and even bald eagles flying overhead. Unexpectedly, she seemed to quite enjoy being in such a great place. They were well protected. Outside of the woods, they admired the beauty of some of Yellowstone’s natural waterfalls.

Since Yellowstone contains many hot springs and the world’s largest area of active geysers, Lisa and her friends visited many different geyser sites.They even spent an afternoon swimming in Yellowstone’s Boiling River. Of all of the sites, Lisa and her friends agreed that Old Faithful was the most impressive. Lisa and her friends waited patiently for the geyser to erupt. After about 40 minutes, a stream of boiling water over 100 feet tall sprayed (喷洒) from the ground and up into the air. Luckily, no one got wet!