1 . Slow travel is about connecting deeply with your travels. Rather than rushing from one place to another, slow travelers treat each experience as an opportunity to learn and feel more deeply to the people, culture, and food they want to explore.
Relax and enjoy
Once, a vacation provided relaxation from the stress of everyday life. But over time, we began trying to put everything we want into a checklist.
Have more memorable experiences
Meet people and actually get to know them
When you decide to take the slow travel route, you free yourself up to meet and spend time with others. You can meet locals at a park or restaurant and enjoy a conversation. Learn about the people on your food tour. You may even decide that you like someone enough to meet him/her later for lunch or a coffee.
Traveling by plane, train, and bus has a bad effect on the environment. We can transport ourselves to one location and spend more time exploring it on foot, by bike or on horseback. That’s less harmful to the planet than rushing to the next thing on the list with whatever vehicle that will get us there in a hurry.
| A．Be more eco-friendly |
| B．Experience different means of transportation |
| C．This created more stress than we were escaping |
| D．Making a checklist makes your journey more organized |
| E．Here are some reasons we think you need to try slow travel |
| F．Your communication tends to be more relaxed and more real |
| G．Maybe you’re used to jumping from one attraction after another |
2 . If you explore somewhere interesting, you should never miss the three beautiful bookstores in the world.
City Lights
City Lights, an independent bookstore-publisher combination specializing (专门从事) in world literature, the arts and politics, is still one of the world’s greatest bookstore since it was founded by the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It became well-known for publishing important poem Howl and Other Poems. Having been a gathering place for American literary icons (偶像), like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. City Lights is located at 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco.
Shakespeare and Company
Originally founded in 1919 by Sylvia Beach, Shakespeare and Company is a combination of a bookstore and a reading library, specializing in English-language literature. In the 1920s, the store was a meeting point for literary icons such as Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. Located in the 5th arrondissement (郡，法国行政区), on Paris’s Left Bank, the current store was opened in 1951, named after and in honor of the earlier store that closed during World War II.
Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore
The 800-year- old Domonican church in Maastricht has been turned into one of the most beautiful bookstore in the world- Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore. The store keeps the character and charm of the old church. It houses the largest stock of books in English in the city. Reading here is a special experience.
1. Where is City Lights?| A．In Maastricht. | B．In Paris. | C．In San Francisco | D．In Berlin. |
| A．Sylvia Beach | B．Ernest Hemingway | C．James Joyce | D．Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| A．It became well-known because of a poem. | B．It was closed during World War II. |
| C．It keeps the character of an old church. | D．It contains a great number of travel books. |
3 . With over 70% of the country blanketed in forest, Bhutan is rich in outdoor activities and charming villages that showcase a distinctive culture found nowhere else on the Earth. Here are our picks for the best places to add to your Bhutan traveling list.
ParoLess than 10 minutes away from the airport, the historic riverside town of Paro is known for the National Museum, Rinpung Dzong and symbolic Tiger’s Nest Monastery. Wander along Paro’s streets and the Paro Weekend Market to explore shops and stands offering handmade souvenirs. When you’ve worked up an appetite, step into any restaurant for fresh, handmade momo dumplings.
ThimphuIn Bhutan’s capital city, spend the day creating your own stamps at the Bhutan Postal Museum, touring the massive Thimphu’s museums and watching policemen manually direct traffic(there are no traffic lights in the entire city). When the sun sets below the mountains, enjoy yourself at bars like Grey Area, a popular art bar with live music where you can shout “tashi delek!”, a Xizang’s expression for good luck and health.
PunakhaBeloved for riverside farms where cows eat among rice and pepper fields, Punakha is home to what is its most beautiful temple, which sits along the Punakha River. Punakha’s low altitude means it tends to be hotter and sunnier than nearby towns and districts, which means you’ll need to take precautions to avoid sunburn.
KhomaFashion lovers can expect to visit behind the curtain in Bhutan’s textile center, Khoma. In the eastern district of Lhuentse, this village is home to roughly 1,000 residents—and few cars. Khoma’s artisans spend their days weaving delicate patterns and designs on traditional Bhutanese looms (织布机), creating colors from the area’s minerals and plants.
1. What is recommended for visitors traveling in Thimphu?| A．Acting as a policeman. | B．Enjoying the nightlife. |
| C．Purchasing ancient stamps. | D．Trying handmade dumplings. |
| A．Food. | B．Life jackets. | C．Sunblock. | D．Warming clothing. |
| A．Paro. | B．Thimphu. | C．Punakha. | D．Khoma. |
4 . On many travelers’ lists of things to do before they die, you’ll find “See the northern lights” written down. Rightfully so these lights are one of nature’s most jaw-dropping views.
In Sweden, the northern lights usually appear from late March or early April. Your best chance of catching a glimpse of them is on cold winter nights when the sky is clear, dark with little to no moonlight, and cloudless. You need to be away from city lights and go to the countryside. For those willing to brave the cold on winter nights, here are some of the best locations.
Abisko National Park
Abisko Natinal Park is a main location. The scientifically confirmed “blue hole”, a piece of sky over the Tornetrask lake that usually remains clear despite cloudy weather nearby, gives Abisko its own microclimate (局部地区气候), which is suitable for catching the lights.
Jukkasjarvi
The village of Jukkasjarvi only has about 550 people. But don’t let the small population size fool you: Jukkasjarvi owns the world’s first ice hotel and is one of the best places to view the northern lights. The ice hotel organizes guided tours for guests to the Esrange Space Center. There you can eat at a camp outside and see the Arctic winter sky for aurora borealis (北极光). Or why not try to get closer to the northern lights and watch them through an aeroplane window? The ice hotel arranges flights for the amazing northern lights experience.
Gallivare
You can drive a snowmobile to the mountain top in Gallivare for a private light show, or head a few kilometers to nearby villages to watch those lights shining across the dark winter sky. But remember if you do get the chance to see the northern lights in person, never whistle to them. According to ancient Sumi fairy, it brings you bad luck.
1. When are you likely to best enjoy the northern lights in Swede?| A．On cold winter nights with clear sky and a little moonlight. |
| B．On freezing winter nights in the rural area without moonlight or cloud. |
| C．On chilly winter nights in the city center with few lights and little cloud. |
| D．On winter nights when the sky is dark with little moonlight and no cloud. |
| A．It has up to 550 people. |
| B．It owns the world’s first hotel. |
| C．It is among the best places to view the northern lights. |
| D．You can eat at a camp inside and see the aurora borealis. |
| A．A science report. | B．An art magazine. | C．A travel guide. | D．A botanical book. |
5 . Amsterdam Destination Guide
Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. It is the capital and most populous city in the Netherlands and often referred to as the “Venice of the North” because of its expansive system of bridges and canals. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.
Boom Season | Population | Language(s) | Currency | January Climate | July Climate |
May to October | 813,562 | Dutch | Euro | Average high: 5.8℃ | Average high: 22.0℃ |
Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. You’ll also want to check out Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cnyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark. The top museums to visit there are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
If You Have Time
There are several other unique districts in Amsterdam, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today. The Plantage area has most of the city’s museums, including the Jewish Historical Museum, the Scheepvaart Museum, and the botanical gardens.
Money Saving Tips
●Unless you really want to see the tulips blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May. This is when hotel and flight prices rise.
●Look for accommodations in Amsterdam’s South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.
●Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
●Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They’re inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city,
Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights, hotels, and rental cars before you book.
1. What can be learned about Amsterdam from this passage?| A．Amsterdam is called the “Venice of the North” because of its location. |
| B．The Van Gogh Museum lies in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter. |
| C．The Old Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
| D．The Canal Ring is a place to attract garden lovers. |
| A．arrange a guided canal tour |
| B．buy train tickets at the counter |
| C．reserve a hotel in the South District |
| D．book flights between mid-March and mid-May |
| A．A magazine. | B．An essay. | C．A report. | D．A website. |
6 . It is 10 in the morning, and I am travelling by raft down the Li River. The sun is already burning hot even though it has not yet reached full strength, but a calm breeze cools my skin. So far the day is wonderful, but the purpose of my trip is not just to have fun: I am following in the footsteps of Xu Xiake(1587-1641), the famous Chinese travel writer and geographer. Though Xu was from Jiangsu, he spent more than 30 years travelling throughout the country, and greatly admired my destination today—ox Gorge.
As we flow down the river, we are surrounded by steep hills sticking up into the sky-karsts. Karsts are rock formations made of limestone. They have been sculpted by water and millions of years of erosion into these beautiful natural sculptures. Guangxi is full of karsts, giving it some of the most interesting—and beautiful—scenery in the world. Xu was one of the first people to make a careful study of Guiln’s karsts and their related cave systems. He, like many people today, found them fascinating.
Suddenly, our raft hits some rapids, and I find myself covered in water. I turn to my raftsman and we share a laugh. The water not only keeps us cool, but it is all part of the adventure.
What made someone like Xu spend years traveling thousands of kilometres away from home? Perhaps it’s the same reason as mine: to explore the world and to discover new things. As Xu wrote, “A great man should in the morning be at the blue sea, and in the evening at Mount Cangwu. Why should I restrict myself to one corner of the world?
Xu was not alone. Much like today, the late Ming Dynasty was a golden age of tourism within China. People travelled hundreds of kilometres to visit temples, go mountain climbing, or explore scenery.
Yet, perhaps no one in China travelled farther or longer than Xu Xiake. At least, if anyone did they did not write about it.
1. Why did the author decide to go to the Guilin?| A．Just to have fun and relax himself. |
| B．To explore the world and discover the new things. |
| C．To enjoy the scenery and recall a Chinese famous travel writer |
| D．To travel by raft down the Li River. |
| A．Xu Xiake admired the scenery of ox-Gorge but he had not been here. |
| B．Guilin’s karsts are formed by water’s erosion over the years. |
| C．The author felt frustrated while he fell into the water from the raft. |
| D．People in the Ming Dynasty enjoyed travelling around the country. |
| A．Limit. | B．Control. | C．Improve. | D．Behave. |
| A．Hardworking | B．Adventurous | C．Courageous | D．Ambitious. |
7 . In recent years, wooden buildings have reached new heights, with soaring wooden skyscrapers completed or underway in countries like Norway, Switzerland and Australia. Sweden, likewise, has come up with a plan as big as a city — building the world’s biggest wooden city. As the world’s largest urban construction project in wood, Stockholm Wood City will be built in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm in 2025.
By using wood, the project is expected to reduce carbon footprint by up to 40%, compared with building in concrete and steel, says Annica Anäs, CEO of Atrium Ljungberg, a Swedish urban development company. Some people may have concerns over fire risks posed by wooden buildings, but experts say engineered timber (木材) can resist fire as well. As with other modern construction projects using wood, Wood City will still use some concrete and steel in places like the foundations, but the overall amounts will be greatly reduced. As wooden buildings are much lighter, their foundations can be smaller.
The construction will not be as noisy as it is built from concrete and bricks, adds Ms Anäs. This makes wooden buildings particularly suitable for urban redevelopment in general, since putting them up is less likely to annoy the neighbours. It should also be profitable. Ms Anäs is looking for a return on investment of 20% or better. “Sweden is progressive when it comes to wood construction,” she says.
The world’s largest wooden city is supposed to make commute (通勤) easier and shorter, decreasing emissions from transportation. The website for the project describes Stockholm Wood City as a “five-minute city”, which means that anywhere one would need to go — work, grocery stores, or school, for example—would only be a five-minute walk away. As Anäs concluded, “We want to create an environment where our customers, those who will live and work here, can participate in the development and design of the city district of the future.”
1. What is the project about?| A．Making Stockholm a low-carbon city. |
| B．Creating more wooden skyscrapers in Sweden. |
| C．Building the highest wooden building in Europe. |
| D．Constructing the largest wooden city in the world. |
| A．They can strongly resist fires. |
| B．They are more comfortable to live in. |
| C．They are more environmentally friendly. |
| D．They are built on a more stable foundation. |
| A．They are profitable for investors. |
| B．They cause less noise when built. |
| C．They have a short construction period. |
| D．They are less costly to maintain and repair. |
| A．Secure. | B．Stressful. | C．Convenient. | D．Fashionable. |
8 . Must-See Destinations in 2024
Are you ready to explore the world in 2024? Whether you dream of sailing down famous European rivers or exploring unique places, our list of must-see destinations is here to inspire your travels.
SpainThrow yourself into the rich culture and history of Spain. From the sunny beaches of Tenerife to the Moorish architecture (建筑物) of Andalucía, there’s so much to explore in this lively country. Discover the UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) city of La Laguna and become amazed at the beauty of Cordoba, Seville, and La Alhambra, or relax on a beach holiday to Majorca or Tenerife.
MontenegroDespite its size, Montenegro has beautiful beaches, rich history, and a breathtaking channel. Experience the beauty of the Montenegrin coast — Dalmatia’s jewel (宝石) is the UNESCO World Heritage listed oasis of Dubrovnik, famously praised by Lord Bryon as The Pearl of the Adriatic.
CroatiaDiscover the beauty that is Dubrovnik. Explore the 16th-century city’s defensive walls and red-roofed buildings. Sail along Croatia’s Adriatic Coast, where attractive villages and beautiful towns like Pula, Rovinj, and Poreč are just waiting to be explored...
South AfricaExplore the wonders of South Africa, from the Garden Route’s nature reserves to the thrill of a Safari drive in the Kariega Game Reserve. Discover the different plants and animals while searching for the “Big Five” on an unforgettable South Africa holiday.
With over 25 years of experience creating holidays for the curious, Travel Department ensures that your journey is in good hands. Plus as a trusted Reader’s Digest Travel partner, you can get special deals when you travel with them across lots of different 2024 holidays. If you want to know more information, please click here.
1. What do Spain and Montenegro have in common?| A．They are both praised by tourists. |
| B．They both have world heritage cities. |
| C．They are known for their architectures. |
| D．They both own beaches and rich history. |
| A．Spain. | B．South Africa. |
| C．Montenegro. | D．Croatia. |
| A．A website. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
9 . I’ve lived in Cardigan Bay (卡迪根海湾) in West Wales since I was a few months old. You’ve got everything you need here. Hills, stunning beaches, nice coastal paths. As someone who loves the countryside, I’ve never wanted to leave.
I was lucky to find work I could do in this area. A lot of people do have to move away in order to find work. I started Adventure Beyond here about 30 years ago and we work all over the UK. We go up to Scotland, we work along the Thames. We’ve also taken groups to Canada, the Himalayas, places like that. But honestly, West Wales has got everything. We can do everything we need right here.
Cardigan Bay is pretty huge, but I find having grown up here there’s a definite sense of belonging. There’s an awareness that we’re lucky to have these incredible sandy beaches, pebbly beaches, beautiful rivers, and hills. It’s peaceful, and it’s not overdeveloped. Of course, there are periods when it gets busy, but then the second schools go back and you pretty much get the beaches to yourself. There is a sense of community (群体) too, with a lot of good community-based clubs, such as the Poppit Sands Surf Lifesaving Club.
I set up Adventure Beyond to make my own work in the area. I love the outdoors, and I wanted to be in Cardigan Bay, so it was perfect. I’ve tried to always keep that personal touch. The clients (客户) will pretty much always meet myself and all the staff. We took a lot of people on through the Kickstart scheme (启动计划) and they’ve been employed with us for a few years. A lot of our clients have been with us since we started, too. There’s a sense of family, which is quite special.
I won’t mention a specific favorite place, but in general the beaches are just amazing. It’s just a sort of wild west, really.
1. What can we know from Paragraph 2?| A．The author is 30 years old. | B．The author has to work in another city. |
| C．The author’s job requires a lot of travelling. | D．The author can do everything in West Wales. |
| A．It’s undeveloped but beautiful. | B．Its beauty hasn’t been noticed. |
| C．It has the most peaceful beaches in the world. | D．It gives a sense of belonging and community. |
| A．Keeping that personal touch. | B．Getting the beaches back to the locals. |
| C．Enjoying outdoor activities with clients. | D．Starting Adventure Beyond in Cardigan Bay. |
| A．The author’s simple life in Cardigan Bay. | B．The author’s deep love for Cardigan Bay. |
| C．The author’s exploration of Cardigan Bay. | D．The author’s hope for the future Cardigan Bay. |
10 . New York City: the Big Apple
New York City is known by many nicknames—such as “the City that Never Sleeps” or “Gotham”—but the most popular one is probably “the Big Apple”. How did this nickname come about? Although uses of the phrase are documented in the early 1900s, the term first became popular in the 1920s when John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer, started a column about horse racing called “Around the Big Apple”.
Geneva: the Peace Capital
Geneva, the second most populous city in Switzerland, is a city known for its diplomacy. Geneva is not only home to the European headquarters for the United Nations but also where international organizations, such as the Red Cross, were founded and where the Geneva Conventions, a series of treaties (条约) for reducing the effects of war on soldiers and civilians, were signed. It seems fitting. then, that Geneva is known as ”the Peace Capital”.
Toronto: Muddy York
“Muddy York” sounds like a nickname that would be better suited for New York when it’s raining. But it’s actually a nickname for the city of Toronto in Canada. “Muddy York” is now not as popular as it used to be, but the nickname refers to a time in Toronto’s history when there was no drainage system or sewers. The “York” part actually goes back to when Toronto was first colonized, and its name was “Town of York” to honor Prince Frederick, duke of York. Now, the nickname “Muddy York” represents the early years of this Canadian city.
Sydney: Harbour City
Located on the southeastern coast of Australia, Sydney is a city that takes advantage of its location. Once a major port city, Sydney is sometimes called “Harbour City”, in honor of this prime real estate. People enjoy hitting the beach to go surfing or diving, and one of the most recognizable buildings, the Sydney Opera House, is right on the harbor!
1. Which city got its nickname because of its port location?| A．New York. | B．Geneva. | C．Toronto. | D．Sydney. |
| A．It’s the second most populous city worldwide. |
| B．It’s famous for some international organizations. |
| C．It’s home to the headquarters of the United Nations. |
| D．It’s the cause of conflicts between soldiers and civilians. |
| A．Because it was reduced to a British colony. |
| B．Because it had a lot in common with New York. |
| C．Because it was muddy on a rainy day for lack of sewers. |
| D．Because it represented the early years of this Canadian city. |
