1 . Madrid’s Incredible Museums

CaixaForum

CaixaForum is a museum and cultural center that occupies an old power plant. From the outside the building appears to be floating, and there’s a vertical (垂直的) garden with 15,000 plant species growing on the side of one wall. Inside are four floors of paintings, photos, andmultimedia exhibitions, as well as workshops and a theater-auditorium. Even if you don’t enterany exhibitions, it’s worth stopping by to admire the building’s striking outer and innerarchitecture.

Hours: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily

Free admission: May 15, 18, and November 9

Museo Sorolla

This small art gallery is dedicated to the Impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923).The gallery is in his former home and studio, and they’ve preserved the original atmosphere wellso you get a feel for what it was like when he was living and working there.

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 8:00 PM

Sundays and holidays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, closed Mondays

Free admission: Saturdays after 2:00 PM and Sundays

Museo del Romanticismo

This small museum focuses on the history and daily life of the Romantic period. The museum recreates the Romantic atmosphere in its room displays with furniture, carpets, jewelry, paintings, and other antiques of the time period.

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM

Sundays and holidays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, closed Mondays

Free admission: Saturdays after 2:00 PM and Sundays

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

The Thyssen Museum began as the Thyssen family’s private collection of seven centuriesof European painting, regarded as one of the most important collections of the last century. In1992, it was converted into a public museum. It has a great variety of artists, styles, and time periods.

Hours:Mondays from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM,

Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Free admission:Mondays from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

6 . Kids everywhere love to play. And they know a ball is a perfect thing to play with. Now scientists at London’s Queen Mary University report that bumblebees seem to know the same thing, making bumblebees the first insects known to play.

When people talk about “play”, they’re describing an animal doing something that doesn’t really seem to help it. They’re not doing the action to get food or shelter or another similar “reward”. Play usually happens when a creature is relaxed and is often repeated.

However, scientists think many animals and birds’ playing is a kind of training for things they’ll have to deal with in later life. But before this, there were no reports of insects playing.

Scientists at Dr. Chittka’s lab, carried out an experiment. First, they tagged (贴标签) 45 young bumblebees, both male and female, between 1 and 23 days old. The tags made the bees easier to identify and follow.

The scientists set up a clear pathway from the bumblebees’ nest to a feeding area. On either side of the open pathway, the researchers placed small colored wooden balls. On one side of the path, the balls were attached and couldn’t move. On the other side, the balls could roll around. It turned out that the bumblebees weren’t interested in the unmovable balls, but they made lots of visits to the rolling balls.

Grabbing the balls with their legs, the bees would flap (拍打) their wings to pull on the balls, causing them to roll. The 45 tagged bumblebees rolled balls 910 times during the experiment. Though some only did it once, others did it a lot. The younger bumblebees spent more time rolling balls. Males seemed more likely to play than females.

“It’s not clear why the bees roll the balls or whether they enjoy it But the experiment raises important questions about how the insects’ minds work and whether they have feelings. With further research, the future will hold surprises and answers in store for us,” said Dr. Chittka.

7 . It can be hard to convince homeowners to use less water on their lawns (草坪), particularly during a hot and dry summer. But tell them it’s a competition for the ugliest lawn, and suddenly they may be more willing to give up using the sprinkler(洒水器).

This clever strategy was employed by the government of Gotland, Sweden’s largest island located in the Baltic Sea. Gotland sees its population double during the summer months as tourists arrive. This puts pressure on the island’s already-limited water supply, which is projected to decrease by 13% between 2021 and 2050, as demand is expected to rise by 40% by 2045.

The campaign, called “Gotland’s Ugliest Lawn”, urged homeowners to compete for the saddest, deadest and brownest yard. They were asked to avoid watering for an entire season, then post a photo of the lawn using a label that linked it to the campaign.

Mimmi Gibson, the acting marketing and brand manager at Region Gotland, said that “the ugliest lawn contest would remind the islanders not to waste water, and to talk about ways they can adapt their gardens to suit the existing conditions and the climate crisis”.

The winner for this year was announced in mid-August, and it’s Marcus Norstrom, who did not water his lawn once throughout the entire summer. His photo shows a large brown space   with some sparse yellow grasses sticking out——the kind of yard in which you would not want to walk barefoot (赤脚地)for risk of hurting your feet. The government must be feeling pleased ; its strategy has worked.

It’s an interesting strategy which attempts to normalize and even celebrate dead grass. It is reasonable to assume that the more people see it around their communities, the more acceptable it will become. They may also grow curious when they realize there are other ways to create and maintain an attractive-looking yard, even without irrigation(灌溉).

8 . The answer to traffic jams on the highways around airports could be electric air taxis. But this is not a futuristic dream. United Airlines is helping to make it a reality.

The carrier is ordering 200 electric air taxis, also called eVOTL planes, from Eve Air Mobility which designed vehicles for short distance-like going from city centers to airports-that can seat four passengers. The eVOTL planes take off and land like helicopters.

These vehicles that are due to be delivered in 2026 can fly from rooftop to rooftop. These types of vehicles are more environmental than using ground transportation. That’s because the air taxis use electric engines that have no carbon emissions(碳排放). This will reduce pollution and noise levels by 90 percent, according to United Airlines and Eve Air Mobility.

“Our agreement with Eve shows our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important step toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” said Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures. “We’ll get there not with empty gestures, but by taking the harder path of actually reducing the emissions from flying.” If the company meets its goal of reducing its carbon footprint to net zero, it will be the first US airline to do so.

This isn’t United’s first try for environmental protection. The company started using bio-fuel(生物燃料) in flights from Los Angeles in 2016. It was the first airline in the US to promise to significantly use bio-fuel and this could cut emissions by 60 percent. From baby steps to flying ones, this airline is working on its commitment to the environment. Hopefully this is just one part of a global commitment to green the airline industry.

10 . As a popular tour operator, Travel China Guide designs a lot of China tour packages (旅游套餐) for foreigners with the best-selling travel deals to wonderful must see destinations and offers the best quality services. We warmly invite you to join us on an exciting vacation. Today we will offer you a three days’ private Zhangjiajie in-depth tour.

Welcome to this charming city, Zhangjiajie. Your guide and driver will pick you up at the airport and drive you to the hotel we booked for you ahead of time. The rest time of the day remains free for you to relax.

Today, your private Zhangjiajie tour will start with a visit to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, where you will have a chance to experience the world’s longest and highest glass bridge, Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge. In addition to an unforgettable experience, it will also give you a special angle to enjoy the beauty of the Grand Valley

Afterwards, your guide will lead you to the Baofeng Lake where you will take a scenic boat ride. When you finish visiting the scenic area, the driver will send you back to the hotel.

Today your Zhangjiajie tour will continue to go to the Tianmen Mountain, known as the most beautiful “Hanging Garden” in the world. Tianmen Mountain is named after a natural wonder, Tianmen Cave, which is a naturally formed hole among thousand-metre high cliffs. In addition to this wonder, you may also see different old trees, green vines and rare animals there.

Your three-day Zhangjiajie tour package will come to an end here. You will then be driven to the airport and we will say goodbye there. If you want to have your China tour schedule further, we will be glad to provide detailed information.