1 . The Ancient Tea Horse Road (in China) was a trade road mainly through Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet.     1     From the 6th century to the 20th century, people in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces traveled by foot and on horseback to exchange tea for horses with people in Tibet. Walking on the road, you can still see the deep marks in stones left by the stepping of horses’ hooves (马蹄) over the centuries.

The Ancient Tea Horse Road was impressive. However, for travelers, transportation was very difficult in the southwest because there were lots of high mountains, climbable only by narrow roads, and rapid rivers to cross. Wheeled or waterway transportation was nearly impossible.     2    

The Tea Horse Road originated from the traditional “tea-for-horse” trade between Han and Tibetan people. The trade began with Tibetan interest in tea in the Tang Dynasty.     3     Some places in Sichuan, such as Mingshan, had a specialized government department to manage the tea-horse trade.

    4     The Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Road started from Ya’an in Sichuan to Lhasa, traveled through Luding, Kangding, Batang, and Chamdo in Tibet, and continued to Nepal, Burma, and India.The Yunnan-Tibet Tea Horse Road began from a major tea-producing area in Yunnan and led to Lhasa in Tibet, crossing Pu’er in Xishuangbanna, Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La, and continuing to Nepal, Burma, and India.

With the rapid development of modern roads, the ancient pathways have been taken the place of by the Sichuan-Tibet Highway and other Tibetan roads.     5     It makes people return to nature, enjoy a trip for harmony between humans and the environment and experience a trip of adventure and discovery.

3 . An outbreak of bird flu（禽流感） moved from Asia to Europe, and has now spread to North America, which has led to the deaths of tens of millions of birds.

The last time there was a bird flu outbreak was seven years ago. The 2015 bird flu caused the death of over 50 million birds in the US alone. Slowly, over time, that outbreak was brought to a close by itself. This version of bird flu was first noticed in Saudi Arabia in February,2020. All through 2020 and 2021, the disease continued to spread. Wild birds which caught the flu in one part of the world carried the disease to other parts as they travelled.

The current bird flu appears to be at least as deadly as the 2015 flu, and seems to spread more easily. As one expert put it, “A lot more birds appear to be affected.” In the US alone, over 40 different kinds of wild birds have been found to have the disease, and those birds are spread out over 30 different states. Among the wild birds hit the hardest are water birds like ducks and geese. Birds which eat other birds, like eagles, are also being heavily affected. To keep the flu from spreading, farms with a few infected birds often have to kill thousands of birds, even if they don’t all have the disease yet.

Some scientists think this virus will stick around in wild bird populations. “I hope that this is not the case. I hope that in the US this infection will go away soon,” says Ron Fouchier, a virologist（病毒学家） at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. “But there’s no guarantee for that, as we’ve seen in Europe now that this virus has remained present for several years.”

4 . Our General English 20+ course is a practical course for motivated (积极的) adults who want to develop their confidence in communicating in English in a variety of situations. In small groups, you will develop your fluency and accuracy with realistic role-plays and real-life situations. Full-time or part-time choices are available to fit around your work, childcare or lifestyle commitments.

Our learners typically come from a wide range of backgrounds and an average of 70 nationalities per year.

For people who book 8 weeks or more, we have a special support system to ensure that your needs are met throughout your time with us and that you continue to see progress in your skills. This extra support includes extra free help and personalized feedback. We will communicate regularly with you so that any issues can be dealt with as quickly as possible.

Here’s more information about our course:

Maximum group size: 8

Minimum age: 20

Duration (时长) : a minimum of 1 week

Full-time: 24 hours per week; 9: 30-15: 45/16: 00 (Monday to Friday)

Part-time: 12 hours per week; choose morning or afternoon classes

Morning: 9: 30-12: 00 (Monday to Friday)

Afternoon: 13: 30-16: 00 (Monday to Friday)

At the end of this English course you can expect to understand the news and media better, use English more effectively for work or travel, deal with everyday. situations like meeting people or booking a hotel, and have developed your reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

5 . Go Sledding (滑雪橇) around Baltimore

From steep slopes (陡坡) to gentle hills, there’s no shortage of local sledding rides in the Baltimore area. Here are a few of the favorites.

Leakin Park

1901 EAGLE DRIVE

There’s a sweet slide behind the Crimean Mansion off Eagle Drive — also known today as Friends of Orianda House — which is accessible and also one of the best-kept sledding secrets inside city lines. The Winans Meadow area is super scenic year-round, but especially so when it snows.

Baltimore Country Club

4712 CLUB ROAD

The golf course is a legendary sledding destination, but make sure to be aware that the steep slope here is nicknamed “Adventure Hill” for a reason. No small number of green hands have rolled down here. As one Reddit commenter said, “It left me hurt many a time as a kid” — words no doubt that frighten some but also attract more than a few.

Herring Run Park

3800 BELAIR ROAD

The 375-acre northeast area may be the top spot in the city for the variety of hills to choose from. Created by the Olmstead Brothers more than a century ago, the stream valley park is also home to fox and deer, which you might just spot wandering about in their winter coats. Visitors can enjoy the benefit of sufficient parking for private vehicles.

Federal Hill

300 WARREN AVE.

It’s an obvious destination, given its picturesque view overlooking the Inner Harbor, for sledding and building snowmen and snowwomen. The hills here are very steep, however. Just be careful not to rush out onto Key Highway or into the back of the American Visionary Art Museum.

7 . With so many festivals taking place in the UK, it’s getting harder every year to decide which ones to go to—and more importantly, which ones you can actually afford.

Dates: 10th — 11th June

Headliners: The 1975, Skrillex and Aitch

Cost: From £149.50 (weekend ticket), from £84．50 (one-day ticket)

Manchester’s favourite music festival is, unsurprisingly, a favourite with the city’s large student population. The weekend usually features a top-drawer line-up with loads of acts. You can’t camp at Parklife, so you also have to factor in accommodation in Manchester.

Dates: 20th — 23rd July

Headliners: Pulp, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra

Cost: £286.45 (weekend ticket with standard camping), from £90.75 (one-day ticket)

Latitude is one of the pricier festivals out there, but the lineup normally justifies (证明……正确) the dollar. The festival will have big artists alongside its main headliners. It’s a great all-rounder festival, where you can get back to nature by camping and lake swimming before dancing to DJs until the early hours.

Dates: 7th — 9th July

Headliners: Playboi Carti, Travis Scott and 50 Cent

Cost: From £248.39 (weekend ticket), from £88 (one-day ticket)

We’re still a bit upset with Wireless for cancelling the festival’s Birmingham stop, making it a London-only event. Wireless hosts the sounds of grime, hip-hop, rap and R&B in North London’s Finsbury Park. Wireless isn’t a camping festival, so you’ll have to factor in the price of London accommodation for this one.

Dates: 25th — 27th August

Headliners: Jamiroquai, Kasabian and Ben Howard

Cost: £180 (weekend ticket with camping), £60 (one-day ticket)

Although it has an excellent line-up of big names, this is still a relatively little-known festival. Since there are so many big acts, it’s also a pretty cost-effective option too. Best of all, the Castle Stage is situated in front of the stunning Southsea Castle, making this one of the most picturesque festivals around.

I am Saeed from Iran. I am so glad to send you an email. I have a question about differences between a “cathedral” and a “church?” Are they the same?

This is a great question, Saeed!

A “church”is a building used by Christians for their religious (宗教的) services. Because there are many different Christians, there are many different kinds of churches.

A “cathedral” is one kind of Christian church. However, a “cathedral” is the main church for an area under the direction of a bishop, a high-level church leader, in the Roman Catholic faith. Other Christian groups might also call large churches cathedrals. There are many famous cathedrals around the world like Notre Dame in Paris, St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, and the Cathedral of Brasilia in Brazil’s capital.

A “temple” is another form of religious building. “Temple” is the English language word for religious centres in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Temples are places of prayer or worship. Sometimes, people who observe Reform Judaism call their religious centres “temples”.

A “mosque” is a place for Muslims to pray. Women and men usually have separate places to pray within the same building. Muslim holidays and marriages are observed in mosques. “Synagogues” are Jewish places of worship. They are for prayer and religious services, ceremonies and study.

These are not the only places of worship as there are many different religions in the world. If you know of a religious centre or place of prayer or worship, we have not named, please write to us in the comments below!

Please let us know if these explanations and examples helped you, Saeed!

What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish @ ooanews.com.