I’m writing in response to your letter. I strongly recommend you to visit Hangzhou.   

Hangzhou,     1     (位于浙江省) , is the capital city of Zhejiang. The Italian Traveler Marco Polo once     2     (把它称作) a paradise on earth. There are a variety of     3     (标志性景点) in Hangzhou, such as the West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Qiandao Lake, the Qiantang River, which     4    (分布在杭州各地). Besides, walking in the street, you can     5    (偶遇) beauties everywhere, who are tall as well as elegant. If you are tired, you are to     6     (走进) a tea house to taste Longjing green tea. Last, remember to take some good hiking boots and a big backpack to put all your souvenirs in.

Yours,

Li Hua

Touring “Treasure Island”

Chinese mainland tourists will be able to visit Taiwan via charted flights in July according to two landmark agreements signed on June 13. So, 21^st Century invited two young Taiwanese to     1     their favorite site on the island.

Yangming Mountain, north of Taipei

Young couples can definitely enjoy a     2     evening on the mountain and a bird’s eye view of the Taipei city. College students often visit the mountain for a     3    : others ride motorbike to the top. The mountain and the nearby town of Pei-tou have many hot springs, which often appear in romantic Taiwan TV dramas.

Ali Mountain, Jiayi County

Ali Mountain is the general name for 18 hills. The highest     4     of Ali Mountain is Tower Hill, which has a height of 2,663 meters. Ali Mountain is famous for its “five rare sites” - the sunrise, the Ali mountain Forest Railway, the famous Alishan Sacred Tree, the Grand Sea of Clouds and the Flamboyant Cherry Blossom. The best time to visit the     5     scenery is during the comfortable midsummer.

Taipei 101 tower, Taipei

The 101-floor landmark is one of the world’s tallest completed skyscrapers. Besides the shops inside and outside the tower, Taipei 101     6     splendid firework shows during festivals. A new     7     next to the tower is under construction. It will be a     8     beach on which the public will be permitted to     9    .

Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei

The squares in front of these halls are open all day to the public. They have become a paradise to colleges students, who often meet there for an activity that     10     space. You will run into students dancing, rehearsing skits or even playing musical instruments.

The secret to eating less and being happy about it may have been uncovered years ago — by McDonald’s. According to a new study from Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab,     1     non-food rewards — like the toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals — stimulate the same reward centers in the brain as food does.

The researchers, led by Martin Reimann, carried out a series of experiments to see if people would choose a smaller meal if it was     2     together with a non-food item.

They found that the majority of both kids and adults chose a half-sized portion (部分) when combined with a prize. Both options were     3     the same.

Even more interesting is that the     4     of a future reward was enough to make adults choose the smaller portion. One of the prizes used was a lottery ticket (彩票), with a $10, $50 or $100 payout, and this was as effective as a tangible (有形的) gift in persuading people to eat less.

The fact that participants were willing to     5     part of a food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary award is interesting,” says Reimann.

He theorizes that it is the     6     component of these intangible prizes that make them effective. In fact, vaguely-stated (含糊的) possibilities of winning a prize were more effective than options with hard odds (可能性) included.

“One explanation for this finding is that possible awards may be more emotionally exciting than certainty awards,” says Reimann. “The uncertainty of winning provides added     7     and desirability through emotional ‘thrills.’ The possibility of receiving an award also produces a state of hope — a state that is in itself     8     rewarding.” In other words, there’s a reason why people like to gamble (赌博).

How might this knowledge be used to help people eat more healthily?

One possibility is a healthy choice that     9     the chance to win a spa weekend. Or maybe the reward of a half-sized portion that could be a half-sized dessert to be     10     only on a future date. That would get you back in the restaurant — and make you eat a little less.