One of the best ways to sightsee your way through a new city is with the help of a local. With this in mind, U. S. News rounded up several Chicago’s best guided tours. You’ll gain a cultural and historical understanding of the Windy City during these tours.

Chicago Food Planet

The three-hour tour centers on the West Loop neighborhood’s amazing food scene and the history and culture of the area. Ticket prices cost $65 for adults and $50 for children ages 12 and younger. Tours are offered Thursday through Sunday at 1 p. m.

Absolutely Chicago Segway Tour

The 8-mile journey on easy-to-ride, two-wheeled, battery-powered vehicles lasts about 21 hours. It has many of the city’s most popular attractions, including Millennium Park, Grant Park, Monroe Harbor, the Field Museum. Tickets cost at least $76, depending on date and time. Note that riders must be at least 12 years old. Tours are offered daily.

Bobby’s Bike Hike Chicago

This tour combines bicycling, food and beer. The four-hour, 13-mile ride is from Gold Coast to Lincoln Park neighborhoods with stops for pizza, beer, cupcakes and hot dogs. Tickets for adults, which include the bike rental as well as food and drinks, cost $86.99 for weekday rides (weekend rides are slightly more expensive). Participants must be at least 21 years old.

Chicago Pizza Tour

On this 31-hour tour, you’ll visit four independently run neighborhood pizzerias and taste six or more pieces. Many reviewers insist that the tour is about more than just pizza and covers Chicago history, architecture and culture. Tickets cost $60 for adults and $36 for children.

Not even the sea is safe from the glare (强光) of humans’ light at night. Researchers published the first global maps of ocean light pollution. It shows large parts of the sea lit up at night. And that risks confusing or disrupting the behaviors of sea life.

Tim Smyth led a team to research where in the water this glow is strongest. Smyth and his colleagues started with a world map of man-made night-sky brightness that had been created in 2016. Then they added data on the ocean and atmosphere. Some data came from shipboard measurements of man-made light in the water. Others came from satellite images that judge how clear the water is. Particles (微粒) in the water, such as tiny floating plants and animals, can affect how far downward light travels. These factors vary from place to place and may change with the seasons. The team also used computers to copy how different wavelengths of light move through water.

Next, they wanted to know how that underwater light might affect animals. Not all species will be easily affected. The team focused on copepods (桡足亚纲甲壳动物) . These common creatures are a key part of many ocean food webs. They use light as a signal to move all together to the dark deep, seeking safety from other surface creatures. Normally they use the sun or the winter moon as their signal. Too much man-made light can mess up their usual patterns.

Light pollution is strongest in about three feet of the water. Here, man-made light can be strong enough to confuse the copepods. Nearly 2 million square kilometers of ocean get such strong night light. That’s an area about the size of Mexico. Farther down, the light gets weaker. But even 65 feet deep, it’s still bright enough to bother copepods across 840,000 square kilometers of ocean.

The team described its findings December 13 in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.

Not many people are interested in spending time, money, and effort to learn a foreign language these days. They think that knowing their mother tongue and the English Language is good enough.     12     I feel strongly that everyone should learn at least one other foreign language in their lifetime.

The most obvious benefit of knowing another language is that you can communicate more easily with people from different parts of the world. You will be able to learn more about another culture and form new friendships. Traveling to other countries would be easy.     13     In addition, you will be able to enjoy more variety in entertainment and reading material.

    14     Students who learn an additional language besides English are known to do better in English and Mathematics. This is because the skills involved in learning a new language such as analytical skills are equally important in learning other subjects. As you learn a new language, you practice these skills and become even better.

Finally, the ability to communicate in another language is valuable when you want to get a job.     15     This is why you will be able to deal with people from other parts of the world. Learning a foreign language does not only make it easier for you to find a job but also makes you more valuable to your employer.

In conclusion, there are many benefits that come from learning a foreign language. Therefore, I strongly recommend that everyone learn an additional language.     16    

Many years ago, when I was driving on the highway, the car in front of me had a flat tire (轮胎). It went out of ______ and crashed into a big tree on the roadside. I ______ my car and walked up to see if they were OK. The lady driver was clearly in a state of ______. She was shaking and I asked if she needed help. She asked to ______ my phone. Midway through the call, she ______ it back and asked me to speak to her ______. I explained where we were and he ______ me to drive her to the nearest highway service station.

Considering the time and the fact that she was ______, I agreed it was the safest thing to do. We drove down to the station and went inside for a coffee. The place was more or less ______ and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her on her own, so I ______ with her until 2 hours later, when her husband ______. They both thanked me profusely. I said my ______ and got back on the highway.

Two years later, I ______ for a position at a bank. The interviewer ______ to be the lady who had the accident on the highway. In the interview, she said “I’ve already known what kind of person you are, thank you again. The ______ is yours if you want it.”