Not so long ago, a sailor sailing across the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean might have had every chance of being confronted by a sea cow. This cow would have measured 10 meters long, and weighed between five and ten tones. And it would spend most of its day cruising the seas, eating grass growing underwater. The cow in question was known as Steller's sea cow, which is now extinct.
Today, many people are unaware that such an extraordinary creature once existed, or don't know its incredible story. But scientists have discovered many fundamental facts about this mystical animal.
Surprisingly, the first recorded sighting of a Steller's sea cow didn't happen until 1741, when a sailing expedition was stuck on an uninhabited island, later named Bering Island. The sailor survived by hunting and eating the huge sea cow. Like its modern relatives, the sea cow lived in herds. That and its slow-moving behaviour made it easy to be caught.
Those sailors that escaped Bering Island spread word of the bounty(大量) of meat to be found off its shores. As a result, more and more expeditions came to hunt the animals. One report stated that one sea cow could feed 33 men for a month.
Incredibly, just 27 years after the island and species had been discovered by modern man, the last sea cow was reported killed. That makes the Steller's sea cow one of the few truly large mammals known to have been driven extinct in the modern age.
Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen.Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English,especially your spoken English.
Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers.You may find the information you need.
Global English Center
●General English in all four skills: listening,speaking,reading and writing.
●3-month (700 yuan),6-month (1,200 yuan) and one-year ( 2,000 yuan) courses.
●Choice of morning or evening classes,3 hours per day,Mon.—Fri.
●Experienced college English teachers.
●Close to city centre and bus stops.
Tel: 67605272 Add: 105 Zhongshan Road,100082
Modern Language School
●Special courses in English for business,travel,banking,hotel management and office skills.Small classes (12-16 students) on Sat.& Sun.from 2:00-5:00 pm.
●Native English teachers from Canada and USA.
●Language lab and computers supplied.
●3-month course: 1,050 yuan; 6 month course: 1,850yuan
Write or phone: Modem language School,675 Park Road,100056
Tel:67353019
The 21st century English Training Center
●We specialize in effective teaching at all levels.
●We offer morning or afternoon classes,both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan.
●We also have a six-week TOFEL preparation class during winter and summer holidays.
●Entrance exams: June 1 and Dec.1.
●Only 15-minute walk from city center.
Call 67801642 for more information
The International House of English
●Three/Six-month English courses for students of all levels at very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient class hours: 9:00-12:00 am.and 2:00-5:00 pm.
●A four-month evening program for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).
●Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as second/foreign language.
●Free sightseeing and social activities.
●Very close to the Central Park.
For further information call 67432308
Ahead of so-called Singles' Day on the 11th of this month,2013, online sales have already begun peaking.
The leading e-business platform, tmall.com, has promoted(促销) its fifty-percent-off discount to attract consumers. They are also trying to attract buyers through social media. Vice President of tmall.com Wang Yulei says more than 20 thousand online stores have joined the Double 11 Day sales. But this number has doubled. The final number of how many products going to be on sale has not been known yet. But so far, many more products planned to be put on shelves with discounts.
During last year's Singles' Day, tmall.com, together with taobao.com, reached a record of 19.1 billion yuan in sales, which considered a milestone in the e-business history of China.
Singles' Day was first started by Chinese college students in the 1990s as the opposite of Valentine's Day, a celebration for people without romantic partners. The timing was based on the date: Nov. 11—or double 11—for singles. Single young people would treat each other to dinner or give gifts to show love to someone and end their single status.
But now, the Singles' Day has been promoted as a kind of grand craze just for the shopping season, thanks to thousands of discounted products being promoted online.
Taobao.com was the first big e-retail platform which used the double 11 idea to promote sales. Taobao.com reached one million yuan worth of sales on that day in 2009, when they first promoted the Singles' Day idea. In 2010, the sales increased to 936 million yuan. The figure climbed up to 5.3 billion yuan in 2011, putting huge demand on shipping services. The figure doubled in 2012.
E-commerce is considered to be replacing the traditional retailing industry, but the reality is both sides are learning from each other.
Graph can be a very useful tool for conveying information especially numbers, percentages, and other data . A graph gives the reader a picture to interpret. That can be a lot more pages and pages and pages explaining the data .
Graphs can seem frightening, but reading a graph is a lot like reading a story. The graph has a title ,a main idea ,and supporting details.You can use your active reading skills to analyze and understand graphs just like any other text .
Most graphs have a few basic parts: a caption or introduction paragraph, a title , a legend or key, and labeled axes. An active reader looks at each part of the graph before trying to interpret the data. Captions will usually tell you where the data came from (for example, a scientific study of 400 African elephants from 1980 to 2005). Captions usually summarize the author's main point as well. The title is very important. It tells you the main idea of the graph by stating what kind of information is being shown. A legend, also called a key ,is a guide to the symbols and colors used in the graph. Many graphs, including bar graphs and line graphs, have two axes that form a corner, Usually these axes are the left side and the bottom of the graph .Each axis will always have a label. The label tells you what each axis measures.
Bar Graphs

A bar graph has two axes and uses bars to show amounts. In Graph 1 ,we see that the x-axis shows grades that students earned, and the y-axis shows bow many students earned each grade .You can see that 6 students earned an A because the bar for A stretches up to 6 on the vertical measurement. There is a lot of information we can get from a simple graph like this(See Graph 1).
Line Graphs

A line graph looks similar to a bar graph ,but instead of Bars, it plots points and connects them with a line .It has the same parts as a bar graph – two labeled axes –and can be read the same way .To read a line graph, it's important to focus on the points of intersection rather than the line segments between the points, This type of graph is most commonly used to show how something changes over time.
Here is a graph that charts how far a bird flies during the first Five days of its spring migration (See Graph 2).
The unit of measurement for the x-axis is days. The unit of measurement for the y-axis is kilometers. Thus we can see that ,on the first day, the pipit flew 20 kilometers. The line segment goes up between Day 1 and Day 2,which means that the bird flew farther on Day 2.If the line segment angled dawn, as between Day 4 and Day 5,it would mean that the bird flew fewer kilometers than the day before. This line graph is a quick, visual way to tell the reader about the bird's migration.
Pie Graphs

A typical pie graph looks like a circular pie. The circle is divided into sections, and each section represents a fraction of the data. The graph is commonly used to show percentages; the whole pie represents l00 percent, so each piece is a fraction of the whole.
A pie graph might include a legend,or it might use icons or labels within each slice. This pie graph shows on month's expense, (See Graph 3 ).
Food $ 25
Movies $ 12
Clothing $ 36
Savings $ 20
Books $ 7
Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago. My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride the bikes up and down. “I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie.
Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I'll watch her other three. And when she watches two of mine. I'll take someone out.
The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time. Christie's daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions. McKenzie was smiling broadly. Christie looked refreshed and happy. “She's like a different child when there's no one else around,” Christie shared with me quickly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn't have to make an effort to gain attention.
Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children. For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering (口吃的) son, Tom, doesn't stutter once during our activities since he doesn't have to struggle for a chance to speak. And another son, Sam, who's always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together.
The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child-talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain. Every child deserves to be an only child at least once in a while.
London has many beautiful parks and gardens, but Kew Gardens and Richmond Park are your best choices.
Kew Gardens is a Botanical Research Center and it possesses the largest plant collection in the world. With its beautiful lawns(草坪), formal gardens and greenhouses, it is such a tourist attraction for anybody visiting the capital. Probably the Chinese Pagoda is the most recognizable structure, but the Alpine house, Chokushi-Mon, Kew Palace, Queen Charlotte's Cottage or Shirley Sherwood Gallery are beautiful and interesting attractions as well. Richmond Park is an area of natural beauty and wild life. Like Kew Gardens(just 2 miles away), Richmond Park has a wonderful variety of plant and animal life.

If you are planning to visit either of the two parks, you will be thrilled to know that the area has six main car parks, all costing small fees. The disabled, providing a disabled badge(残疾证), though, can park for free.
Kew Gardens is open 9:30 am to 3:45 pm during the winter months, and 9:30 to 5:00 pm in the summer months. Richmond Park, however, is open from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm in summer while 7:30 am to 4:00 pm in winter.
Richmond Park is free of charge, while you need to pay to get into Kew Gardens. The price is fairly small though, with children under the age of 17(when accompanied by an adult)visiting for free.
More information about Kew Gardens:
Address: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Rd, London
E-mail: info@kew.org
Phone: +44 020 8332 5655
Website: //www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/
Price: £11.50
Note: Kew Gardens is one of the most popular visitor attractions in London area and can therefore be extremely crowded during summer months, particularly on summer weekends.
① By visiting the website. ② By writing a letter.
③ By sending an email. ④ By sending fax.
⑤ By reading a newspaper. ⑥ By making a call.
The story of Sir Nicholas Winton is the one that you would imagine could only happen on the silver screen. Sir Nicholas Winton was a British man who went to heroic efforts, potentially putting himself at risk, during World War II. Sir Winton was responsible for ensuring the safety of 669 Jewish children by aiding their escape from countries occupied by Nazis. Finally, the Jewish children were brought to England where he worked to make sure families in his native country would help the kids by taking them into their homes.
Recently, this unbelievable story has again been making the rounds on the Internet, particularly after a rerun of the BBC show called "That's Life", which featured Sir Winton. People around the world were moved at the details of the story, with saying it to be the best story they've ever seen.
Sir Winton kept his entire plan completely secret, even his wife had no idea about his planning until fifty years later. After the war, years passed and many people remained in the dark about Sir Winton's extraordinary achievement. Some fifty years later, his wife Greta was searching in their house and discovered a Winton's notebook which documented the names of all the children. She worked with BBC and they produced a TV episode(插曲) of their program "That's Life" that served as an honor for Sir Winton's work.
In 2003, Sir Winton was knighted by the Queen of England for his work. He also was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. He also had a small planet named after him by Czech astronomers. Sir Winton died peacefully in his sleep at the old age of 106, in 2015. Leaders around the world paid tribute(悼念). Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Daniel Taub, said, "He was a hero of our time, having saved 669 Jewish children from Nazis. His story, as a point of light in a period of darkness, will forever be remembered."
As a gesture of friendship,Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo,Japan gave Washington, D.C a gift of more than 3,000 Japanese cherry trees on March 17,1912.Every spring, the cherry trees in Washington,D.C. take bloom(开花),beginning one of the country's loveliest celebrations, the National Cherry Blossom Festival (March 17-April 15). Book your trip now to see this vibrant display of pink and white in this city full of history!
Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossom In-Depth Tour
Priee: $45/person
Available: Mar.25-Apr.15
Duration: 1 Day
Highlights: Visit Washington, D.C.; experience the peak period of cherry blossom(April 8-12)
Itinerary: Guests will start to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival and discover the beauty of cherry blossoms. Next,we will begin our sightseeing city tour including Lincoln Memorial, White House, US Capitol, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Washington Monument and International Spy Museum. Then visit the next tourist spot, the Jefferson Memorial. It's the best location to view the cherry blossoms. Finally, guests may board a Potomac River cruise to see the city from the water. Then tour ends.
Price Includes: Ground Transportation
Admission Fees:
Destination | Adult | Child | Senior |
International Spy Museum(optional) | $21.95 | $14.95(3-12yrs) | $19.95(Over 65 yrs) |
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (optional) | $23 | $17(3-12yrs) | $20(Over 65 yrs) |
Potomac River Cruise(optional) | $26 | $18(3-12yrs) | $23(Over 65 yrs) |
Note: If you would like to join in the optional activities, please pay the fee in cash to the tour guide. You cannot buy the tickets on your own or use City Pass. The tour guide will arrange the tickets for the group.
Bangkok Transportation Public buses
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) is charged with providing bus service to people living and working in Bangkok and the nearby provinces. As of February, 2005, the BMTA operated a total of 113 routes, served by 3,526 buses, of which 1,665 were regular buses and 1,861 air-conditioned buses. There were also privately-owned buses operated under the BMTA with a total of 3,535 regular and air-conditioned buses and 1, 067 minibuses including 2,325 small buses which provide services in lanes. An average of 3.4 million people use these services daily.
Types of Buses and Fares
Type | Bus color | Fare | Service time |
Regular bus | Cream-red | 7 baht | 05:00-23:00 |
Regular bus | White-blue | 8 baht | 05:00-23:00 |
Expressway bus | Cream-red | 9 baht | 05:00-23:00 |
All-sight service bus | Cream-red | 8.5 baht | 23:00-05:00 |
Air -conditioned bus | Cream-blue | 11、13、15、17、19 baht(depending on the distance ) | 05:00-23:00 |
Fare Exemptions
The following passengers are eligible for bus fare exemptions:
⒈BMTA bus inspectors
⒉Mailmen in uniform while on duty
⒊Holders of BMTA employee ID cards
Half-Price Concessions
The following passengers are eligible for half-price fares when using the service of regular buses.
⒈The blind with a certificate from the Association of the Blind
⒉Soldiers and policemen in uniform
⒊Holders of official certificates or medals as specified by the Regulation on Bus Fare
Fare Concessions for Air-conditioned Buses
Holders of the following official certificates and medals are eligible for air-conditioned bus fare reductions.
⒈Victory Medal(Off-spring of this medal are also entitled)
⒉Border Service Medal
⒊Free-Mall Protection Medal
⒋European Royal War Medal
⒌Non-active War Veterans Classes 1 2 3 and 4
⒍BTMA Employee ID cards
Search for bus route here
@Bangkok Tourism Division
The value-packed, all-inclusive sight-seeing package that combines the best of Sydney's harbor, city, bay and beach highlights.
A Sydney Pass gives you unlimited and flexible travel on the Explorer Buses: the 'red' Sydney Explorer shows you around our exciting city sights while the 'blue' Bondi Explorer visits Sydney Harbour bays and famous beaches. Take to the water on one of three magnificent daily harbor cruises (游船). You can also travel free on regular Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries or CityRail services (limited area), so you can go to every corner of this beautiful city.
Imagine browsing at Darling Harbour, tasting the famous seafood at Watsons Bay or enjoying the city lights on an evening ferry cruise. The possibilities and plans are endless with a Sydney Pass. Wherever you decide to go, remember that bookings are not required on any of our services so tickets are treated on a first in, first seated basis.
Sydney Passes are available for 3, 5 or 7 days for use over a 7-calendar-day period. With a 3 or 5-day pass you choose on which days out of the 7 you want to use it. All Sydney Passes include a free Airport Express inward trip before starting your 3, 5 or 7 days, and the return trip is valid for 2 months from the first day your ticket was used.
Sydney Pass Fares

Adult | Child | Family | |
3-day ticket | $90 | $45 | $225 |
5-day ticket | $120 | $60 | $300 |
7-day ticket | $140 | $70 | $350 |
A child is defined as anyone from the ages of 4 years to under 16 years. Children under 4 years travel free.
A family is defined as 2 adults and any number of children from 4 to under 16 years of age from the same family.
Ever wonder how this season's celebrations affect the environment? Guest blogger Krista Fairles takes an amusing look at this very topic:
The holidays are a wonderful, cheerful time when most people wait for Santa to bring them presents. But I'm not like most people. I spend my time wondering just what the environmental impacts of Santa Claus and his reindeer are, and more importantly, how I can calculate those impacts.
Lately I've been particularly curious as to whether Santa's old sled is a clean green flying machine, or if he should be replacing his 8 reindeer with an environmentally-friendly car.
I should mention that, surprisingly, I was unable to find statistics specific to Santa's magical flying reindeer, so these calculations use numbers from various sources and may not represent actual pollution caused by Santa and his animals. In other words, don't complain to the government about the damage Santa is causing to the environment based on this article.
Santa's yearly trip around the globe is 44,000km long, twice the average of a North American driver. If we assume that the magic provides the altitude for this trip, then reindeer power only needs to push Santa's sled forward. To complete the trip in 12 hours, I estimate they must travel at a speed of about 3100km/h. To travel at this speed, for this length of time, the reindeer need to eat an incredible 980 million calories each!
So the next question is: how much food is in 980 million calories? Well, if they're eating corn, they'd need to eat 16,500 lbs each - or 1.6 acres of food. Growing 12.8 acres of corn has its own implications for the environment that we'll leave for another calculation.
We now need to consider that during the global trip the reindeer are “letting out” some of that corn in the form of methane (甲烷,沼气). A resting cow produces 110 kg of methane per year, so flying reindeer would each let out about 4.8 tons. With methane causing 20 times the global warming damage of CO2, and the altitude increasing that damage by 1000% that another 20 times, we can put Santa's round-trip emissions at 15,488 tons. This is much more than the 100 tons an environmentally-friendly car would release on the same trip!
Bad Santa.
This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers(young people aged from13~19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's family. In turn, George's son Mike spent a year in Fred's home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months' study the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected—much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
"Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it."
At the same time
in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. "I suppose I should criticize(批评)American schools," he said. "It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two."
Hillcrest Museum
Enjoy an experience of digging up the past. Handle pieces of ancient tools and other objects from many countries. Learn to date them and see what they tell us about how people lived then. School groups should book in advance.
Open daily July 1 until Labour Day weekend.
Admission fees are ﹩5.00 per adult. ﹩3.00 per student; children under 5 are free.
Red House
Travel back to the time of the novelist Charlotte Bronte and find out about her friends and local connections. Discover the comforts and discomforts of the 1830s country home where Charlotte sometimes stayed as a guest of Joshua Taylor's family and got ideas for her novel Shirley.
Admission by guided tour only at 11 am. Last admission 45 minutes before closing.
Admission fees are ﹩8.00 per adult. ﹩4.00 per child.
Castle Museum
The castle was built looking down on the valley of the River Dean. It is now a museum. where you can learn how the valley has changed over millions of years. There is a collection of interesting rocks found in the area. and pictures showing how the valley probably looked in prehistoric times.
Hours & Admission
Tuesday-Saturday: 10 am-4:30 pm
Adults: ﹩1
Children: 50 cents
Name: Off the Beaten Path
Cover price: $30.00
Our price: $l9.80
The best-selling Reader's Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States' most overlooked must-see destinations.
Name: Container Gardens by Number
Cover price: $l5.95
Our price: $9.49
A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.
Name: Best Weekend Projects
Cover price: $l7.95
Our price: $l3.96
Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.
Name: l80l Home Remedies
Cover price: $40.00
Our price: $29.96
Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound. Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters to allergies, and hiccups.
Walter Peak High Country Farm on the western shores of Lake Wakatipu is famous in history. Its sheltered bays were used as camping sites by Maori travelling to the Mararoa and Oreti Rivers on Moa hunting and gathering expeditions.
Things to do
Situated on picturesque Lake Wakatipu's western shores, the farm is the perfect place to spend a few relaxing hours. The Farm Tour itself is a wonderful experience for the whole family, with something to keep everyone entertained and happy. Our rural host will meet you after you leave the steamboat and take you for a walking tour of the farmyard. The first stop is the holding to help feed the sheep and deer, and even get up close to the Scottish highland cattle. Then walk slowly through the lakeside gardens to the charming Colonel's Homestead for morning or afternoon tea. Afterwards the farmer will lead you over to the shearing shed (剪羊毛棚)where you can watch the farm dogs rounding up sheep on the hills, and see the farmer cut the wool off a sheep. You will then board the steamboat for your cruise back to Queenstown.
Ticket Information
Child Ticket $ 22.00
Adult Ticket $ 77.00
Visitor Information
Opening Time: 10 a. m.
Closing Time: 4 p. m.
Additional Information
All tickets purchased at MyFun must make a booking at+64-3441-8166. Please mention your MyFun barcode (条形码) number when making your booking. Please print out your voucher (收据) and take along with you to the attraction. Tickets are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.
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Four interesting festivals :
Grand Old Days:
Phone numeber: (651) 699-0029 E-mail address: fo@grandave.com
Grand Old Days is one of the Midwest's largest one-day festivals. It's held every year on the first Sunday in June. It starts at 7:45 am until 5:00 pm. You should pay $8 for a ticket to enter the live music festival gardens and you must be at least 21 years old. There are a lot of interesting activities for the whole family.
Uptown Art Fair:
Phone numeber: (612) 823-4581 E-mail address: info@uptownminneapolis.com
There is a wide variety of artwork you can buy from only a few dollars to thousands of dollars. There are also activities held by some artists. Uptown Art Fair starts on August 5th and ends on August 7th. It is free to attend. The opening time and closing time are Friday 11 am-8 pm, Saturday 10 am-8 pm, and Sunday 10 am-6 pm.
Minnesota State Fair:
Phone numeber: (651) 288-4400 E-mail address: fairinfo@mnstatefair.org
It is one of the most popular fairs in Minnesota. It starts on August 25th and goes through Labor Day on September 5th. Tickets for adults (aged 13-64) are $11, seniors (aged 65 and older) $9, kids (aged 5-12) $8 and children under 5 are free of charge. It opens at 6 am and closes at midnight. The State Fair has lots of fun activities, bands, games, and rides.
Nativity County Fair:
Phone numeber: (651) 696-5401 E-mail address: info@nativitycountyfair.com
The Nativity County Fair is a kid's fair, but it has some fun things for adults as well. You can buy tickets for the rides and games, and the price depends on how many tickets you want to buy. It starts from September 16th to September 18th.
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A factory tour this summer! Here are some great ones to consider. |
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The Jelly Belly Bean Company Fairfield, CA At this working factory, guests can watch the process of making this famous candy. Have lunch at the Visitor Center Café, where you can order a jelly bean-shaped pizza or hamburger! It is located an hour north of San Francisco. There's no admission charge for the 40-minute walking tour. Tours are given most days from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, but come during a weekday to see the candy making in process. |
Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat Museum Louisville, KY See how each bat is carefully carved out at this family-favorite factory tour. Tour visitors leave with a miniature bat souvenir and personalized bats can be ordered when you arrive and picked up before you leave. Adult tickets are $9. Child tickets are $4. Ages five and under are free. It opens at 9:00 am Mondays through Saturdays. Check the website for specific days and times. |
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E-One Fire Truck Factory Ocala, FL Take this walking tour of a plant in Florida and see for yourself the technology and skill required to build these emergency vehicles. Tours are offered Monday to Friday, at 9:00 am and 11:00 am. Prices are $8 for adults and $6 for children. Kids under 6 are not permitted on the tour for safety reasons. Reservations are required for all tours. Please call 352-861-3524 to schedule a tour. Firefighters can tour for free! |
Crayola Crayon Company Easton, PA No, this isn't the actual place where the waxy rainbows are made. But it's an even-better visitor center where families can not only see how crayons are made, but can explore and use the wide variety of Crayola art tools and products. Kids can use the latest Crayola products to create masterpieces on site. The visitor center is open most days from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. The online calendar shows special hours, themes, and daily activities. Tickets are $9.50 each. |
Beijing set a target to hold " high-tech Winter Games" after it won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Soon after, China's Ministry of Science and Technology was made the leading party to provide technical support for the Games. In collaboration with relevant parties, it drew up the "Action Plan for Science and Technology at the Winter Olympics," the results of which were applied in this year's test events.
"During the test events in February and April this year, we tested and applied 133 types of techs in a number of key areas. Since October, another 228 pieces of technologies have been tested and applied in test events, athlete training schedules and prep work for the winter games," said Wu Yuanbin, director of the ministry's Social Scientific Development Department, during a press conference.
For the Games next year, high -tech will be applied for four proposes: support COVID-19 measures, reduce carbon emissions, ensure the safety of the events and create a better viewing experience for the viewers. To achieve these results, a number of new and experimental techs will be used, including 5G and hydrogen vehicles.
"The much - anticipated 5G signals will cover all venues, including the roads that connect them. This will provide network connectivity for applications such as ultra-high-definition video and smart services. Eighty hydrogen vehicles were tested in Zhangjiakou. And during the Winter Games, more than 700 hydrogen buses will be stationed in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou to provide transportation," said Yu Hong, director of the Technical Department of Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee.
The target of hosting high-tech Olympics isn't just for the convenience of thousands of participants during this event. The organizing committee once said they wish to use the Games as an experimental model that could help the world build future smart cities that would benefit residents, industries and the environment.
Ontario has 15 types of licences and each licence certifies (证明具有某种资格) you to drive a specific type of vehicle. To drive a car, van or small truck, you will need a G class licence. Here's how you get one.
Apply for a driver's licence
To apply for a driver's licence in Ontario, you need to.
● be at least 16 years old
● pass an eye test
● pass a written test about the rules of the road and traffic signs
Where to apply
To apply and take the required written tests, visit:
● a DriveTest centre
● the ServiceOntario Bay and College location in downtown Toronto
Due to higher than normal volumes (量), you must book an appointment online in order to complete a written driver's licence test.
Study for the knowledge test
Ontario's Official Driver Handbook will help you prepare for your written knowledge test. It covers rules of the road and practical driving tips. You can buy the handbook:
● online through ServiceOntario
● at a DriveTest centre
● from many retail stores
Cost: $14.95 plus $0.7 taxes
Learning to drive: graduated licensing
Once you pass your eye and written tests, you get a G1 licence. Before you can get a full G licence, you have to:
● finish two learning levels: G1 and G2
● pass two road tests
This process is called "graduated licensing" which is designed to give new drivers time to practice and gain driving experience over time.
You have up to five years to finish the whole process. After five years, if you do not get your full G licence, you will need to start over.