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Worlds of Fun

    Location: Worlds of Fun is located off Highway 435 in Kansas City, Missouri.

    History: Worlds of Fun was opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of 25 million dollars. Loosely themed around the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days, the park was founded by Hunt Midwest Company. In 1982, Hunt Midwest bought a nearby waterpark, Oceans of Fun. In 2013, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun were combined to a one ticket admission, providing all guests with access to 235 acres of amusement and water rides.

    Hours: Worlds of Fun is open from April through Halloween.

    Tickets: Buy and print online. Always try to buy your tickets in advance, to save time when you get to the park.

    Reservations: Worlds of Fun sells “Fast Lane” cards that save riders' time by allowing them to bypass the majority of wait for most of rides and attractions including Mamba, Prowler, and Patriot. Ride as many times as you want all day long.

    Strategy: Most visitors tend to begin the day with Prowler, the hottest attraction in the park. Use that tendency to your advantage and head to the Patriot first. After that, try the Dragons. Then work your way back to the Prowler. After riding the Prowler, there is only one coaster left, Mamba. Hit it next. If the park is not very crowded, you can ride Boomerang on the way to Mamba. After riding Mamba, head back for a ride on the Wolf. By then you will have tried most of the popular rides and attractions in the shortest possible time.

    News: In 2017, Worlds of Fun is adding Steel Hawk, a ride that will take guests up 301 feet in the air and spin them at a 45-degree angle for a 60-second flight. Wait to have a try!

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America's Best National Parks

Pacific: Yosemite National Park, California

Closest city: Oakland, Calif. (3.5-hour drive)

    This Golden State treasure has thick forests and rock formations like the Half Dome—a naturalist's dream in winter, spring, summer or fall. “Anytime of year, it's such an important park,” says Patricia Schultz, author of 1000 Places to See Before you Die. She recommends taking a tour with a naturalist guide to learn about the reintroduction of wolves into the park.

Pacific: Denali National Park, Alaska

Closest city: Fairbanks, Alaska (two-hour drive)

    Denali National Park includes the towering Mt. McKinley. At 20,320 feet, it's America's tallest peak. “But the park's real glory is the wildlife viewing in a setting that is vast, terrific and pristine(原始的),” says Schultz.

West: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

Closest city: Jackson, Wyo. (45-minute drive)

    Home to ski paradise Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons offer a charming Wild West view in any season. Schultz especially likes the park for its cross-country skiing and wildlife sighting opportunities.

East: Acadia National Park, Maine

Closest city: Bangor, Maine (45-minute drive)

    A former haunt(消磨时光的去处) of an older generation of America's wealthiest, this stretch of coastline once played host to Rockefeller, Astor and Vanderbilt. Easy hiking trails(小道) lead through forests dotted with small lakes.

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    The tallest building in the United States, the One World Trade Center, opened on November 3, 2014 in New York. The building is 1,776 feet tall, making it the 3rd tallest building in the world. It has 104 floors. The building stands in the area where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. On September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists destroyed these twin towers and killed nearly 3,000 people. It took 8 years to build the new One World Trade Center. Does the height of the building in feet reminds you of something in history? The number is the year when the United States declared(宣布) its independence(独立) from Great Britain.

    One problem with such a tall building is how to clean the windows. Well, a platform(平台) hangs from ropes, and workers on the platform clean windows. On November 12, while two men were busy cleaning windows, a rope of the platform broke near the 68th floor. The two men were saved by cutting a hole in the glass window.

The two tallest buildings in the world are the BurjKhalifa in Dubai, UAE and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

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    Experience the newly opened Grand Canyon West Skywalk in Colorado.Departing from Grand Canyon's South Rim by Airplane to Grand Canyon's West Rim,you will land and take a ground tour to the Skywalk! Walk on air for 70 feet over the edge of Grand Canyon West.

    This Skywalk has been open since March 28,2007.Daily visitor-ship to the Skywalk has been over 4000 people. Please be patient to enjoy your moment on the Skywalk.

    After you have experienced the one and only Grand Canyon Skywalk Glass Bridge from where you can enjoy the scenery better,you will return to the Grand Canyon West airport and take your Airplane for a flight back to the South Rim of the Canyon.This is a tour never to be forgotten as you will have walked on air over the Grand Canyon.

Tour Itinerary

Tour Time	5.7 Hours	The Grand Canyon Skywalk
Flight from Grand Canyon South Rim to Grand Canyon West	1 Hour	Experience a bird's-eye view of the Grand Canyon as you make your way to Grand Canyon West.
Light Lunch at Guano Point at Grand Canyon West	2 Hour	You'll be taken by bus to Guano Point with breathtaking views of the western part of the Grand Canyon where the Colorado River makes its way into Lake Mood.Every table for lunch has a view.
Walk on the World-famous Skywalk	1.5 Hour	Finally you'll board your bus to Eagle Point,home of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.Now it is time for you to walk on air for 70 feet over the Grand Canyon.
Flight Back to Grand Canyon South Rim	1.2 Hour	After time on the Skywalk,you'll return to the Grand Canyon West Airport and return to Grand Canyon South Rim in time for dinner and sunset.

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     When summer arrives, it's not uncommon to get a strong desire for sand and water. But those who can only make day-long trips may find it hard to achieve. Don't worry! Plenty of opportunities for kicking back in the sand exist here in Ohio, although it's far away from the oceans.

East Harbor State Park Beach

1169 N. Buck Rd., Lakeside-Marblehead

     Those looking for a bit of extra space between their blankets and their neighbors' will like this beach. At 1,500 feet long, the sandy strip has a significant amount of real estate(房产）for sunning or relaxing in the shade. Amenities(设施）include a bathhouse, vending machines, grills and picnic tables.

Nickel Plate Beach

Corner of Tiffin Avenue and Nickel Plate Drive, Huron

     Anyone who spends a day at the beach knows that swimming and doing sports on the beach give you a good appetite. Luckily, Nickel Plate Beach offers a variety of dining options nearby, including beachside pizza delivery. Amenities include a sheltered picnic area, charcoal grills, playground equipment and beach volleyball courts.

Main Street Beach

Main Street, Vermilion

     No beach umbrella or chairs? No problem. This beach offers hourly rents of chairs, umbrellas, tables, shade tents and wheelchairs. And with downtown Vermilion only a block away，shops and restaurants are nicely within reach. Amenities include an observation deck and some benches. No lifeguards are on duty.

Kelleys Island State Park Beach

920 Division St. Kelleys Island

     With its gradual water depth, this beach is perfect for young children. The park's campground also includes a playground and a store with snacks and ice cream. Other amenities include a picnic shelter and hiking trails.

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    At the beginning of the century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the famous places of the world. From 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of its film stars Charlie Chaplin, Grete Garbo, Bergman and hundreds more.

    The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight, the west coast was a much better place to work.

    Also near Hollywood you can find mountains and sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind o film

    When TV became popular in the 1960s, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in 1970s they discovered people still went to cinema to see big expensive films. After twenty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world.

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    One might expect that the ever­growing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but good for the countries that receive the holiday­makers. Indeed, a rosy picture is painted for the long­term future of the holiday industry. Every month sees the building of a new hotel somewhere. And every month another rock­bound Pacific island is advertised as the 'last paradise(天堂) on earth'．
    However, the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy. In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of sea­side holidays, over­crowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal.
    Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer most. In recent years, Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education. Its forests, full of wildlife and rare flowers, were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise. In fact, the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holiday­makers traveling through the forest land. Ancient tracks became major routes for the walkers, with the consequent exploitation of precious trees and plants.
    Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism. The people as well rapidly feel its effects. Farmland makes way for hotels, roads and airports; the old way of life goes. The one­time farmer is now the servant of some multi­national organization; he is no longer his own master. Once it was his back that bore the pain; now it is his smile that is exploited. No doubt he wonders whether he wasn't happier in his village working his own land.
    Thankfully, the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers. The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support from tourist companies. At the same time, tourists are being encouraged to respect not only the countryside they visit but also its people.
    The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit. Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies. Increased understanding in planning world­wide tourism can preserve the market for these companies. If not, in a few years' time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed.

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    Last year my wife and I spent a most interesting month in Turkey. Before we left, we were reminded of the difficulties of driving in Turkey. We certainly did not find this to be the case and, except for a few places in faraway mountain areas, the roads were wide, and well­paved(铺设). We drove for 12 days along the Western Coast of Turkey and had no problems at all. We found the Turkish drivers to be very polite and well educated. We also found that eating lunch in the smaller towns difficult, so we picnicked almost every day.

    The following day after our arrival was Turkey's Children's Day, started by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.Ataturk loved children and he often said, ＂Children are a new beginning of tomorrow.＂ He even dedicated(奉献) the day 23rd of April to the children which is celebrated as Children's Day.

    On that day certain children are picked to take over the places of the government and a lucky kid will be the president of Turkey for a whole day. He can decide what's going to happen and whether or not he is going to have the president next to him. There are a very large number of possibilities of things he can do but some shops aren't open because they are celebrating the day as well.

    All in all, it was a more enjoyable trip. I would recommend(推荐) a trip to Turkey to anyone with an adventurous(冒险的) spirit!

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Top attractions

    Amsterdam is most famous for its artistic heritage. This tradition is proudly on display in the Rijksmuseum (translates as State Museum). Once you've taken in all that has to offer, artists, history fans, and families shouldn't pass up the chance to visit the Van Gogh Museum —containing around 700 paintings and drawings by Vincent and his contemporaries (同时代的人), including Gauguin, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec.

    Amsterdam is also home to the Anne Frank Museum, where Anne hid with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. On a lighter note, taking a canal cruise through its extensive waterways is a rewarding way to see the Dutch capital.

    Art lovers get their kicks at:

    ♦♦ The Van Gogh Museum Rijksmuseum Museum het Rembrandthuis

    Food and drink

    Cheese lovers love Amsterdam. You can find an excuse to eat cheese at any time of the day here. Gouda is Holland's favorite, developing a more intense flavor the longer it's aged. Find a selection at the markets，try a cheeseboard at dinner time, or just order cubes with mustard for dipping to accompany a drink.

When you're hungry for non-cheese food groups, you'll find Michel in-starred restaurants, vegetarian, and organic restaurants that accompany an array of global cuisine. For old-fashioned and modern Dutch food, try these Amsterdam restaurants: Moeders, Haesje Claes, Loetje, Greetje, and De Silveren Spiegel.

Don't leave without tasting:

    ♦♦ Patat (hot chips with toppings) Stroopwafel (waffle cookie) Chocomel (chocolate milk)

    Amsterdam Fast Facts

    Approximate flight times:

    ♦♦NYC/Newark 7 hours 20 minutes Philadelphia 8 hours Boston 7 hours

    ♦♦Miami 9 hours 45 minutes Los Angeles 10 hours 15 minutes

    Entry requirements: Passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen area and have 2 blank pages for entry stamp.

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    What's going on under Liverpool?
A Rainy Day in Liverpool

    Dark clouds appear over the River Mersey and a cold wind is blowing. A few rain drops are beginning to fall. We're in the famous city of Liverpool and we're going to spend this rainy day in the Williamson Tunnels.
  An Interesting Life Story

    Joseph Williamson was born into a poor family in 1769，but left home and went to work for a tobacco company aged 11. He began at the bottom, and finally became head of the business.

 An Unsolved Mystery

    Nobody knows why Williamson dug tunnels under most of Liverpool, but many think it was to create jobs. Perhaps half of Liverpool's population worked for him. The industry of war had made enormous amounts of money, but now Liverpool was in a terrible financial situation.

 The King of Edge Hill

    I went on a guided tour starting close to where his empire began in Edge Hill. In the tunnels, the steps leading from rooms below ground to those buildings, which no longer exist, seem particularly ghostly.

Incredible Engineering

    We go into the Double Tunnel. It's just been discovered that it's actually a triple tunnel - but nobody knows why the three tunnels were built on top of each other.

    We finish the tour and decide we'll have a coffee in the Williamson Tunnels Cafe Bar. There, I notice lots of flyers for bands and theater groups that are coming to play there.

Why Liverpool?

    Apart from the obvious attractions like the football clubs, or anything to do with the Beatles, Liverpool has a lot to offer. Princes Park and Croxteth Park were royal hunting grounds and the trees are 200 years old. Renshaw Street displays are an unusual mix of architecture styles. The nightlife is exciting. If you want to experience a part of the British Isles with a character entirely different from London, you should definitely come to Liverpool.

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    There is no better way to enjoy Scottish traditions than going fishing and tasting a little bit of whisky (威士忌) at a quiet place like the Inverlochy Castle. When Queen Victoria visited the castle in 1873 she wrote in her diary, “I never saw a lovelier spot.” And she didn't even go fishing.

    Scotland is not easily defined. In certain moments, this quiet land of lakes and grasses and mountains changes before your very eyes. When evening gently sweeps the hillside into orange light, the rivers, teeming with fish, can turn into streams of gold. As you settle down with just a fishing pole and a basket on the bank of River Orchy, near the Inverlochy Castle, any frustration (烦恼) will float away as gently as the circling water. It's just you and purple, pink, white flowers, seeking a perfect harmony. If you are a new comer to fishing, learning the basics from a fishing guide may leave you with a lifetime's fun. For many, fishing is more than a sport; it is an art.

    Scotland offers interesting places where you can rest after a long day's fishing. Set against a wild mountain and hidden behind woodland, the beautiful Inverlochy Castle Hotel below the Nevis is a perfect place to see the beauty of Scotland's mountains. Ben Nevis is the highest of all British mountains, and reaching its 1343-metre top is a challenge. But it's not just what goes up that matters; what comes down is unique. More than 900 metres high, on the mountain's north face, lies an all-important source of pure water. Its name comes from the Gaelic language “usquebaugh” or “water of life”; and it is the single most important ingredient (原料) in Scotland's best known drink: whisky.

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A

    Millions of TripAdvisor users voted New York, Chicago, Charleston and Las Vegas as the top four travel cities in the United States.

    New York City

    More than 50 million people visit New York City every year. The five boroughs（行政区）－or regions of New York have some of the most easily recognized attractions in the world. Visitors whose things are tight can take a free boat from Manhattan to Staten Island for a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.

   Chicago, Illinois

    America's third-largest city offers world-class museums, great food, sporting events and symbolic architecture－including Willis Tower, America's tallest building. But what places the Midwest city above others is comedy. It's well-known for comedy shows. The Second City theater is where many famous comedians get their start, including Mike Meyers and Tina Fey.

    Charleston, South Carolina

    Some say Charleston is one of the most beautiful and historic places in the United States. The coastal（沿海的）city has a very rich history. The Civil War began at its waterfront, at Fort Sumter, which visitors can explore. But present-day Charleston has a lot to offer, too. Conde Nast Traveler voted it the number one U. S. city, for its beautiful architecture, food, and friendly people.

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    The desert city of Las Vegas is known around the world for its casinos（娱乐场）and bright lights. Visitors stay at world-class hotels, eat at top chefs' restaurants, and usually see a spectacular show or concert.

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    Here's a selection of festivals for tourists to the United States in summer.

    San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Films at this odd cinematic event have a variety of musical accompaniments, including piano and violin. It includes some classic silent movies. If you want to see them all, you can buy a festival pass.

    May 29 to June 1;

    Union Street Festival

This popular street fair stretches out over six blocks of the city, in the fashionable shopping area of Union Street. This year, there's beer, wine, biscuits tasting and more separate themes-fashion, cuisine, tech, local, craft, and health and fitness.

    June 7 to 10;

    North Beach Festival

This is San Francisco's oldest street party, with live entertainment, delicious food and arts and crafts. Situated in the Little Italy district, known for its associations with the "Beat Generation", festival goers are guaranteed plenty of good Italian food. There is also as the "blessing of the animals", a San Francisco tradition which takes place at the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi (610 Vallejo Street) at 2 pm on both days of the festival.

    June 14 to 16;

    Stern Grove Festival

This is the oldest free summer arts festival of its kind in the United States. It includes a wide variety of acts, from the local symphony orchestra to well-known artists such as Smokey Robinson.

    Sundays from June 22 to Aug 24;

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    Providing five-star luxury (豪华) in the middle of a treasured wilderness without damaging the environment might not be easy, but it is far from impossible. The King Pacific Lodge in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest proves that if enough care and attention is taken, the task is within the reach of any tourist provider.

    Unlike many other hotel building projects, no trees were cut down and no land was wasted in order to build it. The Lodge does not have the same location but sits on a floating boat pulled into the sea bay in May, till September. Those wishing to stay in one of its seventeen rooms must access it by boat or seaplane. Each guest staying at the Lodge is charged 3% conservation tax, but is rewarded by the chance to sight whales and bears. And since these are the main attractions of the area and of the Lodge, the management is well aware that in order to stay in business they must leave the area untouched.

    In 2000, the Lodge management signed an agreement with the native Gitga'at people. Together they work for the benefit of the area. The Lodge recognizes the native tribe(部落) as the owners of the land, pays the tribe for the use of their land and even supports the native youth and employs the tribe's people. They, in turn, teach the newcomers about the local culture.

    The King Pacific Lodge is one of a growing number of tourism companies that go beyond only minimizing (把……减至最小程度) their environmental effect to win the approval (批准)of the local community where they set up their business. These companies use environmentally friendly solution to problems, and are careful to limit their use of resources and protect threatened species. Realizing how destructive (破坏性的)tourism can be, they want to avoid the love –it-to-death effect of tourism and leave a lighter environmental footprint.

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While visiting the North Pole in winter may not be at the top of your list, the ever-changing ICEHOTEL, which opened its doors to visitors on December 14 this year, may change your mind. Lying 200 km north of the Arctic Circle in Jukkasjärvi, the hotel, which is carved entirely from ice, is rebuilt annually, with each getting increasingly beautiful and impressive.

    The 29-year-old tradition began accidentally in 1989, after Jukkasjärvi residents organized an art show in a 5.5-square-meter ice house to try to call tourists' attention to the remote village during the freezing winter months. The exhibition was a huge success, attracting many day visitors. However, it was not until a group of adventurous souls arrived with sleeping bags, announcing their intention to spend the night inside the house, that the idea of the frozen hotel was born.

The ICEHOTEL has come a long way since its beginnings. It covers an area of over 5,500 square meters. The planning begins months earlier in March when about 5,000 tons of ice are harvested from the river and transferred to cold storage, where they sit till the beginning of winter. Construction begins in earnest in November, when about 100 workers come to the region. By December, the unique frozen accommodation is ready to open for business.

Regardless of whether visitors select the luxury carved suites or the basic ice rooms, the temperature is always set to a bone-chilling -5℃! That is why guests are advised to lie close inside warm sleeping bags and wear gloves and winter hats all night. Not surprisingly, most end up spending just a single night at this unique hotel before moving on to the conventional, and warmer cabins nearby.

    In addition to the unique rooms, the hotel also offers guests fun activities like snowshoeing, or dog sledding, and for those brave enough to suffer through the below freezing temperatures — overnight wilderness camping! The hotel's single restaurant serves food, while the drinks are always chilled to perfection in the world-famous ICEBAR!

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Travel is one of the most exciting experiences a human being can have. Imagine how Italian traveler Marco Polo must have felt when he found himself on Chinese soil, seeing a way of life quite different from anything he'd seen before. And how great must it have been to listen to Zhang Qian when he returned to China from his journey through Central Asia and West Asia? His brain must have been packed with everything he'd seen and heard, leading to the founding of the Silk Road.

Some people have traveled all over the world, and travel is a way of life to them. They perhaps know what to expect before they travel. That's why the best travel is when it's for the first time. Imagine a person who has always wanted to travel to the United States. Of course, they've probably seen the Statue of Liberty a thousand times on TV, and the White House, and all the other famous sights. But none of that would compare to the thrill of looking out of the cabin window as the plane lands, watching the cities and streets of the real America come into view.

Although travel is often just for recreation,_it's also educational. We may not know that we are getting an education, but we still are.

We're learning every day: new words in a new language, new people, and new ways of life. But this learning takes place in the school of the world, not the classroom. One of the lessons we learn is undoubtedly a moral one. As we get to know foreign places, we come to understand that there are many different ways to live, and that the way we live isn't necessarily the best way. The British politician Benjamin Disraeli summed this up well when he said, “Travel teaches toleration.”

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This year's US Independence Day celebrations were extra special due to the arrival of a second, smaller Statue of Liberty from France. This one, nicknamed "Little Sister", was displayed on Ellis Island - across the water from the original Statue of Liberty, which sits on Liberty Island—from July 1 through 5, 2021. It then was moved to the French Embassy in Washington, DC, where it will remain until 2031.

The 9.3-foot-tall, 1000-pound statue is about one-sixteenth the size of the original Statue of Liberty. It was crafted in 2009 from the 3-D scan of the model of the original, which was created by sculptor Frederic-Auguste Barthold in the late 1 800s. Before being shipped to the US, "Little Sister" spent ten years welcoming visitors in Paris. "This statue symbolizes the virtues of freedom and integration (融合)," the sculptor said. "These two values forever unite France and the United States."

The original Statue of Liberty was also designed to celebrate France-American friendship. The idea was first proposed in 1865 by French historian Edouard de Laboulaye. However, it was not until 1875 that US President and former Civil War general Ulysses Grant agreed to the monument. The two nations decided that France would pay the cost of building the statue while America would fund the $250,000 pedestal (底座) upon which she would stand. It took Barthold and his team, which included Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, builder of Paris's Eiffel tower, ten years to complete the masterpiece.

Today the magnificent monument is one of New York City's most popular tourist attractions, drawing more than 4 million visitors annually. The arrival of its "Little Sister" is sure to attract more fans in Washington, DC.

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It's been a few years since my three-month trip across Europe, but it is by far one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. If you have decided to go on this kind of journey, I have put together a list of important things to share with you, based on my own experiences.

You might be thinking now that you won't have time or the desire to talk to anyone back at home while you are on your great adventure. However, once you've been away for a week or two, you might start to change your idea and want to tell anything you see to them. So it's always a good idea to have a phone card that works internationally, just in case.

Before you buy a phone card plan, make sure of checking the rates! You don't want to come home with a $ 500 phone bill! In order to make sure I didn't overspend on the phone, I purchased a few $50 prepaid phone cards before I left, and then used my minutes sparingly.

Memories are never as clear, years later, as you want them to be. Pictures are nice, but you may find yourself wondering, "What was the name of that place?" Keep a diary so that you can record your daily activities, the names of people you met in a certain city, and exciting things you got to see or do.

If you don't have enough money, you can choose to stay in hostels (招待所), which are by far the cheapest way in most of Europe. And you can also take a sleeping bag with you, which will make you have a better sleep, if you have room in your pack and you don't mind the extra weight. But in my opinion, it might take up much room; you'd better not take one.

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"Welcome to the U. S. A.! Major Credit cards accepted!"

By the millions they are coming no longer the tired, the poor, the wretched mass longing for a better living. These are the wealthy. "We don't have a budget," says a biologist from Brazil, as she walks with two companions through New York City's South Street. "We just use our credit cards."

The U. S. has long been one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, but this year has been exceptional. First there was the World Cup, which drew thousands from every comer of the globe; then came the weakening of the U. S. dollar against major currencies. Now the U. S. still the world's superpower, can also claim to be the world's bargain electronics to fashion clothes to tennis rackets. Nobody undersells America Bottom retail prices --anywhere from 30% to 70% lower than those in Europe and Asia-have attracted some 47 million visitors, who are expected to leave behind $79 billion in 1994.

That's up from $74 billion the year before.

True, not everyone comes just for bargains. There remains an undeniable fascination in the rest of the world with all things American, nourished by Hollywood films and U. S. television series. But shopping in the U. S. A. is proving irresistible. Every week thousands arrive with empty suitcases ready to be filled; some even rent an additional hotel room to hold their purchases. The buying binge has become as important as watching Old Faithful Fountains erupt in Yellow Stone Park or sunbathing on a beach in Florida.

The U. S. has come at last to appreciate what other countries learned long ago: the pouring in of foreign tourists may not always be convenient, but it does put money in the bank. And with a trade deficit at about $130 billion and growing for the past 12 months, the U. S. needs all the deposits it can get. Compared with American tourists abroad, visitors to the U. S. stay longer and spend more money at each stop; an average of 12. 2 nights and $1624 a traveler versus the Americans' four nights and $298.

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I am not a morning person, but as I stand on the boulder (巨大的砾石) in the early dawn, my mind is sharp and alert. I am more than awake, concentrating on the vast endlessness below.

There is a noticeable lack of early birdsong here; no hiss of offshore wind fanning the waves. The only sound is my breath, heavy after the scramble to the top. It is by no means a difficult climb, but I had to hurry to beat the sun.

"If you stand at the top of Kubu Island just before sunrise," said one of the returning visitors, "You can see the arc (弧线)of the Earth."

He was right.

From up here the horizon cuts not so much a line as an arc.

Soon my feeling of being in the moment is replaced with something as strange and ancient as this place itself. My breathing calms and becomes shallow. My heartbeat slows. I am first surrounded by in silence. I am a tiny, shrinking spot. Then I disappear completely.

They say that astronauts looking down on Earth gain a sense of perspective that changes them forever. They begin to understand how much we are a part of our planet, and how much it is a part of us. The astronauts are 400 kilometres off the surface of Earth, and while the top of Kubu Island is only 10 metres high, there is something about this pile of boulders that sends you into orbit.

Kubu Island isn't actually an island, but rather, an outcrop of ancient rocks that are up to two billions year old. It was once rested on the edge of a vast lake. As the water evaporated, it created the huge Makgadikgadi Pan (马卡迪卡迪盐沼盆地), one of the world's largest salt pans.

Ancient tribes and civilizations have migrated and lived here, first to fish from its rocks and then to commune with nature and its spirits. Today, adventurers and tourists come here to marvel at this  strange pile of boulders with baobab trees (猴面包树) growing out of it. These trees are estimated to be 3,000 or 4,000 years old; they are really impressive not only for their size but also because they seem to have so much to tell about the history of this island.

This is the gift that Kubu Isand gives and the power that it has. This tiny, weird outcrop — if not in the middle of nowhere, then certainly on the edge of it — can give you a sense of yourself that very few places can. A sense of yourself as a person on this planet and, somehow, way beyond it.