Guided Walking Week April 2016
Dates: April 30th-May 7th 2016
Location: Abdet, Costa Blanca
A week of guided walking in the mountains around Abdet. Highlights include the climbing of Valencia's highest summit (Sierra de Aitana), traveling completely around the impressive Puig Campana, and several explorations in the Sierra de Aitana. Ancient trails lead through spectacular canyons( 峡谷 ) to abandoned settlements situated high in the mountains. You will discover the snow trader routes which lead from the incredible snow holes high in the mountains down to the villages and towns on the coast. These years, golden eagles have made a return to this area, and you may also see other animals—wild goats, foxes, wild pigs and red squirrels.
As part of the week you are invited to help clear some local walking paths. This involves clearing collapsed walls and rocks, cutting back fallen trees. This is of course optional and is just for half a day, it's actually great fun!
Price:$499
Includes:
● Accommodation in the beautiful mountain village of Abdet
● All food-good home cooking
● Beer, wine, soft drinks
● Snacks and post walk treats
● Packed lunches & drinks(except café/bar visits)
● Expert guiding
● Photos/Videos of your days in the mountains
● Airport pick-up/return $25 each way(fly to Alicante)
● Single room supplement $75
To book or get further information, please contact info@abdet.com.
It was a hot, humid day, and my brother Walt and I had decided that the only way to survive it would be to go swimming in a deep swimming hole across Mr. Blickez's pasture(牧场) and through some woods.
The only problem with our plan was that this pasture was guarded by a huge, mean Hereford bull. Mr. Blickez had told us that Elsie was the meanest bull in the township, maybe even the county, and we believed him. But the hotter it got, the more we thought there was something fishy about his claim. For one thing, we remembered Mr. Blickez liked telling tall tales; for another, Elsie seemed like an odd name for a bull.
Finally, I talked Mom into asking permission for us to walk through the pasture, but then another problem surfaced. Mom said she would talk to Mr. Blickez if we would take our cousin Joanie along with us. Joanie was almost two years older than me and a head taller. If her teasing ever got around my grade school, it would be all over for me. In fact, I still had a headache from a quarrel with her that morning. “I'm not going swimming with that dumb girl cousin.” I told my mom.
“Either Joanie goes with, or you stay home alone,” Mom said in her serious tone. I gave in and we set out. On our way across the pasture, Walt yelled suddenly. Elsie had approached him quietly and was licking(舔) his back.Joanie and I dove under the wire fence, but while I was on the ground I looked up and saw that Elsie wasn't a big mean bull after all. She was going to keep licking my brother's back as long as he stood still.
We had many good days growing up and visiting our secret swimming hole guarded by the so-called “big mean bull”. And as it turned out, for a girl cousin, Joanie hasn't been too bad. She's been one of my best friends over the years.
Allow me to introduce you to Terry, a window salesman from England. If I could take you back about 20 years, you'd know Terry as a complete green hand, who was wet behind the ears in just about everything he attempted. A person couldn't sell false teeth to his own Granny, let alone he could compete with the other salespeople in the industry. You know, the kind who could sell snow to Eskimos.
Terry's boss decided to send him out on a practical field trip on his first day. So off he went, but he was extremely nervous. With his hands and his knees shaking, he approached the front door and knocked at it. And an old woman appeared. After dozens of cups of tea and pieces of biscuits, the woman signed a contract and purchased over $7,000 worth of windows.
The woman had already talked with 6 excellent salesmen that week, all of whom offered her cheaper ones! That's right—Terry's price was the most expensive and he was also the most inexperienced salesman there ever was.
So, what happened then? Here comes the secret. The woman said she liked the young lad more than the others. That's all there was to it. She didn't care about the extra expense. Even the other salesmen couldn't persuade her to pay less than this young lad was asking for.
The truth is that the young lad left on the woman the first impression that shone brighter than any of the salesman's talk. First impressions count, not the sales techniques, not the low prices. The actual “personality” the kid honestly gave was all that was required. If you market your own products and services, consider what impression you are giving to others. If you appeal to them, then you've already done half of the work. If this means redesigning your presentation, then so be it. If this means going out of your way to be polite, helpful and giving the best possible shopping experience to your customers, the so be it.
First Lady Michelle Obama is on a five-day trip to Asia. She is visiting Japan and Cambodia to help publicize a program called "Let Girls Learn". Administration officials set up the campaign to support the education of millions of girls worldwide.
Before her trip, Mrs. Obama and her husband noted the inability of an estimated 62-million girls to attend school. They said educating the girls should be a foreign policy goal.
This week, Mrs. Obama criticized the fact that tens of millions of girls are not receiving a satisfactory education. In her opinion piece, she wrote this failure to educate girls it was more than "a tragic waste of potential." It is both a serious public health issue and a problem for the economic health of nations and the world. She also said it was "a threat to the security of countries around the world".
The First Lady noted by 2012, every part of the developing world was educating both girls and boys in primary schools. But this is not the case in secondary education. She wrote in some areas girls face "the cultural values and practices that limit the prospects of women in their societies ".
The Obama administration launched the "Let Girls Learn" campaign earlier this month. At the time, Mrs. Obama noted plans to involve the U.S. Peace Corps, and the Volunteer Development Agency.
"This effort will draw on the talent and energy of the nearly 7,000 Peace Corps volunteers serving in more than 60 countries. Through this effort, Peace Corps will be supporting hundreds of new community projects to help girls go to school and stay in school. And, I want to emphasize that these programs will be community-generated and community-led. They will be based on solutions devised by local leaders, families and yes, even the girls themselves."
President Obama also spoke at the same White House event, saying that campaign is important to his administration.
When I was eighteen, I couldn't wait to get my first job, which meant I made the first step toward adulthood.
But it was difficult to get a work permit. One day I was dropped off by my parents at the1, where applicants took their physical tests for work permits. Although I had night blindness, my vision was clearer during the day, which helped me walk 2 by myself. Then the doctor began the 3. He looked into my eyes with a bright light. “I suggest your parents take you to an eye specialist,” he said, “I 4 you have a retinal(视网膜)disease. If you do, you will never 5a day in your life… ”
My parents did take me to specialists. After much time and money spent seeking an6result，it was determined that I had an eye disease that slowly 7a person of sight. But still, during daylight, I could walk without 8. I could read, but not for hours. My eyes began to 9 and words slipped off the page when I read more than a few pages. However, no matter how tired my eyes became, I never gave up reading. I knew the 10of great writers as well as the most popular music stars. Their words were powerful, which 11 me to try writing. Soon writing brought me a lot of 12each time I completed a paper.
Then an important phone call from an editor changed my life．An article I 13 appeared in a local newspaper. The newspaper, to my 14, continued to print my work. Next, a book series published several of my essays. I got interested in writing and 15 up with each acceptance. On the pages, readers never knew of my blindness 16I chose to present it. For me, finding my voice through writing gave me the pride and satisfaction I 17 so many years ago. Now, I have numerous essays and articles in 18.
Should I be thanking that misguided doctor? By falsely predicting that I could never work a day, he fueled my 19 into success. He set the bar too 20 and focused on what I wouldn't be able to do. Yet I proved what I could do.
America's holiday shopping season started on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
Shoppers make the most money this time of year, about 20 percent to 30 percent of all revenue all year. About 136 million people shopped during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.
In an era of instant information, shoppers can use their mobile phones to find deals. Nearly 80 percent of this year's holiday shoppers, or about 183.8 million people, shopped on Cyber Monday. Online spending on Black Friday rose 15 percent to hit $2.7 billion this year. Cyber Monday spending increased 12 percent to $3 billion. NBC News reported that for many, shopping online was a more comfortable alternative than crowded malls.
The shift to online shopping has had a big impact on solid shopping malls. Since 2010, more than 24 shopping malls have closed and an additional 60 are struggling. Fortune says the weakest of the malls have closed. However, the business in malls is thriving again, it adds. According to a survey, 94.2percent of malls were full with shops by the end of 2014.
The average American consumer will spend about $805 on gifts. That's about $630.5 billion between November and December – an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.
That goes to China's Singles' Day, celebrated on November 11, which posted record sales of $14.3 billion in 2015.
A．More and more people shop online nowadays.
B．That is the highest level in 27 years.
C．It is the busiest shopping day of the year.
D．One-in-five Americans used a tablet or smart-phone.
E．The traditional mall industry can hardly survive.
F．Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
G．Nonetheless, Cyber Monday is not the biggest online shopping day in the world.
Ten Chinese engineers were driving down a road to a National Forest Park. They were (sudden) amazed by what they saw. Three tall animals, (cover) with long black hair, were crossing the road. On (see) the animals, the engineers immediately stopped and ran after them. However, when they saw move through the forest with great speed and strength, they did not dare to follow any (far).
The men did not take any photographs but scientists were delighted by the (discover), because the engineers are all well educated people and scientists feel they can rely what they described.
Scientists returned to the forest, collected some hair and measured footprints, are about 20 inches. They appear to be the animals' feet! Chinese scientists have now set up a special group to exchange information and made a study of the forest, in the meantime, some people refuse to believe that this half-man, half-monkey (exist). They will not believe it until one of the animals has been caught.
假如你是中学生李华，你校外教 Mary 女士近期准备回英国度假，为此，你班同学准备开一个晚会为她送行。请你根据以下提示，用英语写一封 e-mail，通知她相关情况。
1)对她的辛勤教学工作表示感谢。
2)晚会本周日晚上 7：30 开始，预计持续 1 个小时。
3)地点：高三 10 班教室
4)活动：同学们一起唱英文歌，班长代表全班赠送她鲜花和亲手制作的礼物。
注意：1. 词数 100 左右。2. 开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Mary,
We hear that you'll return to the United Kingdom on a holiday soon. All the class will miss you very much during your absence!
Yours truly,
Li Hua
