San Francisco Tours
Napa and Sonoma Wine Country Full-Day Tour from San Francisco
This Northern California Wine Country tour from San Francisco eliminates the hassle of arguing over who is the designated driver for the trip. Stop at various wineries in Napa and Sonoma 'and ride safely in an air-conditioned coach with reclining seats and an onboard restroom for comfort and convenience. You even have time at Sonoma Square Plaza to eat lunch at your own expense.
Duration: 9 hours
Start time: Check availability
Ticket type: Mobile
Language: English
Cost: $ 149. 00 per adult
Alcatraz with San Francisco Bay Cruise
This convenient package gives you access to two separate essential San Francisco experiences-a visit to Alcatraz Island, and a sightseeing cruise. Instead of waiting in long ticket lines, this time-saving option helps you explore San Francisco more efficiently. Take a ferry to Alcatraz Island where you can go inside the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and enjoy an audio guide. A San Francisco Bay cruise is also included with views of Pier 39's sea lions, the waterfront area, and the city's skyline. Please note, children 4 years old and younger do not need purchased tickets.
Duration: 2-4 hours
Start time: Check availability
Ticket type: Mobile
Language: German, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, English, Italian, French, Spanish
Cost: $ 139. 00 per adult
Muir Woods& Sausalito Half-Day Tour (Return by Bus or Ferry from Sausalito)
An independent trip to the beautiful Muir Woods National Monument requires advance reservations, and finding parking in Sausalito can be difficult. Easily visit both must-see locations on this guided tour from San Francisco, which includes skip-the-line access at Muir Woods and a trouble-free stop at the charming waterfront town. At each destination, enjoy free time away from your group, so you can explore at your own pace.
Duration: 5 hours
Start time: Check availability
Ticket type: Mobile
Language: English
Cost: $ 89. 00 per adult
Close to a century ago, New York's Coney Island was famed for its sideshows (杂耍). Eye-catching signs crowded the island's attractions, showing off circus shows, sword swallowers—and even an exhibition of tiny babies.
The babies were premature ones kept alive in incubators (婴儿保育箱) pioneered by Dr. Martin Couney. The medical establishment had rejected his incubators, but Dr. Couney didn't give up on his aims. Starting in 1896, he funded his work by displaying the babies and charging 25 cents to see the show. In return, parents didn't have to pay for Dr. Couney's incubators, and many children survived who would never have had a chance otherwise.
Born in 12, Lucille Horn ended up in an incubator on Coney Island. She'd been born a twin, but her twin died at birth. And the hospital staff told her father that there wasn't a chance she'd live. "It was just: You die because you didn't belong in the world, " Horn says. But her father refused to accept that answer. He grabbed a blanket to wrap her in, called a taxi, and took her to Coney Island—and to Dr. Couney's infant (婴幼儿) exhibit.
Years later, Horn decided to return to see the babies—this time as a visitor. When she took the opportunity to introduce herself, Dr. Couney went over to a man who was uneasily looking at his small infant. "Look at this young lady, " Dr. Couney told the man. "She's one of our babies. And that's how your baby's gonna grow up. "
Horn was just one of thousands of premature infants that Dr. Couney cared for and displayed at amusement parks until the 194s. He died in 1950, shortly after incubators like his were introduced in most hospitals. At the time, Dr. Couney's efforts were largely unknown—but at least one person will never forget him. "Ninety-six years later, here I am, all in one piece. And I'm thankful to be here," Horn says.
We've all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What's the problem? It's possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It's more likely that none of us start a conversation because it's awkward and challenging, or we think it's annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it's an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can't forget that deep relationships wouldn't even exist if it weren't for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. "A lmost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk," he explains. "The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them."
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction (互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. "It's not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband," says Dunn. "But interactions with peripheral (边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also."
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. "Small talk is the basis of good manners," he says.
In the past, video conference technology was mainly used for just a few elements of business meetings or hangouts with friends and family. Now, video conference tools are essential for our productivity, learning and social interaction. We use them not only for fun, but mainly as a meaningful part of our work.
However, once we start to join endless video calls for a few hours each day, we become very tired. This term is called "zoom fatigue", and it's related to overusing virtual communication platforms.
There are some advantages of using video conferencing tools. Without them, it might be impossible for us to work from home. But what we haven't expected is a price that we need to pay for that sort of convenience.
When we are having a face-to-face conversation with others, everything seems pretty natural. While speaking, you look into the eyes, sometimes slightly moving your stare onto something else. You know when to stop talking and when to speak up. Even if you're in a conference room with 10 people, you don't have a terrible feeling of being observed all the time. You notice that people mostly look at the person who is speaking, and then they move their attention onto someone else. But when you use a teleconferencing tool, things are different. Being physically on camera makes you very aware of being watched all the time, because you don't know who is looking at you. You just see many faces on your screen.
Marissa Shuffler from Clemson University once said, "When you' re on a video conference, you know everybody's looking at you; you are on stage, so there comes the social pressure—a feeling like you need to perform. Being performative is stressful. "
Moreover, there is another interesting tendency as far as video calls are concerned. Who are you looking at most of the time? The answer is yourself. For most people, it's hard not to look at their own face if they can see it on the screen. We are likely to make sure that our head is at the right angle and that our shirt isn't creased.
How to learn English well
All English learners want to improve their English, but as you know, it can be difficult! The four main areas for you are: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Here are some ways to help you learn well.
Speaking
Speak as much as possible! This is the best way to learn English. The fastest way to learn English is to surround yourself with English speakers. Also, get into the habit of thinking in English. Don't translate from your own language into English — it will slow you down. And it's fun to sing in English, so learn some English songs and sing your heart out!
Listening
Like speaking, it's better for you to be in a totally English-speaking environment. It's also good to watch TV shows, or movies in English. But the more you listen, the more you'll get. It's good to listen to something over and over again. First, try to get the general meaning, and then, listen a second time for more in-depth information.
Reading
Reading English is something you can do to help you learn on your own, outside of the classroom. Newspapers are good for higher-level students. So for lower levels, try reading children's stories or books which have been especially written for English learners. You should find something that you can learn well from.
Writing
Try keeping a diary; write something in English in it every day, even if it's very simple. And the Internet is a great way to help you learn English. Try to make friends online, visit chat rooms, or post comments on blogs. These are all useful tools for you.
A. Make a plan for yourself.
B. For you, you need to work on all areas.
C. Choose easy stories and you can learn more.
D. The English news can be difficult for you at first.
E. Start with small sentences and make them longer.
F. There is nothing better than conversations to help you improve.
G. You won't learn much if you choose a book that is too difficult or too easy.
Nowadays, many young people spend a lot of time on their phones, which may annoy many people. 1, a group called Girl Scouts are receiving2for setting up their first walk-in clinic for elderly people, who have difficulty understanding how to3the secrets of their smart phones.
Each teen spent at least an hour of one-on-one time with their oldsters. Based on their4knowledge, each Girl Scout was assigned to5 different aspects of Android and Apple phones.
Some of the oldsters actually wanted to take part in e-commerce (电子商务), and needed help to6a payment account on their smart phones while others simply had7 when learning how to send messages to their family members. "I was teaching this older woman how to8, and the first thing she did was to send a message to her daughter," one of the Scouts said. "How9 it was! It just made' me feel really, really happy. "
In addition to arranging group lessons for all of the seniors to10together at the end of the clinic, the youngsters even printed out brochures and guides for the seniors to take home in case11seniors would encounter problems with their smart phones in the future.
The eighth graders earned their "Silver Award, for their job. After experiencing the12of their project, the girls hope to organize more13in the near future. "Those girls were just great," said Nancy, a grandmother who once14the clinic. "They were ready for us and had a very mature attitude about answering our questions, and they15the praise.
East China's port city of Quanzhou once (consider) "the very great and noble city" by the Italian explorer Marco Polo. It won UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status last Sunday, (bring)the total number of the country's UNESCO World Heritage sites to 56.
UNESCO (accept)"Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China"a cultural property on its World Heritage List on the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee (hold)in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province.
Located on narrow plains along the coastline of Fujian, Quanzhou was a large port along the historic Maritime Silk Road, (particular) in ancient China's Song Dynasty(960-1279)and Yuan Dynasty( 1271 -1368).
A number of famous medieval (explorer), such as Marco Polo, Friar Odoric of Pordcnonc, and Ihn Battuta, visited Quanzhou and wrote descriptions of the port as one of the (big) harbours in the world, and a vibrant(充满生机的)market inmerchants from across many different regions exchanged their goods.
Its past is proved by several historic sites. Additionally, as well as being one of the major hubs of commerce and exchange along the Maritime Silk Roads, Quanzhou was leading centre for shipbuilding and the development of navigation technologies during the Song Dynasty.
Mom poured herself a glass of orange juice. "I'm worried about your grandma," she said. I asked, "Why? ""Well, before she moved to Florida, she was active. But now she sleeps most of the day or watches television. I can't get her out of the house, and she won't try to make friends," Mom replied. My grandma wanted to go back to New York. But she couldn't live alone anymore. That was why my mom let her come to live with us in Florida.
"I'll find a way to make Grandma love Florida," I thought for a minute and said. Mom smiled and said, "I wish you could." After school, I saw Grandma watching television and figured she hadn't moved all day. In my room, I took out my collection. I had found many beautiful and special seashells. My favourite one was called Baby's Ear. It's a beautiful white seashell. Looking at my seashells gave me an idea. I went into the living room and sat on the sofa.
"Did you ever go to the beach when you were little, Grandma?" I asked. "Once my mother took me there, but I didn't enjoy it because I was afraid of the water and couldn't swim. Even now, I'm a little afraid of the water," she replied. I wished Grandma could feel the way I did about the beach. I loved to see seabirds and look for seashells. "Well, could you take me to the beach, Grandma? I need some new seashells for my collection. I'm not allowed to go by myself. Please!" I begged. Grandma finally agreed and took my hand as we left the house.
We walked to the beach. The sky was blue. I handed Grandma a plastic bag, and said, "This is for the seashells you find." "Oh, you should take it," she said. I shook my head. "No, Grandma. I need all the help I can get." "All right," she said.
注意：1）续写词数应为150左右；
2）请按如下格式作答。
We walked side by side on the beach.
……
"Wow！Look what I found!" Grandma shouted, standing in the sand and holding a pink seashell.
