Amsterdam Destination Guide
Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.
Must-See Attractions
●Old Centre
Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure here， which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops.
●Canal Ring
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy homeowners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today.
●Museum Quarter
It is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark.The top museums to visit there are the Rijksmusuem and the Van Gogh Museum,
●Plantage
It boasts most of the city's museums, including the Jewish Historical Museum.
Money Saving Tips
●Unless you really want to see the tulips (郁金香) blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May, This is when hotel and flight prices rise.
●Look for accommodations in Amsterdam's South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.
●Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
●Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They're inexpensive and will give you a unique view of the city.
Since my son went to college in Chicago, I made quarterly trips there for the next three years. My friend George was a cook there and he knew many outstanding restaurants. One of them was a Chinese restaurant called The Bird. It was owned and operated by Chef Benny Moy who happened to be an old friend of George's.
The dishes Benny prepared were unique, and everything was in his mind when he was cooking. Just by changing, adding or removing an ingredient or two, he could come up with an entirely new dish.
As a fan of Chinese food, I was always attracted by its recipes. After a year went by, I finally gathered the courage to ask Benny if I could spend a week learning cooking. in his restaurant kitchen. To my joy, he agreed readily.
I was very nervous the first day I showed up. But I didn't have to wait long to find out how I would start." Put on this jacket, go over to the stove and clean the two woks (锅) there," he said. I was excited. What a beginning! I was allowed to clean the master's woks.
Then things just seemed to fall into place. Benny was very concentrated when he was doing preparing work or cooking. I would just follow him around , trying very hard not to get in his way.
Besides, I would talk into my hand-held recorder to document everything he did; in effect, I had all his recipes. He had a teaching style that was all his own. And I just watched and learned everything he did by heart,
At the end of the week, when my time in the kitchen was over, I came away feeling that I have had the most exciting, unusual, and unique cooking experiences. Plus, now I know how to cook Benny's most-known dish: Moo shu pork.
Mogao Grottoes is located at the western end of the Hexi Corridor along the ancient Silk Road in Dunhuang, China. Until now, most mural paintings at Mogao Grottoes have been dated by directly referring to the mural texts or historical documents. However, some are still left with the creation era (年代) uncertain due' to the lack of reference materials or the disagreement of art experts.
The drawing style of mural paintings was changing throughout history and can be learned and quantified ( 量化) through painting data. A new dating method has been developed by encoding (编码) the drawing styles using visual codes learned through deep learning. This new method successfully discovered the creation era of six mural paintings at Mogao Grottoes.
With the help of experts from Dunhuang Academy, seven mural paintings from two grottoes(No.205 and No. 206) were chosen as subjects for this dating research. To figure out the creation era of these paintings, Qin Zou, a researcher from Wuhan University, collected 3,860 mural paintings from 194 different grottoes with confirmed creation-era labels. To find the visual
codes that can identify the era in these paintings, the authors built a deep convolutional neural network (卷积神经网络) and classified these painting images into the right eras. Based on the classification model, a dating method was built and applied to date the seven paintings.
Six of the new dating results were approved by experts from Dunhuang Academy." These dating results are correct and the method is great," said Mr. Hui-Min Wang, a distinguished expert from the Archaeological Institute of Dunhuang Academy.
"To the best of our knowledge,""wrote the researchers, "this work represents the first account of a scientific and quantitative manner to support the era prediction and reduce the uncertainties in dating ancient paintings by using deep learning. "
A study published recently shows that tomato fruits are able to transmit alerts to their mother plant when attacked by caterpillars.
Plants have a large number of chemical and hormonal signaling pathways, which are generally transmitted through the sap (树液). Given the fact that fruits just hang from the main plant before ultimately falling off and sap typically only runs from the plant to the fruit 一not back and forth between the two一it has long been unclear whether or not fruits can transmit information to the plant.
To address that question, scientists at Brazil's Federal University of Pelotas placed tomato plants in a Faraday cage. Electrodes (电极) were attached to the ends of the plants' branches,at the points where they connected to the fruits. Then they measured electrical responses within the branches before, during and after a 24-hour period in which the fruits were attacked by caterpillars. Machine-learning-based algorithms were used to identify patterns in the signals.
It was found that there was a"clear difference" between the signals before and after caterpillar attacks. Additionally , defensive biochemical responses were observed throughout the plants' bodies, suggesting that they had been triggered by signals sent by the fruits. The researchers gave the following explanation. The tomato fruit, sensing a nearby insect, released electrical signals to reach the rest of the plant. These warnings impulses were received by the main plant and as a result, the rest of the plant got prepared to fight off the unwanted invaders. The tomato fruit made sure that the plant produced chemicals that were unpleasant to taste, so that hungry caterpillars stayed off the fruit.
The scientists now plan on investigating whether other fruiting plants behave in the same manner as tomatoes，and whether their fruits respond to threats other than insects. They believe understanding how the plant interacts with its fruits, and the fruits among themselves, may bring insights into how to make use of this communication for enhancing fruit quality, resistance to pests and shelf life after harvest.
多余选项。
Pet owners have a big responsibility when it comes to taking care of their furry friends. Unfortunately, many pet owners make common mistakes as follows.
●Not providing enough exercise or mental stimulation for your pet
All pets need regular exercise and mental stimulation to stay healthy and happy.. Mental stimulation is also essential to keep your pet fit. You can give your pet puzzle toys, play new games with them, or teach them new tricks.
●Overfeeding
You might think you're doing your pet a favor by giving them extra treats, but overfeeding can do more harm than good.. Therefore, ensure you're following the feeding guidelines on the bag and not giving in to those puppy-dog eyes too often.
●Not socializing your puppy
Socialization is key to a well-behaved and happy dog. Make sure to introduce your puppy to
different people，animals and situations..
●
Pets are great at hiding their pain and discomfort, so i's important to watch for any changes in behavior or appetite. Don't hesitate to bring something up with your vet if you notice something off!
To help avoid these types of erors, w anda Morgan, Chief Editor of Workout Lunatic, gives the following tips:
●Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is always the way to go when training your pet. Use treats and verbal praise to encourage good behavior instead of punishment or scolding.
●Addressing underlying anxiety causes
. Give your pet plenty of engaging activities and playtime to keep their minds and bodies active and happy!
A. Ignoring signs of illness
B. Not trusting your puppy
C. It can help them grow confident and well- adjusted
D. It can lead to obesity and other serious medical conditions
E. Mental exercise is crucial to your pet as much as physical exercise
F. Anxiety -based behavior can stem from a lack of attention or stimulation
G. Without enough physical activity, your pet may become overweight or bored
I'm an 18-year-old student, tall and good-looking. Looking back，I realize how important it is to1 oneself.
Born and raised in Africa, I had always taken my African origin as a(n)2 .My self- dislike was further3 when my family moved to Norway. Compared to all the white girls around me, I was so different. My nose often had a thin sheet of4 ， regardless of the weather. What also5 my self-dislike was my stuttering (口吃). It always stood between me and any fine opportunity. I'd taken it as a( n)6 to avoid any public speaking sessions.
7 ， there came a turning point. One day a white girl caught my eye. To my8 ,she had a thin sheet of sweat on her nose too, and it was in November!"Wow," I whispered to myself,"this isn't a genetic (遗传的) disorder. I's perfectly9 ." Days later, my life took another10 . Searching the Internet for stuttering cures, I11 learned that such famous people as Newton and Churchill also stuttered. I was greatly12 . Another13 to my self-confidence came as I knew Oprah Winfrey, the famous host and writer, is black too!
Today, I've grown to accept what I am with pride; it simply gives me a feeling of14 .The idea of self-love has taken15 a whole new meaning for me: there's always something fantastic about us, and what we need to do is learn to appreciate it.
As this year's ski season got underway, Liu Zhihua， ( age) 87, joined the crowd at a ski resort and glided fluently down the piste ( 滑雪道) .
Actually, Liu took up the sport in 2007 when she was 72. "After conquering the fear of falling, I became increasingly interested in skiing." Starting on the beginner slopes, Liu( gradual) moved to intermediate runs, and has even got onto the advanced ones.
When asked about the setbacks she had encountered, Liu， is an excellent skier now recalls that she fell over while going down a slope due to a lack of experience. "But skill comes practice. Just get used to it," she says. (wear) a bright smile, Liu adds,"No one can tell your age when everyone is in a ski suit."
These days, Liu skis for about two hours at a time under the( protect) of her instructors. she skis less often than in previous years, Liu is determined( persevere).
"I'd rather fall on a piste than lie on a sickbed," says Liu." Health and happiness are the two things that doing sports( bring) to me over the past years," she says."I don't think age has much to do with my mindset. Old or young， I have been( courage) and optimistic.
When I was in middle school，I became blind. Suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, I was troubled by frustration and self- pity. Depression consumed me and I was frightened to try anything challenging.
Imagine my surprise when my teacher asked me to enter a speaking contest. I rejected it out of hand. Among so many students, why did she pick me? I was an average student, blind and plain-looking. Anyhow, she insisted that I go for it. Her reply:"Because I believe you can deliver a good speech. You are more capable than you imagine!" Encouraged by her words, I agreed to give it a shot.
I decided on a fictional mole (鼹鼠) as my topic. It was a cute creature with poor eyesight, mostly living underground, digging holes and helping get rid of pests. Not a brilliant idea, but unique; and undoubtedly a relatable tale.
What did the mole think, as he fought his way in the darkness? Would he get scared? Have second thoughts? W ant to quit? It struck a chord immediately. I got exhausted from preparing the speech. I had doubts about my choice. I wanted to escape from reality. But, like the blind mole,I kept it up. I doubled my efforts. I checked out books from the school library. I referred to some great speeches. I turned to my father for guidance.
A week before the competition, I presented my speech to my teacher. She smiled, saying,"Good. Now, polish your writing and practice your delivery." I couldn't remember how many times I made adjustments to my writing. Nor could I recall how I practiced it over and over again, with mixed feelings. " Could my message get across to the audience?"" How would they react?"Tons of questions crowded into my mind.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The big day finally arrived!
……
I went up to my teacher after the award ceremony.
