Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guizhou
Located in southwest Anshun, Guizhou Province, Huangguoshu Waterfall is the largest and most wonderful group of waterfalls in China. With splendid scenery (壮丽景观), the waterfall was included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest waterfall group in 1999. It is 77.8 meters high and 101 meters wide, with 17 smaller waterfalls.
Best time to visit: May to October
Admission: 180 yuan (March 1 to Oct. 31); 160 yuan off-season (Nov. 1 to Feb. 28)
Shigatse, Tibet
Kanas Lake, lying in a valley in the Altai Mountains, is located near the very northern tip of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous (自治的) Region. The lake is famous for its fantastic natural landscape and mysterious local legend. It is surrounded by thick layers of forest, and the color of the water changes according to different seasons, weather and depth. Kanas Nature Reserve founded in 1980 is now considered a paradise (天堂) for travelers and hikers.
Best time to visit: June, September
Admission: 150 yuan (April 1 to Oct. 31); 80 yuan off-season (Nov. 1 to March 31)
Jiuzhai Valley, Sichuan
Jiuzhai Valley in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, is a magical fairyland in nature that enchants (使着迷) tourists with mountains, forests, lakes, waterfalls and crowded wildlife. During autumn, colorful leaves are reflected in the clear waters. Lakes vary in color according to their depths, angles and surroundings, striking a lively contrast with the blue sky and snow-white clouds.
Best time to visit: September to October
Admission: 220 yuan (April 1 to Nov. 15); 80 yuan (Nov. 16 to March 30)
Changbai Mountain, Jilin
Changbai Mountain in southeastern Jilin Province is located on the border (边界) between China and North Korea. Considered as the most famous mountain in northeast China, Changbai Mountain has rich biodiversity (生物多样性). With an average altitude of 2,000 meters, the mountain is well-known for its snowy scenery, cool summers and many mineral springs.
Admission: 100 yuan for adults; 50 yuan for children
Hours: 8 a. m. to 4 p. m.
Many people are trying to learn a new language. Some of them consider it as a hobby, while others have to learn a language because it is required by their jobs or study. As a foreigner who is really interested in Chinese culture, I like learning Chinese.
It is thought that a person needs to know at least 3,000 Chinese characters (汉字) to understand most Chinese newspapers. The problem for most foreigners, however, is that knowing 3,000 characters sounds like an impossible task, for many of the Chinese characters look the same. That's why some people give up halfway. It's the most difficult part for me, too. But I manage to learn how to write each character by watching videos online. Whenever I saw a character I didn't know in the street or on a menu, I would just write it down on my phone and then look it up. Slowly I've learned the characters that are common in daily life.
It's also important to listen to Chinese as much as possible. I downloaded (下载) a lot of listening materials onto my phone and listened to them on the way to school, work and even dates with my friends. I also watched a lot of Chinese TV shows and films, where the words were not so difficult and there were always subtitles (字幕). In this way, I've also learned how to express myself like a native.
As for speaking, I practice talking about different topics in Chinese when I am cycling around, effectively talking to myself or in my head, thinking through different conversations and scenarios (场景). For example, whenever I was going to a shop, I would think how to say that in Chinese. It helps me to think in a Chinese way, which is really important.
Learning a language is never easy. Basically, I just use every tool on hand and take my learning step by step, and I'm still learning new things to this day!
Have you ever imagined what will happen in the ocean when an earthquake happens underground? If you've ever felt a big earthquake or seen one on television, you know that it has the power to shake the ground and move large buildings. When a great earthquake happens under the ocean floor, the earthquake's large energy is transferred (转移) to the water above it, creating a series of water waves called a tsunami (海啸). The word comes from the Japanese words tsu (harbor) and nami (wave).
Normal ocean waves have an average wavelength (波长) of about 100 meters and an average height of about 2 meters, while a tsunami can have a wavelength of 193 kilometers or more. Travelling at up to about 800 kilometers per hour in the deep ocean, a tsunami might be at a height of as little as 0.9 meters, which makes it almost impossible to be noticed, even for a ship in the area.
As a tsunami approaches (靠近) a coastline, things begin to change greatly. As it approaches shallow (浅的) waters, the wave speed drops below about 80 kilometers per hour. The wavelength also decreases much, but amplitude—the height of the wave—increases greatly, leading to the huge wall of water along coastlines, which causes great damage to coastal areas.
About 80% of tsunamis happen in the Pacific Ocean. Tsunamis cannot be prevented, but areas that experience tsunamis regularly have developed tsunami warning systems to give as much advance warning as possible to people who live along the coastline. For example, there are tsunami warning signs and warning sirens (警报器) atop nearby hills along Japanese coastlines. And many Japanese coastal communities have built tsunami walls, floodgates and others to stop or change the direction of water from incoming tsunamis.
Taking notes is a useful way for students to improve their learning. Good notes can help students finish their homework more quickly and get better grades in exams. Here are some suggestions to solve the problem.
The most important thing you need to do before a class is to prepare for the lesson. And it can give you an idea of how to organize the information in your notebook. Besides, if there is something too difficult to understand, you will need to take more specific (具体的) notes about it.
No matter which style you use, your notes should be clear at first sight! Instead, write down the most important information, for example, main ideas and examples discussed in class.
To remember the information as much as possible, you'd better review your notes within 24 hours after your class. And at the end of your notes for each class, write a summary (总结).
Try to do better in taking notes, and then it will help you study better!
A. Many students have good ways to take notes.
B. Don't write down every word the teacher says.
C. You need to find a style of note-taking that works best for you.
D. However, some students may not be sure how to take good notes.
E. This will help you much better understand what you have learned.
F. By doing this, you will be able to know what you are going to learn.
G. Some students are used to taking down the key information in class.
It was about two o'clock in the early morning. I was 1 when the earthquake started. At first, I felt a slight shake. Then I 2 a loud noise like thunder.
Soon the real noise came, like bombs under the ground. The earth started to shake. People screamed in 3. Some ran out of the building. I tried my best to run out too, but I could not. Outside, people were running in all directions 4 pieces of glass and bricks were falling down. Then the walls began to 5 too!
Finally, the noise and shaking ended. It was 6 and silent around me. I could not
see anything at all, and I did not know if anyone else was near me. I felt 7 and my heart was beating 8. "I'm trapped," I said to 9. A moment of fear went through my mind, but I told myself to calm down because I was still 10.
I 11 for help, but no one came. I started to pull myself slowly through the dark. Luckily, there was just enough space for me to 12.
Hours later, as I was trying to find my 13 out, I suddenly heard some noise above me. I 14, "Help! Please help! I'm here!" Then I heard shouts from 15 people. They quickly moved away the bricks. At last, I saw the bright daylight. I was safe.
