Amazing kid-friendly hotels
Big Cypress Lodge
Big Cypress Lodge features rooms with a treehouse. But the various kid-oriented facilities are the highlights of the hotel. It has a place with twice-daily fish feedings and a glass-enclosed lift that brings travelers to the hotel's observation deck (观景台).
Brookstreet Hotel
Every winter, Brookstreet Hotel offers an ice skating area with lights for daytime or nighttime skating. And during the warmer months, kids can go for a swim in the seasonal outdoor pool, make music in the instrument-filled jazz garden, or borrow bikes (which are free to use for two hours) to explore the area. Plus, families who visit on a weekend have access to free activities like movie nights.
Ashford Castle
Fully let kids get close to nature and history during a stay at Ashford Castle. This 800-year-old castle is located in Cong, Ireland. Families can try old-world pursuits like hunting and archery (射箭). On rainy days, watch a movie in the on-site theater or go for a swim in the spa's relaxation pool. Or, bond in your family-friendly room while playing with Lego.
Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana
If you're a fan of the "SpongeBob SquarePants" TV cartoon series, Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana is a good choice. The hotel is modeled after SpongeBob's pineapple home. No matter which accommodation you choose, you'll enjoy all meals and drinks, and access to a kids club, sports courts and the Aqua Nick water park with waterslides. Character breakfasts are also available on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays for a fee.
About 3,000 years ago, the Chinese people began celebrating the beginning of their calendar year with a joyful festival, Lunar New Year. Every year starts with a big feast. Then in many homes, after the feast is cleared, the whole family gathers to make dumplings late into the night.
There are many special foods of the New Year. The most common one is dumplings— traditionally these were made in homes in northern China, but now they've spread around the world. They usually look like crescent moons(新月)or round balls. They may be similar to ancient Chinese money as well. They are filled with simple ingredients like pork and cabbage, which are said to bring fortune to the household.
"The whole family gathers to chat and make the dumplings, which are eaten between midnight and 2 a.m.," says Grace Young, author of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, a book of Chinese recipes and stories, and The Breath of a Wok, a book of the traditional knowledge of the Chinese food.
In The Breath of a Wok, Lijun Wang, Chinese-American author Amy Tan's sister, recalls fondly," As the jiao-zi boiled, it was important not to remove the lid too soon," says Lijun." If you did, it could mean that you'd lose your fortune in the coming year. Sometimes we would put a coin inside one dumpling for luck."
" And historically, on New Year's morning, it was customary not to cook but we were always happy to eat leftover (剩下的) jiao-zi," says Anderson, professor of the University of California," In northern China, food was pretty scarce, especially in the winter. People were down to what little meat and flour they had left. It just made sense to make dumplings when you wanted a little celebration but didn't have a lot of money or food."
Last May," eco-mermaid " Merle Liivand broke her own world record for swimming with a single fin(脚蹼). She swam the distance of a full marathon in the rough waters of Biscayne Bay, Florida. She even picked trash out of the water as she swam.
Liivand was born in Estonia. As a child, she had health problems, and engaged in swimming to help her lungs get stronger. She was soon taking part in open water swimming contests, sometimes even in icy water.
Eleven years ago, Liivand moved to Miami, Florida, where she continued swimming in the ocean. In one training session, she nearly wound up swallowing some plastic that was floating in the sea. That experience made her think of all the sea animals that faced similar pollution every day. She decided to make people more aware of plastic pollution, which she calls a" plastic pandemic ".
Thinking about sea creatures gave Liivand the idea of swimming with a special single swimming fin attached to both of her feet. This rubbery" monofin " allows her to swim by kicking both of her legs together." Swimming with the monofin without using my arms is similar to how dolphins and other marine animals swim," says Liivand. She believes that swimming with a monofin sends a bigger message.
Liivand first set the world record for swimming with a monofin in 2019, when she swam 6.2 miles off the coast of California. In 2020, she broke the record again by swimming 12.8 miles in Miami, Florida. On 7 May last year, Liivand broke the record once more, this time swimming the length of a full marathon. It took her 11 hours and 54 seconds to swim 26.2miles. The water was rough, and she ran into a few problems, but she didn't stop." I got stung(蜇) by jellyfish," she said," and kept telling myself that it was not the time to cry."
Liivand picked up all the trash she found and put it in a kayak(皮艇). By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags full of trash." This isn't just about a record. It's about helping the community and the world," she says.
My roommate and I sat very still and held our breath to watch the showdown between ice skaters Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan and Nathan Chen of the United States at the Beijing Winter Olympics. But when Mr Chen launched himself into the air, it wasn't his movement that caught my eye—it was the empty seats in the audience behind him. They looked familiar. Those seats were where my parents had stood, my dad holding a video camera to record my daily practice sessions.
Born and raised in Beijing, I began skating at age 8. I'd seen Chinese pair skaters Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo's performance at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. They inspired a wave of national pride and made figure skating(花样滑冰) a mainstream sport in China. I joined the rush.
I spent most of my time outside school at the rink (溜冰场). One day, two intense years later, I'd had enough. The pressure was too much. I told my parents I couldn't do it anymore. Thankfully, they understood and let me stop. But even after I quit, guilt and pressure stayed with me. My parents had sacrificed so much for me, and I felt I'd failed to meet their expectations. Then I started a new athletic attempt—cross-country running that I still pursue today. Even so, I still enjoyed watching figure skating on TV from time to time.
Right before COVID -19 lockdowns began, I returned home to Beijing over winter break from college in the US. In my cupboard, I was surprised to find a shiny new pair of figure skates（滑冰鞋） my dad had bought for me. Then I brought the skates back with me to Boston.
This winter, I put on the skates again. I carefully stepped onto the ice at a Boston rink. And this time skating felt the way it had when I fell in love with it for the first time. I danced on the ice realizing that one cannot learn without falling sometimes—or often.
People are spending much time at home. Whether you're in a crowded apartment building or an uncrowded suburban area, it's important to have an awareness of what you're doing and how it affects those around you. .
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You might love to get up early and start your day with a sports class. Now that you're exercising at home, it may present a problem when your floor is someone else's ceiling. Try to reduce the amount of noise you're making, especially at very late and early hours. If you know your next -door neighbor has a baby, try to be mindful of nap times.
Littering used items
. In addition to rudely littering, there is a chance that you're actively spreading bacteria to those passing by or certainly to those tasked with cleaning our streets and outdoor spaces. Therefore, it's important to deal with used items in trash cans safely and properly.
Disrespecting personal space
Don't invade the personal space of others. . But you need to be mindful of this. Create distance physically and stay away from others' individual privacy. Don't ask too many questions about personal information.
Messing up communal (公共的) areas
Neighbor manners are all about respecting shared spaces, whether that's the sidewalk in a suburban area or the hallways in an apartment building. . Make sure that you leave spaces better than how you found them. If you're emptying your trash and coffee grounds spill out, try to clean that up. Tidiness starts with you.
A. Ignoring noise levels
B. Exercising in the morning
C. With that in mind, don't leave messes in these areas
D. Here are some rude neighbor behaviors that people should avoid
E. Throwing away items like gloves is rude and may become harmful
F. There are a lot of things you can do in order to be a good neighbor
G. This can be challenging, especially for people living in apartment buildings
La La Land Kind Café is based in Dallas, Texas. It isn't a 1 coffee shop. Besides being eco –friendly, the café is a social business that provides 2 for young people, who age out of foster (寄养) care at 18, are frequently unable to 3 themselves or to go to college, and even 4end up homeless. The founder Francois Reihani hopes he can 5 this for some of these young people through the café.
When he was in college, Reihani 6 at a local nonprofit and helped children in the foster care system. It was there that Reihani heard the youth's 7 of neglect (忽视) and began 8 how he could assist them. Thus, he opened the We Are One Project with his sister, 9 to help these young people find jobs.
After about a year, they realized it wasn't 10 —the youth still couldn't find jobs. So he decided to 11 a business that would employ them. As a result, Reihani founded La La Land Kind Café, which not only employs them but also spreads kindness at the same time.
When the world began lockdown in 2020, La La Land Kind Café didn't close. 12, Reihani saw the need for even more kindnesses during those 13 times. So he and his employees drove around giving compliments(赞美) to strangers from windows.
Reihani said that complimenting someone shouldn't be 14. After all, spreading 15 and kindness is something everyone can do every day.
(throw) a pomegranate(石榴) on New Year's Day is an ancient Greek custom continues to this day as the red-colored fruit is considered a symbol of life and good fortune. Ancient Greeks (believe) that the pomegranate's red seeds stood for richness, perhaps because of their quantity.
Pomegranates are (particular) rich in sugar, vitamins and minerals. They have more antioxidants than red wine or green tea. This fruit is also unique cosmetic(化妆品). Some companies use pomegranates in their products skin care.
In modern times, the Greek family gathers outside on New Year's Eve, when the clock strikes midnight, a pomegranate is thrown onto the front door of the house. The more seeds that spread on the floor, the (lucky) the New Year will be.
Lots of archaeological findings prove that the pomegranate fruit was known in ancient times as it (reflect) in ancient art. A Museum in Athens has in its holdings a splendid brass(黄铜) pomegranate (discover) at the Acropolis.
Ripple, a cat in my family, liked to follow us everywhere they went. Our house was just a mile from my school. So instead of driving every day to my school, we would walk down a wooded path which was almost straight except for one fork(岔路) in the road a little way down the path. At the fork, we would turn left, which would take us the rest of the way to my school. If we turn right, the path would lead us deeper into the forest, far away from the town.
Ripple would follow us down that path every day. On weekdays, my dad and I would get ready for our walk, with Ripple following closely behind. When we got to school, my dad would drop me off inside as Ripple waited patiently at the door. After I was safely inside, my dad and Ripple would then start their journey home.
One day, it was snowing, and more snow was falling at a steady rate. Still, we headed out with Ripple following closely behind. We walked with heads down to avoid the blowing snow, and we barely spoke, as our faces were hidden into our coats. Because of this, when a small sound broke through the snow and the wind, we looked at each other in puzzlement, wondering if the other one had said something. But as we listened more, we found it couldn't be heard clearly, but was still there, and it made us both turn around to see what was making that noise in this white land.
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A good distance away from where we now stood, Ripple sat in the snow and the cold.
……
We admitted that Ripple had a better sense of direction than we had.
