There are various ways in which to read body language so that you can understand how someone is feeling. Reading emotional clues(线索) is one of them.
Crying is considered to be caused by an explosion of emotion in most cultures. Oftentimes crying is considered a sign of sadness, but crying can also be an expression of happiness. Crying can also come about through laughter and humor. Thus, when judging crying, you'll need to look for other signs to determine the meaning of the crying. Crying can also be forced in order to gain sympathy or to cheat others. This practice is known as "crocodile tears", an expression that draws on the wrong idea that crocodiles "cry" when catching prey(猎物).
Signs of threat include v-shaped eye brows, wide eyes, and an open or down-turned mouth. In a similar way, Arm tightly crossed over the other is a common sign that the person is angry and is closing himself off to you.
When people show anxiety, they display increased facial movements, and their mouth made into a thin line. Individuals who are anxious may also play with their hands, unable keep them in one spot. Anxiety can also or have nervous legs. It can be conveyed when people seemingly unconsciously(无意识地) tap their feet or have nervous legs.
Embarrassment can be expressed by turning the eyes or shifting them away, turning of the head and controlled or even tense smiles. If someone looks down at the floor a lot, they are probably shy, afraid, or embarrassed. People also tend to look down when they are upset, or trying to hide something emotional. People are often thinking and feeling unpleasant emotions when they are in the process of staring at the ground.
There are also some signs of pride. People show pride by displaying a small smile, holding their head backward, and putting their hands on their hips.
In the coming months, we are bringing together artists from all over the globe, to enjoy speaking Shakespeare's plays in their own language, in our Globe, within the architecture Shakespeare wrote for. Please come and join us.
National Theatre of China Beijing|Chinese
This great occasion(盛会) will be the National Theatre of China's first visit to the UK. The company's productions show the new face of 21st century Chinese theatre. This production of Shakespeare's Richard Ⅲ will be directed by the National's Associate Director, Wang Xiaoying.
Date &Time: Saturday 28 April, 2. 30pm & Sunday 29 April, 1. 30pm & 6. 30pm
Marjanishvili Theatre Tbilisi|Georgian
One of the most famous theatres in Georgia, the Marjanishvili, founded in 1928, appears regularly at theatre festivals all over the world. This new production of As You Like It is helmed(指导)by the company's Artistic Director Levan Tsuladze.
Date &Time: Friday 18 May, 2. 30pm&Sunday 19 May, 7. 30pm
Deafinitely Theatre London|British Sign Language(BSL)
By translating the rich and humorous text of Love's Labour's Lost into the physical language of BSL, Deafinitely Theatre creates a new interpretation of Shakespeare's comedy and aims to build a bridge between deaf and hearing worlds by performing to both groups as one audience.
Date &Time: Tuesday 22 May, 2. 30pm&Wednesday 23 May, 7. 30pm
Habima National Theatre Tel Aviv|Hebrew
The Habima is the centre of Hebrew-language theatre worldwide. Founded in Moscow after the 1905 revolution, the company eventually settled in Tel Aviv in the late 1920s. Since 1958, they have been recognized as the national theatre of Israel. This production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice marks their first visit to the UK.
Date &Time: Monday 28 May, 7. 30pm &Tuesday 29 May, 7. 30pm
Raised in a motherless home, my father was extremely tightfisted towards us children. His attitude didn't soften as I grew into adulthood and went to college. I had to ride the bus whenever I came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home, Dad never met me, even in severe weather. If I grutnbled, he'd say in his loudest father一voice, "That's what your legs are for!"
The walk didn't bother me as much as the fear of walking alone along the highway and country roads. I also felt less than valued that my father didn't seem concerned about my safety. But that feeling was canceled one spring evening.
It had been a particularly difficult week at college after long hours in labs. I longed for home. When the bus reached the stop, I stepped off and dragged my suitcase to begin the long journey home.
A row of hedge(树篱)edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last lap of my journey, I always had a sense of relief to see the hedge because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening, the hedge had just come into view when I saw something gray moving along the top of the hedge, moving toward the house. Upon closer observation, I realized it was the top of my father's head. Then I knew, each time I'd come home, he had stood behind the hedge, watching, until he knew I had arrived safely. I swallowed hard against the tears. He did care, after all.
On later visits, that spot of gray became my watchtower. I could hardly wait until I was close enough to watch for its secret movement above the greenery. Upon reaching home, I would find my father sitting innocently in his chair. "So! My son, it's you!" he'd say, his face lengthening into pretended surprise.
I replied, "Yes, Dad, it's me. I'm home."
Claire Lomas, who broke her back in horse-riding accident, has raised over ￡575,000 for charity through a number of events, and became the first person to complete a marathon in her ReWalk Suit—a robotic exoskeleton that enables her to walk.
In her latest challenge, Lomas continued throughout the day and night without sleep to walk the race in Portsmouth with the aid of the suit and pair of crutches.
She was met with cheers and applause as she crossed the line, having posted regular updates on Twitter as she battled wind and rain.
Lomas said the fact that this was her first long-distance race without stopping meant "it was a little bit unknown" whether she could finish, and added that she was "really grateful to everyone that supported me... I had a few tears."
At the halfway stage, Lomas remained in high spirits and posted video of herself singing Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer. And she showed the exhausting effects of the race with a mile to go when she tweeted: "Help me get to the last mile as I'm so tired."
Her effort has so far raised more than ￡4,000 for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation. After collecting her award, she said, "My accident was 10 years ago in May. When I think back to that first year or two I would have loved for someone to tell me what the future had in store—back then, everything felt so bleak with so many dark days. I forced myself to take small opportunities and they have led on to bigger things. It has taken a lot of small little steps to get here."
You've always wanted to go to Alishan. The Alishan Scenic Area has so many marvelous places to explore. Now you're finally going to take that trip! But don't get so excited about your trip that you forget to plan carefully. If you choose to work with a travel agency, choose a legal one. Check online reviews of it. Ask or talk to people who have traveled with them. Once you choose one and have a trip schedule, read it carefully. Note what is included in the trip and what is not. If you are not sure, ask questions. Make sure everything is clear before you agree to the trip and pay your money. When you purchase your trip, also buy travel insurance. You want to be protected if something unexpected happens and you can't travel.
If you are arranging your own lodging, book a safe and legal hotel. For your own safety, choose one that meets the standards of department for tourism administration.
After you arrive in the Alishan area and check into your hotel, look around. Locate the emergency exits. You may never need them, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Check your hotel room, too. Make sure the doors and windows are closed and locked. Even if your room seems safe, don't leave our valuables there. Take them with you or leave them in the hotel safe.
There are many delicious restaurants around Alishan. Enjoy your food, but protect yourself from food poisoning. Always wash your hands with soap before eating. Eat well-cooked, hot food.
As you visit the famous sites of Alishan, keep an eye on your things. You don't want to set them down someplace and forget them.
On your trip, you'll likely see things you want to buy. Shop wisely. Compare prices and bargain if you can. Do not buy any counterfeit goods or illegal wildlife products.
If you follow these smart travel tips, you will enjoy the beauty of Alishan and return home safely with many wonderful memories.
China's future high-speed trains might be self-driving, with a top speed around 600 kilometer per hour and an adjustable interior and entertainment system with high-speed Internet, a senior engineer said on Monday.
Fuxing, which debuted first on the line connecting Beijing and Shanghai, has an operating speed of 350 km/h—the world's fastest. It now serves a dozen major cities, from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, to Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, according to the China Railway Corporation.
Chinese scientists are developing a new model of Fuxing that can adopt to different track widths and still run consistently at 400 km/h, Ding said, an officer of the corporation.
"These new trains can be used effectively in Russia or countries along the Belt and Road Initiative."
"The new model will enter service within five years, about the same period needed to create and launch the Fuxing. In the next 8 to 10 years, China will launch a high-speed bullet train that is suspended from a magnetic rail-nearly twice the speed of the one currently operating in Shanghai." he said.
Chinese engineers also are aiming to make future trains more comfortable, including adding more leg room in all carriages, stronger Internet signals and some high-class seats that might involve adjustable interior and entertainment systems, such as windows that can change color or serve as movie screens.
Artificial intelligence will be included in future trains, using equipment such as scanners that automatically check and deduct fees when passengers board and exit trains without having to deal with tickets.
Trains also will have advanced self-driving systems that can predict abnormal conditions and automatically check slow in case of emergencies. These systems will be finished within three years.
Now, China's high-speed railway network has extended about 25000 kilometers of track, which makes up about 60 percent of the world's total, according to the corporation.
What if we had the power to control time, instead of moving from the past to the present to the future? What if we could jump, loop and travel through time in a machine? What if we could go wherever and whenever we pleased?
This ability would allow us to witness historic wonders, change decisions and see people from the past. We could right wrongs and stop wars from starting.
The mysterious puzzle of time has kept people debating its nature for hundreds of years. Science fiction writers have turned it into imaginative stories. Some scientists have even attempted to explain it using math. This math tries to make the dream of time travel come true.
The scientist Albert Einstein said that time and space are one thing. He called it "spacetime." Einstein said that there are three dimensions in space: height, width and depth. A scientist named Hermann Minkowski added time as a fourth dimension.
Einstein introduced two ideas that have led to theories about the possibility of time travel. The first is relativity. The idea of relativity is that the force of gravity causes space to bend, which causes time to twist. The second idea focuses on special relativity. The idea is that a traveler moving super-fast through flat spacetime will enter the future. Einstein considered time "relative" because it is measured based on where we are on Earth or in space.
Stephen Hawking is a famous scientist. He believes that a time machine will never be built. If it were possible, he thinks we would already know. If a time machine could be built, how come no one from the future has invaded us?
The first science fiction story with this theme is The Clock That Went Backward by Edward P. Mitchell, which was published in 1881. Since then, thousands of books, films and television shows have explored the idea of time travel, in which some tools such as phones, watches, photographs and old books take travelers backward and forward.
Will time travel ever happen? Who knows? Most important is to keep your eyes open and have a sense of wonder.
When I was in college, a man named Henry worked as a custodian (看门人) in our student union building. White-haired, with a Pennsylvania Dutch accent, Henry could usually be seen in a baseball cap, a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
He was the custodian, and he was the most respected and most well-known person in the building. Everyone loved Henry, and it was because of all the implicit ways he expressed his love for everyone around him. Henry didn't have to say, "I love you." He lived his love.
Henry was always excited when he met someone new, and he wanted to know everything about them. He felt it was important to do things for people he valued. And Henry seemed to value everyone he met. He brought in articles or cartoons for certain people, went out of his way to introduce people to each other, kept dozens of names and birthdays in his wallet so he could send cards, and helped students keep in touch with graduates who had written to him. He even assisted students who didn't have enough money to buy their books.
Henry taught me — and many others he supported — how to live life to the fullest. Not by skydiving or exploring some foreign countries, but by appreciating where you are in life and valuing those around you.
The funny thing is that despite all he did and taught us, Henry truly believed that he was the lucky one — that he was the one who was gaining so much by getting to know us. But all of us who remember Henry know that we were the ones who were truly blessed.
We will never forget the man who taught us that best way to say "I love you" often has little to do with the words.
Space is becoming more crowded. Quite a few low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites have been launched into the sky, which are designed to move around the Earth only a few hundred kilometres above its surface. SpaceX and OneWeb plan to launch LEO satellites in their thousands, not hundreds, to double the total number of satellites in orbit by 2027.
That promises to change things on Earth. LEO satellites can bring Internet connectivity to places where it is still unavailable. This will also be a source of new demand for the space economy. Morgan Stanley, a bank, projects that the space industry will grow from $350 billion in 2016 to more than $1.1 trillion by 2040. New Internet satellites will account for half this increase.
For that to happen, however, three worries must be overcome. Debris (碎片) is the most familiar concern. As long ago as 1978, Donald Kessler, a scientist at NASA, proposed a scenario (设想) in which, when enough satellites were packed into low-Earth orbits, any collision could cause a chain reaction which would eventually destroy all spacecraft in its orbital plane. Solutions exist. One solution is to grab the satellites with problems and pull them down into the Earth's atmosphere. Another is to monitor space more closely for debris. But technology is only part of the answer. Rules are needed to deal with old satellites safely from low-Earth orbits.
Cyber-security is a second, long-standing worry. Hackers could take control of a satellite and steal intellectual property, redirect data flows or cause a collision. The satellite industry has been slow to respond to such concerns. But as more of the world's population comes to rely on space for access to the Internet, the need for action intensifies. Measures will surely be taken to protect network security.
The third issue follows from the first two. If a simple mistake or a cyber-attack can cause a chain reaction which wipes out hundreds of billions of dollars of investment, who is responsible for that? Now the plans of firms, wishing to operate large numbers of satellites are being studied. But there is a long way to go before the risks are well understood, let alone priced.
As space becomes more commercialized, mind-bending prospects open up: packages moved across the planet in minutes by rocket rather than by plane, equipment sent to other small planets, passengers launched into orbit and beyond. All that and more may come one day. But such activities would raise the same questions as LEO satellites do. They must be answered before the space economy can truly develop.
Elephants might be the most well－known and well－loved animal in African wildlife. But conservation (保护) of the African elephant faces special difficulties. While the elephant population is half of what it was 40 years ago, some areas of Africa have more elephants than populated areas can support. That's why AWF scientists are studying elephant behavior, protecting habitats and finding ways for humans to live peacefully with elephants in Africa.
Years ago, overhunting and the ivory trade were the biggest threats to elephants' survival. Luckily, ivory bans (禁令), hunting rules and protected areas protect elephants from these dangers today.
The 21st century brings a different challenge to elephant conservation—land－use. Elephants walk across borders and outside parks and other protected areas. So they often destroy crops, causing conflicts (冲突) between local farmers and these big animals.
Successful conservation strategies (策略) must allow elephants to walk freely in their natural habitats while reducing conflicts between elephants and local people.
AWF researchers are searching for a way to give both elephants and people the space they need. The AWF is collecting information on elephant habitats and behavior. The information they gather will help to develop the widest possible space for elephants.
The AWF is helping elephants by protecting their habitats. And they also work with local farmers to improve their life in order to encourage them to protect rather than destroy elephants.
At a large forest park in eastern Beijing, 11 birds on the state-level protection list were recently released.
These birds had recovered after the Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center rescued and took care of them. "We will speed up our efforts to push the establishment of district-level wildlife rescue centers to jointly guard the health of wildlife," said Du Lianhai, director of the center.
The center was set up in 2001 and built a wildlife rescue base in the capital's Shunyi District in 2005. Staff at the base have rescued and rehabilitated over 30,000 wild animals in total.
Wildlife protection has been strengthened in Beijing in recent years. On June 1, the city's newly adopted regulation on wildlife protection took effect, introducing stricter and more concrete measures to protect the environment and wildlife.
For example, the regulation states clearly that Beijing bans hunting throughout the year, compared with the previous regulation which bans hunting during the periods of March to May and September to November each year. The new regulation also gives severer punishment for poachers.
After years of monitoring, data with the Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau recently showed ecological reconstruction progress. The species and quantity of wild animals in Beijing are continuously increasing, with the number of terrestrial spinal wild animals (陆地脊椎野生动物) growing from 461 species in 1994 to more than 500. The habitat of the endangered bird has expanded from Fangshan District to the whole city, according to the bureau.
"The enforcement of the new regulation marked a new phase in Beijing's wildlife protection work," said Dai Mingchao, deputy director of the Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau.
"We will step up the publicity of the regulation and raise citizens' awareness of wildlife protection," Dai said. "In our integrated protection of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands, we take into full consideration the requirements of food-chain construction, ecological corridor construction, and wildlife and their habitat protection."
About three years ago, something terrible happened to me. That was the day when it took only six hours to break my body and soul.
One day, my two brothers and I were coming back from the islands where we often risked going and got more fish than others. Suddenly, the sky was covered with dark clouds and in less than a minute we were in a terrible storm. A huge wave covered our boat and my younger brother fell into the sea. My elder brother cried out "Moskoe-strom!" The moment I heard the word I became very frightened. I knew what he meant by that one word well enough.
With the wind and waves, we were going in the direction of the whirlpool. We were hopeless. Nothing could save us. It may appear strange, but at that moment, when we were in the edge of the whirlpool, I felt calmer than when we were moving towards it.
I saw clearly that there were other objects in the whirlpool — trees and barrels. After a while, I became curious about the whirlpool itself. I then made three important observations. The first, the larger the bodies were, the more rapidly they fell; the second, between two objects of equal extent, round objects fell down less rapidly; and the third, between two objects of the same size, objects shaped like a tube fell down more slowly. So I tied myself to a barrel to help me float. I tried to make my brother understand, but he was too frightened and stayed in the heavy boat. Without waiting, I jumped into the sea to try and escape.
As you can see, the reason why I'm here to tell the story is that I made the right decision. Some time after I left the boat, with my brother in it, it was pulled into the bottom of the whirlpool. Soon after that, the whirlpool became less wild. I was still tied to the barrel and the waves soon carried me to an area where the other fishermen were. In the end, a boat picked me up.
①appear②curious③escape④wild
|
A. to seem to be B. to start to be seen C. violent and strong D. wanting to know about something E. living or growing in natural conditions F. to get away from a dangerous situation |
For me, concerts have always been one of the best ways to spend a few dollars. Concerts have been promoted through flyers or posters, which over the years have become more and more elaborate (精心制作的).
Since the time of Bill Graham, who supported public access to live music in San Francisco in the 1960s, concert posters have become an incredible way for young art enthusiasts to connect with the visual artists that create the imagery for the bands they love.
That's exactly what happened to me. I started reading OMGPosters. I discovered artists who were making gig posters and art prints from A to Z. They'd draw it, pull the screens, and sell the prints on their own websites, because the Internet continues to encourage artists to create and art lovers to collect their works.
I started collecting works by artists like Jermaine Rogers Mexican Chocolate Design, Dan Grzeca, Emek, J ay Ryan and Justin Santora. When you can purchase a limited edition piece of art for as low as $ 20, the world of art collecting opens up even to art enthusiasts who don't have much money.
I have always taken a grass-roots approach to life and work, so it makes sense that I would be motivated by artists whose work wasn't being shown in museums or appearing on advertising for major brands. Although some of those lines have blurred (变得模糊不清)over the last 10 years, bringing more and more related and accessible work into respected galleries in New York and Los Angeles and being able to buy art prints directly from the artists who made them are major developments in the world of art.
I remember the day when I first learned to ride a bike. It was a frightening, yet fun experience. My granddad was the one who taught me and he helped me when I got hurt. The first time I got on a bike, I had no idea what I was doing, and just about everything went wrong. My granddad told me to just put my feet on the pedals and start pedaling (骑自行车). He also told me he would hold onto the back of the bike the whole time, yet he didn't.
As soon as I started trying to balance myself, he let go. I happened to look back just then. I was scared, to death that I was going to fall and hurt myself. When I was scared, my mind went blank from pedaling, and I just wanted off. I forgot how to use the brakes (车闸) and fell right off the bike. My granddad kept encouraging me to get up and try again, and after about 15 minutes, 1 finally stopped crying, got up and tried again.
As soon as I started pedaling again, my pants got caught in the chain, and I fell flat on my face and hit my nose. Since that happened t my granddad decided to call it a day and try again the next morning. The next morning I woke up bright and early, and was very eager to try to ride my bike. My nose felt better, so I wasn't that afraid of falling anymore.
Though I knew there were a lot of difficulties on the way to mastering the skills in riding a bike, I believed I could do well with my granddad's help. After all, riding a bike was what I wanted to do eagerly.
Christmas Traditions
Since about 400 AD, Christmas day has been celebrated on 25th December. This date was the old mid-winter festival in pre-Christian times, around the time of the longest night and the shortest day. Christmas in the 21st century has many traditions.
Shops can make about 60 per cent of their year's income in the three months before Christmas. So most shops get ready for it in October. The shopping centres are beautifully decorated and stay open late at night. The first time this happened was in 1867 when Macys', a famous shop in New York, stayed open until midnight on Christmas Eve (24th December).
By mid-December, almost every house, shop and street has a Christmas tree. This tradition was started by the Germans as early as 700 AD. In the northern countries of the world, winter is cold and dark and most trees lose their leaves. The beautiful green trees decorated with lights and coloured glass balls give people hope that spring will come again.
Father Christmas is known across the world with his white hair, red coat and big bag of toys. Young children are told that he lives it in the north of Finland and makes toys for them. By tradition, he brings the toys to children at midnight, on the night before Christmas.
On Christmas day a traditional meal is eaten, usually turkey and a rich, spicy cake. Some people hate Christmas. Others feel it is a magical and exciting time. They love seeing family and friends; they also love the traditions. Love it or hate it, Christmas is a time to look back over the old year and forward to the new one.
Gerardo Ixcoy is a 27-year-old teacher in Guatemala. He teaches in the area where having electricity is something of a luxury and students have no access to mobile apps or computers, which became a problem when Guatemalan government had to choose distance education for students at home because of COVID-19 in mid-March.
Gerardo Ixcoy felt that he had to teach those children living far from the digital world. After all, education is a universal right. But what was the solution?
Gerardo bought himself a secondhand tricycle with his savings. Once he had the tricycle, the next step was to change it into a classroom on wheels. He put a roof with a solar panel (太阳能电池板)on it, along with a screen to avoid the spread of COVID-19. He fixed a whiteboard on it so he could explain to the students the basics of primary education: math, the local language and the national language Spanish.
The purpose of the solar panel is to provide constant power for a small loudspeaker so he can teach from a distance. It's a matter of respecting the healthy distance required to be safe from the virus. He, the teacher, stays outside, and the student participates from his or her house.
He tries to visit his students at least twice a week, riding his classroom - cycle. The children he serves say that, although he visits them for only a few hours a week, they look forward to it. They appreciate his visit because they know he has limited time he can devote to them. They must take advantage of it to learn.
Wouldn't you want to travel more often without breaking the bank? If you are interested, read on to find out how you can do simple things to save money next time you go on vacation.
Airfares
Plan in advance and visit discount websites to see if there are better deals. If you are planning to stay in two countries and an airline makes you change planes on those countries anyway, you might be in luck. Check pricing on the flights to see if you can stay a few days at the country of the flight change instead of changing planes right away since airlines often let you do that for the same price.
Accommodations
Sometimes the smaller towns close to where you are going have hotels that are much less expensive. If you don't mind the 15-minute ride, you might just save a large amount of money. Home exchanges are pretty cool and popular especially in Europe. If you are of the adventure type, this could be exciting and refreshing. Sometimes smaller hotel chains are willing to give you free upgrades or even free nights. If you are staying at a destination for at least a few days, consider a vacation home instead of hotels. They are often more comfortable and your cost will probably be cheaper.
Eating
Figure out where you will be and eat before you actually go out. Avoid breakfast from the hotels because chances are good that the breakfast from the hotel is expensive and isn't great. It probably pays to walk out the front door in the morning and find a local cafe. You might just discover the local favorite unexpectedly. Want a breakfast that costs nothing? Ask for some bread to-go at the restaurant the night before. In addition, fancy lunches are often much less expensive than dinners. If you eat a big lunch and a light dinner, it's also healthier.
Sleep behind ancient stone walls, wake up in an elegant four-poster bed and explore a private estate. We can introduce you to the best castles to rent. From five-star luxury to budget-friendly rustic (质朴的) experiences, each one has its own fascinating history.
A. Schlosshotel Klink Germany
€ 96 per room, per night (room only)
Hotel Schloss Klink stands directly beside Lake Müritz, a 5-minute walk from the boat harbor. Built in 1898, many of the elegant rooms feature wooden beams(木梁) and sloping ceilings. There are five on-site restaurants, a large spa and an indoor pool with lake views.
B. Castello di Bibbione Italy
€ 99 per room, per night (room only)
Castello di Bibbione is set between Florence and Siena with views of the Chianti hills. The rustic apartments feature wood-beamed ceilings and terracotta floors, and each comes with a fully-equipped kitchenette with a dining area. In the summer, you can relax in the outdoor swimming pool or garden. Wine tastings can be arranged, and bikes are provided free-of-charge.
C. Augill Castle England
£180 per room, per night (bed & breakfast) Free cancellations
Augill Castle is located in the upper reaches of the Eden Valley and is a mere 10 minutes' drive away from the picturesque Yorkshire Dales. This is very much a family retreat and, as such, the castle owners can offer an informal and relaxed castle experience, creating memories that adults and children alike will never forget.
D. Highlands Castle USA
$600 per room, per night (room only)
Highlands Castle is located in Bolton Landing in upstate New York, offering views of Lake George and the Adirondack Mountains. Accommodation includes a seating area and in some cases, a dining area, terrace and kitchen. Guests can enjoy swimming, boating, kayaking (划独木舟), horse-riding and diving.
Freeloaders, they just sit around while their hard-working colleagues get things done. But might freeloaders actually be necessary for society to function efficiently? The answer could be yes — at least when it comes to fire ants and their efforts to dig nests underground.
Daniel Goldman is a physicist at Georgia Tech. Because fire ants are highly social organisms, Daniel and his colleagues wanted to know how ants knew what to do without a central leader issuing orders.
To find out, Daniel's team labeled individual fire ants with paint and then watched them dig their narrow tunnels— barely wide enough for two workers. Turns out, just 30 percent of the ants did 70 percent of the labor. "I was surprised that we ended up with so few workers actually doing the work at any one time."
A quarter of the ants never even entered the tunnel. Others crawled inside, but left without digging a single grain of dirt. These behaviors ensured the crowded tunnels did not get blocked with insect traffic, which bring the construction process to a halt.
And when the scientists removed the five hardest-working ants from the colony, others immediately jumped in to compensate—with no reduction in the group's productivity. Seems that it doesn't matter which ants are working or freeloading at a given time, as long as there is some division of labor to keep the tunnels flowing smoothly.
The study could have implications for robotics. Imagine groups of robots sent to search stones for disaster survivors. Or nanobots coursing through our bodies to diagnose illness and deliver targeted medical treatment. Such robot clouds will need to avoid getting jammed up in tight spaces. It might be necessary to program them so some just sit back and watch their colleagues do the work.
The Biggest Stadiums in the World
People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A. D., the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world's best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome's Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50, 000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city's Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250, 000 people.
These days, safety regulations-not to mention the modern sports fan's desire for a good view and comfortable seat - tend to keep stadium capacities(容量) slightly lower. Even soccer fans tend to have a seat each: gone are the days of thousands standing to watch the match.
For the biggest stadiums in the world, we have used data supplied by the World Atlas list so far, which ranks them by their stated permanent capacity, as well as updated information from official stadium websites.
All these stadiums are still functional, still open and still hosting the biggest events in world sport.
· Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang D. P. R. Korea. Capacity: 150, 000. Opened: May 1, 1989.
· Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U. S. Capacity: 107, 601. Opened: October 1, 1927.
· Beaver Stadium, state College, Pennsylvania, U. S. Capacity:106.572. 0pened. September 17, 1960.
· Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, U. S. Capacity:1 04, 944. Opened: October 7, 1922.
· Kyle Field, College Station, Texas, U. S. Capacity: 102, 512. Opened: September 24, 1927.
