Visiting Joshua Tree National Park, California

    Joshua Tree National Park is nearly 800,000 acres (英亩) large and surrounds parts of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in South-central California. Although barren at first sight, the park is full of wildlife and provides a variety of entertainment activities from hiking to climbing. Within a three-hour drive, Joshua Tree National Park takes at least a full day to visit.

Things to do

    Hiking opportunities within the park include several choices, from 12 self-guided nature routines to all-day back-country hikes.

    Joshua Tree NP has nine camping grounds, and back-country camping is also allowed.

    Rock climbing is a popular activity in the park, which has 10 mountains greater than 5, 000 feet in height.

When to visit

    Joshua Tree NP is open 365 days a year, although the best time to visit is October through April, when temperature is milder. The peak season is when the wild flowers bloom, and the summer months are the least crowded.

What to bring

    In addition to your camera and telescope, be sure to carry lots of water. Park and guiding maps can be picked up at any of the three visitor centers.

Fees

    Parking fees: You can buy a seven-day vehicle permit (周票) for $ 15, a single entry permit for $ 5, or Joshua Tree National Park annual (每年的) pass for $ 60.

Camping fees: They vary by camping ground

    If you are travelling in Britain, besides so many world-class things to see and do in London, planning a day trip away from it can also be worthwhile.

    Stonehenge

    Stonehenge consists of a group of huge standing stones. The 5,000-year-old stones are one of the world's biggest mysteries that no one has figured out yet. While exploring Stonehenge, you can imagine wildly and decide for yourself how the stones came to be there and why. Although you can't touch the stones, you can walk among them and feel the changes of seasons.

    Windsor

    Most people visit Windsor to see Windsor Castle, where the Queen spends most of her time. The castle itself could keep you busy for days. The best way to appreciate Windsor Castle is to approach via the Long Walk, a straight road where there are no cars, but you might see some deer.

    Oxford

    Oxford is best known for its world-famous university. The large student population keeps the atmosphere young and fresh, though there's no shortage of history if you want it. 30 colleges make up the university itself. A tour of the colleges is a must—Harry Potter fans will recognize various locations used in the movies.

    Bath

    Founded by the Romans, who used the area's springs to create a spa retreat（水疗中心）, Bath's now the best tourist attraction of Southwest England. Visitors never miss the Roman Bath Complex, which is divided into four main parts—the Bath House, the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple and the museum, which displays fascinating finds from the historical ruins of the city.

    I grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. When the holiday decorations went up, there were houses on my block with trees lit up for Christmas in front yards and behind living room windows. I was born in a Jewish family. Even though I received eight presents for Hanukkah (an eight-day Jewish holiday in November or December), it just wasn't fair. My friends had beautiful trees with lights and presents brought by a man in a red suit. I didn't have a tree, and I lived in an apartment building, so I had no chimney(烟囱).

    That year, some neighbors bought a Christmas tree, but it was too tall for their living rooms. They cut off the top and, knowing I wanted to celebrate Christmas, gave the top to my family. After my parents fell asleep, I opened a window in our apartment. I imagined Santa could park his sleigh(雪橇) on our fire escape. When I woke up the next morning, the window was closed and Santa had delivered a present. I can't even remember what it was, but my memory of the morning lasts.

    My relationship with Santa took a break until my daughter, Amanda, was born in 1992. My wife and I saw no reason to deprive(剥夺) her of meeting Santa. In 1998, a friend of mine portrayed(扮演) Santa at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan. He told me to stop by with my wife and daughter, and asked for their names in advance so he could greet them. When he saw us at the seaport, he greeted us by our names. My daughter's mouth opened wide and she pulled back. Maybe she was too young to appreciate this. But other families waiting to see him seemed delighted by his appearance and the gifts he brought.

    My two children are now grown up and do not visit Santa, and we do not have a Christmas tree, yet our family still enjoys the holiday. On Christmas Eve, in the spirit of the night, we leave a plate of my favorite cookies on the kitchen table in hopes Santa will leave a present.

    In our twenties, we find it funny when we can't remember our neighbor's cat's name or a handsome actor who starred in a famous movie. In our thirties, we jokingly call it "brain freeze". In our forties, we laugh it off as a" senior moment" and follow up with one of these old age jokes. But the reality is that there comes a point when being forgetful stops being funny and starts to seem a bit dreadful. You think, "Am I losing it？"Or worse, "Is this a sign of Alzheimer's disease（老年痴呆症）？"

    Well, don't worry. The fact that you recognize your own forgetfulness may be a very good sign, at least in terms of the possibility of your developing Alzheimer's disease（AD）. The researchers in a new study show that it's not forgetfulness but not being aware that we're forgetful that we should fear.

    The researchers began with the assumption that one common feature of Alzheimer's dis-ease is a damaged awareness of illness. And they wanted to prove their theory that the lack of awareness can be used to predict whether someone with" mild cognitive（认知的）damage" will progress to full-on AD. For the study, "mild cognitive damage" was defined as someone whose mental state was considered healthy but who had either complained of memory loss or had suffered objective memory loss.

    The researchers used existing data for 1, 062 people between the ages of 55 and 90 that had been recorded over a 12-year period. The data included brain scans, which the researchers used to look for visual signs of reduced glucose uptake（葡萄糖吸收）.It is an objective marker of the sort of reduced brain function that goes along with AD.As expected, glucose uptake was reduced in those with AD. What the researchers also discovered was that glucose uptake was reduced in those with mild cognitive damage who also showed evidence of reduced illness awareness. Finally, the researchers found that those who had reduced illness awareness were more likely to develop AD than those without.

    I'm a real book lover. Every time my friends visit me, my nose is buried in a book. Wherever I go, I always have a book with me. Novels, history books, stories about people, journals and news—I read them all and I've learnt a lot, too. For example, many things in life happen for the best even if we don't like or understand them.

    Why is reading such an enjoyable pastime for me? I probably first learned about it from my parents. My mother read to me at night in my childhood and bought me picture books. The greatest gift she has given me is a love for reading. And it will be a life-long habit.

    No one ever asked me why I liked to read. They just saw me and asked, "Oh? Is that for school work?" And I just shook my head, "No. It's just for fun." While reading a good book, I can totally forget myself and fly to another world. It's like exploring through someone's eyes, which is just as exciting as watching a movie.

    Reading is also necessary in order to learn about writing, to improve my use of words and phrases and broaden my knowledge. What a pity to see our imagination disappear, for we don't exercise it often. Reading can even be good for one's health, I think. Everyone should read sad stories that make us cry and also books with humor that make us laugh out loud!

    "Opinion" is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment. This inaccurate use would probably cause little confusion if people didn't attach too much importance to opinion. Unfortunately, most attach great importance to it. "I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours,'' and "Everyone's entitled to his opinion,'' are common expressions. In fact, anyone who would challenge another's opinion is likely to be branded intolerant.

    Is that label accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another's opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind. For example, you may ask a friend "What do you think of the new Ford cars?" And he may reply, "In my opinion, they're ugly." In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish. For it's obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste. And as the old saying goes, "It's pointless to argue about matters of taste."

    But consider this very different use of the term. A newspaper reports that the Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial case. Obviously the justices did not share their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes. They stated their considered judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and deliberation(审议).

    Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere between these two extremes. It is not an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment. Yet it may contain elements of both. It is a view or belief more or less inaccurately arrived at, with or without examining the evidence.

    Is everyone entitled to his opinion? Of course, this is not only permitted, but guaranteed. We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others.