If you want to live longer and lower the risk of heart disease, a move to the mountains may help. Research by scientists in Greece shows that living in the mountains is good for the heart and longevity(长寿). People living at higher altitude(海拔) have lower possibility of dying from heart disease than those closer to sea level, even if they have factors that could increase their risk. "Residence in mountainous areas seems to have a 'protective effect' from heart disease," said Dr Nikos Baibas of the University of Athens. He and his colleagues suspect that the increased exercise from walking up mountainous area gives the heart a good workout and enables it to cope with lower levels of oxygen.

    Researchers studied the health records and death rates of 1,150 Greeks who lived in three villages near Athens over 15 years. One village was 1,000 meters above sea level and the other two were in low-lying areas. Although men and women living in the mountainous village had higher blood pressure rates and other risk factors than people in the other villages, they had a lower rate of death from heart disease and other causes after a fifteen year follow-up." The contrast was more evident among men than among women," Baibas added in a report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Heart disease is one of the world's top killers. Smoking, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, being overweight and a family history of the illness increase the possibility of developing the disease.

    “Croeso I Gymru!,” If you don't know what this means, read on to find out more.

    When you cross over the border from England into Wales, you don't have to show your passport but you do notice a difference immediately. All the road markings and signs are shown in two languages — English and Welsh (威尔士语）. Not all visitors to Britain know that other languages are spoken here. There's the Gaelic (盖尔语) language in Scotland and a few people speak Cornish (康沃尔语）in the southwest of England, but the most widely spoken language in the UK besides English is Welsh.

    Perhaps the first Welsh word you^'ll see on the road into Wales is ARAF. There's a helpful English translation next to it — SLOW. As you can see, Welsh looks quite different from English. It sounds very different, too. Welsh looks and sounds so different from English because it's a Celtic language. Celtic cultures still exist around the edges of the UK — in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and also in parts of France. For hundreds of years, almost everyone in Wales spoke Welsh, but nowadays there are about 600 thousand Welsh speakers — around 20% of the population.

    So is Welsh dying out? Not at all! Nowadays, all school children in Wales study Welsh and many choose to go to an all Welsh-speaking school. You can get public information in Welsh, speak Welsh in court or take a course at university in Welsh. People surf the Internet in Welsh, keep up with friends on Facebook and write blogs in Welsh.

    By the way, ^“Croeso I Gymru!" means “Welcome to Wales!” 一 I hope you'll be able to visit it one day.

    One of my all time favorite holiday destinations is the Gold Coast. With its beautiful beaches, mountain hinterland and theme parks, the variety from one location to another is fantastic! And it's also important that it's like a playground for my children.

    The Gold Coast certainly offers something for every member of our family. We all love heading down to the beach for an early morning swim or surf. The beaches feature some of the softest golden sand and pumping waves, making them ideal for surfing. Safety is important especially when I'm out with the kids, and I feel better knowing that lifeguards are continually on patrol（巡逻）. The long coast also offer the perfect setting for a leisurely walk at sunset-a favorite activity of mine.

    Then, of course, there's the bargain-hunting in the city's center. For shopping goers there are amazing shopping centers boutiques and the usual chain stores. I always pick up loads of goodies at Pacific Fair.

    The Gold Coast is popular for its theme parks-Sea World, Wamer Bros Movie World and Dream World. The seal and dolphin presentations at Sea World keep both children and adults on the edge of their seats as the sea creatures go through a series of complicated jumps, flips and rolls. It's great entertainment and an educational window to the underwater world for the kids. Our kids also enjoy meeting the characters at Movie World and watching how real movies are made.

    Night-time is equally fun, as we usually set off to find the best local restaurants and cafes. The mix of cultures and influences has given the Gold Coast a wide variety of choices, including modem Australian, Italian, Asian and seafood, although sometimes nothing beats fish and chips!

    A visit to the Gold Coast in the Sunshine State is worthwhile and fun.

    My son was a second-grader. He went to school by bus every day. He was the first student on in the morning, as we were farthest from school, and the last student off in the evening. I was a teacher myself and it was a comfort to realize the school staff (职员) were all working as hard as I was to provide a safe learning environment.

    One day I came home from work and waited for my s on to get home for a long time. Then I called the school. “Perhaps he's just a bit late,” said the secretary. “I will call the driver to see if those children are home.” A few minutes later, I answered the phone to hear that the other students were home. Then I called his friends' parents, to see if perhaps he had gotten off at their stop to play. The answers were all “No.”

    By that time, it was dark and I was scared. My home was in the mountain areas, and it was said that a wolf had come up somewhere. My husband wasn't at home, so I forced myself to calm down and decided to go out to look for him. I was about to go out when the telephone rang; it was from the driver. “He's okay,” I heard. “He was asleep on the seats in the back, under a couple of jackets. Since it's dark, can he spend the night with my family?”

    I was relieved and agreed. Since my son had a great adventure, the school started giving a copy of the list to the driver, so he could check off the children's names when they got off the bus. I think highly of the school for taking the cautionary (警戒的) step ahead; it is a sign of their concern for students, parents, and staff.

    Thousands of years ago, Britain was covered by thick forests, home to many animals which no longer live in the United Kingdom. But all this has changed. Now the population of the United Kingdom has increased to sixty-five million. Three-quarters of Britain consists of fields, towns or cities. Although 25 percent of land is countryside, new methods of farming mean that there are fewer birds and small animals living in fields than ever before. Now, the United Kingdom does not have large wild carnivores (肉食动物). In Scotland, there are only 400 wildcats-Europe's rarest cats-but these are much smaller than wolves.

    Some people would like to change things, however! Some organizations and writers say that Britain needs to become more natural again. They suggest that trees and plants that grew in the United Kingdom before towns and cities were built should be allowed to grow again. They even say that large wild animals which have not lived in the United Kingdom should be helped to return and live wild. They call this "rewilding".

    Not everyone agrees. In the last twenty years, over one million trees which originally grew in Scotland have been planted and there are plans for more - but wild animals? Some people ask if wolves will attack sheep or even humans. They are also angry that rewilding might mean an end to walking in the hills which so many people enjoy. So far, there are no wolves or bears in Britain's forests - but soon there might be!

    The traditional British pub is part of the scenery of British life. At the last count, there are around 50,000 of them in the UK. The oldest – Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St. Albans – was set up in about 793.

    Because of their abundance, the names pubs take are designed to be memorable, but more than that, they are designed to be visual. Outside any traditional pub worthy of its title, you'll find a hanging signboard with an unusual and uncommon illustration(插图) that represents the name of the business. The practice is so well established that even new pubs copy it. But why do they exist at all?

    The first British pub signs were created in the 12^th century and were simple representations of beer containers and other brewing-related equipment used to tell passersby that establishments sold beer. This was Britain in the dark ages, when education was in short supply. Since most of the population was unable to read, pub signs were used to inform would-be customers that they could find a drink inside.

    The earliest uses of pub names would reference the sign directly. People would appoint to meet at "the sign of the Eagle and Child" rather than at "the Eagle and Child".

    Today the tradition remains unchanged largely out of respect for the past, but many pub signs do have some functionality. Remote country pubs often use signboards to point the way to their doors. It's a part of British culture that's rapidly disappearing – more than 20,000 pubs have closed since 1980 – but for now there are still more than enough. You can take a moment to appreciate the history and symbolism behind a pub's sign the next time you see one.