Auckland is New Zealand's largest urban area with a population of just over a million people. It is not, however, the capital, although it was at one time, until the capital moved to Wellington. Auckland is the center of commerce and industry, and is perhaps the most energetic, prosperous and multicultural city in New Zealand.

    The city's landscape is decided by volcanic hills, the twin harbors, bays, beaches and islands. Its nickname “the city of sails” is very suitable. Auckland has more boats for each person than anywhere else in the world.

    Auckland has many volcanic hills, many of which currently afford great views of the city. And Auckland's geography is such that shiny waters seem to attract people from every point. It is a water lovers' best place, with some of the best beaches, swimming, diving, fishing, sailing, windsurfing and water sports in the country.

    Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is also the cultural, administrative and political center of the country. Two aspects of the city that will immediately strike any visitor are the harbor and hilly landscape. Everywhere you go, the sounds and the smell of the ocean hang in the air, and green hills and valleys wrap you in a bear-hug embrace. At night, Wellington offers a spectacular, shimmering(闪闪发光的) cityscape that is unlike almost anywhere else in the world. Even after seeing it for a hundred times, it takes your breath away.

    Wellington is a scenic, windy and diverse place. It has some of the best museums, art galleries, restaurants, and coffee houses in the country. It is the storehouse for the nation's historic, cultural and artistic treasures. Being the first place where European settlers arrived, it also boasts lots of historic streets and buildings.

    Wellington is host to an excellent Festival of the Arts every two years.

    Peter Huszcz once taught in an agricultural (农业的)college. In the 1990s, he moved to Canada. Peter started out washing dishes in a restaurant in downtown Ottawa. When the manager asked him to help out rolling meatballs in the kitchen, he soon 1earned how to do the job very well. But it was boring and Peter suggested that the manager should buy a meatball-making machine. When the manager told him there was no such thing as a meatball maker, Peter was quick to notice that something was missing in the market. Putting his engineering knowledge to good use, he quickly came up with a simple method—the Magic Meatball Maker.

    He was sure there was a market for his machine. but it took him ten years of hard work to find it. He had to take risks, but he believed in his idea, and he managed to persuade other people to believe in him too. A local manufacturer (制造商) offered to produce the first 1,000 units in return for a share in the profits (收益), local shops offered to keep his meatball makers and a friend's daughter helped him out with his first sales.

    But his lucky break came when he managed to persuade a TV shopping channel to help sell the Magic Meatball Maker. The channel broadcast a program about how the invention worked in the studio kitchen. Within minutes, they had sold more than 4,000 units.

    This was just the start. Peter had been right. He had said his meatball maker would bring him great wealth, and it has: more than two million dollars so far and it's till selling to thousands of American housewives all across the USA.

    For the past four days, the streets of India have been brightly lit and full of festivities. Millions of people around the country have been celebrating the festival of Diwali.

    Diwali has been celebrated in India for hundreds of years. It takes place each year in either October or November. Although the holiday lasts only one night, people continue to celebrate for several days.

    People light oil lamps during the festival. In the tradition of the Hindu religion, the lamps are meant to celebrate the victory of light over darkness and good over evil (邪恶). The holiday also celebrates the start of a new year in the Hindu calendar. But Diwali is an important festival in many other Indian religions as well, including Sikhism and Jainism. In a country of more than 1.2 billion people and different religious beliefs, Diwali is a celebration that touches everyone.

    Diwali means “rows of lamps” in Sanskrit, a language used in many Indian religions. During the festival, families and friends come together to light the oil lamps，which are called diyas. Then they put the lamps in rows outside their homes and temples.

    As in other cultures' winter holidays，sweets and gifts are also a big part of Diwali. Neighbors and friends share treats, called mithai, and exchange presents.

    Employers often use the holiday to express appreciation for their workers. This year, a businessman even bought cars and houses for some of his employees!

    The Diwali spirit can be felt outside India as well. Indians in countries around the world, including the U. S. and Canada，are also celebrating the holiday this week.

    Airports are dull places where bored passengers kill time eating rubbish food they don't want and buying stuff they'll never need. Right?

    Wrong! Many of today's terminals（航站楼）around the world offer great entertainment, dining and shopping. With so much to offer, you're almost attracted to miss your flight.

    ⒈Changi Airport, Singapore

    It's the only one in the world with its own butterfly garden, and each of the three terminals has its own indoor playground and video game area.

    If you have a long wait you could always watch the latest movies at the free cinema, go to sunflower gardens or take a dip in the rooftop swimming pool.

    ⒉Incheon Airport, Seoul, South Korea

    A five-minute free shuttle bus ride will take you to the SKY72 Golf Club, with three courses and a driving range.

    There are seven gardens inside the terminal, an ice rink, a spa and the Museum of Korean Culture. There is even a casino（赌场）.

    ⒊Dubai Airport, UAE

    It has its own health club with a Jacuzzi, gym and swimming pool, or you can wander in the Zen Garden. The weary can take a rest in a sound-proofed pod with a bed for a while.

    ⒋Hong Kong Airport

    Not only does it have its own IMAX cinema, the airport is home to Green Live AIR, a hi-tech space offering both nine and 18-hole golf simulations（模拟）.

    For kids, there's the Dream Come True Education Park, where they take part in role-playing jobs, or the Aviation Discovery Centre, with themed exhibits and graphics, and the Sky Deck runway viewing platform.

    ⒌Munich Airport, Germany

    Go to the outdoor Visitor's Park to check out the historic aircraft, watch the planes from the viewing hill or browse in the souvenir shop. For kids, there's Kinderland, a fun paradise with a big “adventure plane”, films, games, arts and crafts, and a waiting room for their tired parents to relax in.

    And, of course, since we're in Bavaria there's a beer garden!

    On average, Americans spend about 10 hours a day in front of a computer or other electronic devices and less than 30 minutes a day outdoors. That is a claim made by David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah. In his 2017 TED Talk, Strayer explained that all this time spent with technology is making our brains tired.

    Using an electronic device to answer emails, listen to the news and look at Facebook puts a lot of pressure on the front of the brain, which, Strayer explains, is important for critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making.

    So it is important to give the brain a rest. And being in nature, Strayer claims, helps get a tired brain away from too much technology. More than 15,000 campers from around the world attended an international camping festival in September. That is when friends and family take time off and escape to nature for several days. They take walks, climb, explore, swim, sleep, eat and play. Camping may be just what a tired brain needs.

    Take Carl for example. He lives in West Virginia and enjoys camping. He says that staying outdoors makes him feel at ease. It also prepares him for the work he must do. Kate Somers is another example who also lives in West Virginia. She says she enjoys camping with her husband and two children. She calls it a "regenerative" experience.

    At the University of Utah, David Strayer has studied both short-term and long-term exposure to nature. He found that spending short amounts of time in nature without technology does calm the brain and helps it to remember better. However, he found it is the long-term contact with nature that does the most good. He and his research team found spending three days in nature without any technology is enough time for the brain to fully relax and reset itself.

    The huge T­rex (霸王龙) bends over a large triceratops (三角龙) lying on his side below. With its mouth open wide, the T­rex looks ready to kill the triceratops with a final bite to the triceratops's neck. The display will be found at the National Museum of Natural History.

    The museum has sought a huge T­rex skeleton (骨架) for many years. Before, it used a model of one. But museum director Kirk Johnson says that was never good enough. "It's been kind of deeply embarrassing to be the national museum and NOT have a T­rex," he said. The T­rex display is now the centerpiece of the museum's newest show, which will be available to the public on July 15.

    That T­rex, named Sue, was found in South Dakota. Officials at the museum built a special area for the skeleton. It includes a gift store of all things related to Sue. Sue even has her own Twitter account and a media presentation of her life story.

    In modern times, movies like "Jurassic Park (侏罗纪公园)" have helped grow dinosaur interest for a new generation of young fans. But such movies describe the T­rexes as mostly huge, stupid and dangerous animals, which are true threat in the fighting: quick, intelligent and aggressive hunters in groups.