Macao is only forty miles from Hong Kong and it is easy to reach. You can get there by sea. It is an interesting place and it has a long history. Macao is part of China and most people living there are Chinese.

    The first Europeans in Macao came from Portugal. More than four hundred years ago the Portuguese went there to trade with China. Some settled and made their homes there. They built strong forts（要塞）to guard the city and the harbor. They also built churches, schools, hospitals and other places. Slowly the city grew. People from many other countries came to live and work in Macao.

    Today many people live in Macao. Some only go there to watch dog-racing or motor-racing or to gamble（赌博）with their money. But Macao is a quiet and peaceful place. It is pleasant just to walk around and look at the old buildings and forts. You feel you are back in the old days. Of course，some of the buildings are now in ruins. The Church of St. Paul has only the front wall with many steps leading up to it. But it is still interesting to see.

    When you are hot and tired, there are small cool gardens to rest in. When you are hungry, there are good restaurants with many kinds of food. Nearby are some islands, which are also nice to visit and are easy to get in. There are certainly a lot to see and to do in Macao.

    The benefits of keeping a journal (日志)

    If you want to grow, one important thing you should do is keeping a journal. It may seem simple, but it can make a big difference in your life. I have been keeping journals for years. Writing all the lessons I learn and all the ideas I get has become a habit for me.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some benefits you will get by keeping a journal.

    It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever gotten an idea only to lose it later because you didn't write it down?{#blank#}2{#/blank#}But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that came into my mind as soon as possible. If I'm away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.

    It helps you review all the lessons you've learned. By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you've learned and the ideas you've gotten.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}You can use the ideas to propel (鞭策) yourself forward.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you've gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past might have been realized today.

    It helps you expand（扩展） your ideas. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}In the end, you will expand your ideas.

A. I often experienced that myself.

B. It trains you to express your thoughts.

C. It allows you to see your progress over time.

D. Just use whatever tool you feel comfortable with.

E. Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea.

F. And to be honest, I can't imagine what my life would be like without it.

G. Then you can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Beijing Imperial Court Food

    Imperial Court Food（宫廷菜）is a style of food with origins in the Imperial Palace and it is well-known for the original features of the raw materials and carefully selected ingredients. In addition, the dishes are decorated with different colored vegetables and fruits in various shapes. Each dish has a special name, such as Yu Feng Huan Chao. And some of them even have short stories. Today, Imperial Court Food has become an important school of Chinese cooking with several places offering this special taste. While expensive, it is worth trying.

    Restaurants of Imperial Court Food

    Fangshan Restaurant

    Fangshan Restaurant is the most famous one offering the first-class Imperial Court Food. The restaurant is made up of three parts and it can hold 500 people eating at the time. It is decorated in imperial style with the design of dragon and phoenix. Here is the best place to experience the life of the Chinese emperors in former days. Now, it serves nearly 800 kinds of Imperial Court Dishes. Among them, Man-Han Banquet is the most famous.

    Li Jia Cai Restaurant

    The dinner here is served by set menu starting at ¥298/ person. That is to say, a quest cannot order a dish but a set of dishes. There are no chemicals in the dishes and all tastes are natural. This restaurant has welcomed many famous people including Bill Gates, the former premier of Britain, John Major, and Chinese superstar Jackie Chan.

    Yushan Restaurant

    The layout of the restaurant follows the imperial palace. When eating in the restaurant, diners are served by waitresses in traditional imperial clothes.

    Da Zhai Men

    The dishes and snacks cooked in this restaurant are worthy to have a try. And, the traditional performances at night is one of the restaurant's attractions.

    Royal Palace

    Both of the food and services of this restaurant are so good. You can also enjoy some wonderful performances in this large courtyard.

    If something that you're doing doesn't challenge you, then it doesn't change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So challenge the following limits:

    Figure out what you're scared of and do it continuously.

    If you're a salesman, and you're scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, now, instead of being scared and thinking you'll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But don't stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, "Go on, I'm not scared!"

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on. Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.

    Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight, but also make you feel better about yourself.

    Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.

Don't just limit yourself to your fellow travelers — try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they're going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You can never see any improvement if you stick to your comfort zone.

B. Take a class for a hobby you've been wanting to develop.

C. Start to travel now and then to challenge yourself.

D. Running in the gym may be a better choice.

E. You don't need to go to the gym.

F. Someone may hang up on you.

G. You should do it continuously.

    While elephants born without tusks (长牙)are not unheard of，they normally form just 2 to 6 percent of the population. However, that is not the case at Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, where an astonishing 33 percent of female elephants born after the country's civil war ended in 1992 are tuskless. While that may appear to be just a coincidence, Joyce Poole, an elephant behavior expert, has another theory. The researcher thinks we may be witnessing unnatural evolution of the species due to the constant hunting of elephants for valuable ivory.

    Poole says before the country's 15-year-long civil war, the 100,000-acre park was home to over 4,000 elephants. However, by the time the conflict ended in 1992, about 90 percent of them had been killed for ivory to help finance weapons (武器)and meat to feed the soldiers. Of the less than 200 survivors, over 50 percent of adult females had no tusks. Therefore, it is not surprising that the park's tuskless elephant population has grown greatly.

    This is not the first time researchers have observed a great change in the population of elephants. At Zambia's South Luangwa National Park and Lupande Game Management Area， areas which were heavily hunted in the 1970s and 1980s, 35% of elephants 25 years or older and 13% of those younger than 25 are now without tusks. A 2008 study published found that the number of tuskless females at the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania went from 10.5 percent in 1969 to almost 40 percent in 1989, largely due to illegal hunting for ivory.

    The recent ban on ivory in both the US and China should help get rid of, or at least reduce, elephant hunting. However, scientists are not sure how long it will take for elephants with a higher rate of tuskless females, to change the trend.

Planning Your Family Trip

    Plan ahead to make your family trip run smoothly. Family vacations are cherished memories. Keeping children entertained on the road or during a flight, however, can be challenging. The best way to cut down on anxiety? Plan ahead.

    Avoid giving children snacks that contain sugar and caffeine. Sweet treats keep them happy and quiet for five minutes, as it fills them with unusable energy that will turn into crankiness (偏执) when the sugar wears off. Bring fun, small snacks like flavored baked chips, apple sauce, raisins, and granola bars—and top it off with a little protein like cheese sticks to keep the blood sugar levels nice and steady.

    Bring plenty of plastic or paper bags. This is the perfect time to put those spare bags around the house to use. Store them in your purse or pocket, as well as in the car. This is a quick solution for garbage, diaper wrapping or motion sickness.

    Avoid extra costs on bulk items you will need during the trip. When flying, purchase bulk items like diapers, formula, and wipes at your destination. In the past, it was convenient and free to check these items. Now, each checked luggage item costs $25 or more on average. When driving, do the opposite; take your bulk items to avoid extra trips to the store when you arrive, which can help you avoid impulse travel purchases.

    Bring a full change of clothing for each child. Keep these items within fairly easy reach. When a spill or mess happens, this will help parents avoid unexpected (and unbudgeted) clothing purchases.

    Travel planning can help make family vacations what they are supposed to be: Fun! What are some of your favorite strategies for saving time and stress while traveling with children?