When it comes to cultural heritage protection, the Grand Canalof China is probably the world's greatest project of its kind. The big inland waterway system in thenorth-eastern and central eastern plains passes through eight of the country'spresent-day provinces.

The Canal runs from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang Province inthe south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century BC onwards, it wasdesigned as a means of communication in the 7th century AD. The Canal is the world's greatest civilengineering project before the Industrial Revolution.

The Grand Canal reached a peak in the 13th century, providing aninland navigation(航行) networkconsisting of more than 2,000 kilometers of artificial waterways, linking fiveof the most important river basins in China, including the Yellow River and theYangtze. It entered a bid as a UNESCO(联合国教科文组织) culturalheritage site in 2008.

The Grand Canal cultural square is located in Beijing's Tongzhoudistrict. Ever since the Yuan dynasty 800 years ago, the Tongzhou section ofthe Grand Canal has been the life blood of Beijing. Grain and buildingmaterials were all transported to meet the endless demands of the big cities.Even today, the Grand Canal plays a major role in the lives of its citizens.

"I grew up near the Grand Canal. In the past the waterwaywas a lot narrower, but now it's nice and wide and bridges are built over it. Ithink if the bid for world heritage status succeeds, it will greatly makeTongzhou more famous in the world, especially with Tongzhou aiming to be asub-center of the capital Beijing," a citizen said.

The result of the bid is set to be released next week, and nodoubt it will certainly make it into the history books if the Canal is listedas a world heritage site.

    Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Swift's family ran a farm. “I had her sitting on a small horse when she was nine months old,” said Swift's mother. “If my dream had gone well, she'd be in a horse show right now.” The only obvious forerunner (先驱) of Swift's musical talent was her grandmother, an opera singer.

    That talent showed itself early: when the family went to see a Disney musical film, Swift would come out of the theater singing all the songs correctly. At the age of 11, she sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a Philadelphia 76ers game. The experiences during her pre-teen years encouraged the creativity to go with Swift's talent. As a child, she attended the academically competitive Wyndcroft School in Pottstown, but then switched to public schools in Wyomissing. Although it was her hometown, she didn't know any of her classmates, and she was terrified. Swift began to understand the storytelling feature of country songs, and put her feelings into songs of her own.

    One of her future hits, “The Outside”, was written when she was only 12. “I wrote that about the scariest feeling I've ever felt: going to school, looking at those faces, and not knowing who you're gonna talk to that day,” she said. “In the music, I could never feel the kind of rejection (拒绝) that I felt in middle school.” Swift's parents quickly realized that they had someone special on their hands. They sold their farm when she was 13 and moved the family to Hendersonville, Tennessee.

    Swift had the ability, above all, to put feelings into words with accuracy (准确) far beyond her years. In “Our Song” she wrote, “Our song is the slamming screen door, going out late, tapping on your window.” In the summer of 2006, “Tim McGraw” came out, and almost from the beginning the 16-year-old Taylor Swift was a star.

    A couple of weeks ago, a few friends and I had an opportunity to attend a dear friend's wedding in New York. After the wedding and reception, rather accidentally four of us gathered in a hotel room and began to explore the deeper meaning of life and death. What does it mean to live truly? If we are all getting closer to death, is all the material accumulation worth it? It is not exactly the type of conversations one has at a wedding.

    While the answers varied from person to person, I was left with more questions than answers and a feeling of gratefulness to be surrounded by friends who were asking the “right” questions. As the clock kept ticking past 3 a.m., one of the roommates suggested we watch a short film titled “Last Days of Zach Sobiech”. The film is about a teenager's journey through the last days of his incurable illness. The film brought up a lot of mixed emotions but one quote that stood out for me was Zach's simple explanation of happiness, “What makes one happy is seeing someone else smile because you put it there.” By 4 a.m. , there was this energy in the room that had to be shared! With a few packages of post-it notes, we hit the halls of the hotel. We decided to leave short inspirational words on guests' doors, so when they opened their doors few hours later a smile would turn up.

    We ended up sticking post-it notes on all the doors until we ran out of them. The note on the door of the newly-weds properly said, “Where there is love, there is life.”

    You can either travel or read, but either your body or soul must be on the way. The popular saying has inspired many people to read or go sightseeing. Traveling, just like reading, is a refreshing journey from the busy world. Books, brain food, can keep you company on your travel.

    ⒈On the Road, 1957, by Jack Kerouac

    The book is a globally popular spiritual guide book about youth. The main character in the book drives across the US continent with several young people and finally reaches Mexico. After the exhausting and exciting trip, the characters in the book begin to realize the meaning of life. The book can be a good partner with you to explore the United States.

    ⒉Life is Elsewhere, 1975, by Milan Kundera

    Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” The book tells a young artist's romantic but miserable life, about how he reads, dreams and has a relationship. Experience the artist's passionate life in the book during a trip to Central Europe. The book invites you to deeply reflect on your current life.

    ⒊The Stories of the Sahara, 1967, by Sanmao

    The book narrates the author's simple but adventurous life in the Sahara Desert, which seems a desolate and dull place. The fancy natural scenery and life there, along with the author's romantic and intensive emotions will inspire you to explore the mysterious land. Reading the book is like participating in a dialogue with the author, who is sincere and humorous.

    ⒋Lotus, 2006, by Annbaby

    This novel set in Tibet, tells three people's stories, each with their unique characteristics. It reveals modern people's emotions and inner life, their confusion about love, and exploration of Buddhism. The book is a good partner to bring you to the scared land Tibet.

    When the telephone rings late at night, most women guess it must be one of only four or five people calling. A sister? Maybe. An emergency? Possibly. A mother? Probably not at that time of night. Much more probably it is a close female friend calling to tell you that she is heartbroken because she has split up with her boyfriend again or perhaps simply that a good movie has just started on TV.

    At a time when families are spread far and wide and marriages often end in divorce, friendships are becoming more and more important. Erika, a 32-year-old lawyer, is strengthened by her ten year friendship with her married friend Jane. "I was very sick one night, so I called Jane at about 3：00 a. m. to talk about it," she says. "She was very supportive and even came over to take me to the doctor's."

    As American TV shows like Friends have become more popular, many of us are beginning to see the value of such friendships.TV shows like this tell us that our romantic relationships may not last, but we need to keep in touch with our close friends if we want to survive.

    With Erika's family 200 miles away, it is Jane who keeps a spare set of keys to Erika's apartment and waters her plants whenever she is away. "Having Jane around gives me a certain amount of freedom. It is not the kind of thing that you could ask anyone to do, but she knows I would do the same for her. "Jane, who may move to a different city soon, is worried about leaving such a support system of friends. "My friends have more to do with my life than my parents and, therefore, I don't have to spend a lot of time explaining things to them. Friends are more up to date with what is happening."

    Little Women is the best-known work of author Louisa May Alcott. Published after the end of the Civil War, the book is about the lives of the author and her sisters. Although it was her most successful work, it was not her first.

    Alcott began writing at the age of 20, when she published her poem “Sunlight”. Throughout her early career, she wrote many poems and short stories for magazines. At the age of 22, she began to write fairy tales, romantic thrillers, and other novels, mostly to earn money. At a time when few opportunities were open to women, Alcott supported women's right to work. With her small income, she had long provided for her family.

    When the Civil War broke out, Alcott, at the age of 30, joined the war effort to fight against slavery. She had originally wished to serve as a soldier. However, women were not allowed in battle at that time. As a result, she became a Civil War nurse. Alcott's work as a nurse served as a milestone (里程碑) in her writing career.

    In December of 1862, she left New England to work in the Union Hotel Hospital in Washington, DC. There were few supplies, and doctors performed operations without painkillers. The conditions for patients and doctors were terrible. Within a few weeks, Alcott herself became so ill that she nearly died. She returned home and recovered slowly over a period of months.

    As soon as her health improved, Alcott started a new project. The letters she had sent home became the basis of a newspaper series about her experience as a Civil War nurse. She wrote about her tasks, the wounded soldiers she looked after, and the difficulties they faced. The series, Hospital Sketches, was a success, which received praise from readers and critics (批评) at the same time. Although her best-known work was yet to come, the success of Hospital Sketches marked the achievement of her dream to become a popular author.