A Hobby is a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure（闲暇的） time. By continually taking part in a particular hobby, one can acquire practical skill and knowledge in that area. Is travel a good hobby? Travel, in the youngest sort, is a part of education and, in the elder, a part of experience. Some may think otherwise. To them, visiting churches, castles, libraries, etc. is an absolute wastage of time. They may further say that one can read the account of these or see the films of the important places of the world. They forget that touch of actuality gives a different type of sensation and satisfaction.

    Travelling may be an expensive hobby but it makes up for the financial loss. If a traveller has interest in life and its manifestations（表现）, one can find much to keep oneself absorbed and happy. A student of any stream can definitely find something of his own interest and studies. One can definitely find everything that satisfies his cravings for knowledge and feelings.

    As a hobby, travelling keeps us busy during leisure time; it is the best method to make use of time. Till a person breaks from dull routine, physically and mentally, one cannot find satisfaction. Travelling helps us to achieve this break. At a new place, one is curious to know and eager to gather all the unknown information about the place which he has neither read nor heard before and he gets thrills and surprises which keep the interest and enthusiasm alive and encourage us to keep our journey on.

    While travelling, one comes across a number of people from varied backgrounds and places. By interacting with them, he comes to know about their traditions also. In case one has psychological bent of mind, one increases one's experience and power to understand others. Understanding human nature is, perhaps, the best part of education. Travelling satisfies all demands of a good hobby-it is absorbing education and refreshment to the mind, body and soul.

    In the story of “The crow and the Pitcher” from Aesop's Fables, a thirsty crow(乌鸦) drops stones into a narrow jar to raise the low level of water inside so he can take a drink.

    Now scientists have evidence to back up that story. New Caledonian crows actually do understand how to make water displacement work to their advantage, experiments showed. The results suggest that the birds are, at least in some aspects, as smart as first-graders, according to the study.

    Researchers, led by Sarah Jelbert at the university of Auckland in New Zealand, presented six crows with tubes filled with water. Inside the tubes, a worm or piece of meat on a piece of wood was floating, just out of reach of the crow. In front of the tubes, the researchers arranged a bunch of heavy rubber erasers that would sink, and light plastic objects that would float. The crows found out that they could drop the heavy objects into the tubes in order to raise the water level and get their snack.

    However, the birds handled awkwardly in experiments in which they could choose to drop objects in either a wide tube or a narrow tube to get a snack, the researchers said. Dropping objects into narrow tube would lift the water level by a greater amount and put the treat within reach after just two drops. In contrast, it took around seven drops to raise the snack to the same level in the wide tube. The crows obviously didn't realize this, and most of them went for the wide tube first.

    Previous studies showed that chimps and human children can solve similar tasks. In a 2011 study, chimps and kids found out that they could put water into a tube to reach a peanut that was floating in small amount of water at the bottom.

    People are always looking for lost cities and occasionally one is found: Borobudur in Indonesia, for example. But perhaps some of the places people look for never existed — or did they? Here are just a few famous mythical (传说中的) cities.

    El Dorado

    El Dorado is a story that began in 1537, when Spanish explorers found the Muisca people in the mountains of what is now Colombia. They heard the story of a man who covered himself with gold and dived into a lake. Then people began to talk of El Dorado — 'the golden man'. Soon people started to think of El Dorado as a place, too — a city of gold and amazing riches. Nowadays, the name 'El Dorado' is still used to mean 'a place where you can get rich quickly'.

    Atlantis

    There was once an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It was the mythical island of Atlantis. The people of the island were very rich, thanks to the natural resources (资源) on their island. For hundreds of years, they lived simple lives. But slowly they began to change. They started to want power. So the gods decided to destroy Atlantis. Suddenly, the island and its people were swallowed (淹没) by the sea and were never seen again.

    Shambhala

    In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala is a mystical (神秘的) country that is hidden somewhere behind the Himalayas. Shambhala is a word from an old language that means 'place of peace' or 'place of happiness'. It is said that there is no war in Shambhala, and in the future, when the world is full of war, a huge army will come out of Shambhala, destroy the world's bad rulers, and start a new Golden Age. Some people say this will happen in 2424.

    The United States of America is faced with serious traffic problems. Too many cars travel on the freeways to and from the city. This heavy traffic causes delays and lots of pollution from cars that are using their engines but not moving anywhere. Many cars going nowhere is called a "traffic jam".

    While many cities in the United States have traffic problems, some of the worst are in Los Angeles, California, which is a big city with a large downtown area. One of the reasons why there is so much traffic is that few people use public transportation to get around.

    Experts say one possible solution to the traffic problems in Los Angeles would be to make people want to use the public transportation system of buses instead of their own cars. People say the buses should be made easier, faster, less costly and more dependable than driving a car.

    One suggestion is to reduce the cost of taking the bus. Also, Los Angeles could make the buses easier for people to use. The buses could travel to more places in the city. And there could be more special lanes on the freeways that only buses could drive in. These changes would make taking the bus faster and easier than driving a car.

    Other experts have said that the best way to ease traffic problems is to charge people money to drive on the freeways. These charges, or tolls, would be for the most crowded roads. The tolls would be in effect during the times of a day when most people drive to work and home. These times in the morning and late afternoon are called "rush hour". People would try to avoid driving on these roads, which would decrease the amount of traffic. Also, the money collected from these tolls could be used to improve the roads and public transportation system.

    The streets of Stockholm may be cold and snowy during winter, but it is one of the world's hottest startup(创业) centers and a good choice for people with talent worldwide.

    Once the snow melts(融化) in early spring, the city is among the greenest in the world. Two thirds of Stockholm is made up of either water or parks, and locals make it the first thing to enjoy these peaceful surroundings. Less than l% of Swedish employees work more than 50 hours per week.

    The quality of life is important. New parents are given 480 days of leave to look after their babies, while childcare is heavily supported in various sides. Little wonder that Sweden was rated the best location in the world for family life. Adam Webb, 34, a British businessman and father-of-one, said, "Everything is set towards helping parents, from giving dads time off on almost full pay to free bus rides for anyone with a baby carriage."

    Stockholm is also proud of what Vogue magazine recently ranked as Europe's coolest neighborhood. On the island of Sodermalm, just south of the city centre, independent record stores still make money, while plenty of cafes offer a taste for Scandinavia's love affairs with timeless style.

    Many major international companies, including H&M and Ericsson, offer expats(外来者) accommodation for the first three months of their contracts(合同) in Stockholm. But other foreigners arriving in the city are left to battle with a unique property market and a shortage of apartments. More than a third of Swedes live in rented housing, half of which is owned by local governments or state rental companies. If you're lucky enough to get a firsthand contract for this kind of accommodation, it is yours for life. Expats are welcome to join the queue, but in Stockholm they will find around half a million locals in front of them and an average wait of nine years.

    "Finding a place to live is the single biggest challenge when moving to Stockholm, but there is a lot going on to try and solve the problem," said Julika Lamberth from Stockholm Business Region, a state-funded company working to increase investment in the city.

    When to go: The Magic Kingdom, which was opened in 1971, was the first theme park at Walt Disney World. All Disney World theme parks are opened 365 days a year, although opening and closing time for each park changes from day to day. If you plan to make a trip to the Magic Kingdom without kids, try to visit on a school day to avoid the largest crowds. If you need to visit during a school vacation, try at least to avoid the week between Christmas and New Year's Day and the fourth of July.

    If you are not staying at a Disney World hotel, avoid visiting the Magic Kingdom on its Extra Magic Hours days, as Disney's hotel guests get into the park early on those days, and visitors who arrive at the Magic Kingdom's normal opening time have to wait for a long time.

    Before you go：Buy your Walt Disney World tickets online at Disney World's website. For advice on picking the right ticket, see our guide to Disney World tickets.

    You will also need to call in advance to make lunch or dinner reservations. Disney accepts reservations(预订)up to 180 days in advance, but you need to contact 1-407-WDW-DINE.

    When you get there: Plan to arrive at the Magic Kingdom's front gate before the park opens in the morning. Keep in mind that to reach the Magic Kingdom, you must park at Disney World's Transportation and Ticket Centre parking lot, ride a tram (有轨电车)to the TTC, then take a ferry boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. It makes a fantastic approach, but takes extra time. Give yourself an extra hour in the summer and half an hour during the school year.