The winter vacation is just around the corner. With such a long holiday to spend, have you decided where to get yourself relaxed from the great pressure of school study? Our company specializes in civil tours. We take pride in offering you the best services and in providing you with a vacation that will be fondly remembered. The following places can be your unforgettable destinations in our country.

    A. The Australian Museum

    The Australian Museum has an international reputation in the fields of natural history and indigenous studies research and exhibitions. The museum was established in 1827 and is Australia's first museum of natural science and cultural artifacts.

    B. Sydney Olympic Park

    Home of the Best Games Ever and 2003 Rugby World, Sydney Olympic Park is a gold medal attraction and continues to serve as a major sport and social venue.

    Apart from its ultra-modern sport venues, Sydney Olympic Park is set in extensive parklands. Bicentennial Park, one of Sydney's most popular recreational areas, is criss-crossed with walking and bicycle tracks.

    C. Art Gallery of New South Wales

    Located within a short walking distance from Sydney's CBD, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of Australia's foremost art museums housing some of the finest works of art in the country.

    The Gallery has a rich and diverse collection including key works of the Heidelberg School and favorite modern Australian artists including Brett Whiteley and Margaret Preston, as well as permanent Australian, European, Asian, contemporary and photographic galleries.

    D. Koalas Park Sanctuary

    Koalas are on show every day. Shows are at 10:20 A.M., 11:20 A.M., 2:00 P.M., 3:00 P.M. where you can cuddle, feed, pat and have your photo taken with the Koalas. See free roaming Koalas as well, 10 acres of rainforest. Walk in and pat our kangaroos.

    Bursting into the classroom from recess, 15 children take their seats and face the woman they know as Ms. Yang.

    “What day is it today?” she asks, in Mandarin Chinese.

    “Confucius' birthday!” the fifth graders shout in Mandarin.

    “Why do we celebrate Confucius' birthday?”

    “Because he's the greatest teacher in the history of China!” exclaims a brown-haired girl. She is speaking Mandarin.

    English is rarely heard in Lisa Yang's class at the Chinese American International School(CAIS), despite the fact that few students are native speakers of Mandarin.

    The United States is actively trying to increase the group of students in “critical languages” such as Mandarin. The students at CAIS are way ahead in such a trend.

    Founded 25 years ago, this small private school in San Francisco, USA, does what few other American schools do: It produces fully fluent speakers of Mandarin Chinese, by far the most commonly spoken language in the world.

    Mandarin Chinese is suddenly hot in American schools. As China becomes the world's leading economy sometimes this century, schools in the U. S. are scrambling to add Mandarin to their list of foreign languages or expand Chinese programs already in place.

    “It really is almost unprecedented. People are looking at China as a force to be reckoned with… And to ensure that the U. S. has the ability to conduct trade, and to work with the Chinese. Certainly having an understanding of Chinese language and culture is an advantage,” said Marty Abbott of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages(ACTFL).

    To develop Chinese-language programs has not been smooth. A shortage of trained teachers has made it difficult for some schools to join the race. When schools do get teachers, they often hire them straight from China, and the teachers usually suffer culture shock when they come to the U. S.

    Robert Liu remembers his first two years in an American classroom It was not an easy adjustment. “In China, students respect their teachers,” he said. Liu found that American students, however, expect an active teaching style. He had to use games to engage them rather than lectures.

    To avoid many of the problems with foreign teaching styles, the CAIS has been working with the Chinese government to improve training of teachers who are sent to the U. S.

    In order to achieve big things in your life, you must be willing to think big.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}When you've busy working toward bringing your goals to life, you also feel happier in your journey. Follow these steps to make your goals a reality.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Where do you see yourself in a year, five years or ten? Do you see yourself with a family, children, a good job and a college degree in ten years? Try to think as far ahead as you can. Pay attention to every detail, and let your dreams come to life in your mind, showing you what matters most to you.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Write down everything you imagine.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} write down the most important achievements that you want to center on and the details about each. What matters most to you? Once you have a list of goals in mind, work out a plan. How will you achieve these goals? Divide your goals into achievable steps.

    Start achieving goals today. Put your plans into action today. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Move forward every day, even if you are only taking a small step at a time.

    When you can picture what your desired life is like, you can better decide the goals you need to set and achieve. All it takes are small steps toward your desired future, and you can achieve the life you want.

A. Center on what you want to achieve.

B. Close your eyes and imagine your future.

C. Take a small step toward the future each day.

D. You should dream big and try to make your goals happen.

E. It's okay to change your dream sand goals based on your needs.

F. Use as much detail as you can when writing down what you remember.

G. Think about where you want to be in the future and how you want to get there.

    When I started working, I couldn't understand why there were some people who seemed to succeed in anything they tried, while there were others who just couldn't manage to achieve anything. After a while, I became amazed at the biggest difference lying in setting and reviewing goals regularly.

    Then I saw an academic study done by Dr. David Kohl on goals:

    80% of Americans claim that they don't have goals.

    16% of them have goals, but they don't write them down.

    Only 3% actually have written goals, but they don't review them regularly.

    Only 1% has written goals and they review them regularly, and these are among the highest achievers in the US.

    You need to set goals, independent of whether you want to achieve more or less. Goals are not only about achieving more or wanting to take on more in life-a goal starts with a simple desire.

    What do you do with your desires and wants in life? You could both ignore them and leave them to fade away in your mind, or listen to yourself and start taking action to get what you want in life.

    On the one hand, you can wish for a miracle, try to put the least amount of effort in, hoping to get the most out, and do nothing. On the other hand, you can get clear on the steps you need to take and take them, slowly, one by one until you reach success in that area and you will live with new amazing results in your life.

    Setting goals is the essential part to achieving success in any area. It begins with a desire, and then a written goal, followed by the right attitude and action, and that is your formula for success. Keep reviewing your goals and watch how your vision turns into your reality.

Top 4 Amusement Parks in the World

    It's summertime! That means parents have extra time to spend with their children, and what better way to engage in classic fun with family and friends than to visit an amusement park? Take a look at these fun choices — perfect summer trip ideas to fit every budget (预算).

    Cedar Point

    Tickets: $280 for adults, $120 for children

    Praising itself as the roller coaster capital of the world, Cedar Point's 18 coasters will ensure you're riding all day. Reader Alicia Goettemoeller describes the park as a "paradise for excited thrillers" while reader Nick Schuyler says it is "built for grown-up kids."

    Knoebels

    Tickets: $120 for adults, $10 for children

    This old-fashioned amusement park is a must for your old memory games as well as money saving - admittance and parking are free of charge. Reader Tracy Ginsburg Maier says "a family of 4 can enjoy special offer to eat, swim and ride all day for $100" at Knoebels.

    Kings Island

    Tickets: $340 for adults, $160 for children

    Kings Island is one of the most visited theme parks in the US, with more than 3 million visitors per year. The park is especially known for its family-friendly attractions, such as Snoopy Island. Tickets to the main park also include admission to the nearby water park, Boomerang Bay.

    Dells Water Parks

    Tickets: $140 for adults, $80 for children

Wisconsin Dells is a water park with dozens of indoor and outdoor water parks to spread around in. One of them, Noah's Ark, is the largest outdoor water park in the US. Many are open year-round and no charge for children under five.

Video calls are a common occurrence, but have you imagined being able to touch the person on the other end of the line? Scientists are making this a reality.

Researchers at the University of new South Wales, Australia have invented a soft skin stretch device (SSD). A haptic device that can recreate the sense of touch. Haptic technology mimics the experience of touch by stimulating localized areas of the skin in ways that are similar to what is felt in the real world, through force, vibration or motion.

Vibration is the most common haptic technology today and has been built into many electronic devices such as one attached to the back of the trackpad (触摸板) in laptops, which simulates a button clicking. However, haptic feedback with vibration becomes less sensitive when used continuously. The existing technology also has great difficulty recreating the sense of touch with objects in virtual environments or located remotely. According to Mai Thanh Thai, lead author of the study.

The new technology overcomes issues with existing haptic devices. The research team introduced a novel method to recreate the sense of touch through a soft artificial "muscles".

"Our three-way directional skin stretch device, built into the fingertips of the wearable glove we also created is like wearing a second skin-- its soft stretchable and mimics the sense of touch-- and will enable new forms of haptic communication to enhance everyday activities" said Thanh Nho Do, senior author of the study.

Imagine you are at home and you call your friend who is in Australia. You wear a haptic glove with the SSDs, and your friends also wears a glove with integrated 3D force sensors. If your friend picks up an object, it will physically press against your friend's fingers. And their glove with 3D force sensors will measure with interactions. The force signals can be sent to your glove so your device will generate the same 3D forces. Making you experience the same sense of touch as your friend.

The haptic devices could be applied in various situations, allowing users to feel objects inside a virtual world or at a distance. It could also be used in medical practices. Doctors can feel a patient's organ tissues. With surgical tools without touching them.