My color television has given me nothing but a headache. I was able to buy it a little over a year ago because I had my relatives give me money for my birthday instead of clothes that wouldn't fit. I let a salesclerk fool me into buying a discontinued model. I realized this a day later, when I saw newspaper advertisements for the set at seventy-five dollars less than I had paid. The set worked so beautiful when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. Fortunately, I didn't get any channels showing all-night movies or I would never have gotten to bed.

       Then I started developing a problem with the set that involved static(静电) noise. For some reason, when certain shows switched into a commercial, a loud noise would sound for a few seconds. Gradually, this noise began to appear during a show, and to get rid of it, I had to change to another channel and then change it back. Sometimes this technique would not work, and I had to pick up the set and shake it to remove the sound. I actually began to build up my arm muscles(肌肉) shaking my set.

       When neither of these methods removed the static noise, I would sit helplessly and wait for the noise to go away. At last I ended up hitting the set with my first, and it stopped working altogether. My trip to the repair shop cost me $62, and the sit is working well now, but I keep expecting more trouble.

    The four theme parks below offer the most thrilling(刺激的)rides and attractions in the world.

    Busch Gardens Williamsburg

    Located(坐落)in Virginia, USA, this theme paprk has some of the highest-rated thrill rides in the world. The park's famous roller coasters include Apollo's Chariot, Alpengeist, Griffon, the Loch Ness Monster and Verbolten. The park also has thrilling water rides, rides for kids, other rides, shows, tours, animal exhibits and more. Divided into nine areas representing European countries, the park has won an award for the quality of its food.

    Everland

    One of the world's most popular theme parks, Everland is located in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do province, South Korea. The park has 40 thrill rides, including a world-famous wooden roller coaster, and many other attractions such as an hunting ride, a zoo, indoor and outdoor water parks, shows and more.

    Blackpool Pleasure Beach

    This Lancashire amusement park is one of the most visited theme parks in the United Kingdom. Among the park's 125 rides and attractions are the tallest and faster roller coaster in the U. K., a classic wooden roller coaster, a steel tower ride, the biggest indoor dark ride in the world, a host of rides for kids and more.

    PortAventura World

    Located on Spain's Costa Daurada, this park is divided into six themed areas. Five areas represent different locations including Polynesia, Mexico, the American West, China and the Mediterrancan. The sixth and newest area has a Sesame Street theme. The park has many rides and attractions suitable for visitors of all ages.

    As sea levels climb, even Washington, D. C. could see more frequent and widespread flooding at high tide.

    Strong storms and high winds sometimes bring floods to coastal areas. But cities and towns along the US East Coast are flooding even in calm and sunny weather. Among them is Maryland's capital Annapolis. Tourists there must sometimes walk through water flooding downtown streets surrounding the habor. Sometimes water covers roads in Atlantic City, N. J. Even the yards and basements of coastal homes near New York City sometimes flood.

All are suffering from this trend—normal high tides surpass (超过) a rising sea level.

    Sea levels have climbed, on average, about 20 centimeters (8 inches) over the past 135 years. And a sharp increase in tide flooding is one of the more visible impacts affecting many coastal areas, notes William Sweet, an oceanographer.

    Sweet and his co-workers recently analyzed data from 45 tide gauges (计量表) along the US coasts. These tools record the changing heights of tides as they rise and fall. From these data, Sweet's team calculated the number of : “troublesome floods” in various coastal cities. These floods, Sweet explains, typically occur when water level is about 30 centimeters (1foot) above the historic level of the highest tides. In June 2014, the team reported finding a growing rise in these flooding events.

    In Charleston, S.C. from 1957 to 1963, the city experienced troublesome floods an average of 4. 6 days per year. Bur from 2007 to 2013, the occurring rate of troublesome floods jumped five times. Annapolis city was even more serious. From1957 to 1963，troublesome floods were roughly 3. 8 days per year. From 2007 to 2013, the average was 10 times higher- 39. 3days a year.

    “Over the next few decades, climate change probably drives sea levels even higher,” Sweet says. “So today's flooding problems promise to become only more widespread and frequent.”

    Summer is the most popular season to visit Texas since there is so much to see and to do. While visiting the Lone Star State this summer, don't miss visiting some of these attractions and taking part in some of Texas' best summer vacation activities.

    Visit SeaWorld

    There are sea life shows, adventure camps, thrilling rides and a water park. A great many activities are waiting for you at SeaWorld.

    Windsurf at South Padre

    With miles of shallow（浅的), calm water in the Lower Laguna Madre and strong winds coming off the Gulf of Mexico. South Padre Island is a windsurfer's dream.

    Swim at Barton Springs

    Barton Springs is in the famous Zilker Park. It was formed when Barton Creek was built. Since its opening. Barton Springs has become one of the most popular swimming pools in the state.

    Take part in an outdoor adventure

    In the scenic Texas Hill Country. Lake Buchanan Adventures offers different kinds of activities, including boating, hiking, camping and more.

    Camp and hike in Big Bend Park

    Big Bend offers a great number of outdoor activities in an old way. Backpacking. mountain biking fishing boating hiking nature watching and camping-you name it. If it can be done outdoors.it can be done in Big Bend.

    Enjoy saltwater fishing

    Saltwater fishing in Texas is as good as anywhere else in the USA. More and more fishermen have been discovering this in recent years and packing their bags and rods （鱼竿） to make good use of Texas' world-class saltwater fishery.

    Poetry is the artistic expression of the human thoughts and feelings in rhythmical and emotional language. Compared with prose (散文) , it lays more stress on rhythm, imagery (意象), emotion, and imagination. As its language is rhythmical, its sound is highly musical. We may say, "No rhythm, no poetry", no matter the rhythm of poetry is traditional as in metrical (格律的) style or "natural" as in free verse.

    So the poet must write carefully and reflectively in order to find words that not only fulfills the demands of meter and rhyme, but also expresses the meaning in a manner that complements the imagery and tone of the rest of the poem. This careful use of language is the most significant difference between ordinary prose and poetry.

    The ordinary prose writer neatly builds an argument using words the way a mason (石匠) builds a house using bricks; the poet is an artisan who creates a fieldstone hearth (大卵石壁炉炉床) — each stone or each word is turned over  examined, and often laid aside until it can be placed where its shape, weight, and color will contribute to the strength and beauty of the whole. Prose, according to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is "words in their best order", and poetry is "the best words in their best order".

    The reader's chief delight in reading poetry comes from his response to its musical effect, which comes from many metrical patterns represented in conventional iambic (抑扬格) feet or from repetitions and parallel phrasing shown in free verse and from other elements of poetry.

    Wolves are important animals in the traditions and stories of most Native American tribes. To Native Americans, wolves often represent bravery. The animals also are signs of strength, loyalty, and success at hunting. Other cultures--such as the ancient Celtic and Nordic peoples-also placed high value on wolves.

    However, from the wolves in horror films to the wolves in children's stories, wolves get a bum rap(不公正的惩罚) in both literature and English expressions.

    To begin with, there is the term lone wolf. The lone wolf isn't a bad person. But they like to do things on their own. However, the term can mean something less than desirable. Lone wolf makes you think the person doesn't want to be around people because he or she dislikes them.

    Now, let's move on to the home.

    Parents might criticize their children for wolfing down their food. In other words, the child eats very quickly and without care. And if someone says a child was raised by wolves, that child has bad manners and is behaving like a wild animal. A wolf at the door means someone to whom you owe money is waiting just outside your door.

By the way, there are two popular wolf-related expressions that come from Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller.

    The first is a wolf in sheep's clothing. A wolf in sheep's clothing describes someone who acts and looks nice on the outside but is bad on the inside.

    Aesop's other wolf fable also involves a shepherd, but not a hardworking one. He is known as the boy who cried wolf. People who cry wolf are not trusted. People are so familiar with this story, you simply have to say cry wolf for them to know what you mean.