Machu Picchu is an unusual site in Peru and one of the most mysterious wonders of the world. Built at almost 10,000 feet on the top of an Andean mountain, the Incas built hundreds of structures made of stone. A large number of Machu Picchu's surrounding structures date back to the early 13th century, but it was considered a chief sacred site far before then. The Inca people changed the large site into a very small but wonderful city, completely self-sufficient and hidden from below. Agricultural terraces (梯田) surrounded the entire city, fed by natural spring water, supporting the entire population.

Inca Trail

    The trail is one of the most famous in the world and regarded as one of the best. It covers only 26 miles, combining cloud forest, green mountain scenery, forest, and plenty of tunnels, paving stones, and ruins. The four-day hike begins slowly but quickly changes into a difficult journey suitable for those in excellent shape. The trail winds through the Andes, leading alongside and through ruins. Though independent hiking was once permitted, now it must be done with a guide.

Funerary Rock

    It is believed that the Funerary Rock at Machu Picchu was used as a place to prepare Inca nobles for preservation, or mummifying (做成木乃伊), a common habit among the tribe. Nobles would be laid out to be mummified by the hot sun and freezing cold nights after their organs were removed. The rock is also famous as a spot from which a view of the city is afforded.

Temple of the Sun

    Within the city's castle, deep within Machu Picchu, is the Temple of the Sun, accessed only by the Emperor and

    Inca priests. It means the Inca's advanced knowledge of religion, weather, and nature, showing the great extent

    Incas went to adapt to and learn about nature. Still unbroken, the temple was built to honor the god Inti, who is exactly the sun. The temple was effectively protected. It was also a very important scientific center, built in half-moon shape with openings facing north and east. The windows' shadows in the center of the temple helped see the start of winter solstice (至日), showing farming season.

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    “Hello, Earth! Can you hear me?” That's voice more than 400,000 people received recently. It was from Philae, a space vehicle that landed on a comet(彗星)in 2014. However, its transmissions (传输信号)back home went silent since then.

It took a long time for Philae to make its way across the solar system (太阳系)and reach comet 67P/C-G. The pace vehicle got there aboard the Rosetta probe (探测器), which has been circling around the comet since Philae separated from it in November, 2014．

Philae's job was to collect materials to study the comet's composition. And for about two and a half days after landing, it did just that, sending the information back to scientists on Earth. But Philae's landing on the comet's icy surface had not been smooth. While touching down, it jumped up and ended up in the shadow of something like a huge rock. Philae runs on solar power, but there was no light in the place where it landed. In the end, it failed to work.

However，as comet 67P/C-G moved closer to the sun, more sunlight reached the space vehicle, allowing it to power up and come back online. Philae then sent something to Rosetta, which passed on the information back to Earth.

“We only received the information for about 85 seconds, but that's enough to let us know it is alive and well,”says Stephan Ulamec, who works for the European Space Agency.“We hope to work out where it landed exactly on the 4-kilometer-wide comet. Now we plan to change how Rosetta moves so that Philae can keep on communicating and receiving instructions.”

    My 17-year-old daughter went off to college and having her away from home brought back memories of watching Peter Pan when she was little. In the classic TV production, one scene in particular impressed me: when Mrs. Darling puts her children into bed. As she turns off the last of the night light, she takes one last look at the bedroom and says, “Dear night lights, protect my sleeping children.” As a mother, I know how much she loves her children.

    It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting  well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it's another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she's gone, and I find night times the hardest. I miss her most at night.

    In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.

    For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it's not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn't get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you” said one of them.

    I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cell phone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think that messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.

    The first Ferris wheel was built for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The people who planned the fair were looking for an attraction that would bring people to Chicago. The Eiffel Tower had been a great success for the fair in Pairs in 1889, and they wanted something like that.

    George Ferris handed in drawings of a giant wheel that people could ride on. At first everyone laughed at his strange idea. But Mr. Ferris didn't give up, and finally the idea was accepted. The ride opened in June of 1893.

    That first wheel had thirty six enclosed cars, each holding sixty passengers. When filled it carried 2,160 people. During that summer in Chicago one and a half million people rode the Ferris wheel, which was named after Ferris. Six platforms were used to pick up and drop off passengers. Each ride was two full turns of the wheel. On the first turn, it made six stops for loading. Then the second turn was a nonstop nine-minute ride. Each car had five large glass windows in front and in back, giving everyone a great view of Chicago and Lake Michigan.

    After the fair the ride was moved to a nearby amusement park built especially to show off the wheel. In 1904 it was moved again—this time to St. Louis for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. After the fair in St. Louis closed, the wheel stood unused. In 1906 it was finally sold to a company for scrap(废弃材料）metal. It took 200 pounds of dynamite to bring it down.

    Fortunately a Chicago bridge builder, W. E. Sullivan, figured out how to make a smaller Ferris wheel that could easily be taken apart and put together. In 1906 he started the company that still makes many of the Ferris wheels used today.

    But whenever you ride one remember that it all began with George Ferris' very strange idea.

    Some people learn a second language easily. Others have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.

    The first step is to feel positive about learning English. If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about taking risks.

    The second step is to practice your English. For example, write a diary every day. You will get used to writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving. In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.

    The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.

    You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.

    The Largest World Fairs of All Time

    New York World Fair — New York, 1939

    The 1939 New York World Fair was the largest exposition (博览会) in US history with visitors over 14 million. The Fair was planned during the Great Depression and was aimed at relieving the city from economic depression by attracting foreign investment. Major inventions to emerge (出现) at the New York World Fair included nylon fabric, a streamlined pencil sharpener, and a futuristic car city imagined by General Moiors.

    Exposition liniverselle — Paris, 1900

    The Exposition Universelle was one of the earliest expositions to feature multiple countries with France inviting various countries to display their technological advancements and cultural heritage. Exposition Universelle was the birthplace of many inventions that we enjoy today including escalators (自动扶梯) and talking films.

    Expo' 70 — Osaka, Japan

    Expo' 70 was the biggest exposition of the 20th century and the second largest in history. Expo 70 had a record attendance of over 64 million visitors, a 40-year record that would not be broken until Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Notable exhibitions included a large piece of moon rock that was brought back from the Apollo 12 mission.

    Expo 2010 — Shanghai. China

    Expo 2010 goes down as the largest fair in history, having attracted 73 million people. It also had the highest international participation of any exposition in the world with 246 countries participating. The opening ceremony featured the biggest LED screen in the world as well as one of the biggest fireworks displays in history.