Spain is a country that lies in southwestern Europe. It's surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the south and the east, while to the north of Spain lie France, Andorra and the Bay of Biscay. The west and northwest of Spain are surrounded by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.

    The official name of the state is the Kingdom of Spain. Madrid is the capital city, which is also one of the famous places in Spain. Spain, which covers 506,000 square kilometers, is one of the largest countries in Europe.

    The weather in Spain differs from one area to another. Most of the rain that happens in Spain is in the mountainous areas. The plains hardly receive any rainfall.

    Soccer in Spain is an important part of life of the people in Spain. It's said that Spanish children learn to walk and play soccer at exactly the same time. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are two Spanish soccer teams, which are respected by soccer fans not only in Spain, but all over the world. The popularity of the sport can be judged from the fact that three major soccer teams, which are Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid , and Rayo Vallecano, were born in Madrid.

    If you are a tourist, then you would want to know about the driving rules in Spain. If you're not from the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, then for you to drive you'll have to carry your international driver's license. Bad news if you haven't celebrated your 18th birthday. If you want to rent a car, then you must have completed 21 years of age. If you're driving, make sure you carry all the documents on you at all times during your stay in Spain.

    This could be Micah Fitz, first spring without football practices. The 14-year-old has been playing since he was 3, but because he's home-schooled, he can't try out for the local team at Patriot High School in Prince William County, Virginia.

    “I can't play this half of the year and my friends are going to be playing five or six times a week,” he said. “They're going to be getting better and stronger playing with kids that are good.”

Micah and his family—along with many other home-schooling families across Virginia—are hoping the Virginia General Assemble will approve a bill this year that would allow kids like him to try out for sports on public school athletic teams. The bill, called the “Tebow bill”, is named after football player Tim Tebow, who was home-schooled but was allowed to play on a high school team before going to the University of Florida, where he led his team to two national championships.

    Many major statewide education organizations said the bill wouldn't be fair to public school students. Ken Tilley, the executive director of the Virginia High School League, said the bill would violate two of the league's most long-standing standards for qualification: enrollment (注册入学) and academic standing.

    Home-school advocates argue that they are required by the law to document academic progress. But many opponents say students always have the option of attending public high school. That might be what Sydney Bowman, a 12-year-old from Luchetts, will do to keep wrestling, although she would prefer to continue to be taught at home. In her case, girls' wrestling teams are rare enough that there aren't many options other than public school.

    But Micah' mom, Terri Fits, a former public school teacher, said that although they support the local schools and love to cheer on the teams, they like the flexibility of home-schooling.

    The old man walked with a cane（拐杖）slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket.

    patched（打补丁）trousers and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds，large rosy cheeks，and thin lips held in a steady smile.

    He walked towards a table by the window. A young waitress watched him and ran over to him， saying，“Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair”

    Without a word，he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Steadying him with one arm， she helped him move in front of the chair， and get comfortably seated. Then she pushed the table up close to him，and learned his cane against the table where he could reach it.

    In a soft，clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss”

    “You are welcome, Sir.” she replied，“My name is Mary. I'll be back in a moment. If you need anything, just wave at me.”

    After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes，bacon，and hot lemon tea，Mary brought him the change, helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane， and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir.”

    He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile, “You are very kind！”

    When Mary went to clean his table，she was shocked. Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin, under which was a 100$ bill.

    The note on the napkin read，“Dear Mary，I respect you very much， and you respect yourself，too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you. ”

    The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant. This was the first time that she，or any of his employees, had seen him in person.

    Violette Childe, 67, is a dining companion who helps serve patients lunches. The role was introduced ten years ago by a dietitian concerning that some patients were not eating their meals.

    "Many of our patients are elderly and can be confused by the noisy, busy environment of the hospital and so won't focus on eating." explains Yvonne Donglas-Morris, head of volunteering, who oversees the activities of all 528 of the trusty volunteers. "Staff are busy with the clinical side of things, so the dining companions were introduced. They will assist the patients and encourage them to eat."

    Violette, a retired library manager, has been helping out for six years. "It makes me feel a bit more complete," she says simply. "Helping with the meals frees up the nurses to get on with other things. I believe in being a part of the community and this hospital is part of my community."

    Another key role is played by the discharge volunteers, who offer support to the elderly, especially those aged 70 and over-leaving hospital to return to an empty home. The team has a budget of ￡10 per person and will pop to the shops and buy milk, bread and a meal to tide them over for the first few hours. They then call the patients regularly, for as long as they need, to check how they are getting on and if they need extra support.

    The volunteers in Kingston work from a dedicated office-a small room in one of the buildings on the hospital grounds, where a Christmas tree decorated with baubles (小饰物) bearing the faces of volunteers sits in the corner. "All the volunteers come and gather here, it gets very busy at times," smiles Nicola Hutin, 67, a discharge support volunteer. A mother of two, and grandmother of four, she was a membership coordinator (协调员) for a trade association until she retired, and has since volunteered at the hospital one morning a week for 18 months.

    Bright Side did some research on many places throughout the world where you can buy a house for 1 dollar or for free!

    Roubaix, France

    If you like France, Roubaix located in the north of France is just for you. The local authorities want it to be populated and attractive. You can buy a small house in the industrial district for just $1. The buyer is supposed to live in this house for 3 years.

    Buffalo. USA

    Buffalo offers whoever qualifies to buy a house for $1. All you need is to be a lawful citizen of the city and invest amount of money into its decoration. Doing this, the authorities are hoping to make the city beautiful again without spending money.

    Liverpool, Great Britain

    In Liverpool, most of houses were abandoned by the working class during the years of unemployment. The government is trying to sell the houses for just $1. If you want to buy such a house, it has to be your first deal on buying property (不动产).

    Candela, Italy

    If you still have any doubts about spending SI on a house, you should know: the government will pay you some money, if you move to Candela. In order to be paid, you need to become a permanent citizen and have an income of $7500 per year. If moving a, one, you will get S800, and if you are going with your family, the pay can be four times as much as only one person.

    For more information of other cities, please Click Here.

Inspired by the movement to protect the Carmanah Valley and Clayoquot Sound, I decided to devote myself to producing images for conservation full-time in 1992. Since that time my work has taken me all over the world and my photos have appeared in many major magazines. However, many of my most rewarding moments have come from working on projects in British Columbia, Canada, and sharing those images in slide show tours I have given throughout Canada, the U. S. and Europe.

The more I travel and photograph in other parts of the world, the more I have come to realize the wilderness we have in Canada is truly special and rare.

I have always felt that as a photographer my goal is to approach the natural environment with the sense of wonder and curiosity that comes so naturally to children. This, I believe, is one of the basic keys not just to producing meaningful images, but more importantly, to gaining a full appreciation and enjoyment of the natural world.

I find that not only my best images, but also my most enjoyable experiences in nature, occur when I have an open mind and follow my intuition (直觉). When I feel drawn to a certain scene, I try to make the scene simple and not include anything that is not relevant. I also try all ways to look for beautiful light. Early morning and the end of the day almost always produce light that results in more pleasing images than those taken under the strong light in the middle of a sunny day. Soft cloudy skies are wonderful for photographing all day, especially in our beautiful forests or for small subjects like wildflowers. Rain, storms, and snow also provide wonderful opportunities for new and different kinds of images.