选择知识点

Millions of TripAdvisor users voted New York, Chicago, Charleston and Las Vegas as the top four travel cities in the United States.

    1 New York City

    More than 50 million people visit New York City every year. The five boroughs—or regions of New York have some of the most easily recognized attractions in the world. Visitors whose things are tight can take a free boat from Manhattan to Staten Island for a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.

    2 Chicago, Illinois

    Americaˈs third largest city offers world class museums, great food, sporting events and symbolic architecture—including Willis Tower, Americaˈs tallest building. But what places the Midwest city above others is comedy. Itˈs well-known for comedy shows. The Second City the ater is where many famous comedians get their start, including Mike Meyers and Tina Fey.

    3  Charleston, South Carolina

    Some say Charleston is one of the most beautiful and historic places in the United States. The coastal city has a very rich history. The Civil War began at its waterfront, at Fort Sumter, which visitors can explore. But present-day Charleston has a lot to offer, too. Conde Nast Traveler voted it the number one U. S. city, for its beautiful architecture, food, and friendly people.

    4  Las Vegas, Nevada

    The desert city of Las Vegas is known around the world for its casinos (娱乐场) and bright lights. Visitors stay at world class hotels, eat at top chefsˈ restaurants, and usually see a spectacular show or concert.

If youˈve often been told that you need to build up your self­confidence, but didnˈt know exactly how, the following is a guide that will help you get there.2·1·c·n·j·y

     Understand your weak points. Everyone has weaknesses. Once you discover your weaknesses, work to overcome them. If, for exam-ple, you are a shy person, attend a social event and force yourself to speak to at least one or two people first. Youˈll discover that others appreciate your friendliness, and your nervousness will slowly disappear.

     Spend time with positive people. People influence our lives. Spend time with successful, confident people at school and work. Ple-ase observe their behavior, their verbal and nonverbal language, and their ways of handling difficult situations. Remember, even thes-e people have had to deal with a lack of confidence at one time or another.

     Set personal goals for yourself. If you have a fear you need to overcome, challenge yourself to face that fear head on. Set goals for yourself. With each goal you meet, your self­confidence will increase. If youˈre afraid of trying new things because you might“fail，”give yourself a chance.

     Greet each day with a sense of opportunity. Start your mornings by reading something inspirational. Think positively about yourself, and greet each day with enthusiasm and a renewed energy for living.

    Donˈt fear refuse. All of us have experienced and will continue to experience refuse in our lives. Try not to take refuse personally. Sometimes constructive criticism can be perceived as a form of rejection to a personal suffering from low self­esteem. Remind yourself that you are an excellent person and that you are not afraid to take risks.

A

My name is Chelsea Chowder head．A chowder is a kind of soup．I was laughed at because of my last name as soon as I started school．So when my family moved to South Carolina，I asked my dad if I could change my name．

“You shouldn't change who you are．Let people get to know you first and your name later．When you meet someone new， ask them a good question， some thing you're really interested in．Once people start talking about themselves，they don't judge (评价) you．”

Two days later I headed to my new school for the first day of class．At lunch， I noticed that there were twin brothers who were talking to each other．I remembered my dad's advice， so ! decided to try．

I noticed that their lunchboxes were identical．“What's it like being a twin？”I asked．They looked surprised．Then one said， “No one has ever asked us that!”

“Most of the time it's good，”the other said．“When you're a twin you always have someone to talk to and have lunch with．”

In no time we were laughing and talking．Then one of the brothers said，“I'm Nicholas．，and this is my brother．Nathaniel．What's your name？”

I took a deep breath and said，“I'm Chelsea Chowder head．”

“Chowder？ Like the soup？” asked Nathaniel．

“Yes．”I replied，looking down．

“Hey，cool!Do you want to come over after school and play basketball with us？” Nathaniel asked．I nodded．And that is how I became friends with the twin brothers．

B

Foods from Around the World

Foods tbat are well known to you may not be familiar to people from other countries，Here are four people's experiences with foreign food．

Shao Wong is a student in France．He comes from China．“I'd never tasted cheese or even milk before I came here．Cattle are rare in my part of China，so there are no dairy products．I tried milk when I first arrived in France．I hated it! I sampled cheese too，but couldn't manage more than one bite．I love ice cream，though，and that's made from milk．”

Birgit is from Sweden．She traveled to Australia on vacation．“I was in a restaurant that specialized in fish，and I heard some other customers order flake．So I ordered some too and it was delicious．Later，I found out that flake is an Australian term for shark．After that pleasant experience，whenever I see a new food I try it out on purpose．You know why？I remember how much I enjoyed flake．”

Chandra is a dentist in Texas．She originates from India．“I'm frightened of eating new foods because they might be made from beef，I'm a Hindu，and my religion forbids me to eat meat from the cow．It's a sacred animal to Hindus．so that's the reason I can't eat hamburgers or spaghetti with meatballs．”

Nathan is American．He taught for a year in China．“My friends gave me some 100-year old eggs to eat．I didn't like the look of them at all．The insides were green，but my friends said the color was normal．The Chinese put chemicals on fresh eggs．Then they bury them in the earth for three months．So the eggs weren't really very old．Even so，I absolutely refused to touch them．”

Life in a new country can be scary，but it also can be fun．Would you sample a 100-year-old egg？Would you order shark in a restaurant？

D

Kids in Lake County，Fla．，may get more than they asked for the next time they head to class．Officials in that county are considering letting companies advertise inside school buses and on school lunch menus．

Supporters say it is a great way for poor schools to earn some money．But not everyone buys that idea．Kids go to school to learn， they say，not to be attracted by ads．

Should advertising be allowed in schools？Student reporters Michael Baick and Kaitlyn Rentals each sell a side．Michael Baick Would you rather look at an ad on a school bus or have that bus take you to a school that can't afford to pay its teachers？Many schools have cut salaries (薪水)，classroom materials，and more．Selling ad space is a way to make the money some schools really need．

Chris Collins，a middle school head in Longmeadow，Mass．，agrees．He says he would rather allow ads in his school than have to fire staff members．

“If that was my choice，I would clearly support advertising in schools，”he says．

School officials can also control the type of advertising that is allowed．They can allow only some businesses，such as those that sell healthy foods，to advertise． How much harm would that do？

Kaitlyn Rentals

Companies shouldn't be allowed to advertise in schools．Children see enough ads at home，and they should not see any more of them at scbool．Besides，school is for learning，and allowing businesses to advertise would get in the way of that．

Isabelle Oktay，an 11-year old from Rye，N．Y．，agrees．“Kids would be distracted (分散注意力) by all the ads，”sbe says．What's more， students might feel pressured to buy what is featured in the ads．

Some people say letting companies advertise in schools would help bring in money．However，it leaves kids at schools no choice．At home，they decide whether to look at ads，but at school，they would be forced to see them every day．

I found the homework was not as heavy as _______ I used to get in my old school.