I had the honour of being elected chief of my tribe(部落)．With the title came great responsibility. It was my job to make peace with the Maori Tamaki tribe, whose village we visited. Their soldiers jumped from a canoe and faced us down with fierce crying, sticking eyes and much noise of sticks. They laid a palm leaf on the ground and, as head, I was forced to accept this peace offering by picking it up, then touching noses with their chief. “Kia ora，”  he said,  welcoming us into the woodland home of his people.

My “tribe” was my New Zealand coach tour group, who had forced me into being their leader. We’d been warned that the ceremony was a serious occasion and that to laugh or even smile would be considered rude to the Tamaki. After that it was non-stop fun as they demonstrated their ancient customs and I received instruction in performing the haka, the war dance immortalized(使不朽) by the All Blacks rugby team.

Then they pulled our dinner of lamb, beef and vegetables out of the ground. It had been slow-cooked in the heat just below the surface in the geothermal(地热的) area of North Island, a Maori tradition known as a hangi that goes back an extremely long period of time.

Obviously, this form of it is put on for tourists but it was hugely enjoyable. The journey back to the hotel was alone worth the effort, our elder Maori driver being deserving of his own television show. “The wheels on the bus go round and round，” he got us singing, while he circuited a round about three times.

A couple of days from the end of our trip, there was still something missing, a New Zealand icon I wanted to see to make my grand tour complete. Riding over a ridge, there it was—Aotearoa. The Maori name for New Zealand translates as “the land of the long white cloud”. Can I say “Kia ora, Aotearoa？” You bet I can.

C

When you are travelling in Thailand，which means of transport is the best choice?

You can rent a variety of motorbikes or bikes in Thailand. It seems to be very popular in most of the beaches and islands along the places in the north. The most popular bikes are the little 125cc Honda Dream which you can get for about 150 baht(铢) a day or as little as 3，000 baht per month，making it the cheapest way to tour Thailand for the people from other countries.

Sometimes you will have to go somewhere by taxi. When you are in cities in Thailand, especially in Bangkok，always remember to get a taxi that is going on the roads. Some drivers outside hotels refuse to use the milometer(计程表)．They will ask a price which is several times the price when they use the meter!

The quality of the roads in Thailand is generally pretty good，so renting cars is another way to get around. The big car rental companies may offer you slightly older cars at a very reasonable(合理的)price. It is a little surprising considering that the cost of buying a car in Thailand is more than that in the West. Petrol is also reasonably priced in Thailand，more expensive than American prices，but much cheaper than what is paid in Europe. In the past，Bangkok could be a difficult place to drive in—signs were generally in Thai only，making it a hard job to find exactly where you were by looking around. But now，the situation is improved. In a lot of places，even the farthest corners of the country, street signs are in both Thai and English.

The best family vacations are the ones where everyone is entertained and everyone gets along．Not sure how to do that，especially if traveling with kids is involved？A travel agent is your answer．

Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday. Today，more and more travellers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns(客栈) instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning.

Rooms for the night in private homes with breakfast have been popular with travellers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years, these bed­and­breakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these Americaˈs bed­and­breakfast inns are old historic buildings. Some bed­and­breakfast inns have only a few rooms. Others are much larger. Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms；others do.

Staying at a bed­and­breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someoneˈs home. The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit. Many vacationists say they enjoy the chance to meet local families.

Bedford Castle: The Home of Bedfordshire Royalty

Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits from the early stages of the 10th century onwards and the importance that the county placed on this is evident in the monuments, country houses，churches and any number of other structures that are still present there to this day. Bedford Castle is one of those structures and, although it is nowhere near its former glory today, it is an essential attraction to visit if you really want to grasp what its heritage means to the county!

Bedford Castle was built initially as a fortress (要塞) to help protect Bedfordshire on the south of the River Ouse after the people in the local towns and villages had already been subdued. It was built in 919 on the orders of King Edward the Elder, although it was destroyed by a Danish invasion years later. This was when it was rebuilt as the castle, of which the ruins exist today!

There is a long history behind the castle that involves several kings as a result of the Duke of Bedford being a devoted royalist (保皇党). Bedford Castle repeatedly offered the kings of England refuge (避难所) against various storms in the form of attacks from abroad and various domestic threats against them，and this is where much of its fame lies，even though the castle itself is no longer there. There are various tours of the ruins that you can take when you visit and all of the guides are extremely knowledgeable. They will happily tell you tales of the mound and the castle that preceded (先于) it.

The mound is open to the public all year round and is a proud part of the area’s heritage. It is recommended that the majority of people should visit Bedfordshire because it tells you much about why the county is currently how it is. You can view the river from the mound and the surrounding settlements as well as the remains of the castle, and every moment spent there is worth it, so enjoy the history and the very nature of the county itself!

Holidaymakers who are bored with baking beaches and overheated hotel rooms head for a big igloo. Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo hotel. Built in a small town in Lapland, it has been attracting lots of visitors, but soon the fun will be over.

In two weeks’ time Bergqvist’s ice creation (作品)will be nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem, ” he says. “We just look forward to replacing it.”

Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was so successful that he designed the present one, which measures about 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks piling 1,000 tons of snow onto a wooden base; when the snow froze, the base was removed. “The only wooden thing we have left in the igloo is the front door,” he says.

After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate(证书) recording their success. With no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0°C, it may seem more like a survival test than a relaxing (轻松的)hotel break. “It’s great fun, ” Bergqvist explains, “as well as a good start in survival training.”

The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt: it is now attracting tourists from all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms. “You can get a lot of people in, ” explains Bergqvist. “The beds are three meters wide by two meters long, and can fit at least four at one time.”

National Gallery of Canada

Position

National Gallery (美术馆) of Canada  

380 Sussex Drive (大道) 

P.O. Box 427, Station A  

Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1N 9N4

Telephone: 613-990-1985 or 1-800-319-ARTS

Fax: 613-993-4385

Directions

      From Highway 417, take the Metcalfe exit (出口). Follow Metcalfe Street around the Museum of Nature and continue to the north until you reach the end of the street at Wellington. You will see Parliament Hill. Turn right onto Wellington Street and continue in the left-

-hand road until you reach Sussex Drive. As you approach Sussex Drive, you will see the Chateau Laurier hotel on your left-hand side. Make a left turn onto Sussex Drive and continue until you see the Gallery on your left-hand side, at the corner of St. Patrick and Sussex. The Gallery is a large glass building with two towers. Just beyond the St. Patrick / Sussex crossroads you will see the entrance to the Gallery’s underground parking. 

Opening Hours 

◆ 1 May — 30 September

Open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, Thursdays to 8 pm.

◆ 1 October — 30 April

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm; Thurs-days until 8 pm. Closed Mondays.

Closed Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and 2 January 2012 (Monday).

Tickets 

$9: Adults

$7: The elderly and full-time students (ID required)

$4: Youth (12-19)  

$18: Family (2 adults, 3 youths)

Free admission for children under 12 and members of the Gallery.

Free admission Thursdays after 5 pm. 

71. Which of the following is the closest to the Gallery? 

72. How many days will the Gallery be closed in January 2012?  

73. If a family of four (two adults and two children) visit the Gallery on Thursday at 6:00 pm, they need to pay ________.   

B

    This past summer I went on a journey to Canada's Arctic with Students On Ice．When I left Calgary I wondered what I would find，what I would learn and who I would meet．On the trip to Ottawa I was wrapped in a blanket of uncertainty and excitement．

    But when I first met the group of students，scientists and expedition leaders，I knew that I didn't have anything to worry about．The group was amazingly harmonious and I was soon part of a big family setting out on an amazing adventure—an adventure of a lifetime！

    When we reached the Arctic I was overwhelmed（震撼）with its vastness and beauty and my senses were repeatedly shocked and amazed．

    I stood on the deck of the Kapitan Khlebnikov and saw countless towering icebergs，twelve polar bears，a few rare ivory gulls（海鸥），and mountainous islands．I flew over large glaciers and stood on the frozen Arctic Ocean where polar bears walk in search of seal holes，

and patiently wait for a meal．

    I learned that polar bears are successful only one out of every twenty hunting attempts．I saw a vast land that appeared untouched and original．

    However，I learned that the Arctic and its inhabitants are being threatened by pollution and global warming．I learned that pollutants are carried by ocean and air and have a negative effect on all Arctic inhabitants．I learned that global warming has put polar bears at risk because a warmer climate means that they have a shorter time to hunt seals on the ice．

    The trip was a feast for the senses．I have learned more about our environment，and particularly how alive and interesting the Arctic is and why it is so important to take care of it．The Arctic deserves to be preserved．My trip with Students On Ice has made me more determined to try to ensure that I do not leave negative or harmful footprints．