While beach vacations may be a great way to take your mind off work，lakes surrounded by mountains make for an even grander experience．If you are looking for some peace on your vacation，we have some recommendations for you in the Caucasus(高加索)．

Lake Sevan

   Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of Armenia，in the Gegharkunik province．It is the largest lake in Armenia，located6,200ftabove sea level．Along the lake shore，there are various accommodations such as resorts and hotels with plenty of activities to partake in such as windsurfing，swimming and sunbathing．While there，do not forget to visit one of the famous cultural monuments，the Sevanavank Monastery，and it offers a great view of the lake as well．

Lake Paravani

   Lake Paravani，located at6,801ftabove sea level，is in the south of Georgia，near the Javakheti plateau．At this level，altitude sickness can occur and it is a good idea to be prepared to adapt to it properly，or bring medication for altitude sickness．Being a volcanic lake makes for a more interesting experience．The lake is best known for fishing．Do not come home during the winter months when the lake freezes．

Lake Cildir

   Lake Cildir is located in the Ardahan province，East Turkey，near the borders of Georgia and Armenia．It is the second largest freshwater lake of Eastern Turkey，and many tourists are not aware of this beautiful attraction．Lake Cildir is surrounded by mountains of the Caucasus．The lake freezes during late November．If the winter is not extremely cold，you can try some lake activities like ice skating and ice fishing．

Lake Van

Want help in getting fit and staying healthy? These clever apps do everything for you - except the exercise itself.

◆ Expereal

   Healthy living requires more than exercise and diet. Expereal helps track users' emotional state, which can affect every aspect of their life. The app reminds users to rate their current mood on a simple scale. Over time, the user can have a clear picture of his own emotional change on a graph through the app. The app is free for iOS users.

   https://www.importgenius.com/suppliers/expereal-co-ltd

◆ MyFitnessPal

   MyFitnessPal is not just a healthy living app; it is the most highly recommended one. The app contains a database with over two million food items, including brand names and restaurants. At its core, MyFitnessPal tracks calories. However, it also tracks exercise, water intake, vitamins, nutrients, and measurements. It is free and available for all mobile devices.

   http://www.programmableweb.com/api/myfitnesspal

◆ Fooducate

   Grocery stores should be a source of nutritious foods but confusing ingredients (成分) and misleading labels can make it difficult to choose wisely. Users scan items with the app and every positive and negative feature appears immediately. Fooducate also grades each item to help simplify healthy food shopping. The basic app costs 5 dollars to download, but it is free to upgrade (升级). It is available for Android.

   https://breakingmuscle.com/reviews/tech-review-fooducate-app

◆ Epicurious

   Epieurious is a basic kitchen app with tens of thousands of professional recipes (食谱). Within the app, users can find recipes, save them, and make up a shopping list with the necessary ingredients. Step-by-step recipes make cooking healthier and easier, even on complicated recipes. The app is free and available for Android.

   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/epicurious

 If you’re taking a high school chemistry class, you’re likely to spend some time in your school’s science laboratory. Although the lab work is fun, you have to observe the safety rules if you don’t want to hurt yourself or your lab partner.

 The first rule is to become familiar with your lab assignment(任务) before you start working with it. This means reading everything the teacher has written down and asking questions if you don’t understand an instruction.

 Do not try to work alone. If your partner is absent, let you teacher know so he can assign another student to work with you. And don’t do any other experiments other than what you have been assigned. Keep your hands away from your skin, face, eyes and mouth when you have been working with dangerous chemicals.

 You will be working with fire in the lab with an alcohol lamp(酒精灯). Use gloves when handling hot lab equipment. If you have long hair, pull it back in a ponytail and roll up long sleeves. Don’t put paper, chemicals, lab equipment or any part of your body in the flame.

 When you use a sharp instrument, treat it with care. Do not point it at yourself or any of your fellow classmates during the experiment.

Among the many things that Brisbane (布里斯班), Australia, does really well, the care for kids is the best one. Here is a list of places that will be suitable for your kids.

Swimming pools

Simple way for happiness: mix kids with water. Of course, this is a choice for the hot summer months.

Parks

Free outdoor fun: it’s suitable for kids of all ages. It’s a place for parents to let kids run wild.

The Children’s Art Centre

The Children’s Art Centre has been very popular. Kids’ favorite here is some exhibitions specially designed for children. But we must pay some money.

South Bank Parklands

South Bank Parklands has everything you need to keep kids amused. Take them for a swim at the man-made beach. On weekends, go through the arts market or go to a cheap movie. South Bank Parklands often gives free performances too.

Roma Street Parkland

Close to bus transport, this parkland is easily accessible（可进入的）. It’s ideal (理想的) for kids of all ages. Younger kids can take a trip on the Jelly Bean Express, a1.3 kmtrackless train ride around the parkland. Free entry(进入) and open every day.

The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person’s needs.

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be implied is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.

Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French and Spanish people may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, people in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient’s silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.

No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting(天气预报).

For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints(关节) hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come.

Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting.

Who built St Basil’s Cathedral? When did Big Ben start ticking? And what was Stonehenge used for? Here are some interesting facts about famous landmarks.

R The Golden Gate Bridge

During the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Golden Gate Bridge, so many people walked across it that the middle of the bridge sank over two metres. The bridge designed by Irving Morrow, which was opened in 1937, is actually red, but is called “golden” because gold was discovered in California.

R La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia is a church in Barcelona which was designed by artist Antoní Gaudí. Construction began in 1882, but over 100 years later, it still isn’t finished. The building is being financed by donations.

R Stonehenge

Experts are fairly certain that Stonehenge was built around 4,000 years ago. However, nobody knows what it was used for. Some believe it was a burial ground. Others think it was built to study astronomy, and some are under the impression that it was used as a place to cure sick people.

R Big Ben

Big Ben, which is officially known as  Elizabeth Tower, is the nickname for the Great Bell in the famous clock. The Great Bell, which began functioning in 1859, rings every hour. There are people whose job it is to place coins on the pendulum to correct the weight and keep the clock on time.

R St Basil’s Cathedral

Construction of St Basil’s cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow, was completed in 1561 by the first Czar of Russia—Ivan the Terrible. The building, which was designed by Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, is now a museum.

Basketball Statistician Help Wanted

The Athletic Department is looking for students to help assist staff during the Fall 2016, Winter 2016-17 and Spring 2017 semesters. Students in this position will be keeping live statistics during basketball games. Students must meet all of the following requirements:

 Good computer skills

 Available evenings and weekends

 Knowing basketball rules and statistics

Students interested in working for the Athletic Department should contact the Athletic Coordinator at their respective(各自的) campuses.

TP/SS Athletic Coordinator, Michael Simone,240-567-1308

Rockville Athletic Coordinator, Jorge Zuniga,240-567-7589

 Springfield Athletic Coordinator, Gary Miller,240-567-2273

   Germantown Athletic Coordinator, Gavri Chavan, 240-567-6915

What would it be like to walk on Mars? If you could build the highest building in the world，what would it look like? Do you dream of being the next J. K. Rowling? This summer, you can experience all of these things, and more. All you need is an Internet connection and your imagination.

A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that kids spend an average of 1 hour and 29 minutes online each day. Many kids like to use that time to chat with friends, play games or check e­mails. But the next time you get on the Web, try exploring the world instead. “With the Internet，you can go back 11,000 years in time，or go 11,000 kilometers across the planet.” said Russell, Web search expert of Google. “The whole scope of history and the world is open to you.”

There is a wealth of information to be found online. For example, if your family is going on vacation somewhere, do a quick online search on the area before you even get in the car. “What's the background of the place; what's the history？” says Russell. “I like to tell my kids, ‘Whenever you have a question, whenever you have a doubt, search it out.’”

Ready to launch a virtual journey of your own? Here are a few starting points to get you thinking and to help you on your way. You can invite your parents along for the ride, too. Always ask for permission before downloading programs and software onto your computer. And check with a parent or an adult before visiting any new Web site.

Navigate the world in 3­D with Google Earth. Begin in outer space and zoom (快速移动) into the streets of any city, from Hong Kong to San Francisco. Or visit ancient monuments, watch the changing rainforests over time, and dive underwater to explore tropical reef.

With the Moon in Google Earth tool, you can walk in Neil Armstrong's famous footsteps. Take a guided tour of the moon's surface with Armstrong's fellow shuttle mate astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

When you're exploring that part of the solar system, hop on over to the Red Planet with Google Mars. There, you can move very quickly around the surface and see images from the Mars Rovers.