It's easy to assume that a vacation to Bali will cost a small fortune. There are plenty of accommodations, food and local transportation, and even the spas offer massages and treatments at value prices. However, you can easily spend a week or two in Bali for under $2,000, without having to sleep on the beach. Here are a few things to consider when planning Bali on a budget.
What is the best time to visit Bali on a budget?
If you're on a budget, consider visiting Bali during the lower, wetter season, which runs from October through March. The crowds will be fewer and both hotel rates and flights from abroad are often cheaper, except during the holiday period between mid-December and early January, when crowds swell. The only trade-off for the lower prices is the wet season. This time of year isn't always ideal for sunbathing, and serious rainfall can make outdoor activities, such as whitewater rafting and visiting waterfalls and rice terraces, less than appealing. That said, even during rainy season, it doesn't usually rain all day long. Expect bursts of sunshine between the storms.
What is the cheapest way to get around Bali?
The absolute cheapest way to get around Bali is by local bus, but it can take a long time. There are also tourist buses, including hop-on, hop-off options, that travel between different hubs across the island. Bali is well-served by taxis, both of the car and motorbike variety, and the prices tend to be affordable by international standards. Most drivers will offer you a fixed rate for full-day hires or to get from point A to point B, rather than using a meter.
Remember to bargain; doing so is particularly easy when a driver is on his own rather than at a taxi stand.
How much does food cost in Bali?
If you're into fine dining, you can end up spending a large chunk of your budget on food. Eating at the average restaurant geared towards tourists is the best way to have a meal in Bali on a budget. A good meal should cost you around 100,000 rupiah (around $7), but if you're willing to subsist mostly off of local specialties such as nasi goreng (fried rice) and eat at local restaurants, you can expect to pay around 30,000 rupiah ($2) to get fed. Best of all, most hotels and guesthouses in Bali come with free breakfast, and many offer heavier options of noodles and meat that may keep you full until lunch.
Eliana Yi dreamed of pursuing piano performance in college, never mind that her fingers could barely reach the length of an octave (八度音阶). Unable to fully play many works by Romantic-era composers, including Beethoven and Brahms, she tried anyway—and in her determination to spend hours practicing one of Chopin's compositions which is known for being "stretchy", wound up injuring herself.
"I would just go to pieces," the Southern Methodist University junior recalled. "There were just too many octaves. I wondered whether I was just going to play Bach and Mozart for the rest of my life."
The efforts of SMU keyboard studies chair Carol Leone are changing all that. Twenty years ago, the school became the first major university in the U.S. to incorporate smaller keyboards into its music program, leveling the playing field for Yi and other piano majors.
Yi reflected on the first time she tried one of the smaller keyboards: "I remember being really excited because my hands could actually reach and play all the right notes," she said. Ever since, "I haven't had a single injury, and I can practice as long as I want."
For decades, few questioned the size of the conventional piano. If someone's hand span was less than 8.5 inches—the distance considered ideal to comfortably play an octave—well, that's just how it was.
Those who attempt "stretchy" passages either get used to omitting notes or risk tendon (腱) injury with repeated play. Leone is familiar with such challenges. Born into a family of jazz musicians, she instead favored classical music and pursued piano despite her small hand span and earned a doctorate in musical arts.
A few years after joining SMU's music faculty in 1996, the decorated pianist read an article in Piano and Keyboard magazine about the smaller keyboards. As Leone would later write, the discovery would completely renew her life and career.
In 2000, she received a grant to retrofit a department Steinway to accommodate a smaller keyboard, and the benefits were immediate. In addition to relieving injury caused by overextended fingers, she said, it gave those with smaller spans the ability to play classic compositions taken for granted by larger-handed counterparts.
Smaller keyboards instill many with new confidence. It's not their own limitations that have held them back, they realize; it's the limitations of the instruments themselves. For those devoted to a life of making music, it's as if a cloud has suddenly lifted.
The urgency and importance of Covid-19 over (he past year have driven almost everything else from most leaders' minds. But since the vaccine is kicking in, Britain's government is once again beginning to think about the things that will matter later. Next week, it is expected to publish a "plan for growth" to boost productivity, with innovation at its centre.
The world may be on the point of a technological boom with life sciences, at which Britain excels. Innovation is crucial to productivity, but on this front Britain's performance has lagged behind its competitors' in recent years. Its low spending on Research and Development (R&D) argues for a boost Those who attributed the financial failure in the 1970s to the insufficiency of research funds may regard this as a threat to economic growth. Promoting innovation can quickly (um into an exercise in picking winners - or, as is more often the case, losers.
A second danger is that policy agendas get mixed up. The government has promised to "level up" poorer areas of the country, so deprived towns arc campaigning for more money for their universities. But trying to boost innovation by sending money to weak institutions is likely to make our leading universities lose their advantages, thus producing average ideas that could have been remarkable. Britain's research-funding system has always been elitist(精英主义的). It should stay that way.
The government's first move in boosting innovation was the announcement of a plan for an Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). ARlA's purpose is to fund high-risk, high-reward research. But money is not all that mailers. The successful translation of life science research into treatments during the pandemic suggests some inexpensive measures that can also make a difference.
One is to speed up governmental processes. The rapidity with which Britain's medical regulator moved during the pandemic is one reason why the vaccine roll-out is racing through the population. Urgency is not unique lo pandemics. Getting things done quickly can make an investment worthwhile and determine where a businessman chooses as a base.
Another useful measure the government should use is its unique ability to overcome barriers. At the beginning of the pandemic. Covid-19 researchers were unable to gain access to different strands of health service data. The government eased restrictions on existing data and allowed researchers (o ask people who had tested positive tor Covid-19 to join trials. Both were crucial to the effort.
A last principle is the value of connections between the government and the private sector. Kate Bingham, a venture capitalist who led the vaccine-purchase effort, understood how to deal with drug companies. Many of the civil servants working with her had commercial experience. The governments closeness to business during the pandemic has been criticized. But without it, the vaccine effort would not have succeeded.
Innovation took human beings from caves to computers. Good education, a welcoming immigration policy and a friendly business environment will do most to tend it. But a few sensible principles can help keep the flame burning.
A handshake seems to be a normal gesture. In fact, in the 9th century BC, an ancient site during the ruling of Shalmaneser III clearly shows two figures holding hands. The Iliad, usually dated to the 8th century BC, mentions that two characters "taking each other's hands and expressing their loyalty." Centuries later, Shakespeare once wrote of two characters who shook hands and swore to be brothers in the book As You Like It. Shaking hands seems to be an ancient custom whose roots have disappeared in the sands of time.
Historians who have studied ancient etiquette (礼仪) books note that the modem handshake did not appear until the middle of the 19th century, when it was considered a slightly inappropriate gesture that could only be used between friends. But what if Shakespeare had written about handshaking hundreds of years earlier?
According to author Torbjdm Lundmark in his Tales of Hi and Bye: Greeting and Parting Rituals Around the World. the problem comes in differing definitions of the handshake. The early handshakes mentioned above were part of making deals or peace; King Shalmaneser III referred to a rebellion in which he signed a treaty with the King of Babylon. In the Iliad, Diomedes and Glaucus shook hands when they realized they were guest-friends, and Diomedes declared: 66Lefs not try to kill each other." Shakespeare was similarly referencing settlement of a conflict.
The modern handshake as a form of greeting is harder to trace. As a Dutch sociologist Herman Roodenburg — the chief authority for the history of handshaking ——wrote in a chapter of an anthology called A Cultural History of Gesture, "More than in any other field, that of the study of gesture is one in which the historian has to make the most of only a few clues".
One of the earliest clues he cites is a 16th-century German translation of the French writer Rabelais's Gargantua and Pantagruel. When one character meets Gargantua, Rabelais writes, "He was greeted by countless hugs and countless good days." But according to Roodenburg, the 16th-century German translation added references to shaking hands.
A popular saying suggests that Cleland's statements against bowing were actually a wish to go back to a potentially traditional method of greeting in Europe. As the centuries progressed, handshaking was replaced by more hierarchical （等级的）ways of greeting - like bowing. According to Roodenburg, handshaking survived in a few remote places, like in Dutch towns where some would use the gesture to make peace after disagreements. Around the same time, those who valued equality also made use of handshaking. Then, as the Continent's hierarchy was weakened, handshaking became a common practice among people of the same rank, as it is today.
Across Asia many people have just witnessed the natural wonder that is a total solar eclipse.
This week's total eclipse could be seen in eastern India before slowly moving across Burma, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Japan, and the Pacific Ocean. Yesterday, when it reached eastern China, people flocked (聚集)into the streets to witness the astronomical wonder.
As daylight disappeared and the sky quickly darkened. Cities such as Shanghai were plunged into (陷入) darkness during what is thought to be the longest total eclipse of the 21st century. It lasted 6 minutes and 39 seconds.
Total solar eclipses of such a long duration are very rare events. Shao Zhenyi, an astronomer at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory in China explained: "We'll have to wait a few hundred years for another opportunity to observe a solar eclipse that lasts this long? so it's a very special opportunity. ‘‘
But while millions celebrate this phenomenon, it should be remembered that total eclipses have not always been such treasured events. Many cultures traditionally believed that a total eclipse was a bad omen (凶兆) or a supernatural event. Others believed that the eclipse signified oncoming disasters. Nowadays it appears that these fears and superstitions(迷信)are long forgotten. As daylight once again flooded Asian cities such as Shanghai, whoops and cheers could be heard among the gathered crowds.
Reflecting on what had just happened, one Shanghai resident described the eclipse as "eerie"(怪诞的), while another said "It's like magic, the day turns into night in such a short period of time. I have no idea where I am right now. .
A. It feels like a different world.
B. They happen but once in a lifetime.
C. Those watching were left far from disappointed.
D. Some believed that evil gods were eating the Sun.
E. People were frightened by the sudden darkness.
F. Some people thought it was a natural wonder.
G. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth line up in such a way that our view of the Sun is totally hidden by the Moon.
Girls are better at reading and writing than boys as early as fourth grade, according to a study, and the gap continues to widen until senior year.
Scientists generally agree that boys and girls are psychologically more alike than they are different. But reading seems to be a(n) 1 , with growing evidence suggesting a similar 2 in writing. The study, published in the journal American Psychologist, provided further 3 to support this view.
David Reilly, lead author of the study, said the study 4 the commonly held view that boys and girls start grade school with the same cognitive abilities. "It appears that the gender gap for writing tasks has been greatly 5 , and despite our best efforts with changes in teaching methods, that does not appear to be 6 over time, he said.
Factors explaining the results could include learning 7 being more prevalent among boys; the pressure to conform to masculine ideals and the idea of reading and language being 8 ; and slight differences in how boys and girls use their brain hemispheres (半球), the authors believe.
To investigate how 9 levels differed between boys and girls in the U.S., the team studied data collected over three decades in the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This database of test scores on over 3 million students in the fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades 10 national and state performances in a range of subjects, and considered such variables such as disabilities or whether children were English learners. Reading and writing was 11 according to children's understanding of a range of different passages and genres.
12 , girls were found to perform significantly better in reading and writing tests by fourth grade when compared with boys of the same age. As children progressed to eighth and twelfth grades, girls continued to 13 boys, but the difference was more noticeable in writing than reading. But what caused this difference in abilities? Evidence suggests 14 problems, such as being disruptive in class or being aggressive could be linked to neurological conditions. What is known as lateralization (偏侧化) could also play a role. Boys are believed to use one hemisphere when reading or writing, while girls appear to use both. The data did not, however, provide evidence to argue 15 the two genders having different learning styles.
Liangzhu Museum displays various burial objects found in the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City,a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins have gained worldwide recognition evidence for the existence of at least 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.
When Zhang Han set foot inside Liangzhu Museum, the 10-year-old embarked on a tour that took him back more than 5,000 years. Wearing the smart glasses,Zhang (present) with virtual images of relics. Augmented reality glasses feature among a string of measures taken by the museum to give visitors a more vivid experience of Liangzhu civilization, while (help) them gain a better appreciation of Chinese culture.
Tourists can also visit the official website of Liangzhu Museum to enjoy a virtual tour. With click of the mouse, they can gain access to exhibition halls that they may never be able to visit （physical).
(advance) technologies are increasingly playing a major role in Chinese museums. In the northwestern Chinese city of Dunhuang, is known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mogao Grottoes, the "digital Dunhuang project" has made extensive use of digitalization. By the end of 2021, it(complete) the digital collection of 268 grottoes, the image processing of 164 grottoes, and so on.
The protection and(revive) of Dunhuang's ancient culture is not an isolated case in China. The Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi province also have 3D "digital archives"， which allow precious cultural relics and historical archives（preserve) permanently.
When my husband Randy died in late fall, deciding what to do with his garden was way down on the list of necessary tasks. During the first few months, I cried with our daughters, planned a memorial, cried with my family, celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving, and panicked over not having bought Christmas presents.
As the calendar turned to a new year, the often rainy days and long nights deepened my sorrow. I found myself exhausted at the end of February, both physically and mentally.
Then the daffodils bloomed (开花) in the garden.
Years before, Randy had planted dozens of these lemon-yellow flowers. To him, they served as a reminder of hope, a promise that light and warmth would soon replace cold and dark. Looking at those daffodils, I thought about how Randy had considered our garden a living work of art, carefully choosing plants so we'd see new blooms every month.
Then I noticed all the weeds that had taken root and spread everywhere. The neglect (疏于打理) showed, for Randy's illness had lasted a couple of years, a time when he didn't have energy for yard work the way he had before.
Faced with the neglected garden, I felt overwhelmed in the beginning. My daughters suggested I hire a service to clean everything up. I didn't respond.
Every time I sat in the garden alone, the memories of the lively garden came flooding, like the numerous scenes in an unforgettable film. Many days Randy came home from work, changed into old clothes, and headed out the door to mow or prune (修剪). Orange dragonflies followed him around the yard as he worked. Honeybees buzzed among the flowers, birds sang beautiful songs, and gentle breezes carried the sweet smell of dirt. No matter how cold or wet it was, the fresh air and physical activity made him energized and refreshed. For Randy, the work was quiet and comforting, which was a relief, as well as a pleasure.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Para.1:
The days grew warmer and lighter, and I started the work myself.
Para.2:
Weeks later, my daughters returned to visit me.
