The Universal Studios (环球影城) Beijing theme park opened its doors in early September and I got the chance to visit!

As a fan of the Harry Potter books, I went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I wanted to see a life-size Hogwarts (霍格沃兹). 【小题1】 I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The castle, which is built on a small hill, is huge and tall. There is also a Hogsmeade town (霍格莫德镇), with all the shops from the books.

I rode the roller coaster (过山车), called Flight of the Hippogriff (鹰头马身有翼兽). It wasn’t too fast or scary. 【小题2】

I also enjoyed the Forbidden Journey (禁忌之旅) of Harry Potter, which took me into Hogwarts and let me see many famous parts of the story. 【小题3】 We flew high up into the air together and went up to see the top of Hogwarts. Then, suddenly, we flew toward the Forbidden Forest. 【小题4】 Finally, we returned to the Great Hall of Gryffindor and won the house cup! I was both proud and relaxed. 【小题5】

Besides this, I also went to areas with other movie themes. What a fantastic trip! Hope you all get a chance to visit the Universal Studios Beijing theme park!

Why is it that the people you meet when backpacking (背包旅行) seem to be more interesting and outgoing than your friends at home? That’s my experience, anyway. Very often, you’ll meet people that are fun to travel with and worth getting to know. I’ve spent time with people of many countries and have found out some interesting things about their cultures. It’s a great way to learn more about the world.

It’s often easy to make new friends while you’re traveling, and you’ll be able to hang around with them for a few days, until one of you leaves for the next exciting place. Relationships of this kind are shorter but can be just as strong as friendships back home, because you do so much together in that short time. I often find I like to share things about myself that I’d never say to my close friends. It is safe, I think, because we probably won’t meet again, except online.

One thing that’s important when you’re backpacking is to make sure you carry only basic needs, so your backpack isn’t too heavy. I travel “light” these days. One good tip someone gave me is to take old clothes and just throw them away when you move on, instead of washing and waiting for things to dry. Many hostels (小旅社) don’t provide shampoo and shower gel. You can get mini bottles in supermarkets.

I’ve discovered that many backpackers visit little places other tourists don’t go to, and by using local shops and guest houses, they help those places with much-needed financial (经济上的) support. Most small guest houses allow you to stay for unlimited time, so you can spend as long as you like exploring the local area. Backpackers are also kinder to the environment, because they use trains and buses rather than cars. So, what are you waiting for?

(By Andy Robinson)

Finally, in March of 1703, the Adventure set sail for India. The winds were good until we got near Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa. Then a strong wind began to blow. We were trapped in the wind for twenty days. After many hours, the wind finally stopped and the sea became quieter. The storm had blown the Adventure hundreds of kilometers to the east.

“Where are we?” I asked the captain(船长).

“I can’t tell for sure.” He said, “we are running out of water. We must reach land soon to fill our water barrels(桶).” Many days passed and we saw nothing but the sea. One morning, before everyone died of thirst, a sailor cried out, “Land!” Everyone on the ship was silent for a second. And quickly the ship sailed closer to the land. The sailors suddenly became turnultuous and all cheered.

“You men,” said the captain to the sailors, “take the rowboats(划艇) and go. Fill the water barrels with fresh water.”

“Captain,” I said, “may I go with them to take a look at this place?”

“Of course,” he replied. “You can tell me later what it is like.”

When the rowboats reached the coast, one of the sailors said, “we will have to walk along the coast to look for fresh water.”

“I’m going to take a little walk,” I told them. “I will meet you back here in an hour.”

I walked about a kilometer, enjoying being on land again. Then I turned and walked back to meet the sailors.

When I arrived on the beach, the sailors were not there. They were in the rowboats, rowing as fast as they could toward the Adventure. I was going to shout out to them when I saw a very huge man walking through the sea. I was trying to catch up with the rowboats. The sailors were almost at the ship, and I could see that the huge man would not be able to catch them. Instead, it was coming towards me. Great fear went through my mind.