Canada is famous for its winter lifestyle, considering the season lasts half the year there. A great example of this is the Quebec Winter Carnival1. The annual festival runs from January 27 to February 12 this year. Quebec is an old city with beautiful historic buildings, and many agree that winter is the best time to visit. The city comes alive in the snow, especially during the winter festival. Visitors to the chilly city can find tons of things to do that will make winter seem like paradise.

　　The Carnival boasts a magical ice palace2 made with 9,000 tons of snow in brick3 form, a legendary canoe4 race on the St. Lawrence River, and two night parades which are complete with colorfully entertaining clowns and floats. Other interesting features include a 122-meter ice slide5, snow rafting6, and a giant, life-sized foosball7 game. There is also a dogsled8 race, a thrilling winter event that runs through six kilometers of the city's streets. With more than 20 teams competing, the dogsled race is noisy, fun, and full of great cheer. Even better, artists from around the world come to compete in the snow sculpture competition. It is amazing how these artists can bring snow to life. The Quebec Winter Carnival has everything for the whole family and more. It is without a doubt a great way to experience winter at its fullest.

　　What would you do to get to the bottom of something? Would you travel the globe to hunt down every last clue? Would you risk your life to find out the truth? The scholars, archeologists1, and scientists on National Geographic Channel's "Ancient X-Files" do these and more. Each story in this series is a piece of detective2 work. The experts follow clues and put theories to the test in an attempt to explain the unexplained.

　　In "The Holy Grail3" episode, Janice Bennett investigates whether a chalice4 in Spain could be the famous cup used by Jesus Christ. As a Grail researcher, Bennett has come across many fakes in her time. However, this particular chalice is guarded by a brotherhood5 that has sworn to defend it with their lives.

　　Another mystery presented in the same episode is that of the Minotaur's labyrinth6. According to Greek mythology7, the Minotaur was a creature with the head and tail of a bull on the body of a man. It was locked up in a massive labyrinth with no way out. Now a scholar from Oxford University believes he has found its mysterious location.

　　Whistler, British Columbia is a skiing and snowboarding paradise. This resort1 town is surrounded by incredible snowy peaks2 in western Canada's Coast Mountain Range3. It is a huge playground for anyone with skiis or a snowboard. People come from Australia, Europe, and all over the world to enjoy its soft powder4. Located 120 kilometers north of Vancouver, the town of Whistler has a population of less than 10,000 permanent residents, but there are always a lot more people than that visiting.

　　Young people come and stay for weeks, months, years, or longer. When they are not working, they are hitting the perfect conditions on the slopes since Whistler gets an average annual snowfall5 of nearly 11 meters. Even non-skiers know about the town because many events at the 2010 Winter Olympics werestaged in Whistler, which made for a beautiful backdrop6 to all the sporting events. In recent years, Whistler constructed a new gondola7 that runs between two of its biggest mountains. It is over four kilometers in length and the longest unsupported gondola in the world. For winter-lovers, this just adds to all of Whistler's magical attractions..

　　The fruits and vegetables in local supermarkets usually remain unchanged throughout the year. _(1)_ However, it's also clear that the flavors of these out-of-season fruits are lacking in comparison with those of in-season ones.
　　How can the lank, patchy spinach of winter possibly compare to the thick-leaved, juicy spinach of spring and summer? There is even a difference in their nutritional values. _(2)_ The reason for this is that the fruits and vegetables delivered to supermarkets out of season are either shipped from other parts of the world or grown in the artificial conditions of greenhouses. These foods are usually harvested before the produce is suitably ripe, refrigerated, and sometimes zapped with radiation to kill germs before the lengthy transportation process. _(3)_ Foods that have been carried halfway around the world have dullercolors and blander flavors, not to mention insipid textures.
　　Another important factor to consider when choosing seasonal foods is the simple matter of price. _(4)_ Thus, local farmers' markets are great places to buy fruits freshly picked and vegetables straight from the ground. Moreover, prices will reflect the supply and demand of seasonal foods. _(5)_ When figuring out what to cook for dinner, check to make sure it's in season first.

(A) Locally-grown products are often cheaper than imported goods due totransportation costs.
(B) These preservative measures not only harm the foods' natural nutritionalvalues but also have negative impacts on their taste.

　　At the age of 10, Matt Wright wasn't your typical child. Most kids like to play outside and are fascinated with animals, but Wright took this a step further. He collected dangerous animals, including three deadly king brown snakes, kept them in his room, and showed them off to his friends at school. As he got older, he realized he loved the great outdoors, which led him to join the army, work on an oil rig, and even get a helicopter pilot's license. Join National Geographic Channel (NGC) this month for Outback Wrangler and get to know more about thisrough and rugged Australian.
　　Early on, the audience learns that Wright has an affinity for crocodiles. In the wetlands of Australia's Northern Territory, which is home to the largest crocodiles on Earth, Wright and his team must collect 20,000 crocodile eggs in three months. This task is extremely dangerous because they have to descendinto some of the most hazardous places in crocodile territory—the mothers' nests.
　　In another episode, Wright's animal rescue skills are put to the test on the island of Borneo. There, he teams up with a head ranger to trap and relocate a crocodile on a palm oil plantation. While there, he also helps an animal unit relocate a king cobra, one of the world's largest venomous snakes, as well as a group of wild elephants. Working closely with scientists and the authorities, Wright's goal is to create a win-win situation for both animals and humans.

　　Monopoly is one of the most successful board games ever made. More than a billion people have played the game, which is surprising when you consider what it is about. In Monopoly, you buy, sell, and manage property2. The goal is to become richer than everyone else and take all your opponents' money. In fact, it is just like the real world of business. An American woman named Lizzie J. Magie came up with the original game in 1904. Later, a man named Charles Darrow tried to sell his version to a toy company.

　　However, the company rejected Darrow, so he took it upon himself to make 5,000 sets of the game on his own and get them to a department store in time for Christmas. Word about Monopoly being a lot of fun spread, and every set was sold in no time. When the toy company realized their mistake, they arranged to buy the game from Darrow, and the rest is history.

　　Magie's invention was called The Landlord's3 Game. She created it to show how bad it could get when someone controlled too much property. However, most people don't think about that when they are playing. Any Monopoly player will tell you that it is a game that breeds greed. Play for a minute and you will see. Before long, all you will want to do is win, win, win!.

　　Health is wealth. This may be an old saying, but few people would argue with it. _(1)_, many people are now experiencing the newer pains of sitting for long hours in front of computer screens and not being able to keep their health in check. Luckily, technology is going to _(2)_ us to stay healthier and perhaps even happier.
　　The ErgoSensor computer monitor has a special built-in sensor that tells a user _(3)_ he or she is too close, has poor posture, and much more. This high-tech monitor was created by the Dutch company, Philips, in the hope ofimproving users' lives. _(4)_ monitoring computer users' bodies, these screens can make helpful suggestions. Similar to email alerts, the messages pop up in the lower right hand corner of the screen. If the monitor senses the user's head istilted, a message will pop up suggesting the user's neck _(5)_ to avoid injuries. Also, when the user blinks infrequently, it is a sign to the monitor that they are tired. Therefore, a message suggesting a coffee break will appear.
　　The makers are aware that constant corrections could get _(6)_, which is why they designed them in pop-up form. This way, the alerts are easy to get as well as _(7)_ when needed. Technology has come a long way. With theadvancements of the ErgoSensor computer monitor, one has to wonder what's next.

1. (A) Eventually　　(B) Unfortunately　　(C) Immediately　　(D) Efficiently
2. (A) have　　(B) make　　(C) arrange　　(D) enable
3. (A) what　　(B) which　　(C) whether　　(D) wherever