【推荐1】Chicago Children’s Museum

This museum offers plenty of fun activities for kids. However, this is one of the few Chicago museums not “fun for the whole family” as adults and older kids will be bored to tears.

Address: 700 East Grand Ave. (Navy Pier), Chicago

Phone: 312-527-1000

Public transportation:

CTA bus lines #29 (State Street), #65 (Grand Avenue), and the # 66 (Chicago Avenue) all serve Navy Pier.

Parking rates:

* Monday through Thursday: $20

* Friday through Sunday: $24

* Holidays: $24

Hours:

* Monday through Friday: 10 a. m. —5 p. m.

* Saturday and Sunday: 10 a. m. —8 p. m.

Entrance fees:

* Adults: $12

* Children: $12

* Seniors (65+); $11

* Children (under 5): free

Activities:

Located on one of Chicago’s top tourist attractions, Navy Pier, the museum offers three floors of activities for kids, including:

* Play It Safe—all about home safety

* Inventing Lab—provides parts and instructions for creating things

* Kids Town—a playroom recreating a Chicago neighborhood where kids can pretend to do things like shopping for groceries and driving a CTA bus

* Climbing Schooner—a three-floor climbing building

* My Museum—kids get to create various art projects that are “all about me”

* Skyline—learn about skyscrapers (摩天大楼) and design your own

* Treehouse Trails-a play area designed like a forest

* Waterways—water activities showing how pumps and dams work

1. Who is the museum mainly designed for?

A．Adults.

B．Old kids.

C．Young kids.

D．The whole family.

2. How much will parents with a kid (6) and a grandfather (69) pay if they drive to the museum on Saturday?

A．$36.

B．$ 47.

C．$59.

D．$ 71.

3. Which activity is suitable for a kid who is fond of artworks?

A．Waterways.

B．My Museum.

C．Play it safe.

D．Inventing Lab.

【推荐3】The Adventure Guides Program
New Member Information for the Adventure Guides Program ( for children aged 4—12)
What Is the Adventure Guides Program All about?
The objectives of the program are:
● Fostering companionship and setting foundation for positive, lifelong relationships between parent and child
● Increased understanding of one another
● Expanded awareness of spirit, mind and body
● Great memories
● Fun!!!
Parent and Child Will Be Joining…
The nationwide affilicated(隶属的) program sponsored by local YMCA’s and part of the National Council of YMCA’s
A smaller group of families called a “circle”
What Is the Time Commitment?
● Program runs from October to May (ending with the Memorial Day Parade)
● One “circle” activity per month ( one circle decides on fees and dates)
Additional all participant activities (scheduled by Wilton Family Y) —additional fees and registration required.
Outing Dates: To Be Announced
What Do I Do Now?
● Registration is on-going. Registration forms are available online under “Registration”.
● You will be notified by the Wilton Family Y of which “circle” you and your child are in and who your “circle” leader is.
● You will be notified by your “circle” leader as to when your first parent/child “circle” meeting will take place.
Fees:
Participant: Full Child or Family member $110.00 / Program member $200.00
Sibling: Full child or Family member $75.00 / Program member $150.00
Adult: Family member FREE / Program member $125.00
Wilton Family Y Contact Information:
Geoff Malyszka Teen Director 762-8384 ext.224
E-mail: gmalyszka@wiltonymca. org
Kim Murphy Early Childhood Ed. Director762-8384 ext.214
E-mail: kmurphy@wiltonymca. org
1. Which of the following is true about “circle”?

A．You and your children will make up a “circle”.

B．A “circle” activity will be held once a month.

C．You have the right of choosing your “circle” leader.

D．You are free to choose to become a member of a “circle”.

2. What information can you get from the passage？

A．There is no extra fees for additional all participant activities.

B．The program will be held only in October and May

C．You can register just by making a call to 762-8384 ext. 224.

D．It has not been decided yet when you will go out.

3. The passage is mainly written for _____.

A．parents and their children

B．adventurous travelers

C．international students

D．children with bad memories

【推荐1】Welcome to Los Angeles. Here are some best things to do in Los Angeles with your kids.

Fun at the Beach

Thanks to its almost perfect weather all through the year, a visit to the beach is one of the best things to do when in Los Angeles with kids. While they enjoy themselves nearby, you can simply relax and have a good rest in the sun.

Trip to Disneyland

A trip to the City of Angels with your little angels is incomplete without a visit to the Magic Kingdom. The joy they'll feel from being around all those Disney characters will light up your clay, too.

Visit to the Museum

If you want to turn your stay in Los Angeles into an educational one for your kids, you should visit the museums. Starting with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, or the California Science Center, or even the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena, you have many choices. A visit to al! these places will make your kids feel smarter.

Visit to the Universal Studios Hollywood

Your kids could get to see interesting things from some of the most popular movies ever. From the theme park of Jurassic Park to Wisteria Lane from the TV play Desperate Housewives, the Universal Studios Hollywood is a place that we- all find wonderful.

1. Who is the passage probably written for?

A．Those who will go on a business trip to Los Angeles.

B．Those who plan to have a trip to Los Angeles with their kids.

C．Those who want to educate their children by travelling abroad.

D．Those who are interested in the history and culture of Los Angeles.

2. Parents who prefer their kids to learn should choose ________.

A．the Universal Studios Hollywood	B．the Magic Kingdom
C．the museums	D．the beach

3. Why does the writer suggest visiting the beach?

A．Because children can learn a lot.

B．Because parents can take a rest there.

C．Because it provides different sports equipment.

D．Because it's the best beach in the world.

【推荐2】China is one of the world’s ancient civilizations and has the earliest outstanding bronze casting (青铜冶铸) technology. Here we’ve created a list of 4 museums where you can gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese bronze.

Sanxingdui Museum Address: Sanxingdui Ruin Site, 133 Xiangxin Road, Guanghan, Deyang, Sichuan province Hours: Comprehensive Gallery (the first exhibition hall): 8: 30-18: 00;Bronze Gallery (the second exhibition hall): 8: 30-18: 30.(no entry after 17: 00). Closed Mondays Ticket booking: 0838-5651526 General admission: Gallery ticket 80 yuan Note: Children shorter than 1.2m (including 1.2m ) can visit the gallery free of charge. The ticket must be used on the day it is sold.

National Museum of China Address: East side of Tian’ anmen Square, Dongcheng district, Beijing Hours: 8: 30-17: 00(no entry after 16: 30) General admission: Free (passport required for entry). Closed Mondays (except for national holidays) E-mail: webmaster@chnmuseum.cn

Shanghai Museum Address: 201 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu district, Shanghai Hours: 9: 00-17: 00(no entry after 16: 00). Closed on the morning of Chinese New Year’s Eve E-mail: webmaster@shanghai-museum.org General admission: Free(a max of 8,000 admitted daily).

Hunan Museum Address: 50 Dongfeng Road, Changsha, Hunan province Hours: 9: 00-17: 00(no entry after 16: 00). Closed Mondays (except for national holidays) and the eve of Chinese New Year Tel: (+86-731) 84415833,84475933 E-mail: web@hnmuseum.com General admission: Free(passport required for entry).

For more information, click here.
1. Which museum should you choose for your family to visit next Monday?

A．Shanghai Museum.	B．Hunan Museum.
C．Sanxingdui Museum.	D．National Museum of China.

2. What do Hunan Museum and National Museum of China in this passage have in common?

A．They are free to children under 12.	B．They close on national holidays.
C．They can be reserved through e-mail.	D．They need a passport for entry.

3. Where is the text probably come from?

A．A website.

B．A newspaper.

C．A travel journal.

D．A history book.

【推荐1】Nearly a quarter century after a German boy threw a message in a bottle off a ship in the Baltic Sea, he's received an answer.
A 13­year­old Russian, Daniil Korotkikh, was walking with his parents on a beach when he saw something lying in the sand.
“I saw that bottle and it looked interesting, ” Korotkikh told The Associated Press on Tuesday.“It looked like a German beer bottle and there was a message inside.”
It said, “My name is Frank, and I'm five years old.My dad and I are travelling on a ship to Denmark.If you find this letter, please write back to me, and I will write back to you.” The letter, dated 1987, included an address in the town of Coesfeld.
The boy in the letter, Frank Uesbeck, is now 29.His parents still live at the letter's address.
The Russian boy and the German man met each other earlier this month through an Internet video link.The Russian boy said he did not believe that the bottle actually spent 24 years in the sea.He believed it had been hidden under the sand where he found it for a long time.
Uesbeck was especially happy that he was able to have a positive effect on a life of a young person far away from Germany.“It's really a wonderful story, ” he said.“And who knows? Perhaps one day we will actually be able to arrange a meeting in person.”
1. What is this passage mainly about?

A．Message in a bottle.	B．A beautiful beer bottle.
C．Travelling on a ship.	D．Meeting an old friend.

2. When the German boy threw the bottle into the sea, ________．

A．he was going back home

B．he was already 29 years old

C．he was walking with his parents on a beach

D．he was travelling to Denmark by ship with his dad

3. According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Korotkikh's parents still live in the town of Coesfeld.

B．The German boy did not believe that the bottle actually spent 24 years in the sea.

C．Frank Uesbeck and Daniil Korotkikh have met each other in person.

D．Daniil Korotkikh and Frank Uesbeck have got in touch with each other.

4. Why was Uesbeck very happy when he got the information of the 24 years' message bottle?

A．Because he could have a new friend.

B．Because the two boys could surf the Internet together.

C．Because he finally got what he had lost.

D．Because he could have a positive influence on a life of a young person.

【推荐3】Last summer, Katie Steller stopped at a traffic light, where a man was sitting with a sign asking for help. She rolled down her car window. “Hey” She shouted. “I’m driving around giving free haircuts. If I go grab my chair, do you want one right now?” “No problem.” he said. “I’ll be right back.” Steller said. She drove off, went to the salon she owns, and loaded a red chair into her car. Then she drove back. The man, named Edward, took a seat, and she cut his curly graying hair. After Steller was done, Edward looked in a mirror. “I look good!” he said.

To date, Steller has given 30 or so such haircuts to people around the city. These clients are all living on the margins, and she is fully aware of the power of her cleanup job. “It’s more than a haircut.” she says. “I want it to be a gateway, to show value and respect, but also to get to know people. I want to build relationships.”

Steller knows that a haircut can change a life. One changed hers: as a teen, she suffered from a disease called ulcerative colitis (淡疡性结肠炎) that was so severe and her hair thinned suddenly. Seeing this, her mother arranged for Steller’s first professional haircut. “To sit down and have somebody talk to me like a person, it helped me feel cared about.” she says. After that, Steller knew she wanted to have her own salon so she could help people feel the way she’d felt that day. Not long after finishing cosmetology school in 2009, she began what she now calls her Red Chair Project.

Steller listens to people’s stories of loss, addiction, and struggle to get back on their feet. The attention apparently works. When she was cutting a woman’s hair one day, someone drove by and yelled, “You look amazing!”

The woman in the chair smiled very happily. “I’m not unnoticed.” she exclaimed. “Look, people see me!” “The way you show up in the world matters.” says Steller. You have no idea what people are going to do with the kindness that you give them.

1. Steller gives haircuts to those who ________.

A．live on a farm

B．live in the countryside

C．live on the margins of the city

D．live in small communities

2. What inspired Steller to start her Red Chair Project?

A．Her generosity to the poor.

B．Her skill of doing hair.

C．Her fear of being alone.

D．Her experience in illness.

3. How did the woman in the chair feel?

A．Confident.

B．Cheerful.

C．Shocked.

D．Shy.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．The Power of Free Cuts.

B．A Successful Salon Owner.

C．Last Summer.

D．The Change of Life.

【推荐1】The cultures of the East and the West are really different from each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two separate ones on the whole.

The origin (起源) of the Eastern culture is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers — the Yellow River in China and the Hindu River in India. They helped the two cultures develop for centuries and form their own styles.

When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture, another famous culture was up on the Mesopotamian Plain — the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two are well-known as the base of the European culture. Like the Chinese culture, the European culture also crossed waters. When the British settled down in America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean. So the American culture doesn’t have much difference from the European culture.

At the same time, some other differences add to the cultural differences. Take the language system for example. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic (象形) language while the western languages are mostly based on the Latin system. Other causes like human race differences count as well. But what’s more, due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and the west, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other.

The differences are everywhere. They are obvious and make people’s ways of thinking and their views of the world different. But different cultures make the world of 21st century more colorful. The cultural difference should not be the obstacle (障碍) to the civilization of human being. It ought to be the driving force of our going farther.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A．The origin of cultures.	B．Culture differences.
C．Language systems.	D．Colorful world.

2. Why is the American culture similar to the European culture?

A．Both of the two cultures have a very long history.

B．They have the same mother rivers as the Chinese culture.

C．The early settlers from Britain brought their culture to America.

D．Both the British and the American live along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “interference” in paragraph4?

A．difference	B．influence
C．confidence	D．environment

4. Where is the passage most likely from?

A．A diary.	B．A magazine.
C．A novel.	D．A guidebook.

【推荐2】During a small earthquake, you will feel a little   shaking. Pictures hanging on the walls might move back and forth. Dishes might rattle (发出响声) inside the kitchen cabinet. A lamp might possibly fall and break.

In a very strong earthquake, you   might be thrown   upward   or down   to   the   ground. Cracks might appear in the   ground.   Windows might be broken.   Buildings and bridges might fall down. People might be injured or even killed.

Strong earthquakes often suddenly break electric wires. That means electric lights and machines will not work. Water pipes sometimes break, so people have no water to drink. Pipes that carry natural gas and tanks that hold petrol and dangerous chemicals can break and start fires.

Aftershocks (余震) are mini­quakes that come after the main part of an earthquake. They can cause even more damage. Aftershocks are especially dangerous for rescue workers who have gone into ruined buildings to help people who are trapped inside. The buildings can collapse,_trapping the rescue workers along with the people they are trying to help.

Very strong earthquakes can cause tsunamis in the ocean, which may bring great damage. Earthquakes can cause landslides where dirt and rocks slide down the sides of a mountain and damage buildings and hurt people. Earthquakes can also cause avalanches (雪崩) and heavy snow slide down a mountainside. An avalanche can be just as dangerous as a landslide.

1. All the following may be the results of a strong earthquake EXCEPT that ________.

A．strong bridges fall down

B．people have no water to drink

C．some dangerous chemicals flow out

D．dishes in the kitchen shake and make sounds

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Aftershocks are not as dangerous as the main part of an earthquake.

B．Aftershocks are even more dangerous than big earthquakes to the rescue workers.

C．Aftershocks always cause more serious harm than the main part of an earthquake.

D．Aftershocks are strong earthquakes following the main part of an earthquake.

3. The underlined word “collapse” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”．

A．fall down

B．shake out

C．set up

D．break through

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．strong earthquakes can cause tsunamis in the river

B．strong earthquakes are caused by the movements of oceans

C．landslides do less damage than strong earthquakes

D．strong earthquakes can cause other big natural disasters

【推荐3】Still seeking a destination for your weekend break? There are some places which are probably a mere wall away from your college.
King’s Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend sees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.
You could attend a class teaching you how to ‘learn from the masters’ or get more creative with paint–free of charge.
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.
The Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.
The multi-branched Torch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss.
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called ‘Hissing Sid’ is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.
Byron’s Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron’s time as a student of Cambridge University. Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of “mess and drunkenness”. However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I’m not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his rooms. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron’s Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don’t trust me, then perhaps you’ll take it from Virginia Woolf, a famous writer,—over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool.
1. The main idea of the passage is ________.

A．interesting stories of Lord Byron

B．an approach to becoming creative in art

C．the colorful life in the countryside

D．some places for weekend break

2. If you are a wildlife enthusiast, you’d better go to ________.

A．Byron’s Pool	B．the Botanic Garden
C．King’s Art Centre	D．Cambridgeshire

3. According to the passage, the following statements are wrong except ________.

A．there is a small charge for attending the masters’ class

B．Byron liked swimming naked in the lake

C．Byron seemed to like keeping pet bears

D．Hissing Sid and Flytrap are impressive animals

4. The author’s purpose in mentioning Virginia Woolf is to show ________.

A．she was a famous writer

B．she was keen on swimming

C．she was Byron’s admirer

D．Byron’s Pool is a pleasant place