【推荐1】Paris is one of the most-visited destinations in the world. There are lots to explore and there’s delicious food on every corner. A relaxing trip to Paris takes a little bit of planning. Here are some tips for you to make your trip smooth.

Planning your trip

Have a valid (有效的) passport for international travel. A passport costs $110 and takes 6~8 weeks to arrive after you apply.

Booking Flights

The cheapest period to fly is during the spring time, especially if you can leave on the first three days of the week. You’ll save even more money by booking around 100 days in advance. In the summer months, tickets will be more expensive no matter when you book.

Enjoying Your Time

·Visit the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower is the most recognizable symbol of Paris. To avoid the crowds, go to the Eiffel Tower early in the morning. It costs€25to go to the top, or€10 to climb to the first 2 levels on foot.

·See the Notre Dame Cathedral.

At present, the Notre Dame Cathedral is not accessible to tourists due to the fire that ruined parts of the cathedral. However, you can still visit the outside of the cathedral.

·Go to the Louvre to world-famous art.

The Louvre hosts the Mona Lisa along with 35,000 other pieces of art. If you’re pressed for time, visit the highlights. The Louvre costs€15at the museum or €17 in advance (to skip most of the line).

·Take a day trip to Versailles.

If you have a day to spare, head to the palace of Versailles, around 14 miles southwest of the city. Take a tour to see King Louis XVI’s palace and gardens. It costs€20 to visit the palace and grounds.

【推荐3】Pizza Inn

Pizza Inn is a pizza restaurant chain that specializes in American-style pan pizzas. Pizza Inn prices are similar to other large pizza chains except for the fact that they only offer pizzas in medium and large sizes. Pizza Inn offers pizzas in 4 different crusts （酥皮）：Thin Crust, New York Pan, Italian Crust and Triple Cheesy Stuffed Crust. The restaurant also offers other kinds of typical Italian food.

Freddy's

Freddy's is a fast casual restaurant chain that specializes in various sandwiches and burgers as well as frozen custard （蛋奶沙司）. Freddy's prices are about averages . Besides frozen custard, Freddy's also has a few varieties of beef and chicken burgers and sandwiches . They also have 3 different hot dogs: regular, Chicago-style and chili cheese .

A & W

A & W is a fast-food restaurant chain that is known for their own brand of root beer. A & W prices are competitive with the rest of the fast-food industry. Although A & W sells burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and frozen treats, most people go there for their famous root beer.

Hopdoddy

Hopdoddy is a fast casual chain specializing in burger and beer combinations. Their burgers are advertised as being made from the freshest ingredients （食材）. Hopdoddy prices are higher than those of an average fast-food burger shop. Part of that is simply because of the quality of ingredients used to create the food. Although they are mainly known for their burgers, they also offer various other things such as salads, sides and milkshakes .

【推荐1】Even though people have been paralyzed (瘫痪的) playing sports like rugby and football, extreme sports take the whole ordeal (磨难) to the next level. Sports like downhill cycling are very dangerous because one would be going downhill, over rocky or dirt zone, through forests, even at potentially deadly speeds. A slip up could be your downfall.

Nobody who gets into extreme sports goes with the desire to do harm to themselves. With that, athletes train for years and years before they attempt anything extreme. To most people, extreme sports are extreme simply because they take more skill than what an average person has. An athlete with skill and training makes an extreme thing become a daily routine, which does not wipe out the danger, but greatly reduces it.

Even when there is a lot of skill involved, things might not go the athlete’s way, not at all. Luck and circumstances have a lot to do with how things develop, whether above 8,000 meters or in a wood, going downhill. In some places, crossing the street is an extreme sport, considering how wild traffic can get.

Some view parkour, the sports of running, jumping and climbing under, around and through buildings, as an extreme sport, while it is more of a life philosophy, where the athlete does not have to do anything remotely dangerous. Free soloing, which means climbing a rock or ice face without safety gear, is absolutely deadly, where one slip means almost certain death, depending on the height, of course. Skateboarding is relatively safe, but if you constantly find ridiculous places to practice on, like the fence of a bridge, then things can get very complicated. The extreme part depends on the athlete.

To summarize, yes, extreme sports are dangerous, but the danger depends on the athlete, their choice of sport, direction in which they take it, as well as the circumstances. Some things are out of our control, while others we can influence through exercise and healthier risk choices.

【推荐2】These days, more and more people go to the gym to work out. But with so many gyms out there, how do you know which one is the right one for you? We find some information about the best gyms in New York City so you can have a better idea of what each gym offers.

New York Sports Club

Initiation Fees: Neighborhood membership, $49.99; Passport membership, $49.99.

Membership Costs: Neighborhood membership, $44.99 a month; Passport membership, $ 99.99 a month.

Additional Fees: Neighborhood membership, $49.99 a year; Passport membership, S 49.99 a year.

Locations: Locations in all five boroughs.

Classes: Studio classes, athletic conditioning, boxing, kickboxing and yoga.

Planet Fitness

Initiation Fees (入会费): Regular membership, $5; Black Card membership, no initiation fee. Membership Costs: Regular membership is $10 a month and includes free fitness training and free wifi. Black Card membership is $ 22.99 a month and includes access to all Planet Fitness locations, free fitness training, free wifi, half-priced cooler drinks and worldwide travel deals.

Additional Fees: $39 membership fee a year.

Locations: Locations in all five boroughs (区).

Classes: None.

Chelsea Piers

Initiation Fees: Call to request.

Membership Costs: For a specific gym, varies by location.

Locations: Chelsea and Brooklyn.

Classes: Strength and conditioning, cycling and yoga.

24 Hour Fitness

Initiation Fees: $0 on select memberships.

Membership Costs: $79.99 for Ultra Sport.

Locations: Midtown and Madison Square Park.

Classes: Studio classes, free weights, group cycling and personal training.

【推荐3】Much-loved 100-Word-Story Competition

Our much-loved 100-Word-Story Competition is back! Enter for the chance to win prizes of up to₤ 1,000.

Rules and prizes

Please ensure that submissions are original, not previously published and exactly 100 words long(not including title). Don’t forget to include your full name, address, email and phone number when filling in the form. We may use entries in all print and electronic media.

Terms and conditions:

There are three categories—one for adults and two categories for schools (one for children aged12-18 and one for children under 12).

● In the adults category, the winner will receive £ 1,000 and one runner-up will receive £250.

● In the 12-18s category, the winner will receive a £200 book voucher (代金券) or a Kindle Paperwhite and a ₤ 100 book voucher for their school, and the runner-up will receive a £100 book voucher.

● In the under-12 category, the winner will receive a £100 book voucher or a Kindle Paperwhite and a £50 book voucher for their school, and the runner-up will receive a £50 book voucher.

Please submit your stories by 5 pm on January 5, 2024 either online or by post addressed to:

Reader’s Digest

00 Word Story Competition

Warmers Group Publications

West Street, Bourne

PE10 9PH

The editorial team will pick a shortlist of entries, and the three best stories in each category will be posted online at readersdigest.co.uk on February 1, 2024. You can vote you’re your favourite, and the one with the most votes will win the top prize. Voting will close on February 29,2024 and the winning entries will be published in our May 2024 issue, and posted online on April 16, 2024.