【推荐1】Podcasts(播客) may be everywhere. Here we recommend some for you to listen to.

My Parachute (降落伞) Won’t Open!

Skydiving has associated risks. For example, the opening of the parachute will not go according to plan. When Timothy Verissimo looked up, he expected to see a comforting unfolded canopy(顶罩) above him. Instead, the New Zealand high school student saw a mass of chaotic strings. His experience will make your emotions run high.

Tumble

Tumble is a science podcast for kids and can be enjoyed by the entire family. Science is brought to life in this podcast that tells stories about science discoveries with the help of scientists. They answer questions from why cats always seem to land on their feet to what a journey to the center of the earth would look like.

Short and Curly

Aimed at primary school children and their parents, this fun-filled morals podcast talks about subjects such as: Is it fair to punish the whole class? Are some lies actually okay? From banning wrapped sweets to occupying other planets, this podcast helps kids find their way around tricky topics.

Libri Vox

This month we highlight the most important site for free reading material downloads, https://librivox. org , which provides open access to over 15, 000 recordings. The texts are all in the public area and include famous ones such as Treasure Island and Frankenstein.

HOW TO GET PODCASTS

To listen on the web: In a search engine, look up “Libri Vox”, for example, and click on the play button.

To download: Download an app such as Podcatcher or iTunes on your device and simply search by title.

【推荐3】The Best Hotels in Edinburgh Close to the Must-See Sights

Edinburgh is home to some of the best hotels in Scotland. Here are some selected hotels, ranging from iconic five-star institutions to new apartment hotels.

The Balmoral Hotel

For luxury accommodation, the Balmoral hotel offers five-star service and fantastic views of Edinburgh Castle. It is in the city center and features the iconic clock tower. The Balmoral is probably the most famous hotel in the city and is famous for its hospitality. It is also popular with locals for afternoon tea.

Wilde Apart Hotel

Wilde Apart hotel is a modern, stylish hotel. The hotel features well-appointed (设备齐全的) serviced apartments that have fully equipped small kitchens, free WiFi, and car parking nearby. The apartments are ideal for those who are staying in the city for more than a night or two and would like to have a small kitchen to enjoy breakfast or lunch.

The Radisson Collection Hotel

The Radisson Collection Hotel overlooks the iconic Royal Mile. It’s just a short walk from attractions such as Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Park, and it’s within easy reach of local restaurants, shops, bars, and galleries. Everything you will want to see and do in Edinburgh is close to hand, and it’s five minutes from Waverly Train Station and airport links. The hotel’s design is modern.

Scotsman Hotel

Originally built as The Scotsman newspaper offices in 1905, Scotsman Hotel has been carefully restored into nine floors of rooms and suites with commanding views over the city. Located at the top end of North Bridge, the hotel occupies the prime real estate spot (黄金地段) in Edinburgh. Easy access to Waverley Train Station and airport shuttles, the hotel is probably the most well-appointed accommodation in terms of transport links.

We hope you love the Edinburgh hotels we recommend!

【推荐1】Unmissable cultural museums in Cambridge

Set on the east bank of the River Cam, Cambridge is home to some marvellous museums.

The Polar Museum

This small museum is based in the university’s Scott Polar Research Institute, set up by a surviving member of Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica. It’s packed with all manner of objects relating to polar exploration: sleeping bags, Inuit artworks and expedition diaries, as well as Ernest Shackleton’s snow goggles. The museum is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays, please check the latest times before visiting.

The Fitzwilliam Museum

With a globally-wide collection of some half a million artworks and artifacts, the Fitzwilliam Museum is the University of Cambridge’s showpiece museum. Highlights include masterpieces by Titian and Canaletto, Anglo Saxon jewellery and a wide range of priceless Islamic ceramics, just to name a few. There are more than 30 galleries to take in.

Museum of Zoology

Celebrate the diversity of animal life at this university museum, which has some of the best natural history collections in the world. It’s home to impressive exhibits, from an almost 70ft fin whale to an African elephant, the specimens on display cover the whole animal kingdom.

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Dedicating a collection to the history of humanity is an ambitious aim, and pulling the feat off says plenty about this museum. The museum was founded in 1884 by Cambridge academics, and the university’s archaeologists, anthropologists and other researchers have continued to donate treasures over the years. There’s a strong focus on the Cambridge area, with a number of local archaeological finds on display.

【推荐2】A special architect-designer in southern Finland has returned to a lake with a snow shovel (雪铲) to draw a large animal on the ice for the sixth year in a row. On Dec. 4, Pasi Widgren drew a fox (狐狸) that measured about 295 feet on Lake Pitkajarvi, north of Helsinki. In previous years, he used a shovel to draw a bear and a bird always on the same lake.

Widgren has drawn animals on local lakes every winter since 2016 near his home in a village not far from Lahti, a town of around 120,000 people. The drawings disappear when more snow falls. He hopes his artworks will “make people happy and encourage them to go out to hike in beautiful nature.”

The idea for this form of art came “suddenly a couple of years ago when I realized I may have a special ability of coordination (协调) to do this kind of thing myself,” the 40-year-old told the Associated Press.

When he reached Lake Pitkajarvi this month, he tested the thickness of the ice to make sure it was thick enough to walk and work on. At 4-6 inches thick, it was.

“Of course, I had ice awls (冰锥) with me, around my neck,” in case the ice cracked and he had to save himself, Widgren said.

“Then I drew the contours (轮廓) of the figure by walking and thinking at the same time so it matched my image of a fox and then I started to ‘draw’ using the snow shovel,” he explained.

Four hours later, Widgren was done.

“I walked to the top of the hills” about 150 feet above the lake “to look at the result, drank coffee and took some photos and videos as a memory of doing this.”

The fox was less visible by Monday because it had snowed a little. “It’s also very important to me that making this kind of art doesn’t leave any marks on nature,” Widgren said.

【推荐3】Best Four Washington, D.C. Museums

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

ADDRESS: 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, the USA

PHONE: +1202-633-1000

This museum is the most popular Washington, D.C. museum and is worth taking your parents and children to visit. And there are so many artifacts(手工艺品) that you can’t possibly see them all in one visit. The dinosaur exhibits are fascinating and great for kids.

Visiting Tips: Arrive early in the morning to avoid crowds. If you are visiting with kids, be sure to see the Discovery Room where there are lots of hands—on activities.

Newseum

ADDRESS: 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001, the USA

PHONE: +1202-292-6100

The six-level, high-tech and interactive attraction traces(追溯) the history of news reporting from the 16th century to the present day. Some favorite exhibits are the Pulitzer Prize Photo Gallery, Today’s Front Pages and the 9/11 Gallery. This is a fascinating attraction and well worth the entrance fee(费用).

National Gallery of Art

ADDRESS: Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565, the USA

PHONE: +1202-737-4215

This museum spans(跨越) two buildings, with an East and West Wing and countless priceless artworks from Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, John Singleton Copley, Johannes Vermeer, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and more famous artists. Check out the schedule of daily, free docent(讲解员)-led tours here.

The Phillips Collection

ADDRESS: 1600 21st St NW, Washington, DC 20009, the USA

PHONE: +1202-387-2151

Dupont Circle’s The Phillips Collection is not to be missed for art lovers, with pieces by Paul C zanne, Edgar Degas, Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh. Tickets run from $8 to $12 per visitor, and visitors aged 18 and under are free. The first Thursday of every month is “Phillips after 5,” a popular event that runs from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.