【推荐1】Community Affairs

*Open Plans—Fixing the Great Mistake

6:00 pm, Center for Architecture, Tafel Hall 536 LaGuardia Place, Manhattan

Advocating for livable streets and alternative transportation, Mark Gorton explores the history of transportation in New York with a focus on how urban planning policies that prioritize (优先考虑) the automobile have affected many other aspects of life in the city.

Admission: $10

For more information, please call 917-388-9080 or visit www. ftgmevenatbrite.com.

*River to River Festival—Extraordinary Moves: STREB Human Fountain

6:00 pm, 200 Vesey Street, Manhattan

Inspired by the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas, Human Fountain involves performers jumping from as high as 30 feet from an open honeycomb structure in order to create cascades (人工瀑布) of airborne liquid muscle. The outcome is a mixture of slam dancing, amazing human flight, and wild action sport, which captures kids, adults and the general public’s hearts, minds and bodies.

Admission: FREE

For more information, please call 212-945-0505 or visit www.streb.org.

*Scandinavia House—Nordic Summer Jam

6:30 pm, 58 Park Avenue, Manhattan

Contemporary singer and songwriter Anders Holst’s music shows roots in jazz, soul and European pop music.

Admission: $10

For more information, please call 212-847-9740 or visit www. scandinaviahouse.org.

*Hot Festival-Tickets to Manhood

7:30 pm, Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street, Manhattan

What makes a man today? How do boys grow into men? Through humorous, touching stories, a glimpse is offered into the events that turn boys into men. Performed by Douglas Allen, Maximiliano Balduzzi, Spencer Scott Barros, Gerard Joseph and James Scruggs.

Admission: $15 in advance; $18 at door.

For more information, please call 212-219-0736 or visit www.hotfestival.org.

1. Which of the following focuses on music?

A．Open Plans.

B．Hot Festival.

C．Scandinavia House.

D．River to River Festival.

2. If John wants to take part in an activity for free, he should ________.

A．call 212-945-0505	B．call 212-219-0736
C．visit www. scandinaviahouse.org	D．visit www.hotfestival.org

3. Who makes explorations of the transportation’s history in New York?

A．Anders Holst.

B．Mark Gorton.

C．Douglas Allen.

D．Gerard Joseph.

【推荐2】Whatever holiday you celebrate, one thing’s for sure — you’ll find events for children on Long Island throughout the month of December. From holiday performances to crafts, gingerbread houses, light shows, Santa breakfasts and more, here are some of our favorites.

Animated story and Santa at Hicks Nurseries

Santa will be at Hicks Nurseries (100 Jericho Tpke, Westbury) from Nov. 23—Dec. 23, so bring a camera for photos (no fee). Kids can also mail their letters to Santa at the North Pole Mailbox and Santa will answer them (last day for letter mailing is Dec. 17; a self-addressed, stamped envelope must be included to receive a reply). On weekends, (Nov. 23—Dec. 16) there will be live music with a brass band from noon—4 p.m. Price: Free.

Grinch-inspired events

The 2018 version of "The Grinch" hit the big screen this month, and the popular Dr. Seuss character is inspiring family-friendly events across Long Island.  Click here to view where The Grinch will be making an appearance this season, and more fun holiday happenings in Nassau and Suffolk. The events take place Dec. 15, 16 and 22.

Bayville Winter Wonderland

During the holiday season, Bayville Adventure Park (8 Bayville Ave.) turns into a Winter Wonderland. Families can visit Santa’s Toy Factory Funhouse, watch Captain Bay’s "Yo-Ho-Holiday" light show, ride the Holiday Express train and check out the ice skating rink, among other attractions. The Winter Wonderland runs from Nov. 23 through Jan. 1 on Friday—Sunday (also open Dec. 26—27 and 31); kids can meet Santa daily.

Long Island Festival of Trees

The 28th annual Long Island Festival of Trees takes place at Cradle of Aviation Museum (Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Garden City) features display of designer decorated trees, gingerbread creations, cookie decorating, costumed characters and vendors from 10 a.m.—6 p.m. Nov. 24—25 and 10 a.m.—5 p.m. Nov. 26. Price: $15, $10 children ages 2 to 12, free ages 1 and younger.

1. At which event will the visitors enjoy the live music on weekends?

A．The Grinch.

B．Bayville Winter Wonderland.

C．Long Island Festival of Trees.

D．Animated story and Santa at Hicks Nurseries.

2. What can visitors do at Bayville Winter Wonderland?

A．Driving a train.	B．Going on rides.
C．Watching a talk show.	D．Experiencing traditional crafts.

3. How much will a parent with two 4-year-old girls pay to visit the Festival of Trees?

A．$ 50.	B．$ 54.
C．$ 35.	D．$ 34.

【推荐1】

Four Hotels That Will Make Your Life Easier By John Brandon For the business traveler who’s all about efficiency: check out these hotels that will get you in and out with minimum trouble. When you’re pressed for time on a business trip, nothing can infuriate you more than a slow hotel check-in process. On your next trip, try these hotels that offer a speedier check-in process. Yotel New York The self-service kiosks （一体机）at this high-tech New York hotel are open 24x7 and work just like the ones you’d see at an airport. There are just five-steps to register and obtain your card key. There’s even a robotic luggage bellboy. You tap in the number of bags you’re carrying and sizes, then wait for a robot arm to swing down and store your luggage in a locker (say, for a day trip). This also speeds up the check-in process if the first thing you need to do, like me, is head to a series of meetings. Marriott Detroit Airport Another option for business travelers in a hurry: Marriott is rolling out its mobile check-in app to 325 hotels this year, including the Marriott Detroit Airport hotel. (I’ve tested the app itself but not for a real visit quite yet.) here is the basic idea: you download the iPhone or Android app. The night before, you can “check-in” virtually. When you arrive, you get an alert that the room is ready and your key, which is already tied to your reservation, is waiting for you at the desk. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis I happened to stay at this hotel recently and liked how fast the kiosk check-in works. Like the Yotel, the kiosk asks you to insert your credit card, similar to an airport terminal. The whole process took about three minutes. When I left, I was equally impressed with the fast check-out. An agent meets you in the lobby with an iPad and asks for an email to use for a receipt. The big advantage is you never have to wait in line. Radisson LaCrosse The Radisson is trying to make the kiosk process even faster. At a few select hotels like the Radisson Lacrosse in Wisconsin, you use a mobile app to register and then receive a barcode （条形码）by email or text. When you get to the kiosk, you can scan the barcode to get your key without any other steps required. It’s super fast. You can find this new check-in system at the Radisson hotels in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Phoenix as well.

1. What does the underlined word “infuriate” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A．To annoy.

B．To remind.

C．To amuse.

D．To impress:

2. Which two hotels offer a mobile app for customers to check in?

A．Yotel New York and Marriott Detroit Airport.

B．Marriott Detroit Airport and Radisson LaCrosse.

C．Marriott Detroit Airport and Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.

D．Hyatt Regency Minneapolis and Radisson LaCrosse.

3. Which hotel will send you a receipt by email?

A．Yotel New York.	B．Marriott Detroit Airport. ’
C．Radisson LaCrosse.	D．Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.

【推荐2】The official opening of Beijing Daxing International Airport caps a long design and building process. Designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid and her Chinese partners, the airport is built for the future, having a terminal the size of 97 soccer grounds—as well as customer­service robots that provide travelers with flight updates and airport information.

Called “Starfish” by Chinese media for its shape of five concourses (大厅) connected to a main hall, Daxing aims to reduce walking for passengers. The airport authority has promised a distance of no more than 600 meters—about eight minutes of walking—between security checkpoints and the remotest boarding gates.

This new modern airport employs a special intelligent lighting system, supported by eight big C-­shaped columns that let in the sunlight, brightening the architecture and structure. Therefore it minimizes the need to use electric lighting.

To offer a more refreshing travel experience, five outdoor courtyards—with the themes “Silk Garden”, “Tea Garden”,“Porcelain (瓷) Garden”, “Countryside Garden” and “Chinese Garden”—feature at the end of the five departure lounges for use by passengers waiting for their flights. Travelers will be scanned on cameras using facial recognition. Counters will be fully automated to capture face photos and relay them each part of the journey through the airport, including security and the departure gate.

China is projected to overtake the United States as the world’s biggest air travel market by 2022. The “modest” initial operational target at Daxing is to accommodate 72 million passengers and 2 million tons of goods annually by 2025. The ambitious master plan calls for the building of a total of seven runways, and moving at least 100 million passengers and 4 million tons of goods a year through the airport.

1. Why is the airport in a starfish­shaped design?

A．To keep security checkpoints effective.

B．To hold as many passengers as possible.

C．To make boarding gates within easy reach.

D．To get the main hall easier to be found.

2. What can the airport’s lighting system be described as?

A．Energy­saving.	B．High­end.
C．Passenger­friendly.	D．Strangely­formed.

3. What can be inferred about the five outdoor courtyards?

A．They use popular techniques.

B．They reflect the Chinese tradition.

C．They follow the latest world trend.

D．They promote Chinese goods to people.

4. What do the numbers in the last paragraph indicate?

A．The airport’s potential.

B．The airport’s market.

C．The airport’s facilities.

D．The airport’s project.

【推荐3】Are you a basketball fan? And is your hero an NBA star? Or do you have children just beginning to explore the world’s most popular sport? Then the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is just a fantastic destination for you. Each year, thousands of visitors crowd into this birthplace of basketball.

Opening Dates and Hours of Operation

December 1st to March 31st : Wednesday through Sunday/The rest of the year: daily

Opening Hours: 10 am to 4 pm (Friday through Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm)

Because it may close for private functions, it is wise to confirm hours of operation ahead of your visit. Just call 1-877-466-6752.

Ticket Information

Admission to the Hall of Fame (as of 2020) is $24 for people aged over 16, $16 for youths aged from 5 to 16 and free for children under age 5.

Since the number of visitors is limited each day, you are advised to make a reservation in advance. For more information, please call 1-877-466-6831.

Travelling from All Directions

The Hall of Fame is conveniently located within driving distance from Boston (in the east), Albany (in the west), Vermont (in the north) and New York (in the south) and is right off of MA Route 91. For those who prefer to travel by air, the museum is not far from Logan International Airport and Bradley International Airport. For more information about the transportation, call 1-877-446-6755.

A Friendly Reminder

a. No food or beverage inside of the hall.

b. Backpacks and any large bags are not permitted inside of the hall unless needed for medical reasons.

c. If you wish to participate in shooting on Center Court, please wear appropriate footwear. Also, contests of any kind and half court shots are not allowed for everyone's safety.

d. For anything you don’t know for sure, call 413-781-6500.

1. When can visitors visit the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame?

A．At 5:30 pm, Sunday, Dec 20th, 2020.	B．At 11:00 am, Monday, Dec 28th, 2020.
C．At 3:00 pm, Friday, Mar 12th, 2021.	D．At 4:30 pm, Tuesday, Apr 6th, 2021.

2. Which number should you better call at for information about how to get there?

A．1-877-446-6755.	B．1-877-466-6831.
C．413-781-6500.	D．1-877-466-6752.

3. What are visitors advised to do in the Hall of Fame?

A．Bring some snacks in case hungry.	B．Look after their backpacks while visiting.
C．Join in shooting contests on Center Court.	D．Wear suitable shoes if planning to try shooting.

【推荐1】This Teaching Assistant Level 3 course is designed for people who either are, or wish to become a teaching assistant. Teaching assistants carry out their tasks under the direction of the class teacher. This is a fully supported home study course, and the help is available whenever you need it—either online or over the phone. There is a huge demand for teaching assistants around the country but also many thousands of applicants for these positions. Having this Teaching Assistant Level 3 qualification will help you have an obvious advantage over other applicants. Our Level 3 Teaching Assistant course is similar to the NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) Level 3 because it is an equivalent (同等的) level of learning.
The teaching assistant is able to contribute in four main areas:
Supporting the teacher
Supporting the pupil
Supporting the school
Supporting the curriculum
The salary a teaching assistant is expected to earn a year:
London fringe (外围):￡16,856 - ￡26,052
Outer London: ￡18,789 - ￡27,992
Inner London: ￡19,893 - ￡29,088
Rest of England and Wales: ￡15,817 - ￡25,016
The fee and the time of enrolment (入学)
Enroll for only a ￡35 deposit. Teaching Assistant Level 3 is only ￡345. To help you on your way towards achieving your qualification, we are offering all of our potential students a ￡115 reduction in their enrolment fees for June. The normal fee for this course is ￡460 but for this month it has been reduced to only ￡345. There has never been a better time to start learning and take that first step towards a brighter future!
100% money back guarantee, if you are not satisfied. That’s why we’ll happily give you your money back on any course returned within 7 days. It’s easy for you to enroll now by telephone 01223 923 913. You can get free friendly help and advice from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, on Monday to Friday. Call 01223 923 915.
1. How can people study this Teaching Assistant Level 3 course?

A．Go to the night school.

B．Go to the full-time school.

C．Study at home at any time.

D．Study at weekends or vacations.

2. What’s the teaching assistant’s task?

A．Listening to the teacher’s lecture all the time.

B．Only helping teachers prepare their lessons.

C．Helping promote effective learning and teaching.

D．Often giving lessons in place of the formal teacher.

3. If a teacher assistant earns ￡28,000 a year , he probably works in ______.

A．downtown Wales	B．the fringe of London
C．outer London	D．downtown London

4. How much should you pay in June if you have paid the deposit?

A．￡310

B．￡35

C．￡345

D．￡460

【推荐2】Dear Grandma,

It was nice seeing you at Christmas. You looked so happy!

After losing two grandparents within the past year, I have taken some time to reflect on what is most important. I want to let you know what a positive influence you have been on me. I am the person I am because of you.

I remember being on your farm a lot when I was younger. I remember the projects you plannedfor us. We painted rocks to represent our family members. We made doll clothes out of colorfulsocks. We made many “playhouse” in  the woods.

We learned that if you left a bucket of soybeans in the rain, you would soon have a bucket of growing beans. We

Learned that if we helped pick the strawberries in the morning, we’d have them on our ice cream in the afternoon. We learned that some plants have funny names, like the elephant ear plant. We learned that you some plants have funny names, like the elephant ear plant. We learned that you could make do with what you had. We learned that making things out of paper and cardboard was more fun then what came inside the packaging. We learned it was OK to get dirty, but Grandma would wash us up before Mom came.

You once made models of everyone’s houses, which made me want to be an architect. Another time, you made quilts for all of the grandkids. I still use mine every night. The edge has worn out.

But you taught me how to fix it.

I love and respect you. You are always patient, with a quiet determination.

Grandma, thank you for everything you have taught me. I hope that I am able to pass on all these memories and skills to my children and grandchildren.

Love always,

Kelly

1. After losing two grandparents, the author began to_______.

A．realize her grandma’s influence on her

B．become a person like her grandma

C．write to her grandma regularly

D．like her grandma very much

2. On her grandma’s fans, Kelly learned to_______.

A．make strawberry ice cream

B．name different funny plants

C．mend the worn-out edge of her quilt

D．use cupboards to make models of houses

3. Kelly’s grandma________.

A．was willing to help others

B．was skilled in making things

C．wanted Kelly to be an architect

D．disliked the kid’s bad behaviors

4. Kelly wrote this letter mainly to _______.

A．send her grandma best wishes for Christmas

B．show love and respect for her grandma

C．recall her happy life on the farm

D．ask her grandma for help

【推荐3】Grand Canyon National Park

Located entirely in northern Arizona, the park covers 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site.

Park Openings and Closings

The Village and Desert View on the South Rim are open all year and park entrances remain open 24 hours a day. North Rim facilities open mid-May and close mid-October. Park entrances remain open 24 hours a day during this time. Hours for visitor centers and businesses vary throughout the year.

Park Information

The park produces a Pocket Map with a North Rim and South Rim edition that contains a map and information about services, facilities, and park ranger programs. It is available in French, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. A hiking brochure is available for those planning to hike one of the park’s main trails down into Grand Canyon. Obtain publications at entrance stations, visitor centers, or at go.nps.gov/136ojl.

Accessibility

Many of the facilities at Grand Canyon are historic and built before current accessibility standards were set. The terrain is rugged with narrow, rocky trails and steep cliffs. Visitors using wheelchairs or having visual impairments may need assistance. For more information about accessibility in Grand Canyon National Park, see go.nps.gov/1rtxl2.

Park Entrance Fees

Fees collected support projects in the park. Admission to the park is $35 per private vehicle; $30 per motorcycle; and $20 per person entering the park via Grand Canyon Railway, park shuttle bus, private rafting trip, walking, or riding a bicycle. The pass can be used for seven days and includes both rims. Pay fees at park entrance stations or at some businesses outside the park. Every year the National Park Service offers entrance fee free days. For complete fee information, including Annual, Active Military, Senior, and Access passes, visit go.nps.gov/y5uu6f.

Sustainability

Grand Canyon National Park incorporates sustainability into all aspects of its operations. Use your refillable water bottle to fill up on free Grand Canyon spring water at major trailheads, visitor centers and grocery stores. Please recycle – recycling containers are conveniently located and as common as trash bins. Discover what else you can do to protect the environment while traveling here and beyond at go.nps.gov/1b2rzt.

1. People with physical disabilities can find detailed information on park facilities designed for them by visiting ________.

A．go.nps.gov/y5uu6f	B．go.nps.gov/1rtxl2
C．go.nps.gov/136ojl	D．go.nps.gov/1b2rzt

2. What is the admission fee if you and your parents plan to go on a ten-day vacation to Grand Canyon National Park by driving a car?

A．$35.

B．$60.

C．$70.

D．$120.

3. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．Visitors have year-round access to every corner of the national park.

B．Hikers who can only speak Chinese cannot explore the North Rim without an interpreter.

C．The Grand Canyon features is one of the world's most visually breathtaking landscapes.

D．Visitors are forbidden to leave any trash in the National Park to maintain sustainability.

【推荐1】A new paper published in Environmental Research Letters has some warning news for people living in the lower 48 states: You may be at risk from river flooding and not even know it until the water starts to rise.

In fact, the study, estimates of present and future flood risk in the United States, found that 41 million U. S. residents are at risk from flooding along rivers. That’s three times more than current estimates based on the flood maps produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , which primarily maps the areas at risk for 1-in-100-year floods in populous (人口众多的) river basins.

Why does the big difference come into being? As always, it’s all about the data. Generally, FEMA prioritizes risk-assessment areas based on their population; reserving expensive field-work methodologies (研究方法) for the more populous river basins, but many other rivers have not yet been mapped at all.

The size of the USA means that flood maps made in this way are incomplete. It would be too expensive and time-consuming to survey every river basin in America. The national-scale flood maps produced by FEMA leave the flood risk of many parts of the country unaccounted for.

For this research, scientists from The Nature Conservancy adopted a pioneering methodology that avoids the defects of the FEMA approach, where individual catchments (流域) are studied by making use of big data. The study used a new high-resolution model, produced by the flood-mapping organization Fathom, which copies floods on all rivers across the entire continental United States.

“We were all surprised by how many people are actually exposed to freshwater flooding in the USA,” said Oliver Wing, lead researcher on the study and a PhD student at the University of Bristol. “It’s particularly worrisome considering that most of these people aren’t even aware of the risk they face. This study helps fill that critical information gap.”

1. What did the new paper intend to tell readers?

A．The mistakes made by FEMA.

B．The serious situation of the flood.

C．The populous river basins of the USA.

D．The unseen risk of the flood in the USA.

2. Why is the map produced by FEMA incomplete?

A．It’s dangerous to research all the rivers.

B．The size of the USA is too big.

C．It ignores less populous rivers.

D．The efficiency of making it is low.

3. What does the underlined word “defects” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Shortcomings.	B．Potential.
C．Consumption.	D．Contributions.

4. What attitude does Oliver Wing have to the study?

A．Critical.	B．Supportive.
C．Cautious.	D．Uncaring.

【推荐2】If you were to throw, say, a banana peel out of your car while driving along the motorway, that would be a completely harmless action, due to the fact that it’s part of a fruit — right? Actually, no. A banana peel can take up to two years to be naturally processed, and with a third of motorists admitting to littering while driving, that’s a whole lot of discarded banana peels. An orange peel and a cigarette butt has a similar biodegrading (生物降解) term to that of a banana peel, but tin cans last up to 100 years; and plastic bottles last forever, as do glass bottles.

Despite the fact that longer-lasting materials will serve to damage the environment and its animals for longer, we can’t merely measure the severity of a certain type of rubbish by its lifetime. For example, despite having a fairly short length of biodegrading time, more than 120 tons of cigarette-related litter is discarded in the UK every day.

It’s not a cheap habit either: to keep our streets clean annually costs UK taxpayers £500 million, and when you include our green spaces, that goes up to £1 billion. So, it’s not surprising that if caught fly-tipping you could face a £20,000 fine or even jail time and, if you disposed of something dangerous, the court could give you five years to serve. Regardless of how severe these punishments might seem, however, among the reported cases only 2,000 were found guilty out of 825,000, so we still have some way to go in making sure people obey the rules.

1. What does the underlined word “discarded” in para1 mean?

A．Harmless.

B．Processed.

C．Thrown.

D．Long-lasting.

2. Which of the following has the longest biodegrading term?

A．Glass bottles.

B．Tin cans.

C．Cigarette butts.

D．Banana peels.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The severity of rubbish can be measured by its lifetime.

B．Quite a few people were found guilty of illegally littering.

C．Every year UK taxpayers spend £500 million keeping streets free of dirt.

D．Cigarette-related litter and peels can be ignored for their fairly short lifetime.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To inform readers of different biodegrading terms.

B．To call for people not to litter illegally.

C．To encourage people to use fewer plastic bags.

D．To stress the importance of good behavior.

【推荐3】Some students get so nervous before a test. They do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock, a professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois, has studied these highly anxious test-takers. The students start worrying about the results. And when they worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources (资源).

Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.

The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short maths tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.

Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of 12% worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of 5%. Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test. Professor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B-for those who did not.

“What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention (干预), all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. They were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these tests.”

But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.

1. What may the students start worrying about before an exam?

A．Whether they can pass the exams.

B．What other students do during the test.

C．Whether they have remembered the materials.

D．What kind of problems they will meet on the test paper.

2. What is the solution developed by researchers?

A．Asking the students to ignore the test.

B．Asking the students to focus on the test.

C．Asking the students to sit quietly before the test.

D．Asking the students to write about their worries before the test.

3. According to Professor Beilock, those who thought about things unrelated to the test ________.

A．became less nervous before the test

B．were better at controlling their feelings

C．did worse than those who wrote about their feelings

D．did better than those who wrote about their feelings

4. What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A．Writing about our worries before an exam can work a bit.

B．We can only write about our worries right before an exam.

C．The best place to write about our worries is in the test room.

D．It doesn’t matter where we write about our worries before an exam.