1 . 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 favourites.
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 pm. Price:free.
Grinch-inspired events
The 2019 version of TheGrinch 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 TheGrinch will be making an appearance this season,and more fun holiday happenings in Nassau and Suffolk.The events take place on 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, Saturday and 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 am—6 pm Nov.24—25 and 10 am—5 pm Nov.26. Price:$ 15; $10 for children aged 2 to 12;free for children aged 1 and younger.
1. 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. |
| A．The Grinch. |
| B．Bayville Winter Wonderland. |
| C．Long Island Festival of Trees. |
| D．Animated story and Santa at Hicks Nurseries. |
| A．Driving a train. |
| B．Going on rides. |
| C．Watching a talk show. |
| D．Experiencing traditional crafts. |
2 . Thousands of German students are accusing (指责) school officials of creating an English exam that was “unfairly” difficult. The exam is important because it is part of Germany’s Abitur system. The Abitur test is given to students who are completing high school and preparing to enter college.
More than 35,000 people have signed a petition (请愿书) to voice their concerns about the test. The students say the English part of the year’s Abitur is clearly more difficult than tests given in recent years. They are calling on school officials to consider their opinions while they give test results.
The exam is designed to test students’ understanding and skill level in English. Part of the test requires students to read examples of English writing and then answer questions to see how much they understand. The petition says some of the English examples are very difficult to understand, even for students who usually do well in English classes. It says some examples were written a long time ago and had old words.
One of the most difficult examples is a description of New York City’s Statue of Liberty. Students say it has too many “unknown words” and “symbolic meanings”, making it difficult to understand. Even some native English speakers pointed out on social media that they would have difficulties with the writing in the example too. A British Twitter user living in Frankfurt, Germany said, “I’m a native English speaker and ‘roweling’ is a new word to me, too.”
However, school officials said they had carried out a full review of the exam and decided it was “proper” for students.
1. Why do the German students accuse school officials?| A．Their English exam was too difficult. |
| B．There were mistakes in an English exam. |
| C．Germany’s Abitur system was unfair. |
| D．Unfair rules were made for them. |
| A．Give them another exam. | B．Treat their petition seriously. |
| C．Explain to them about the exam. | D．Change Germany's Abitur system. |
| A．It is too long. | B．It is boring to read. |
| C．It has many questions. | D．It has many rarely used words. |
| A．German students fight against an unfair English exam |
| B．German students did poorly in an English exam |
| C．German educational system needs a change |
| D．English is difficult for German students |
3 . Check your calendar. You will find the third Monday in February is Presidents’ Day, a holiday you may know to recognize the achievements of all past U．S. presidents. Do you know the history behind this holiday?
After George Washington died in 1799, his supporters began recognizing his birthday, February 22, as a day of remembrance for America’s first president.(At least, those who used the Gregorian calendar did. The Julian calendar said he was born on February 11.) Washington’s birthday became a federal (联邦的) holiday for the District of Columbia in 1879 and for the rest of the country in 1885.
Then in 1968, Congress (国会) introduced the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill (法案), which hoped to change certain federal holidays from special dates to Mondays, creating more threeday weekends. The idea was that more long weekends would make people work hard during shorter workdays.
The bill also wanted to combine (结合) Washington’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays into one holiday (some states, like Illinois, already celebrated Lincoln’s birthday, February 12). Illinois Senator Robert McClory suggested this holiday be called “Presidents’ Day”. In 1971, the bill passed, and President Richard Nixon made an order that the third Monday in February should be now a holiday. Here’s the thing though: According to the United States laws, that holiday is still called Washington’s Birthday. The name never officially changed to Presidents’ Day. But since the laws allowed local governments and private businesses to name federal holidays whatever they want, most states call it Presidents’ Day. Many stores also make use of this second name to boost February sales.
Two other presidents celebrated birthdays in February, William Henry Harrison (February 9) and Ronald Reagan (February 6)．
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?| A．The beginning of Presidents’ Day. | B．People’s love for George Washington. |
| C．The story behind America's first president. | D．The difference between different calendars. |
| A．To create more federal holidays. |
| B．To give the holiday an official name. |
| C．To celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday. |
| D．To increase the number of longer weekends. |
| A．President Richard Nixon created it. | B．It is the official name for the holiday. |
| C．Illinois was the first state to celebrate it. | D．It's called Washington's Birthday officially. |
| A．Hold. | B．Increase. | C．Record. | D．Show. |
4 . Growing up in Southern California, Shelma Jun says, “I surfed, I skateboarded, I mountain biked.” In short, says Jun, “I was a tomboy ( 假小子), which is a really problematic term. Why do we need the word boy to describe being outdoorsy?”
More problematic was the way Jun came to view other women. “In those male-dominated ( 男性统治的) sports, there can be a bad energy where there’s room for only one ‘cool girl’ and other women are competition,” she says. “I didn’t have good relationships with women for a long time.”
Having graduated from the university, Jun got a job as a community planner and moved to New York City. There, while improving her newest skill — rock climbing — she met some women at her climbing gym who practiced in an area two hours north of the city. “That’s where I got to understand what it feels like when you’re trying something hard with just women,” says Jun. “When the pressure to act a certain way is taken away — because no men are around — you suddenly discover all kinds of ways to challenge and encourage one another.”
In 2014, as a “way to celebrate the climbing we were doing,” Jun started an Instagram account. With women climbers all over the country searching for others like them, Flash Foxy quickly got hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands of followers, and an online women’s climbing community was born. “A lot of women felt like they were the only women climbers — not because there were so few of us, but because we were far apart,” says Jun. “Social media allowed us to discover that there are a lot of us. And we’re together.”
In 2016, Jun put her community-organizing background to work to create the Women’s Climbing Festival. “I could picture 30 or 40 women in the desert,” she says. “We posted it online, and 300 women said they wanted to come.” Eight festivals later, every single one of the twice-yearly gatherings has sold out — some in just one minute.
1. What problem did Jun have before moving to New York City?| A．She couldn’t find a favorite sport. |
| B．She wanted to be the only cool girl. |
| C．She didn’t have many women friends. |
| D．She picked up bad habits from the men around her. |
| A．She became more outdoorsy. |
| B．She enjoyed competition more. |
| C．She was relaxed while doing sports. |
| D．She stopped doing male-dominated sports. |
| A．They are connected. |
| B．They are very safe. |
| C．They are far apart. |
| D．They are as skilled as men. |
| A．It is a ticketed event. |
| B．It is an online festival. |
| C．It is sending out pictures. |
| D．It is held every two years. |
5 . Whitney Lake Project Office / Park Host
Address: 285 County Road 3602 Clifton, TX 76634
Availability: 3 / 31 / 2020-12 / 31 / 2020
Suitability: Grown-ups
Point of getting information for this position:
Nicholas.J.Mouthaan@usace.army.mil 254-622-7375
Dates: March 31, 2020 through December 31, 2020
Overview: As a Park Host you are a part of a team that includes Volunteers, Service Contractors, and Park Rangers, Management, and Administration. Park Hosts are long-term (6 + months) volunteers who make extended (延长的) stays at campgrounds as a part of the project team.
Responsibilities: Open and close the gates to the park, provide customer service to park guests, helping in the cleaning / keeping park facilities in good condition. Work at least 20 hours every week and live in a natural outdoor setting, with your own RV. Complete rounds through the park and provide on-site reports to the Gatehouse or Park Rangers.
Qualifications (资格):
Ability to meet and communicate with people from different backgrounds.
Appearance should be tidy.
Ability to remain cool in busy situations.
Ability to answer visitors’ questions and communicate park rules.
Physical ability to visit campsites, pick up rubbish, do light cleaning.
1. What should you do in order to volunteer in the park?| A．Call 254-622-7375. |
| B．Sign up with your children. |
| C．Know the history of the park. |
| D．Send an email after December 2020. |
| A．Live outdoors alone. |
| B．Open and close the gates. |
| C．Tidy up the campgrounds. |
| D．Help to make park rules. |
| A．talk to people with different backgrounds |
| B．give some suggestions for park rules |
| C．work overtime outdoors |
| D．organize activities |
6 . Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, U.S.A, is in the central part of the state, on the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Rio Grande 35 kilometers west of the city. More than two thousand meters above sea level, it lies in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains with the Ortis Mountains to the southeast.
Santa Fe was founded in 1609 by the Spanish on an old Indian village. In 1680 the Indians seized the place but only held it for twelve years before the Spanish retook it. The city remained under Spanish rule until Mexico won its independence (独立) in 1821. From then on it was a Mexican city until 1846 when it was taken over by U.S. troops.
With a population of 48,953, Santa Fe is now the second largest city in the state. Because of its sunny weather, rich history and surrounding mountains it is a good place for holiday makers. Besides hunting and skating in the mountains people enjoy shopping in the Indian and Spanish shops, which brings a large income to the city every year. In summer there is an international opera (歌剧) season when operas are shown in a partly-roofed, open-air theatre daily for people from all over the world.
1. At present Santa Fe belongs to ______.| A．India | B．Mexico | C．Spain | D．the United States |
| A．1675 | B．1695 | C．1816 | D．1833 |
| A．Spanish | B．Indians | C．Mexicans | D．Americans |
| A．Hunting. | B．Fishing. |
| C．Watching operas. | D．Doing shopping. |
| A．trade centre | B．holiday centre |
| C．home for all nations | D．seaport city |
7 . Thanksgiving is an important festival in North America. We interviewed several students from the USA and Canada. Here is what they have told us about their Thanksgiving experiences.
Josie from New York, USA
“In America, Thanksgiving is celebrated every year at the end of November. It is to remember the first group of people from Europe to live in America. When they first arrived, they found the environment strange. But they learned to survive after some native American friends showed them how to grow and find food. Thanksgiving is meant to be a traditional celebration.”
Todd from California, USA
“Thanksgiving is the first day of Christmas shopping. That means we have four weeks to buy Christmas presents for our families and friends. For me and my friends, the most important part of the festival is the big football game on TV. The match is watched by millions of people all over America. Thanksgiving is seen as an exciting day for football!”
Ian from Saskatoon, Canada
“In Canada, Thanksgiving is held on the second Monday in October. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, many people go to church. Thanks is given for all the good things that happened to them during the year. I always give thanks for the nice big turkey I’m going to have at the family dinner! Like all festivals, Thanksgiving is about food!”
Katie from Maritimes, Canada
“On Thanksgiving Day, we have dinner with all our cousins, aunts and uncles. It is always very busy. Sometimes we have two Thanksgiving dinners because we go to both our grandparents’ houses. The dinner is usually attended by more than twenty people at each house! My mother and my aunts do all the cooking but the washingup is done by me and my cousins. And that’s not an easy job! But I don’t mind because Thanksgiving is meant to be a time to give thanks.”
1. People in the USA and Canada ________.| A．all have the same opinion of Thanksgiving | B．have different opinions of Thanksgiving |
| C．feel that Thanksgiving is about food | D．have no interest in Thanksgiving |
| A．On the second Monday in October. | B．On the second Monday in November. |
| C．At the end of October. | D．At the end of November. |
| A．New York. | B．California. | C．Saskatoon. | D．Maritimes. |
8 . Here are some famous festivals for tourists to select in the United States in the coming summer.
San Francisco Film Festival
The films at this unusual event have a variety of musical accompaniments, including piano, violin and guitar. A few classic silent movies are shown in the film festival. If you want to see them all, you are supposed to have a festival pass.
May 29 to June 1; www.silent film.Org
Union Street Festival
This popular street fair extends more than six blocks of the city,in the fashionable shopping area of Union Street. The themes include beer and wine tasting and other separate ones — fashion, cuisine, tech, local craft, fitness, health and so on.
June 7 to 10; www.Union street festival.com
North Beach Festival
This festival is San Francisco’s oldest street party where tourists can enjoy a variety of live entertainment, tasty food, handcrafts and art works. Located in the Little Italy district, known for its associations with the “Beat Generation”, festival goers are guaranteed plenty of good Italian food. Besides, there is also an event called “blessing of the animals”, a San Francisco tradition which takes place at the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi (610 Vallejo Street) at 2 pm on the days of the festival.
June 14 to 16; www.North beat.Org
Stern Grove Festival
This festival is recognized as the oldest summer art festival in America. It includes plenty of performances, from the local symphony orchestras to well-known artists such as Frank Hurley.
Sundays from June 22 to August 24; www.Stern grove.org.
1. When can you enjoy the oldest art festival in the United States?| A．Weekdays in June. | B．Saturdays in August. |
| C．Weekends in May. | D．Sundays in July. |
| A．San Francisco Silent Film Festival. | B．Union Street Festival. |
| C．North Beach Festival. | D．Stern Grove Festival. |
| A．It has the longest history of food. | B．Hands-on activities are guaranteed. |
| C．Exotic food is available to visitors. | D．Foreign cultures are presented in it. |
9 . This is not a diet. It’s a simple way to lose weight. And you don’t even have to give up the food you love or join a gym. It’s about balancing (平衡) calories in tiny ways that add up to big benefits. You just form some habits that lean people have. Stick with them, and you’ll become thin.
•Wake up
When your eyes open, sit up slowly without using your hands. With legs straight out, bend forward until you feel a stretch (舒展) in your back. Hold and then use your abs (腹部肌肉) to lower yourself flat. Rest and repeat two more times. It will burn about 10 calories.
•Start with soup
When you have your meal, order a clear soup, and have it before having the main food. It can save twice the calories. Besides, you’ll feel fuller, so you’ll eat less when the main food comes.
•An apple (or more) a day
Apples are packed with fibre and water, so your stomach will want less. The study shows that people who eat at least three apples a day lose weight.
•Stand up and walk around
Every time you take the phone, stand up and walk around. Heavy people sit on average two and a half hours more per day than thin people. This trick is very important as standing up and walking around will burn 50 or more calories.
Use these tricks.With these small changes, you will have a big weight loss.
1. What does the underlined word “lean” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Light. | B．Pretty. |
| C．Thin. | D．Healthy. |
| A．getting up without using your hands helps burn calories |
| B．eating apples every day is good for people’s health |
| C．it’s good to walk around while talking on the phone |
| D．you have to join a gym if you want to lose weight |
| A．Medicine. | B．Health. |
| C．Family. | D．Teaching. |
| A．To tell people how to enjoy a better life. |
| B．To advise people to eat apples every day. |
| C．To give some tips on how to lose weight. |
| D．To advise people to get rid of bad habits. |
10 . Modern science proves that a healthy lifestyle matters much to how long you can live and how well you live. Here are some tips for you to form a healthy lifestyle.
Keep a scientific diet. Keep in mind that sugar can be removed (去除) from our diet completely. Over intake (摄入量) of sugar is one of the main reasons for getting fat. Over intake of protein (蛋白质) or fat and low intake of fiber can also lead to getting fat. We only need a few grams of protein to keep our body in order.
Be always in a good mood. There is a relationship between the mood and health. A good mood keeps you in high spirits. Thanks to the Internet, we can enjoy and learn much without going out. Take a look at some online shops and pick up some bargains, enjoy music and movies and chat with good friends. Just keep happy.
Enough sleep. Two studies show the reasons why teens and adults don’t have enough sleep. With teens, a major reason is mobile phone use; with adults, it’s work. Meanwhile, a third study of young children shows that lack of sleep in early life may lead to serious problems in future. Everyone needs at least 8-hour sleep to recover (恢复) from tiredness and the hurt caused by hard work in the daytime.
Proper exercise. Do exercise to keep away from fatness. Because of the quick pace of the modern life, you don’t have time to do exercise every day, but at least three times a week and 45 minutes each time.
1. Which of the following can lead to getting fat according to the passage?| A．Low intake of protein. |
| B．Low intake of fat. |
| C．Over intake of fiber. |
| D．Over intake of sugar. |
| A．use mobile phones too much |
| B．have too much homework |
| C．eat too much sugar every day |
| D．don’t have enough exercise |
| A．Medical care. | B．Modern science. |
| C．Health Report. | D．School Experience. |
| A．tell the readers how to take proper exercise every day |
| B．provide some advice on how to form a healthy lifestyle |
| C．ask people to care about their health rather than their work |
| D．make some surveys among those who have health problems |
