| A．By plane. | B．By car. | C．By train. |
2 . Some buildings can leave you wondering how on earth they were built. Jaw-dropping architecture is not new. We’re still amazed that the Great Pyramid in Egypt was built 4,500 years ago! Read on for more recent examples of innovative 4 buildings constructed using technology developed in the last century.
Krzywy Domek (Crooked House) Sopot, Poland
COMPLETED: 2004
SIZE: About three-fourths the size of a football field
With its warped 13 walls, curved stained glass, and roof that looks like green dragon scales, Crooked House is popular with photographers. Staring at it for too long might make you dizzy! Inside though is a typical mall and office building. People can shop in the stores, eat in the restaurants and get their haircut in a salon. A favorite feature is the Wall of Fame with signatures from Polish celebrities. It’s modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Cube Houses Rotterdam, Netherlands
COMPLETED: 1984
SIZE: About one-fourth the size of a basketball court
The 38 Cube Houses are a popular attraction, but they are also real houses that people live in! The cubes have concrete foundations and floors with a wood-frame living space on top. Cement panels and zinc panels add visual appeal. The furniture is tailor-made to fit the odd angles where the walls meet.
Bubble Palace Cannes, France
COMPLETED: 1989
SIZE: Almost three times the size of a basketball court
This house may look like a space colony but it’s really a 10-bedroom palace. Made of cave-like bubbles forming a labyrinth (迷宫), it also has ponds, waterfalls, swimming pools, an outdoor theater that seats 500 people, and views of the Mediterranean Sea.
Wonderworks Pigeon Forge, Tenessee
COMPLETED: 2006 (Other locations followed)
SIZE: About nine-tenths the size of a football field
Looking at the cracks in this building, you might think, is it about to crumble? And how do they get palm trees and grass to grow upside down? But it’s all an illusion. This indoor amusement park is actually pretty normal. The upside-down features are just for show. Inside are more than 100 hands-on science exhibits and activities, including a laser-tag zone, a hurricane-force wind tunnel, a zero-gravity astronaut-training ride, and a three-story ropes course.
1. Which building has the smallest size?| A．Wonderworks. | B．Cube Houses. |
| C．Bubble Palace. | D．Krzywy Domek. |
| A．The Wall of Fame with signatures from Polish celebrities. |
| B．The tailor-made furniture to fit the strange angles. |
| C．An illusion of palm trees and grass growing upside down. |
| D．A labyrinth formed by cave-like bubbles. |
| A．A textbook. | B．A tour brochure. | C．A magazine. | D．A report. |
3 . Amsterdam is known for brownies and Van Gogh, but here are four unique museums in Amsterdam that should be on your radar.
Kattenkabinet
If it wasn't for the black-and-white sign hanging above the door of Herengracht 497, you might easily walk past the Kattenkabinet, a museum dedicated exclusively to the role of cats in art. Situated in a stately 17th-century house, the museum was founded by Bob Meijer. He purchased and renovated the mansion in 1985 and opened the museum five years later in honour of his cat.
Fashion for Good Museum
Fashion for Good is more than a museum. Opened in 2017 and situated on Rokin 102, it's a platform for innovation and collaboration seeking solutions to steer the fashion industry away from the "take-make-waste"pattern which has hugely impacted our environment. At their interactive studio, you'll even get the chance to design the world's most sustainable T-shirt.
Houseboat Museum
Originally built as a freighter in 1914 and moored (停泊) on Prinsengracht since 2007, the Houseboat Museum gives visitors an idea of what life is like on one of these floating homes. Step inside and marvel at the surprisingly spacious interior furnished with a charming wood burning stove and old-fashioned kitchenware.
STRAAT
Since its opening in October 2020,STRAAT,the world's biggest museum for street art and grafiti, has made it its mission to showcase the diversity of talents, backgrounds and stories of what can rightfully be called one of the century's leading art forms.
1. Which museum will interest people who are environmentally friendly?| A．Kattenkabinet. | B．Fashion for Good Museum. |
| C．Houseboat Museum. | D．STRAAT. |
| A．STRAAT is the biggest museum in Amsterdam. |
| B．Houseboat Museum was opened the earliest. |
| C．Kattenkabinet houses cat-themed artworks. |
| D．Fashion for Good Museum organizes fashion shows. |
| A．An art textbook. | B．A research paper. |
| C．An exhibition ad. | D．A travel brochure. |
1. What is the speaker doing?
| A．He is advertising a house. |
| B．He is showing people around a house. |
| C．He is constructing a house. |
| A．It was completed before 1904. |
| B．It was designed in an old style. |
| C．It was named after the architect. |
| A．Wood. | B．Brick. | C．Concrete. |
| A．Their plans have been preserved. |
| B．Some of them are copies. |
| C．They are uniquely designed. |
1. What are the speakers talking about?
| A．Different countries. | B．Historical places. | C．A travel experience. |
| A．India. | B．France. | C．America. |
6 . When creative architectural minds are given free reign over their creations, some truly unique buildings are born.
Habitat 67(Montreal, Canada)Habitat 67's unique architecture was designed by a young Canadian-Israeli immigrant named Moshe Safdie for Montreal's 1967 Universal Exposition (博览会). The building was designed to integrate the advantages of suburban living — namely privacy, gardens and multiple floors — in an urban environment.
Sagrada Familia(Barcelona, Spain)When modernist architect Antoni Gaudi took the reins in 1883, a year after the construction began, he turned just another church into his masterpiece. Its complex designs and themes make the Sagrada Familia among the most unique architecture in the world. When it's finally finished in 2026, its iconic design will have long since been established as one of the great achievements of architecture.
Longaberger Basket Building(Newark, America)There are plenty of buildings out there that reflect their purpose, like the Kansas City library that looks like a row of books. The Longaberger Basket Building is one of this kind. Head office of the Longaberger Company produces baskets which can be found around the world. The Longaberger founder's son wanted all the other Longaberger buildings to look like its products too.
Atomium(Brussels, Belgium)Another example of an offbeat construction for a World's Fair, the Atomium was built for the 1958 edition of the Universal Exposition held in Brussels, Belgium by André Waterkeyn. Unlike Habitat 67, it wasn't meant to be a residential building. Instead it contains exhibition rooms and public halls. The building itself is designed to be a copy of the structure of iron crystal.
1. Which of the following building hasn't been completed by now?| A．Habitat 67. | B．Sagrada Familia. |
| C．Longaberger Basket Building. | D．Atomium. |
| A．A basket. | B．A garden. | C．A row of books. | D．An iron crystal. |
| A．They are residential buildings. | B．They were built for World's Fairs. |
| C．They were designed by Moshe Safdie. | D．They contain exhibition rooms and public halls. |
1. Why are the two speakers upset?
| A．It may snow during their vacation. |
| B．They may not be able to take their vacation. |
| C．They may fail to join the graduation ceremony. |
| A．They are going skiing. |
| B．They have made bookings for their plane. |
| C．Their flight has been cancelled. |
| A．The earthquake. | B．The bad winter. | C．A terrible flu. |
| A．Talk to Professor Hampton. |
| B．Speak to all of the other people. |
| C．Call the travel agency. |
8 . Since the mid-1990s, tourists have paid storm-chasers to take them to places in the American Great Plains where they expect to see tornadoes. Why, a reasonable follow-up question might go, would anyone want to get so close to something so disruptive? These tourists, a study found, characterized their relationship to severe weather as a “passion”, describing their feelings about tornadoes using words like “enjoyment”, “fascination” and “love”. Some people seem spiritually moved by tornadoes-one tourist called the storms “humbling” -but the main motivator seemed to be simple: Twisters are cool.
America has many more tornadoes than any other country, and its people have long regarded twisters with a mix of fear, awe and thrilled pleasure. Fast-moving and dramatic, tornadoes have been irresistible parts for popular entertainment. One needn’t be an extreme-weather enthusiast, however, to take a brief and far-less dangerous tour: of culture tornadoes have inspired and of the transformation of American society’s feelings about these storms from fear to excitement.
European colonists in the future United States were fascinated-and sometimes horrified-by their new land’s weather. In the Early Republic, the influence of romantic ideas about the terrible and wonderful power of nature became clearer in American tornado culture. Some people began to write about tornadoes in terms of awe, and to produce art that explored the phenomenon’s natural beauty, while also moralizing about its meaning. Since the 1930s, American tornadoes have been less deadly: the country has much better early-warning systems, fewer people live in rural areas and tornado activity has largely shifted from the southeast to the thinly-populated Great Plains.
Storm-chasing-a scientific, thrill-seeking activity that most Americans found out about via the1996 blockbuster film Twister, is still incomprehensible to many who don’t practice it. “I find it difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t chased what forces us to seek pleasure from risk,” wrote Jennifer Henderson, a scholar and crazy storm-chaser, characterizing her feelings while chasing as “a sense of exposure and revelation tightly coupled”.
1. What does the underlined word “disruptive” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Amazing. | B．Ruinous. | C．Costly. | D．Sensitive. |
| A．They are small and have a slower moving speed. |
| B．They tend to be less common in American history. |
| C．They have aroused interest in weather tours in America. |
| D．The American people have suffered less damage from them. |
| A．The population of America was declining gradually. |
| B．There was no tornado activity in the southeastern America. |
| C．America has made greater progress in natural disaster warning. |
| D．The natural environment in tornado areas has been damaged. |
| A．The thrill of storm chasing | B．The tour of watching tornadoes |
| C．The formation of tornadoes | D．A unique phenomenon in nature |
9 . Where to Find the Perfect Christmas Tree Around Baltimore This Year
A handful of the area’s best choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms are only a quick road trip away.
A SNOWBALL’S CHANCE TREE FARM
This choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm of 16 acres has been run by a couple since 2005. Open for one weekend only, Dec. 3-4, this year, the new location in Woodstock will offer eight and nine-inch pre-cut Fraser Firs or cut-your-own White Pines & Blue Spruces.
10231 Harvest Fields Drive, Woodstock
DAVIDSON CHRISTMAS TREE FARM
Although it’s been active for more than two centuries, this family-owned Upperco Farm didn’t start to plant Christmas tree seedlings until the late 1960s. The fields are open seven days per week from Nov. 18 to Dec. 17. Wander through its 60-plus acres for eight tree varieties, such as the silver-blue Concolor Fir.
1101 Emory Church Rd., Upperco
FROSTEE TREE FARM
The appropriately named Helen and George Winter began planting and selling trees at their Perry Hall farm in 1974. The two have since passed away, but the farm, now operated by Paul Stiffler, has 15 acres of ready-to-cut trees ranging from Scotch Pine to White Pine, Douglas Pine, and Norway Spruce. The farm re-opens on the last weekend of November, after Thanksgiving.
8926 Cowenton Ave., Perry Hall
GAVER FARM
Owner Michael Gaver was just 17 when he established this Mt. Airy farm in 1978. Today, it holds 70 acres of cut-your-own trees, with varieties such as the Colorado Blue Spruce and the whisper-soft White Pine. Christmas tree shopping starts on Nov. 24. What distinguishes this farm from others is that you can step into the family farm’s cafe for apple cider doughnuts, beef sandwiches, and hot cocoa before you leave.
5501 Detrick Rd., Mt. Airy
1. Which farm has the shortest history of Christmas tree cutting?| A．A SNOWBALL’S CHANCE TREE FARM. |
| B．DAVIDSON CHRISTMAS TREE FARM. |
| C．FROSTEE TREE FARM. |
| D．GAVER FARM. |
| A．10231 Harvest Fields Drive, Woodstock. |
| B．1101 Emory Church Rd., Upperco. |
| C．8926 Cowenton Ave., Perry Hall. |
| D．5501 Detrick Rd., Mt. Airy. |
| A．It offers drinks and foods. | B．It includes White Pine. |
| C．It is owned by a family. | D．It is active for about 200 years. |
10 . If you’re traveling with your family and looking for great fun in Iceland, check this list of family-friendly tours. These tours help you make the best of your family vacation.
Ice caving tour on Langjokull Glacier (冰川)
On this Langjokull Glacier tour, explore the world’s largest man-made ice cave. A 20-ton monster truck will take you to the entrance of the cave, located close to the top of the glacier. Then hike through the 500m long ice tunnel with separate frozen halls and admire brilliant blue ice formations. You’ll dream about this ice cave experience for years to come!
Whale watching tour from Reykjavik
Hit the high seas on a Dalvik whale watching tour. Witness humpback whales, blue whales, minke whales and even dolphins! In true Icelandic fashion, you will get the chance to try your hand at sea fishing. Your fresh catch will be barbequed Icelandic-style when the tour ends, the perfect way to wrap up the day.
River rafting (漂流) down Gullfoss Canyon.
Whether you’re an expert or beginner, Iceland’s white waters attract people of all skill levels. Your tour begins at Drumboddsstadir, continues down the Hvita River and ends in Bruarhlod Canyon, located at the foothills of Gullfoss Waterfall. The waters will lead you past a water-carved gorge and over a few steep rapids on an unforgettable adventure of a lifetime.
Old farm hike
On this tour we’ll be aiming for the old abandoned farm at Kleif — watching out for the Arctic wildlife that lives in the area, including reindeer and plenty of birds. Upon arrival, we’ll go on a fully guided tour of the farm and hear stories of how Icelanders managed to survive in this unfriendly place. Finally, we’ll enjoy some warming refreshments at the farm after an educational day in the wilderness.
1. What do we know about the ice cave?| A．It is artificial. | B．It has a secret entrance. |
| C．It lies under a glacier. | D．It is the deepest in the world. |
| A．Ice caving tour. | B．Whale watching tour. | C．River rafting. | D．Old farm hike. |
| A．Have a barbecue in the wilderness. | B．Learn farming from local people. |
| C．Practice hunting Arctic animals. | D．Explore the history of the farm. |
