1 . Fill your free time with these options on offer in New York City this month.
Pop & Rock
Dec. 1 at Webster Hall, Manhattan
On tour in support of her new release of Softscars, the singer and producer Nat Cmiel will play at Webster Hall on Sunday. A frequent subject of her songs is the solution to the tensions between digital and physical existence. Tickets are $25.
Family Concert
Dec. 10 at the Scheuer Auditorium, Manhattan
Joanie Leeds is adding her voice to those calling for children’s books in libraries and children’s classrooms. With a guitar and other musicians, she’ll celebrate the release of her new work, starting at 10: 30 a. m., in an hour-long concert intended to make young listeners first grow up and later sit down and read. Tickets to the concert are required to be reserved online, starting at $14. Children are admitted free.
Jazz
Dec. 20 at the Village Vanguard, Manhattan
Bold and carefree, Johnathan Blake has come to represent certain of present jazz. This week’s Vanguard stand features his My Life Matters, calling for people to let one another live and grow. Watching the performance of the band will have a lasting impression on you. Tickets are $40.
Sketch Comedy
Dec.22 at the Peoples Improv Theater, Manhattan
The Peoples Improv Theater is welcoming comedy troupes (剧团) across the country for a celebration and discussion of sketch comedy, with Birch & Caven as the opening show. Tickets start at $ 15 per show. Four-day passes are $79, and one-day passes are $30. Tickets are to be bought at the ticket office in person.
1. Whose song discusses digital and real-life interaction?| A．Nat Cmiel. | B．Joanie Leeds. | C．Birch & Caven. | D．Johnathan Blake. |
| A．At Webster Hall. | B．At the Scheuer Auditorium. |
| C．At the Village Vanguard. | D．At the Peoples Improv Theater. |
| A．Online tickets. | B．One-day passes. | C．Four-day passes. | D．Separate tickets. |
2 . Green Line Performing Arts Center
329 E Garfield Blvd. Chicago, IL 60637
Upcoming Programs Include:
First Monday Jazz Series: CrosswindMonday Feb 4 | onwards 7—9 pm
First Monday Jazz is a free monthly event showcasing local Chicago jazz artists.
Green Light Series: South Side Story TimeSunday Feb 17 | 10—11 am
Bring your kids to listen, learn, sing, dance, and interact! South Side Story Time is a small gathering that centres on readings for its young attendees along with the chance for their parents to socialize. Open to families with children of all ages.
Sistergirls and Freedom Fighters: Stories in Celebration of Women’s Power and GraceWednesday Feb 20 | 7—8:30 pm
Join us for an evening of storytelling featuring the dynamic singing, In the Spirit by Emily Hooper Lansana. This performance will highlight a range of stories that demonstrate women’s creative and political genius from folk heroines to Nobel Peace Prize winners.
Family Saturdays: Art togetherEvery 1st Saturday of the Month | 3—5 pm
Explore your child’s artistic curiosity with hands-on art workshops designed to stimulate creativity and play. These interdisciplinary workshops are exciting for the entire family, offering activities from music to arts and crafts. Come to learn something new! Appropriate for families with children. Registration is encouraged.
Follow Arts + Public Life on Facebook for more event details and a full list of all upcoming performances.
1. When can people enjoy jazz?| A．At 8 pm every first Monday. | B．At 4 pm every Saturday. |
| C．At 7 pm on Wednesdays. | D．At 9 pm on Mondays. |
| A．It lasts two hours. | B．It is organized by Emily. |
| C．It is a prize-winning performance. | D．It celebrates women’s achievements. |
| A．The forms of arts. | B．Target participants. |
| C．The duration of activities. | D．Registration requirements. |
3 . Hillier Gardens School Holiday Program
The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are open year-round offering opportunities to view interesting plants and flowers and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Throughout the Easter school holidays, we have various events for children, which are fun and educational and give them interesting ways to interact with nature.
Self-Guided Easter Trail
The Gardens feature a regular trail throughout the year. For the Easter school holidays children will pick up their maps and follow clues left by the Easter Bunny. The family trails are a great way to explore the gardens with a little bit of guidance. Children who finish the trail will also be able to collect a small prize at the end. Trail maps can be picked up from the ticket desk.
Cost: E1.50 per child
All ages
Pond Dipping
The Education Garden ponds at Hillier Gardens are filled with all sorts of interesting creatures you might never think to look at. Keep an eye out for beetles, skimmers and more creatures living in the ponds. All materials are provided and bookings are not required. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Cost: E2 per child
All ages
Outdoor Adventure Holiday Club
The Outdoor Learning Company will be running their popular Outdoor Adventure Holiday Club for four days throughout the Easter break. Children will experience a range of different outdoor skills and activities, including campfire cooking, bush craft tools, and den building. There’s also plenty of time to just enjoy the outdoors running around, tree climbing and exploring. Bookings are essential and can be made on the Outdoor Learning Company website.
Cost: E22
Ages 5-11
Family Bushcraft Cooking
One of the last activities of the holiday period is a campfire cooking session. You’ll make warm fruit puddings and cook other things on the campfire, while also learning essential bushcraft skills for cooking and safe fire handling. The price is for one adult and one child. Tickets can be booked online or by calling 01794369318.
Cost: E12.50
Ages 4-12
1. What good will the holiday events do to children?| A．Enjoying the festive leisure. | B．Improving self-care abilities. |
| C．Bringing them close to nature. | D．Strengthening the family ties. |
| A．Pond Dipping. | B．Self-Guided Easter Trail. |
| C．Family Bushcraft Cooking. | D．Outdoor Adventure Holiday Club. |
| A．Have a self-guided walk. | B．Learn outdoor survival skills. |
| C．Enjoy a family picnic. | D．Take care of small animals. |
4 . This Week’s Events & More to Come
SIP & SUPPORTEnjoy dinner, delicious wine, dancing and music by Lonesome Found, all while supporting a great cause. This night of fun and fund raising will benefit the Pocono YMCA’s scholarship programs, which assist children and seniors.
Stroudsburg-2332 Walters Rd.(570) 421-2525 poconoymca. org
Price: $85/person; $170/couple; $450/table of six
HOUSEPLANT HOW — TO’S
Spring is here, and it’s the perfect time to address your houseplants’ needs before the growing season. Each participant can bring a houseplant in need of a little rehab(修复) and will choose a 6-inch houseplant to take home. Come for a night of fun and learning! Cocktail/mocktail and snacks provided. Reservations required.
Hawley -210 Welwood Ave.(570) 576-0490 gorgeous-floral. com
Price: $45/person
TRAVIS TRITT
Thirty years after Travis Tritt launched his music career, the Southern rock-influenced artist continues to sell out shows and stay true and relevant to country music fans across the globe. Tickets can be purchased at the Penn’s Peak Box Office (walk-up only) or through Ticketmaster.
Jim Thorpe-325 Maury Rd.(866) 605-7325 pennspeak. com
Price: $48/person
BODYWORKS GENTLE FLOW
Gentle Flow will take yoga beginners to the next level with a slower paced flow. This class will also allow for more time with each pose, softening and going deeper into the pose increasing strength and flexibility. Reservations required. An eight-hour cancellation policy is required. Class cards must be used within 90 days.
East Stroudsburg-95 Crystal St.(570)213-8356 bodyworkswellnessstudios.com
Price: $16/per class; $ 140/10 classes
1. What’s special about SIP & SUPPORT?
| A．It requires reservations. | B．It’s for charity purposes. |
| C．It aims at kids and seniors. | D．It provides snacks for free. |
| A．Have a houseplant improved. | B．Enjoy dinner and snacks for free. |
| C．Exchange houseplants with others. | D．Hold parties throughout the night. |
| A．TRAVIS TRITT. | B．HOUSEPLANT HOW-TO’S. |
| C．SIP & SUPPORT. | D．BODYWORKS GENTLE FLOW. |
5 . The Sydney Royal Easter Show will be held over 12 days from Friday, 22 March to Tuesday, 2 April, 2024 at Sydney Olympic Park.
This year the Show is held outside of school holidays so weekends are expected to be busy, particularly the Easter Long Weekend (Friday, 29 March to Monday, 1 April). Visiting on a weekday to avoid the largest crowds is highly suggested, especially if you’re visiting with young children.
Transport:
Tickets to the Easter Show include event entry and travel on public transport. Avoid the traffic delays and catch public transport instead.
Express and limited-stop trains will run to Olympic Park from Central and Western Line stations on weekends with some additional services on weekdays.
Sydney Olympic Park Major Event Buses will run each day of the Easter Show with return buses between Olympic Park and the train station from early morning until around 3 pm, and from 7 pm until 10:30 pm each night. Buses will run every 10 to 20 minutes, and timetables vary on weekdays and weekends.
Trackwork will continue during the Show and may affect your trip by train or metro, depending on where you are travelling from, so plan ahead before leaving home.
Getting around is easy with the Opal Travel app. The Opal Travel app is the official Transport for NSW app to help you get around public transport. You can plan your trips, check your travel activities and fares, top up on the go and more.
Major Events:
Friday, 22 March — Netball at Ken Rosewall Arena from 1 pm — 2:30 pm
Saturday, 23 March — Joker Xue at Qudos Bank Arena from 8 pm — 9:30 pm
Sunday, 24 March — Netball at Ken Rosewall Arena from 4 pm — 6 pm
Friday, 29 March — NRL: Bulldogs v Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium from 7:30 pm —9:30 pm
Saturday, 30 March — $ UICIEBOY$ at Qudos Bank Arena from 7:30 pm —10 pm
For more information on events in the precinct, visit What’s on at Sydney Olympic Park.
1. What is the best recommended time for visiting the show?| A．School holidays. | B．Weekends. | C．Weekdays. | D．Long weekends. |
| A．Friday, 22 March. | B．Sunday, 24 March. | C．Friday, 29 March. | D．Saturday, 30 March. |
| A．It offers convenient balance recharging. | B．It offers a discount for your transport. |
| C．It offers road condition information. | D．It offers navigation services to the park. |
6 . Emerald Coast Science Center Field Trips
Bring your group or class to explore our hands-on Science Center now which provides wonderful learning opportunities for students all along the Emerald Coast!
| Hands-on fun Every field trip includes a Makerspace activity and a 30-minute close encounter with our animals under the guidance of an educator. Lessons for all agesLessons can be changed to suit the needs of most grade levels and include knowledge of different areas. But remember: such lessons charge an additional fee and must be planned in advance. For a list of the types of field trip lessons we currently offer, please click here to download our Education Program Guide. | Pricing information ●$12 per student;1 free guardian every 10 students, additional guardians $6 each; teachers are always free. ●Minimum fee of $120 per field trip. ●Same-day field trips are limited to up to 105 students. ●The group for field trips that does not arrive within 30 minutes past their scheduled arrival time will be charged a $100 service fee to accommodate scheduling issues. ●No Show/No Call bookings are charged a $100 cancellation fee. ●Okaloosa County only: Up to 6 free economically disadvantaged students per booking. |
To book a field trip, please call Lisa at 850-664-1261. Please choose your preferred date and two alternate dates you would like to book before calling. We will email you a confirmation of your booking.
1. What do the Science Center field trips offer?| A．Tailored lessons. | B．Animal training. |
| C．Trips to the Emerald Coast. | D．A half-hour Makerspace activity. |
| A．$108. | B．$114. | C．$120. | D．$126. |
| A．A museum guide. | B．An online ad. |
| C．A commercial report. | D．An activity review. |
7 . Going on vacation every week might sound like the very unattainable dream.
Decision scientist Nika Kabiri recommends doing something totally new so you can disconnect from the same old routines governing your life. Among her favorite ideas: Drive to a part of town you’ve never been to before, go for a city walk, and grab lunch at the first cute café you see. Or take a bike or boat tour of your city.
Treating your weekend like a vacation doesn’t mean it needs to be a delicate affair. If your “vacation” encounters a few unexpected affairs or lasts for only a few hours, don’t be annoyed.
| A．Act like a tourist. |
| B．Go for a city walk. |
| C．It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. |
| D．Just ignore the work and continue to have fun. |
| E．All the experiences make you feel the weekend vacation-like. |
| F．But a simple mindset shift can make it happen with no travel involved. |
| G．Not everyone has Saturday and Sunday or any two continuous days off work. |
8 . Ideas for Spring and Summer HOA Community Events
As spring and summer are finally upon us, the HOA (Homeowner Association) communities are planning events to get the neighborhood involved and interacting.
Spring cookout
Community-wide garage sales
It’s suitable to hold garage sales in spring and summer.
For a great children’s event, decorate a flower pot and plant a seed to welcome spring. Adults are welcome to participate. Hosting a nature walk in your neighborhood is also pretty good. This is a great way to educate the community about green practices and conservation.
Movies in the park
If your neighborhood has a great open park area where blankets can be spread out, think about holding a family movie night. Movie nights are great fun for: all under the stars on a warm summer night.
| A．Plant a flower |
| B．Welcome spring |
| C．Below are some event ideas for your community |
| D．Outdoor movie rental screens are easy to rent and set up |
| E．Make sure you have a good mix of songs for every listener |
| F．Having a neighborhood yard sale usually attracts larger crowds |
| G．This is a great way to know your neighbors and build a sense of community |
9 . “Playing Shop” Social Activity
Children are invited to get behind the shop counter (柜台) of Susannah Place Museum, recreated 1915 shop.
This is a good time for your children to put on an apron (围裙) and become shopkeepers. They learn how to wrap (包裹) an egg, weigh out goods on a scale (秤) and count in pounds and shillings (先令)!
Suitable for the children between 5 and 7, the Playing Shop activity will see your children:
■ Use an old-fashioned shop scale.
■ Wrap goods.
■ Fill an order and make a delivery (配送).
Tickets for Playing Shop are now on sale through sydneylivingmuseums.com.cn. Choose from the following periods:
9:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m. or 10:45 a.m.-12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12, 2023.
9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m. or 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. on Friday, May 21, 2023.
Please note children must be accompanied (陪伴) by an adult.
You can continue your fun at Susannah Place Museum by joining a guided tour at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. at an additional (额外的) cost on the day.
1. Who might the article be intended for?| A．5 to 7-year-old kids. | B．Parents. |
| C．Middle school students. | D．College students. |
| A．For 45 minutes. | B．For one hour. | C．For 65 minutes. | D．For 75 minutes. |
| A．Use a fashionable scale. |
| B．Weigh out goods and count money. |
| C．Continue fun at a museum for free. |
| D．Wrap goods for customers and accompany them home. |
10 . Have you ever paused to see clouds when you rush to your destination? There’s a group of passionate “treasure finders” dedicated to observing and capturing the beauty in the sky cloud spotters.
Cloud spotters take a more serious approach to make sense of the sky.
Ji Yun, 36, is an expert in cloud spotting. He set up a WeChat group to gather together people with similar hobbies in 2013. As the number of group members continued to grow, Ji and several cloud enthusiasts created dozens of online groups for different regions in China, forming the Sky Enthusiasts Association in 2019.
Power comes in numbers. Three years after the association was formed, cloud enthusiasts from all over China had collected every kind of cloud in the International Cloud Atlas, a reference by the World Meteorological Organization.
Indeed, Jiang Xinwei in Jilin finds cloud spotting relaxing. Even though she is going through her toughest school year in grade 12, Jiang maintains this hobby as a short break from her heavy schoolwork. “Observing the clouds has become a habit for me,” the 17-year-old said. “
“Clouds change in the blink of an eye.
| A．Currently, there are thousands of people across different groups. |
| B．This often leads us to think about the relationship between humans and nature. |
| C．They take photos of the clouds and match them to cloud type names. |
| D．My worries and troubles seem to fade away as I look up. |
| E．But that is not to say all clouds spotters need to go to such great lengths. |
| F．Cloud spotting can also make some people feel blue. |
| G．When they roll over the sky, I feel the passage of time has a concrete shape. |
