Old-Fashioned Play-For Pay Kids! Come to have a ball! Or 60,000 of them! There's a new type of business franchise that is appearing in shopping malls and neighborhood across America offering pay-per-use indoor playgrounds, which feature toys, games, guided fun and a workout that doesn't break the family bank. As public playgrounds grow increasingly worn and dirty, the for-profit centers offer clean, safe guided activity as well as a variety of challenging exercises to develop kids' physical fitness, usually for a fee of around $ 5 an hour. "Playgrounds are dirty, not guided," says Dick Guggenheimer, owner of the two-month-old Discovery Zone in Yonkers, N. Y., part of Kansas City-based chain, "We are indoors; we are padded; parents can feel their child is safe". In order to satisfy the need of two-earner families, the new franchise stays open in the evenings, long after traditional public playgrounds have grown dark and unusable. However, these new playgrounds are not meant to be day-care centers. Parents are expected to go stay and play with their kids rather than drop them off. But several also provide high-tech baby-sitting services. At some of the Discovery Zones, parents can register their children in special guided programs, then leave them and slip away for a couple of hours to enjoy a movie or dinner. If there is a problem, Mom and Dad are called. The most fun of all, though, is getting to do what parents used to do in the days before two-earner families and two-hour commutes , play with their kids. That, at least, is old-fashioned, even at per-hour rates. According to the article, which of the following is TRUE to the new playground? A) The cost is high for a family. B) It doesn't allow parents to leave their kids. C) It stays open in the evening just as traditional playgrounds. D) It's a place where parents can play together with their kids.
D
"Hi,howareya." some people say when they see a familiar face.The words run together into a mass,all sense and meaning lost. All the same,people do care how you are.After they greet you,it's likely you will greet them back,with an equally meaningless phrase like,"Can't complain,can't complain."You could probably complain,at length,or share a brilliant thought you were just beginning when a greeting interrupted you.You don't though,you say,"Great,you?" You are not giving each other information about your health and wellbeing.All the same,you are sharing information.You're acknowledging each other's positions as acknowledged friends,or at least as accepted acquaintances.And you are reestablishing the ties that may have lapsed since yesterday,when you last met at the elevator or the entrance to the train station. It's what anthropologist Bronislaw Malinoski called a phatic communication.Its message is not in the words you use,but in the fact that you speak ritually accepted words.In Asia,for example,people may ask one another if they have eaten,or if they are busy.They're not really asking for their lunch menu or their agenda,they are saying hello.A phatic signal merely says, "I see you there." It says hi. There's embarrassment of being near people without acknowledging them.That uncomfortable feeling is one reason why lonely passengers in the subway may behave as if they cannot see anyone around them or may escape their uncomfortable situation with a book.Some people read all the way home,and never turn a page. Your friend isn't asking how you are,and you aren't telling him.However,he is recognizing your existence,and when you answer,you are recognizing his.In addition,the set speech you have shared opens the door to closer communications if both agree.Someday,you may come to real close friendship,and really tell one another how you are. Meanwhile,people who greet one another this way do care.They care enough to recognize someone's essential humanity .They send a signal across the space between,to share,very... When people greet,they _ . A) want to show their different educational backgrounds B) show nothing related with the words themselves C) want to know other people's privacy D) express something special
B
Q: School Activities Our school activities are suitable for all ages and levels including primary, secondary and A-Level. We offer workshops, hands-on activities and a teacher support service to help you get the most out of your visit. All school services are free, but must be booked in advance.[:Z,xx,k.Com] Darwin Centre Find out who you really are and where you come from in our interactive films about evolution, described by Sir David Attenborough. Hands-on Activities Get up close and personal with Museum in these hands-on activities, where you can handle real specimens from our collections. Hundreds of real, natural history specimens for students to touch and explore are in our hands-on science centre. Self-led Activities Pupils can engage with specimens through role-play in a self-guided explorer challenge through the Museum. The Great Debate School Program Students are introduced to the history of the debate during a lively tour. They are then divided into groups and use exhibits to prepare presentations representing the views of the debated key characters. Booking All school activities must be booked in advance by calling the schools booking line: 4420 7942 6666. If you're interested in human evolution, you'd better choose _ . A) The Great Debate Schools Program B) Darwin Centre C) Hands-on Activities D) Self-led Activities
A: D
(Q).
Oscars organizers promised a new progress to this month's Academy Awards to greet this year's nominees . After years of falling view that ended in last year's 80th Oscars recording low view rate,the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has to make a fresh start for Hollywood's yearly show. The coproducers of the February 22 show,Bill Condon and Laurence Mark,have so far kept full details of their planned changes to the Oscars' triedandtested method secret. Oscars organizers have already made sure of one change by announcing Australian actor Hugh Jackman as the host of the show. Among the changes reported to be considered are the decision to leave out the ceremony's opening monologue . The names of the invited on the awards night have also been kept secret while in earlier years the Academy made presenters to the ceremony public before weeks. TheNewYorkTimesreported on Monday that the producers are trying to improve the show by asking studios to provide scenes from films. At the same time Ganis also advised nominees to give some thought to make their acceptance speeches memorable-and short. "As for the acceptance speeches-you know what's required," Ganis said."Be brief,be personal and be heartfelt. _ " This year's Oscars are expected to be a great event. Many films will touch you,"Slumdog Millionaire"has 10 nominations,and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" with 13.In the past the film with the most Oscar nominations is the one that has succeeded in box office. The main idea of the passage should be _ . A) Oscars leaders announce new film B) films with most nominations C) Oscars organizers are waiting for actors D) Oscars leaders promise "brave,fresh"show
(A).
D