The next long vacation might be still months away, but it’s never too early to tailor a good travel plan.
Planning ahead with discount air tickets and hotel booking sites may bring you the prize of an overseas adventure. Here, 21st Century offers some tips on how to plan a cheap, creative travel route.
Book a budget flight
1. Discount airlines tend to increase their fare as the plane fills up and early reservations are usually rewarded with the lowest fares.
Most major domestic airlines offer discount tickets for off-peak travel. China Southern Airlines now provides favorable group purchase ticket deals to attract tourists to cities like Hong Kong and Guilin. 2.
Another way is to search for a cheap ticket on the websites of low-cost airlines, which offer you very low fares though less comfort.
The budget airline has a long history in the West. It’s also called a no-frills carrier(经济型航班)for doing away with traditional free services, such as food and drinks. They charge you extra for catering on board, or securing a seat. 3.
Popular airline routes
Air Asia: The Malaysian-based airline flies form seven cities in China including Tianjin, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guilin and Shenzhen in the Chinese mainland, and provides trips to cities such as Paris and London. 4. Many tickets are priced under 1500 yuan.
Southwest Airlines: If you go traveling in the US you can take this low-cost airline based in Texas.
Find a cheap 5-star service hotel
5. It’s a great idea to look for YHA（Youth Hostels Associa-tion）backpackers, or Bed ＆ Breakfast deals online.
A．It can transfer you to most South East Asian countries.
B．So you have to read more discount information before boarding.
C．The key to getting any good-priced plane ticket is to reserve the flight early.
D．So it’s wiser to take hand luggage because many budget airlines put a fee on checked in luggage.
E. Air China and Beijing Capital Airlines offer tickets with as much as 75 to 80 percent discounts.
F. Like airline tickets, the price for a budget hotel depends on when you book it: the earlier, the cheaper.
G. Get your holiday off to a flying start by booking a cheap flight to hundreds of destinations ebookers offers.
In the UK, we like a good bargain. People flock to the sales in January, when stores slash their prices to get rid of all their winter stock. But surprisingly, the British hate haggling. In markets you might see the odd British person battling with a stall owner to bring down the price of a pair of trousers or some furniture. Generally, though, people from the UK are too reserved to haggle. If we think the price of something we want is too high, we’ll simply move on and try somewhere else.
The act of bargaining with someone is very theatrical, in my opinion. It’s a test to see who can stand their ground for the longest. But it is not in British people’s nature to “perform” in public, especially around strangers.
However, in the US, people are generally more willing to haggle. And if you wander into a market, you’re likely to hear a number of phrases that Americans reserve for such occasions.
First, “you drive a hard bargain” is commonly said by the customer to indicate they think the stall holder is working very hard, probably a little too hard, to get the price he wants.
Or you might hear the buyer telling a stall holder that “the kid’s gotta have braces”, which means they don’t have enough spare money lying around to afford the price being offered.
If the customer is really shocked at the price suggested by the seller, they also might say “you’re killing me” to indicate that they think the price is far too high.
In Britain, it’s difficult to imagine anyone saying anything along these lines. If I were forced to bargain, I’d probably say, very simply: “I’m going to make you an offer.” If that offer were refused, I think I’d just walk away.
1.The underlined word “haggling” can be replaced by _______.
A．arguing B．bargaining C．performing D．insisting
2.Why don’t the British haggle generally?
A．They don’t think it is polite behavior.
B．They have sales every January.
C．They can always get a better price somewhere else.
D．They dislike openly expressing feelings or opinions.
3.The underlined phrase “you drive a hard bargain” means_______.
A．the seller has a lot of deals on offer.
B．the buyer will make a final offer
C．the stall holder is too insistent
D．the buyer doesn’t have a lot of spare money
4.What’s the author’s attitude toward bargaining?
A．Negative. B．Careless. C．Positive. D．Critical.
5.How does the passage mainly develop?
A．By providing examples.
B．By making comparision.
C．By analyzing causes and effects.
D．By following the order of importance.
The opening of the Sherlock Holmes Museum to the public on March 27, 1990, was an event that should have happened several decades ago. Baker Street is, after all, one of the world’s most famous streets because of its long association with the great detective.
Thousands of people all over the world write to Sherlock Holmes, they form clubs and societies in his honor, and they celebrate his anniversaries. Now it is also possible to see where and how he lived in Victorian times!
Here visitors will recognize familiar objects mentioned in the stories. You can take as many photographs as you want (the maid will be pleased to assist) and when you are ready to leave, a ride home in a horse-drawn carriage will complete your 19th century experience!
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson lived at 221b Baker Street from about 1881 to 1904. Apartment 221b was on the first floor of a lodging house, which they rented from a Mrs Hudson. The famous study that Holmes and his friend Dr Watson shared for almost 25 years is on the first floor overlooking Baker Street.
We know from Doctor Watson’s descriptions that their sitting room overlooking Baker Street was “illuminated(照明、照亮) by two broad windows” and that it was quite small.
Doctor Watson’s bedroom was on the second floor next to Mrs Hudson’s room and it overlooked an open yard at the back of the house. These rooms are used today for exhibits, where center stage is taken by a magnificant bronze bust(半身像)of Mr Holmes. Visitors can browse through literature, paintings, photographs and newspapers of the period. Memorabilia（纪念品） from the adventures and a selection of letters written to and from Mr Holmes are also on display.
The museum’s large and attractive souvenir shop is located on the ground floor. Here you will find a unique collection of gifts, objects of art, figures, busts, prints, books, playing cards, T-shirts, －novelties of every description available exclusively to museum visitors.
1.According to the article, we can conclude that Sherlock Holmes’ admirers .
A．expect replies from him
B．made the opening of the museum possible
C．treat him as if he were a real person
D．often adapt his books into films or plays
2.Which of the following is TRUE?
A．The sitting room is small but has two big windows.
B．Mrs Hudson’s rooms are not used as exhibit rooms.
C．Mr Holmes’ and Dr Watson’s bedrooms are on the same floor.
D．Mr Holmes and Mrs Hudson shared ownership of Apartment 221b Baker Street.
3.When in the museum, which of the following can visitors not do?
A．Take photos of the rooms or objects on show
B．Buy unusual and interesting souvenirs
C．Learn some news of Mr Holmes’s times
D．Ask the maid to serve you tea in the Victorian times
Scholarship Application Tips in 2013 for college students
·Before you apply
1. Work hard to get good grades. Don’t sweat about one bad grade, but always strive(力求)to do your best.
2. Get involved, and stay involved, in extracurricular(课外的)activities. Sports, clubs, drama, bands and orchestras－these often count toward a student’s overall scholarship application evaluation. The same goes for paid (or unpaid) work experience.
3. Begin your scholarship research early－by your sophomore(大学二年级)or junior year of high school, if possible. Make special note of application deadlines, as they can vary from late summer to late spring.
4. Apply for as many scholarships as you are eligible(符合条件的)for－several smaller scholarships can add up to a lot of money.
·During the application process
1. Read the supplementary materials that come with scholarship application forms to better understand the program’s focus (community service, subject interest). Try to answer the questions with the focus area in mind.
2. Answer questions as they are asked. Don’t got off topic.
3. If there is a financial component to the application, make sure you get accurate and complete information from all appropriate sources to ensure your eligibility.
4. Take your time. Write down everything you can think of for each question, then set the application aside for a day so you can look everything over again before you send it off.
5. Don’t wait until the last minute to complete your application, especially if you are applying online. Computer systems can get clogged(阻塞的)with the large volume of applicants hoping to submit their qualifications during the last few days and hours before a deadline.
6. If a third party has to complete part of your application, such as providing a letter of recommendation, make sure you ask them early on and remind them as often as necessary to ensure they provide you with the necessary materials.
7. Last but not least, review your application with your parents to make sure you haven’t left out any important details.
Good luck to the students applying for the 2013 scholarship programs!
1.Before you apply for a scholarship, it’s best to .
A．pay more attention to grades than to extracurricular activities
B．focus on only one scholarship application
C．get as much work experience as possible
D．begin your preparation as early as possible
2. When answering questions on the application form, you should .
A．focus on the subject you are interested in
B．answer to the point
C．list your advantages
D．prove your abilities
3.The author suggests that applicants should .
A．submit the application in the few days
B．double-check their application with their parents
C．complete and submit the application in one day
D．avoid submitting the application online
At 10 years old, Flynn Mc Garry became sick of the meals his mother cooked for him. So the Los Angeles native took matters into his own hands and started making his own dinners. One of his specialties? Trout with braised leeks(韭葱炖鲑鱼).
Now 13, the young chef is being praised as a “food prodigy(神童)”. He will spend his summer apprenticing with some of the best chefs at LA’s famous restaurants, MSNBC Nightly New reports.
Mc Garry began making a name for himself in the culinary(烹饪) world when John Sedlar, owner of the trendy Playa Restaurant, let Mc Garry take over the kitchen for a special nine-course meal. The meal sold out almost instantly.
“Flynn is a very unusual young man, and he’s very, very passionate,” owner John Sedlar told MSNBC.
By usual teenage boy standards, it’s true. So strong is his passion for cooking that the young man has turned his bedroom into an experimental kitchen laboratory.
Instead of video game consoles, baseball trophies and movie posters, Mc Garry’s room is lined with mixers, pots and pans, cutting boards and a stainless steel worktable. It’s where Mc Garry cooks his monthly pop-up dinners, which are served from his family’s dining room, a monthly supper club he calls Eureka.
Mc Garry is deft(灵巧的) and confident in the kitchen, with skills he’s been practicing since he was a child. What started out as a means of self-preservation from his mom’s unsatisfactory cooking has turned into a passion that the teen hopes to develop into a career.
“My goal? Michelin three stars, a restaurant in the top 50 list,” he told MSNBC. “Hopefully the top five.” Meanwhile, Mc Garry’s 13-year-old resume is already richer and more impressive than most cooks many times his age.
Mc Garry isn’t the only talented young prodigy to surprise experts in his field in recent years. At just 17 years old, physicist Taylor Wilson is already teaching graduate-level courses in physics and has built a functioning nuclear reactor.
1.Mc Garry first started cooking ___________.
A．for himself B．as an experiment
C．in his own bedroom D．with a teacher’s guidance
2.Compared with many adult chefs, Mc Garry ________.
A．has the best cooking equipment in his kitchen
B．is inventive and has many new specialties to his name
C．has much and impressive cooking experience for his young age
D．wants to open his own Michelin three-star restaurant
3.The author mentions Taylor Wilson in the last paragraph to ______.
A．prove that Flynn’s success is not a rare case
B．compare his talent to that of Flynn Mc Garry
C．introduce a young talent in a different field
D．suggest experts should be trained at a young age
4.Where does this text probably come from?
A．A recipe book B．A restaurant introduction
C．A career guide D．A news report
When I was in the ninth grade, my parents started fighting. I could hear them 36 at each other at night. It always seemed like they were fighting about me. I started to 37 and couldn’t fall asleep. Some nights I didn’t feel like I 38 at all. My grades really started to 39 too. It was hard to pay attention during class because I felt so 40 all the time.
My mom had to take me to see a therapist(治疗专家). On the way, I 41 to worry even more. What would my friends 42 me if they knew I was going to see a therapist? What if the therapist couldn’t 43 me?
It was not that 44 . My therapist asked me a lot of questions and then we talked about how my life might 45 if I was able to get more sleep. 46 I understood how the future could be better, I felt really 47 to try new things. At the end of the session, I was sent home with a piece of paper called a sleep diary. When I woke up each morning, I had to answer all these questions about my sleep.
48 , she gave me homework related to my sleep. I wasn’t 49 to text or be on my computer after 8 pm. If I couldn’t fall asleep after about ten minutes, she wanted me to get up and do something in another room that would help me to 50 and feel sleepy.
During the therapy sessions, she was a cheerleader for my life and kept 51 out all the things I was doing right. With her help, it was so much easier to notice the 52 things that were happening all around me.
After about two months of seeing my therapist, I was sleeping at least eight hours a night, sometimes even nine! I felt happier. I could 53 . My grades got better. Basically, I felt like myself! It was so much better to admit that something was 54 and to do something to fix it 55 just watch my whole life get worse and worse.
1. A．laughing B．shooting C．knocking D．screaming
2. A．doubt B．worry C．protest D．quarrel
3. A．slept B．ate C．spoke D．dreamed
4. A．reduce B．change C．drop D．influence
5. A．bored B．tired C．upset D．shy
6. A．refused B．happened C．ended D．started
7. A．think about B．worry about C．get on with D．agree with
8. A．teach B．fix C．answer D．recognize
9. A．helpful B．interesting C．awful D．practical
10. A．improve B．develop C．benefit D．adjust
11. A．If B．Unless C．Though D．Once
12. A．nervous B．surprised C．excited D．calm
13. A．Therefore B．Besides C．However D．Instead
14. A．allowed B．reminded C．asked D．persuaded
15. A．study B．relax C．respond D．recover
16. A．picking B．trying C．leaving D．pointing
17. A．tiny B．exciting C．positive D．important
18. A．forgive B．concentrate C．appreciate D．understand
19. A．wrong B．significant C．acceptable D．realistic
20. A．instead of B．as well as C．rather than D．other than
