Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.
AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost £169.15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost £118.15.
If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid—or you’re looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.
STAYAWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.
Don’t be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge’s Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £62.95.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative consider checking into a self-catering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O’Neill Flat on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, available for £420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.
GET ON A BIKE London’s ‘Boris bikes’ have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.
Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around £1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or £5 per day). (358 words)
1. The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may __________.
A. help travelers pass time
B. attract lots of travelers to the UK
C. allow travelers to make flexible plans
D. cause travelers to pay more for accommodation
2.“Farringdon” in Paragraph 5 is most probably __________.
A. a hotel away from the train station
B. the tube line to Covent Garden
C. an ideal holiday destination
D. the name of a travel agency
3.The passage shows that the O’Neill Flat __________.
A. lies on the ground floor
B. is located in central London
C. provides cooking facilities for tourists
D. costs over £100 on average per day in late September
4.Cardiff’s program allows a free bike for a maximum period of __________.
A. half an hour B. one hour C. one hour and a half D. two hours
5.The main purpose of the passage is __________.
A. to tell visitors how to book in advance
B. to supply visitors with hotel information
C. to show visitors the importance of self-help
D. to offer visitors some money-saving tips
Whenever we hear about “the homeless”, most of us think of the Developing world. But the 31 is that homelessness is everywhere. For example, how many of us would expect to see people living on the streets of a 32 country like Germany?
Kurt Muller and his wife Rita have spent eleven years making 33 for the homeless of Berlin, Germany’s capital. They first 34 one long hot summer when most Germans were 35 on holiday. Kurt and his wife stayed at home, made sandwiches, 36 a table in the street and gave food to the homeless.
The Mullers soon realized that food and clothing weren’t 37 . “What these people also need is warmth and 38 ,” says Rita. The Mullers didn’t 39 to give their phone number to the street people and told them to phone anytime. Rita 40 there was somebody at home to answer the phone and their home was always 41 to anyone who couldn’t face another night on the street.
The couple were soon 42 all their time and money, so Kurt visited food and clothing companies to 43 donations. Today, over thirty companies 44 donate food and other goods to the cause and volunteers help to 45 them to the homeless. The public also give clothes and money and a shoe producer 46 new shoes.
Kurt and Rita receive no 47 for their hard work. “ We feel like parents,” says Rita, “and parents shouldn’t 48 money for helping their children. The love we get on the streets is our salary.” Though Rita admits she often gets 49 , she says she will continue with her work because she likes the feeling of having made a 50 in the world.
1.A. result B. truth C. reason D. idea
2.A. traditional B. developing C. typical D. wealthy
3.A. preparations B. houses C. meals D. suggestions
4.A. began B. met C. called D. left
5.A. asleep B. alone C. across D. away
6.A. brought up B. set up C. put aside D. gave away
7.A. enough B. necessary C. helpful D. expensive
8.A. fame B. freedom C. courage D. caring
9.A. hesitate B. agree C. pretend D. intend
10.A. made sense B. found out C. made sure D. worked out
11.A. open B. crowded C. noisy D. near
12.A. costing B. wasting C. taking D. spending
13.A. pay for B. ask for C. look into D. carry out
14.A. completely B. calmly C. regularly D. roughly
15.A. advertise B. sell C. deliver D. lend
16.A. donates B. produces C. designs D. collects
17.A. permission B. payment C. direction D. support
18.A. borrow B. raise C. save D. expect
19.A. surprised B. excited C. tired D. amused
20.A. profit B. difference C. decision D. rule
The young actress looked so charming in her beautiful dress that we took pictures with her.
A. a great many of B. a good many C. the number of D. a large amount of
——Have you some new ideas? ——Yeah. I’ll tell you later.
A. come about B. come into C. come up with D. come out with
Berners-Lee made possible for everyone to use the Internet, not just universities and the army.
A. him B. it C. this D. that
My first ________ of him was that he was a kind and thoughtful young man.
A. expression B. attention C. satisfaction D. impression
