Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.
Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through multiple websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.
“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.
Harriet Levy paid $179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $169 to $360.
There’s no reason for it, Harrison said.
Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $755 to $1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, then fell to $718 on Sunday.
The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press (美国联合通讯社)followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.
There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:
● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.
● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are highest eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.
● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive (独家) sales to travelers who interact (互动) with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.
● The so-called discount airlines – JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier – adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal.
1.What can we infer from the first sentence of the text?
A. Passengers are unable to search for airfares.
B. Airlines often play games with passengers.
C. Airfares are set in different situations.
D. It’s difficult for passengers to get the best price.
2.The underlined phrase “pull the trigger” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.
A. start searching B. get the highest price
C. make a purchase D. get on board the plane
3.By using a lot of figures, the author intends to _______.
A. show there is standard price for every single airline
B. discover the rules behind airfares
C. guarantee passengers a low price
D. prove airfares can vary widely
4.Passengers are advised to book flights _______.
A. in the middle of the week
B. on special websites
C. several months before traveling
D. with airlines which are famous for offering discount prices
假如你是李华，最近你班举行了一场关于“动物园里笼养动物好不好”的讨论。请你根据下表所提供的信息，用英语将讨论的结果向某中学生英语报投稿，并陈述你的观点。
注意：字数120左右。开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
赞成的同学认为 | 反对的同学认为 | 你的观点 |
1．有机会亲眼目睹野生动物。 2．有助于培养对动物和自然的热爱。 3．能保护动物免受野生环境的危害。 | 1．浪费人力物力。 2．破坏生态平衡。 3．动物失去自由。 |
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注意：1. 词数100左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
第一节 短文改错 (共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)
请修改下面的短文。短文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last weekend my sister went to the supermarket to buy some groceries. Three hours ago, with full bags of goods in both hands, she headed for nearby bus stop, tired and hungry. She was waiting for the bus while it began to rain. After what seemed ages, came a bus, crowded of passengers. When it was her turn to getting on the bus, someone said, “ Sorry, no more rooms.”Quite disappointed, my sister had to take a taxi. Half way home, therefore, the taxi broke down. Hardly had he got out of the taxi when a bus passed by. It was empty, but she had been missed it! What an unluckily day!
When I was 8 years old, I once decided to run away from home. With my suitcase packed and some sandwiches in a bag, I started for the front door and said to Mom, “I_____1._ (leave).”
“If you want to run away , that’s all right,” she said. “But you came into this home _2.___ anything and you can leave the same way.” I threw my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor heavily and started for the door again.
“Wait a minute,” Mom said. “I want your 3.___ back. You didn’t wear anything when you arrived.” This really angered me. I tore my clothes off—shoes, socks, underwear and all—and shouted , “Can I go now?” “Yes,” Mom answered, “but once you close that door, don ’t expect _4.__(come )back.”
I was so angry that I slammed (砰地关上) the door and stepped out on the front porch. __5.____ (sudden) I realized that I was outside, with nothing on. Then I noticed that down the street, two neighbor girls were walking toward our house. I ran to bide behind a big tree in our yard at once. After a while, I was sure the girls____6.___ (pass) by. I dashed to the front door and banged on it loudly.
“Who’s there?” I heard. “It’s Billy! Let me in!”
The voice behind _7.___ door answered, “Billy doesn’t live here anymore. He ran away from home.” ___8.__ (glance) behind me to see if anyone else was coming, I begged, “Aw, o’mon, Mom! I’m still your son. Let me 9.__!”
The door inched open and Mom’s smiling face appeared. “Did you change your __10.__ (decide) about running away?” she asked.
“What’s for supper?” I answered.
People do not analyze every problem they meet. Sometimes they try to remember a solution from the last time they had a ____ problem. They often accept the opinions or ideas of other people. Other times they begin to act without _____; they try to find a solution by trial and error. ____, when all these methods _____, the person with a problem has to start analyzing. There are six _____ in analyzing a problem.
First the person must recognize that there is a problem. For example, Sam’s bicycle is broken, and he cannot ride it to class as he usually does. Sam must ____ that there is a problem with his bicycle.
Next the thinker must _____ the problem. Before Sam can repair his bicycle, he must know why it does not work. For instance, he must _____ the parts that are wrong.
Now the person must look for _____ that will make the problem clearer and lead to possible solutions. For instance, suppose Sam _____ that his bike does not work because there is something wrong with the brakes. _____, he can look in his bicycle repair book and read about brakes, talk to his friends at the bike shop, or look at his brakes carefully.
After ____ the problem, the person should have _____ suggestions for a possible solution. Take Sam as an example_____, his suggestions might be: tighten or loosen the brakes; buy new brakes and change the old ones.
Eventually one _____ seems to be the solution ____ the problem. Sometimes the final idea comes quite ____ because the thinker suddenly sees something new or sees something in a ____way. Sam, for example, suddenly sees that there is a piece of chewing gum(口香糖)stuck to a brake. He _____ hits on the solution to his problem: he must clean the brake.
Finally the solution is ____. Sam does it and finds that afterwards his bicycle works perfectly. In short, he has solved the problem.
1.A. serious B. usual C. Common D. similar
2.A. thinking B. practice C. understanding D. help
3.A. Besides B. Instead C. Otherwise D. However
4.A. work B. fail C. change D. develop
5.A. ways B.stages C. conditions D. orders
6.A. explain B. prove C. see D. show
7.A. find B. judge C. describe D. face
8.A. determine B. check C. correct D. recover
9.A. answers B. skills C. information D. explanation
10.A. hopes B. decides C. argues D. suggests
11.A. In other words B. Once in a while C. At this time D. First of all
12.A. discussing B. settling down C. comparing with D. studying
13.A. extra B. several C. enough D. countless
14.A. again B. secondly C. also D. alone
15.A. suggestion B. conclusion C. decision D. discovery
16.A. with B. to C. into D. for
17.A. unexpectedly B. late C. clearly D. often
18.A. simple B. quick C. different D. sudden
19.A. fortunate B. easily C. immediately D. clearly
20.A. recorded B. tested C. competed D. accepted
Kids' health: Four steps for fighting stress
Everybody gets stressed time to time. 1. Some ways of dealing with stress---like screaming or hitting someone---don't solve much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.
Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed:
(1) Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to trusted adult, such as “parent or other relatives.” 2. . They might have had similar problems, such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.
(2) Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear, that's not a good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself. 3. .
(3) Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends, it's time to get down to business. 4. . Even if you can't solve it all, you can solve a piece of it.
(4) Be positive. Most stress is temporary. Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it. These steps aren't magic, but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time, you'll help yourself feel better even faster. 5. .
A. Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them.
B. Different people feel stress in different ways
C. You need to figure out what the problem is.
D. Then, find a way to calm down.
E. Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation.
F. Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone.
G. And don't forget about your friends.
