Travelling can be a way to gain life experiences,especially during Spring Break—a week long school vacation in the United States.But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip? Don’t worry.Here are some useful suggestions.
Save:This probably is the most important preparation for travelling.Cut expenses to fatten_your_wallet so you will have more choices about where to go and how to get there.
Plan ahead:Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip.Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice.Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security and savings.
Do your homework:No matter where you go,research the places you will visit.Decide what to see.Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.
Plan sensibly:Write down what you expect to spend for food and hotels.Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.
Travel in groups:Find someone who is interested in visiting the same place.By travelling with others you can share costs and experiences.
Work as you go:Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.
Go off the beaten path:Tourist cities may be expensive.You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser-known area.Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.
Pack necessary things:The most important things to take are not always clothes.Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant.
Use the Internet:The Net can help to save money.Some useful websites include www.Travelocity.com,www.bargains-lowestfare.com and www.economictravel.com.
By planning sensibly,even students can enjoy the travel.Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.
This passage is about ________.
A.how to travel with enough money |
B.how to plan your travel |
C.how to make your travel interesting |
D.how to get life experiences |
The underlined words “fatten your wallet” probably means ________.
A.make your wallet larger |
B.put some fat in your wallet |
C.put some choices in your wallet |
D.save some money |
During your trip,________.
A.you can gain valuable life experiences |
B.you need more shoes than clothes |
C.you shouldn’t look for work all the way |
D.you should forget to do your homework |
The purpose of this passage is________.
A.to give some advice on travelling |
B.to encourage the students to have a trip |
C.to introduce some websites about travelling |
D.to teach the students how to save money during their trip |
“Long time no see” is a very interesting sentence. When I first read this sentence from an American friend’s email, I laughed. I thought it was a perfect example of Chinglish.
Obviously, it is a word-by-word literal translation of the Chinese greetings with a ruled English grammar and structure! Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard American greeting. I was too thrilled to believe her. Her words could not convince me at all. So I did a research on google.com. To my surprise, there are over 60 thousand web pages containing “Long time no see.” This sentence has been widely used in emails, letters, newspapers, movies, books, or any other possible places. Though it is sort of informal, it is part of the language that Americans use daily. Ironically, if you type this phrase in Microsoft Word, the software will tell you that the grammar needs to be corrected.
Nobody knows the origin of this Chinglish sentence. Some people believe that it came from Charlie Chan’s movies. In the 1930s, Hollywood moviemakers successfully created a world wide famous Chinese detective named “Charlie Chan” on wide screens. Detective Chan likes to teach Americans some Chinese wisdom by quoting Confucius. “Long time no see” was his trademark. Soon after Charlie Chan, “Long time no see” became a popular phrase in the real world with thanks to the popularity of these movies.
Some scholars refer to America as a huge pot of stew. All kinds of culture are mixed in the stew together, and they change the color and taste of each other. American Chinese, though a minority ethnic(少数民族的成员) group in the United States, is also contributing some changes to the stew! Language is usually the first thing to be influenced in the mixed stew.
You can have some other examples besides adoptions from Chinese, such as pizza from Italian, sushi from Japanese, and déjà vu from French etc. There is a long list! Americans do not just simply borrow something from others. They will modify it and make it their own, so you would not be surprised to find a tofu and peanut butter hamburger in a restaurant, or to buy a bottle of iced Chinese green tea with honey in a grocery store. Since Americans appreciate Chinese culture more and more nowadays, I believe more Chinese words will become American English in the future. In this way the American stew keeps adding richness and flavor.The writer himself felt surprised at ______.
A.the Chinglish expression “Long time no see” |
B.“Long time no see” used as standard American English |
C.so many literal translation of the expressions used in America |
D.finding out Americans use the expression every day |
The word “stew” in the 4th paragraph probably means ______.
A.mixture literature | B.Confucius’ words |
C.a kind of cooked dish | D.American changing cultures |
According to the passage, it can be inferred that ______.
A.detectives translate the phrase “Long time no see” |
B.Hollywood made “Long time no see” popular |
C.the huge pot of stew greatly affects all kinds of languages |
D.cultures can be changed in the huge pot of stew |
The main idea of the passage is that ______.
A.some Chinese expressions are introduced into English |
B.you’ll not be surprised at a tofu in a restaurant in America |
C.some American expressions can be used in China |
D.American English keep being enriched from different cultures |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true?
A.Informal language sometimes doesn’t go with grammar and structure. |
B.Languages are always ruled by grammar and structure. |
C.Long time no see” has been used in at least four media mentioned in the passage. |
D.There are four languages mentioned to be adopted in the American stew. |
When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet” when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait I'm not dead yet” quickly goes away. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory , Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the “Wait—I'm not dead yet” chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the “not dead yet” chemical overrides the “dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining “dead” chemical and remove the body from the nest.
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.What is the function of the first paragraph?
A.Leading the following paragraphs. |
B.Showing the main idea of the passage. |
C.Introducing the background of the passage. |
D.Giving a summary of the passage. |
Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?
A.is weaker than | B.is stronger than | C.is better than | D.is worse than |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving. |
B.When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical. |
C.A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical. |
D.Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other. |
Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?
A.Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places. |
B.Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants. |
C.Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior,and then did some tests to prove his theory. |
D.Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own |
What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A.How to decide whether an ant is dead or not. |
B.Why ants have special chemicals on their bodies. |
C.reasons for the removable behavior of ants. |
D.How ants manage to keep their nests clean. |
A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
“You are employed,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start. ”
The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an e-mail. ”
“I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an e-mail, that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job. ”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10kg tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home happily with 60 dollars.
The man realized that he can survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family’s future and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan.
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail. The man replied, “I don’t have an e-mail. ”
The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an e-mail, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?
A.Because he was lazy. | B.Because he didn’t pass the test. |
C.Because he didn’t have an e-mail. | D.Because he didn’t have a computer. |
The underlined word “triple” can be replaced by ______.
A.become large | B.become 3 times |
C.increase quickly | D.decrease quickly |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.The man is one of the biggest food retailers in the world. |
B.The man didn’t give up though he failed the interview. |
C.He started his career by selling tomatoes in the supermarket. |
D.Those who have e-mails can work at Microsoft. |
The man can be described as _______.
A.helpful and considerate | B.positive and generous |
C.smart and hardworking | D.stubborn and unselfish |
Which proverb can best describe the story?
A.Misfortune may be an actual blessing. |
B.Where there is a will, there is a way. |
C.Accidents will happen. |
D.No pains , no gains. |
Almost every child is scared of something, from monsters in the cupboard to dogs in the park. But the fact that such fears are common and normal doesn’t mean they can be taken lightly. Kids experience fears and phobias(恐惧症) much more strongly than adults. And the influence of the fear can be physical as well as psychological (心理的). It can build up so they almost seem scared of everything--a kind of childhood anxiety. Dr. Creswell says: “Your child may always seem to expect the worst to happen and lack confidence in his or her ability to deal with any challenge.” So don’t make the same old mistake of treating them as if they’re silly for being a“scaredy cat”. Handling the fears is essential.
Children can be born nervous and, if you have such a baby, you’ll tend to prevent them from getting worried. So if they fear dogs, you’ll keep them away from dogs, but in fact that can just confirm to the child that dogs are scary. What is worse, keeping your child away from what they fear can turn that feeling into a phobia. Instead, you should encourage them to get in touch with the thing they fear, in a safe and supportive environment. Dr. Andy Field, a researcher of childhood fears, says: “You shouldn’t force, for example, a dog anxious child to go up to a dog. But you can approach it yourself, show them there is nothing to be afraid of, stroke( 抚摸) it, and talk about the dog being friendly. Once your child dares to stroke a dog-one that’s good with children, of course---then you should encourage them to carry on until they feel calmer, and reward them for‘being brave’.”Children’s fears are usually taken lightly because.
A.they will not develop into phobias |
B.their influence is psychological |
C.they exist widely in the world |
D.they will disappear gradually |
If we fail to help children to overcome fears, they will.
A.make the same old mistake |
B.overcome them by themselves |
C.experience the worst of things |
D.grow up lacking self-confidence |
According to Dr. Andy Field, if a child is afraid of a cat, parents should.
A.tell the child not to be afraid of it |
B.show the child how to approach it |
C.keep the child away from it |
D.ask the child to stroke it |
Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school — walking on my own!
When the Great Depression (大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽车旅馆) for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world — Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was ______.
A.caring | B.moving | C.encouraging | D.interesting |
According to the author, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?
A.Doctors. | B.Nurses. | C.Friends. | D.Mom. |
What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A.His terrible experience in the hotel. |
B.His previous business success of various levels. |
C.His mom’s support. |
D.His wife’s suggestion. |
Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?
A.Modest, helpful, and hard-working. |
B.Loving, supportive and strong-willed. |
C.Careful, helpful and beautiful. |
D.Strict, sensitive and supportive. |
Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A.Self-confidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family. |
B.Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work. |
C.Clear goals, mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education. |
D.Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities. |