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.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. |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Perhaps everyone has heard warnings about the “freshman 15”, but is it true that many college students weigh 15 pounds more during their first year at school?
Recent studies find that some first-year students are indeed likely to gain weight, but it might not be the full freshman 15, and it may not all happen during the freshman year. That might sound like good news, but it’s not. Doctors are concerned that students who gradually put on pounds could have healthy problems.
Studies show that students on average gain 3-10 pounds during their first 2 years of college. Most of this weight gain occurs during the first year. A college offers many temptations (诱惑). You’re on your own and free to eat what you want. In addition, you may not get as much exercise as you did in high school. A college is also a time of change, and people sometimes eat in response to (对……做出反应) homesickness, sadness, or stress, and all of these can be part of starting a new life in college.
Some weight gain is normal as a young body grows, but rapid weight gain may become a problem. Weight gain that pushes you above the body’s normal range carries health risks. People who are overweight are more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease and develop certain cancers.
The best way to beat “freshman 15” is to prevent it altogether. Good habits like a balanced diet, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep can do more than keeping the pounds off. They can also help you stay healthy.
1. The “freshman 15” refers to the fact that the first-year college students ________.
A. are likely to gain much weight B. can’t get used to living in college
C. may have 15 health problems D. gradually put on weight in 15 weeks
2. According to the writer, the causes of “freshman 15” don’t include ________.
A. getting less exercise B. being free to eat food
C. feeling homesick D. having more subjects.
3. What is the best way to beat “freshman 15”?
A. To ask doctors for advice. B. To pay attention to your lessons.
C. To stop it from happening. D. To do a lot exercise every day.
4. What can we learn from the text?
A. Getting less sleep can help people lose weight gradually.
B. Overweight people usually have more health risks.
C. Weight gain is becoming serious among college students.
D. Students gain more weight in the second year than in the first.
I always felt sorry for the people in wheelchairs. Some people, old and weak, can not get around by themselves. Others seem perfectly healthy, dressed in business suits. But whenever I saw someone in a wheelchair, I only saw a disability, not a person.
Then I fainted (晕倒) at Euro Disney due to low blood pressure. This was the first time I had ever fainted, and my parents said that I must rest for a while after First Aid, I agreed to take it easy but, as I stepped towards the door, I saw my dad pushing a wheelchair in my direction. Feeling color burn my cheeks, I asked him to wheel that thing right back to where he found it.
I could not believe this was happening to me. Wheelchairs were fine for other people but not for me, as my father wheeled me out into the main street, people immediately began to treat me differently.
Little kids ran in front of me, forcing my father to stop the wheelchair suddenly. Bitterness set in as I was thrown back and forth. "Stupid kids… they have perfectly good legs. Why can't they watch where they are going?" I thought. People stared down at me, with pity in their eyes. Then they would look away, maybe because they thought the sooner they forgot me the better.
"I'm just like you!" I wanted to scream. "The only difference is you've got legs. and I have wheels. "
People in wheelchairs are not stupid. They see every look and hear each word. Looking out at the faces, I finally understood; I was once just like them. I treated people in wheelchairs exactly the way they did not want to be treated. I realized it is some of us with two healthy legs who are truly disabled.
1. The author once ________ when she was healthy.
A. showed respect to disabled people
B. looked down upon disabled people
C. imagined herself sitting in a wheelchair
D. saw some healthy people moving around in wheelchair
2. Facing the wheelchair for the first time, the author_________ .
A. felt curious about it
B. got ready to move around in it right away
C. refused to accept it right away
D. thought it was ready for her father
3.The experience of the author tells us that "_________".
A. life is the best teacher
B. people often eat their bitter fruit
C. life is so changeable that nobody can foretell
D. one never does to others what he would not like others do to him
4.Which is the best title for this passage?
A. How to Get Used to Wheelchairs
B. Wheelchairs Are as Good as Two Legs
C. People with Two Legs Are Truly Health
D. The Difference between Healthy People and the Disabled
5.How did the author feel when the little kids forced her father to stop the wheelchair suddenly?
A. Stupid. B. Calm. C. Excited. D. Bitter.
Forests have always been useful and important to man who make use of them in many ways. Every day trees are serving man everywhere. Trees supply man with fruits and building materials in the form of wood, without trees it would be impossible to build houses, boats, bridges and so on. Furniture such as desks, chairs and beds is made of wood, trees can stop man from terrible heat. They're also useful in preventing good and rich top soil from being washed away during heavy rains.
If there were no trees, heavy rains would wash away the rich surface soil that is so important to plants. The result is that the land will become a desert. There are plenty of desert areas in the world. A long time ago these desert areas used to be very rich areas, but man in the past had no enough knowledge about science of nature, they cut down too many trees in the area where they lived and never planted new ones. By and by the rich surface soil was blown and washed away by strong winds and heavy rains. In the end the rich land changed into useless deserts where nothing could grow.
1 . According to the passage,__________.
A. a long time ago, man didn't know how to make use of wood
B. trees are not as useful as they were in the past
C. trees were more found in the past than they are today
D. people have always found trees useful
2. Some deserts were once___________.
A. very good lands B. covered by ice
C. very cold D. dry and useless
3. From the passage, we know that man must ________.
A. do nothing to keep the balance of nature
B. do something to stop the balance of nature
C. try his best to keep the balance of nature
D. do his best to stop the balance of nature
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题, 56-70题，每小题2分；71-75题，每小题1分，满分35分）
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。
If you’re looking for the place that has everything, there’s only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.
The World of Theatre: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York!
The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Center. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance sports found anywhere.
The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you’ll find it in New York.
The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s a roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, lasagna in Little Italy, or the finest French coq au vin found anywhere, there’s a world of great taste waiting for you in New York.
The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue of Liberty（自由女神像）? A Rockefeller Center? Or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Only in New York!
1. Which of the following programmes can a visitor have only in New York?
A. To enjoy roast Beijing duck. B. To taste the finest French coq au vin.
C. To spend an evening with Beethoven. D. To see the Statue of Liberty.
2. From the text we know that “Rembrandt” is most likely the name of a famous ________.
A. singer B. painting C. play D. painter
3. What the writer really wanted to do is to ________.
A. try to persuade readers to pay a visit to New York
B. give readers some information about New York
C. supply readers with some wonderful programmes in New York
D. help readers to get a better understanding of New York
第二节, 阅读56-60t题中相关人员的情况介绍，，从所给的六个选项（A, B,C, D, E, F）中，选出符合各人所感兴趣的娱乐方式，选项中有一项是多余的。
______ 56. Wang Lin is a university student who studies music. He hopes to get some practical experience of foreign music from western band.
______ 57. Simon is interested in Chinese literature, so he came to China with his parents. During his stay in Beijing. He wants to know more about Chinese contemporary Literature.
______ 58. Li hua is a eighteen-year-old boy. He is studying in a high school. After many month's study, he is tired of his lessons. He would like to experience something adventurous.
______59. Alice is an American girl who studies Art in Beijing University. She has no classes on September 14. She hopes she can enjoy some wonderful oil paintings.
______60 . Victoria is fond of C
hinese music. She hopes to listen to various songs performed by different bands. She doesn't care much about what kinds of songs they are.
| A． An acrobatic (杂技)soul: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe will present "The Soul of China", where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills will run down you spine as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge. Time: 7:30p.m, September 13-19 Place: capital Theatre, 22 Wang Fujing Dajie, Dong Cheng District |
| B．Exhibitions Joint Show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display. Time: 9a.m-5p.m. until September 10 Place: Huang shicheng Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Djie, Dongcheng District. |
| C．Oil paintings: The Wanfung Art Galley will host a joint show of oil paintings by 10 young and middle-aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture（捕捉） the wonderous variety of life in unique（独特的） styles. Time: 9a.m-4pm until September 15 Place: 136 Nanchizi Street, Dong Cheng District |
D． Literature Museum: The Nation Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an indepth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature form 1919 to 1949. |
Time: 9a.m-4p.m, daily
Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District (Shaoyaoju area).
E. Concerts ；Beijing rocks: "The Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock" is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals The audience will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.
Time: September 16
Place: The Olympic Center
F. Belgium Orchestra (管弦乐队): La Petite Band, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium will perform in Beijing at he Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world to commemorate（纪念） the 250th anniversary of Bach's death.
Time: 7:30p.,. September 11-14
Place: Grand theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities