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.

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

   Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle-aged British woman before she appeared on the reality show（真人秀）.

   She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town. Because of learning difficulties, she doesn’t have much education. But what she does have is a very good voice. As a kid, she sang in church and school plays. For a living, she sang at local pubs.

  When she took the stage on April 10^th, her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags（破烂）.The audience laughed at her.

  But then she opened her mouth. A few bars into the song and the laughing audience went silent. A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables. Everyone was amazed. At the end of the song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.

  Almost overnight, Susan became a household name. She won fans and millions of admirers. Her online videos have drawn over 85.2 million hits.

  Susan’s story proved the truth of an old saying: “Never judge a book by its cover.”

25. The underlined phrase “just one step up from” in the third paragraph probably means “_________”.

    A. far from       B. close to          C. different from         D. the same as

26.  The audience jumped and applauded wildly because ___________.

A. her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags

B. she looks very funny        C. she sang so well that everyone was amazed

D. she made a foolish mistake in the end

27.  Susan Boyle has many fans now because of _____________.

A. her beautiful face               B. her knowing how to dress

C. her good education              D. her beautiful voice and courage

28.  The passage is mainly about____________.

A. how to win fans                 B. how to sing well

C. a woman’s sudden success         D. a woman’s simple life

 “Gold Rush Alaska” has given America gold fever. A lot of young men put everything at risk to find gold in Alaska. They face problems with their machines and the Alaska wild animals. They’re just ordinary people out trying to realize a dream.

     Todd Dorsey is one of them. He spent $100,000 on it and prepared for a year before going to Alaska. He brought his family and friends to help him out. He must get them mining (开矿) and a place to stay. He also had to keep their spirits up and kept everyone working as a team. They had to run off bears sometimes from their camp.

     They had to face the fact that their lead mechanic’s (机修工的) health was not good. They called him Harness, and he was on medication that was hard for him to take, because out in Alaska it was not easy to get to the hospital and so he didn’t enjoy good health. He was the only one who could keep things running the way they were supposed to. There was one guy that didn’t seem to get along with anyone. But didn’t there always have to be someone that didn’t get along and messed things up?

       They got excited when they found a few small pieces of gold, but they needed a lot more to cover the cost of mining every day. It cost Todd $1,000 a day to run everything they needed to mine. They had to make money before the Alaska summer came to an end or they would go broke（破产）.

29. We learn from the text that the young men joining the gold rush ______.   

A. knew Alaska well before they set off      B. were poor before they went to Alaska

C. faced the threat of wild animals          D. got along well with each other

30. According to the text, Harness ______. 

A. was the leader of the young men         B. never messed things up 

C. was very important to everyone          D. had to be taken to hospital

31. What does the author think of Todd Dorsey?  

A. He thinks highly of what Todd did.            B. He believes Todd can realize his dream.

C. He thinks Todd lacked team spirit.            D. He thinks Todd was taking a chance.

TV LISTINGS FOR WLS-TV IN CHICAGO

Sept. 5, 2011

＊TVPG: Programs  for children with parents’ guidance

32. According to the text, Save My Planet is mainly about _____.

A. science development               B. international tourism

C. environmental protection         D. ways to build homes

33. Which of the following content can’t children watch alone?

A. Tips on lending money to family and friends.

B. The four most common parenting mistakes.      

C. Commonly asked beauty questions.       D. Creating a comfortable home.

34. Which of the following programs may help you deal with money problems?

A. Advice for Life.           B. Home with Lisa Quinn.

C. Say Ahh.                             D. Everyday Living.

35. If you want to know Andy’s idea about cleaning, you should watch at _____.

A. 4:00 AM         B. 7:00 AM           C. 4:30 AM            D. 7:30 AM

Finding your dream job can be difficult. This month, the search will become even harder as new graduates start looking for work. With many companies still struggling, job hunters have a very difficult task ahead of them.

       Don’t be disappointed. 36 Consider using these three methods to find and get the job of your dreams.

The Front Door

        37 These include checking company websites and employment services. Since lots of people use the front door, make yourself stand out. This means understanding what a company really needs and creatively showing you can meet that need. 38  Find out who is doing the hiring, and try to give them your resume (简历) in person. Then follow up with a phone call, letter or visit.

The Back Door    

       A back-door job search means finding a job through people you know. The back door can help you avoid the crowd of job applicants using the front door.  39 What if you don’t have any connections at your dream company? Apply for an internship (实习期).

The Invisible Door

       If you’re still not getting hired, you might be running into an invisible (无形的) door. Invisible doors are things companies want from new employees but don’t list as job requirements. Many companies have special company cultures. Others are looking for people with very specific skills.  40

       It’s not always easy to find a good job. But with a little work, a door will open!

A. Using the front door is convenient.

B. Create your own back door.

C. This type of job search uses traditional ways of getting hired.

D. If you aren’t showing you are a perfect fit, you won’t get hired.

E. There are still jobs out there for those who know what to look for.

F. But you still need to work hard to show you are the best person for the job.

G. Read about each company you apply to.