Wouldn’t you want to travel more often without breaking the bank? If you are interested, read on to find out how you can do simple things to save money next time you go on vacation.

Airfares

Plan in advance and visit discount websites to see if there are better deals. If you are planning to stay in two countries and an airline makes you change planes on those countries anyway, you might be in luck. Check pricing on the flights to see if you can stay a few days at the country of the flight change instead of changing planes right away since airlines often let you do that for the same price.

Accommodations

Sometimes the smaller towns close to where you are going have hotels that are much less expensive. If you don’t mind the 15-minute ride, you might just save a large amount of money. Home exchanges are pretty cool and popular especially in Europe. If you are of the adventure type, this could be exciting and refreshing. Sometimes smaller hotel chains are willing to give you free upgrades or even free nights. If you are staying at a destination for at least a few days, consider a vacation home instead of hotels. They are often more comfortable and your cost will probably be cheaper.

Eating

Figure out where you will be and eat before you actually go out. Avoid breakfast from the hotels because chances are good that the breakfast from the hotel is expensive and isn’t great. It probably pays to walk out the front door in the morning and find a local cafe. You might just discover the local favorite unexpectedly. Want a breakfast that costs nothing? Ask for some bread to-go at the restaurant the night before. In addition, fancy lunches are often much less expensive than dinners. If you eat a big lunch and a light dinner, it’s also healthier.

21. The text is mainly about ______.

   A. tips on economical travel               B. trips in different countries

   C. dos and don’ts during a trip                 D. budgets for a package holiday

22. What kind of travelers will choose a vocation home?

   A. Those who want an adventure trip.       B. Those who dislike small hotel chains.

   C. Those who don’t mind long-distance trips. D. Those who plan to live in one place for few days.

23. To save money on eating, you are expected to ______.

   A. eat more for dinner than lunch    B. have three meals in the hotels

   C. buy bread from restaurants      D. try a local cafe for breakfast

Foxes and farmers have never got on well. These small dog-like animals have long been accused of killing farm animals. They are officially considered as harmful and farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them.

Farmers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population. Hunting consists of running after a fox across the countryside, with a group of specially trained dogs, followed by men and women riding horses. When the dogs eventually catch the fox they kill it or a hunter shoots it.

People who take part in hunting think of it as a sport; they wear a special uniform of red coats and white trousers, and follow strict principles of behavior. But owning a horse and hunting regularly is expensive, so most hunters are wealthy.

It is estimated that up to 100,000 people watch or take part in fox hunting. But over the last couple of decades the number of people against fox hunting, because they think it is cruel, has risen sharply. Nowadays it is rare for a hunt to take place without some kind of conflict between hunters and hunt saboteurs (阻拦者). Sometimes these incidents lead to violence, but mostly saboteurs interfere with the hunt by misleading riders and disturbing the trail of the fox’s smell, which the dogs follow.

Noisy conflicts between hunters and saboteurs have become so common that they are almost as much a part of hunting as the pursuit of foxes itself. But this year supporters of fox hunting face a bigger threat to their sport. A Labour Party Member of the Parliament, Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to pass a new law which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain.

24. Rich people in Britain have been hunting foxes ______.

   A. to entertain themselves                      B. in the interests of farmers

   C. to limit the fox population                     D. to show off their wealth

25. What is special about fox hunting in Britain?

   A. It involves the use of a deadly poison.   B. It is a costly event which rarely occurs.

   C. The hunters have set rules to follow.     D. The hunters have to go through strict training.

26. People against fox hunting often interfere in the game ______.

   A. by using violence                                 B. by confusing the fox hunters

   C. by taking legal action                           D. by demonstrating on the scene

27. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

   A. killing foxes with poison is illegal

   B. limiting the fox population is unnecessary

   C. hunting fox with dogs is considered cruel and violent

   D. fox-hunting often leads to conflicts between the poor and the rich

Some pessimistic experts feel that automobile (汽车) is going to fall into disuse. They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust. Other authorities, however, think the auto is here to stay. They hold that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future.

The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years. It should become smaller, and more economical, and should not be powered by the gasoline engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.

Regardless of its power source, the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion (拥挤). One proposed solution to the problem is the automated highway system.

When the auto enters the highway system, a retractable (可伸缩的) arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail, which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically. Once attached to the rail, the car will become electrically powered from the system, and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer. The computer will then monitor all of the car’s movements.

The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system. The computer will calculate the best route, and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the high way. The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer (蜂鸣器) that will warn him of his coming exit. It is estimated that an automated highway will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour, compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway.

28. One significant improvement in the future car will be ______.

   A. its power source B. its driving system C. its monitoring system      D. its seating capacity

29. What is the author’s main concern?

   A. How to make automobiles pollution-free.

   B. How to make smaller and safer automobiles.

   C. How to solve the problem of traffic jams.

   D. How to develop an automated subway system.

30. What provides autos with electric power in an automated highway system?

   A. An engine.  B. A rail  C. A retractable arm.  D. A computer controller.

31. In an automated highway system, all the drivers needs to do is ______.

   A. keep in the right lane                      B. wait to arrive at his destination

   C. keep in constant touch with the computer center  D. inform the system of his destination by phone

Modern humans have a hard time controlling their desire to eat. Often you eat not because you are hungry, but because you are affected by other things. How much you eat is strongly affected by how much those around you eat. People eating alone eat least. People eating with one other person eat 35 percent more than they do at home. People dining in a party of four eat 75 percent more. Eating with overweight friends? You’ll eat more. Is your waitress overweight? You’ll eat more. Wide variety of food? You’ll eat more.

Plates can decide how sweet dessert tastes. If people ate it off a paper plate, they’d say, “This is good.” If they ate it off a fancy silver plate, they would say, “This is the greatest cake I’ve eaten in my entire life.”

Your knowledge about what makes food good or bad also affects how much you eat. You tend to eat more when you think the food is good, and less when you think it is bad. So Grandma’s cookies always taste better than other cookies. “Good food” even has a “health halo (光环) effect”. If we are eating something healthy, we feel that everything in that meal is healthy. Due to this, people often believe that a cheese cake with a salad has fewer calories than the cheese cake alone. That’s perhaps also why eating organic food might turn you into an annoying guy. Your brain may use anything that makes you feel good about your own morality to excuse your immoral behavior.

Food and hunger affect your judgment too. Hungry judges give more serious sentences. Kids who don’t eat breakfast behave worse than kids who eat their breakfast. People who have low blood sugar are more likely than the average person to have trouble concentrating and controlling their unpleasant emotions.

32. What is mentioned as a cause of overeating?

A. Suffering from great loneliness.       B. Being served by a helpful waitress.

C. Being treated to high quality food.     D. Eating with many friends.

33. According to the passage, an annoying person may be one who ______.

A. finds an excuse for eating more        B. is crazy about the quality of plates

C. competes with others in making cookies D. teaches people to stick to morality

34. According to the passage, people are more likely to make a bad judgment when ______.

A. they don’t feel hungry               B. they aren’t overweight

C. they have low blood sugar            D. they know little about food

35. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. When Can’t We Go on a Diet?         B. What Affects Eating?

C. How to Make Good Food             D. Where to Find Safe Food

While it is impossible to live completely free of stress, it is possible to prevent stress as well as reduce its effect when it can’t be avoided. The US Department of Health and Human Services offers the following suggestions for ways to deal with stress.

l         Try physical activity

When you are nervous, angry or upset, try releasing (释放) the pressure through exercise or physical activity. ___36___

l         Take care of yourself

You should make every effort to eat well and get enough rest. If you easily get angry and cannot sleep well enough, or if you are not eating properly, it will be more likely that you will fall into situations of stress. ___37___

l         Make time for yourself

___38___ Don’t forget, play can be just as important as work. You need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun. Go window-shopping or work on a hobby. Allow yourself at least a half hour each day to do something you enjoy.

l         ___39___

Stress can result from disorganization (杂乱无章) and a feeling that “there is so much to do, and not enough time.” Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and, as a result, you may not achieve anything. Instead, make a list of everything you have to do, then do one thing at a time. ___40___ Only in this way will you finish all you need to do and feel less stressful.

A. Bear in mind the most important task.

B. Schedule time for both work and play.

C. Check off each task as it is completed.

D. Make a list of the things you need to do.

E. For example, you could take your job as your bobby.

F. If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping, you should consult a doctor.

G. Running, walking, or playing tennis are just some of the activities you might try.