With fuel costs rising and airlines finding more fees to impose （强加，征税）on travelers every day, airfare isn’t getting any cheaper. Since you can’t drive to all your dream destinations, flying is the only way to go sometimes and, undeniably, the fastest. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to find the most affordable fares and also avoid paying as many extra charges as possible when you plan ahead.

Get the best fare. Airlines put out their fare sales on Tuesday morning, making this day the best day to book a flight for less.

Fly during the least popular times. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the slowest days to fly, which means cheaper deals than the rest of the week. You can also find reduced rates on early morning flights, since many people don’t like to get up before the sun to get to the airport. Earlier boarding times can also considerably cut down your chances of getting bumped on an overbooked flight or delayed because of other delayed flights or mechanical issues.

Choose your seat later. Some airlines charge you to pick your seat when you book online, adding even more to the bottom line of your ticket cost. If you show up early on your travel day, you can still get suitable seats. Some of the best seats get held back until flight day, unless others are willing to pay extra for them ahead of time, so you still have the chance at one of those.

Fly on holidays. You already know that summer is the most expensive time to fly, and even though most other times are more affordable, the days surrounding holidays can be crazy. Save big if you’re willing to travel on major holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Don’t wait until the last-minute to book. Many travelers don’t know that there’s a sweet spot for booking and getting the best price on your tickets. Book too early or too late and you could end up paying more than you need to. The best time to book is between three months and six weeks from when you want to travel.

1. The passage is intended to _______.

A. inform us how to book a cheaper ticket

B. tell us how to choose the seat and time for a flight

C. persuade us into travelling by air

D. inform us of some best ways to save money on a flight

2. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. Airline travelers are supposed to pay more for the rising fuel costs

B. Early morning flight will help avoid some bumps and delays.

C. You can only book your seat online before or on your flight day.

D. Booking too early may cost you more money on your tickets.

3. Which is the best time to book the flight for October 2nd?

A. May 15th    B. August 15th

C. June 15th    D. September 15th

I’m seventeen. I had worked as a box boy at a supermarket in Los Angeles. People came to the counter and you put things in their bags for them and carried things to their cars. It was hard work.

While working, you wear a plate with your name on it. I once met someone I knew years ago. I remembered his name and said, "Mr. Castle, how are you?" We talked about this and that. As he left, he said, "It was nice talking to you, Brett." I felt great, he remembered me. Then I looked down at my name plate. Oh, no. He didn’t remember me at all. He just read the name plate. I wish I had put "Irving" down on my name plate. If he’d have said, "Oh yes, Irving, how could I forget you?" I’d have been ready for him. There’s nothing personal here.

The manager and everyone else who were a step above the box boys often shouted orders. One of these was: you couldn’t accept tips. Okay, I’m outside and I put the bags in the car. For a lot of people, the natural reaction is to take a quarter and give it to me. I’d say, "I’m sorry, I can’t." They’d get angry. When you give someone a tip, you’re sort of being polite. You take a quarter and you put it in their hand and you expect them to say, "Oh, thanks a lot." When you say, "I’m sorry, I can’t." they feel a little put down. They say, "No one will know." And they put it in your pocket. You say, "I really can’t."

It gets to a point where you almost have to hurt a person physically to prevent him from tipping you. It was not in agreement with the store’s belief in being friendly. Accepting tips was a friendly thing and made the customer feel good. I just couldn’t understand the strangeness of some people’s ideas. One lady actually put it in my pocket, got in the car, and drove away. I would have had to throw the quarter at her or eaten it or something.

I had decided that one year was enough. Some people needed the job to stay alive and fed. I guess I had the means and could afford to hate it and give it up.

4. What can be the best title for this text?

A. The Art of Taking Tips

B. Why I Gave up My Job

C. How Hard Life Is for Box Boys

D. Getting along with Customers

5. From the second paragraph, we can infer that ________.

A. the writer didn’t like the impersonal part of his job

B. Mr. Castle mistook Irving for Brett

C. with a name plate, people can easily start talking

D. Irving was the writer’s real name

6. The box boy refused to accept tips because ________.

A. customers only gave small tips

B. he didn’t want to fight with the customers

C. the store didn’t allow the box boys to take tips

D. some customers had strange ideas about tipping

7. The underlined phrase "put down" in the third paragraph probably means ________.

A. misunderstood    B. defeated

C. hateful          D. hurt

In colleges around the country, most students are also workers.

The reality of college can be pretty different from the images presented in movies and television. Instead of the students who wake up late, party all the time, and study only before exams, many colleges are full of students with pressing schedules of not just classes and activities, but real jobs, too.

This isn’t a temporary phenomenon. The share of working students has been on the rise since the 1970s, and one-fifth of students work all year round. About one-quarter of those who work while attending school have both a full-course load and a full-time job. The arrangement can help pay for tuition (学费) and living costs, obviously. And there’s value in it beyond the direct cause: such jobs can also be critical for developing important professional and social skills that make it easier to land a job after graduation. With many employers looking for students with already-developed skill sets, on-the-job training while in college can be the best way to ensure a job later on.

But it’s not all upside. Even full-time work may not completely cover the cost of tuition and living expenses. The study notes that if a student worked a full-time job at the federal minimum wage, they would earn just over $15,000 each year, certainly not enough to pay for tuition, room, and board at many colleges without some serious financial aid. That means that though they’re sacrificing time away from the classroom, many working students will still graduate with at least some debt. And working full time can reduce the chance that students will graduate at all, by cutting into the time available for studying and attending classes.

There is little reward for attending but not finishing college. Students who wind up leaving school because of difficulty in managing work and class are likely to find themselves stuck in some of the same jobs they might have gotten if they hadn’t gone at all. The difficulty of working too much while in school can create a cycle that pushes students further into debt without receiving any of the financial or career benefits.

8. According to the passage, the reality of college students is that ______.

A. they throw parties a lot          B. they stay up late every night

C. they pay no attention to exams    D. they work besides attending classes

9. What is the indirect cause of an increasing number of working students?

A. The lack of summer jobs for young adults.

B. The need of developing social networks.

C. The chance of finding a job after graduation.

D. The expenses of high tuition and living costs.

10. We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. dropping out of college may not help students get career benefits

B. students can cover all their college expenses through working

C. students receive a huge reward for managing work and class

D. working students are more likely to finish college

11. What is the best title for the passage?

A. The Difficulties of Landing a Job

B. The Struggle of Work-School Balance

C. The Reward of Working While Studying

D. The Images of Working College Students

A survey has shown that what you do on a plane can be determined by which nationality is listed on your passport.

According to the results of an international passenger survey, Australians are the biggest drinkers on board with 36 percent choosing to down the hatch, compared to 35 percent of Americans and 33 percent of Brits.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association(APEX) spoke to around 1,500 people, aged 18 and older, who have travelled by plane at least once during the last three months and were living in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia and Brazil.

The results found Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seat-belt sign switches off. They are also the first to take out their credit card for some in-flight shopping and the biggest fans of gaming. Americans on the other hand like to use their time in the air more productively---- when not drinking---- choosing to work while flying at 35,000 feet.

Meanwhile, Brits and Germans are the best at making chat with random strangers----spending 50 percent more time than any other nationality. Comparatively, Brazilians conduct their conversations online via email, messaging apps or social media.

Despite plane food having a bad reputation, seven out of ten interviewees said they were happy to eat up on the selection of in-flight snacks and meals. In-flight magazines were also popular with four out of five passengers.

The international flyers did however express their desire for better in-flight entertainment. “The industry has greatly improved the comfort, entertainment and onboard service, and passengers are accepting those improvements” said Russell Lemieux, APEX executive director. “At the same time, passengers are demanding more from their air travel experiences which will drive more improvements touching all aspects of the journey. ” he added.

12. What can you probably see in the flight according to the passage?

A. Brazilians choose to drink.

B. Americans do in-flight shopping.

C. Germans chat to kill the time.

D. The Chinese switch off the seat-belt sign.

13. When on board the plane, ______.

A. passengers from one nation have little in common

B. most passengers like to read in-flight magazines

C. more than half of the passengers don’t enjoy plane food

D. most people tend to use in-flight time to have a good sleep.

14. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Flyers care little about entertainment.

B. Flyers are not satisfied with the improvements.

C. Flyers are expecting better flight experiences.

D. Flyers have more and more demands from airlines.

15. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To entertain readers with interesting stories.

B. To encourage people to behave well in public.

C. To criticize impolite behaviors on the plane.

D. To inform readers of the results of a survey.

You must have written your research paper, your personal essay, your book review-----whatever your school class requires. You think you have provided good information in the needed number of words.___16___

But is it really done? Many teachers and professional writers believe that writing is revision.___17___

Revision of writing is a necessary skill for students. The classroom is a good place to practice patience, concentration and listening. There are rewards with spending time with your thoughts and really taking time to compose your ideas in an orderly and reasonable way. You should put away your paper after you have written a first version, or draft. Wait several hours, maybe overnight, before working on it more.___18___ Not only are you refreshed, but you’re looking at things through different eyes. That’s what revision literally means—to see again through different eyes.

Following a four-step process may help you with your paper. The first step in the process is invention. It includes forming many questions about your subject. It is called “question-storming”.___19___Then comes the revision period. Take your time to read what you’ve written, to think about it, and maybe to re-shape it based on what you see now, as a kind of new person looking at it with a reader’s eyeglasses rather than a writer’s. The fourth step is called “publication”.____20____In a sense, anytime you turn it over to another person, that’s publication.

Probably, the process takes away some of the tension of writing. And worry about the quality of your writing often disappears when you share that writing.

A. Perfect writing is not possible.

B. In the second step, you draft and compose a paper.

C. And you feel good because your work is finished.

D. This is just like returning to a job after a vacation.

E. This does not mean your writing is professional publication.

F. What is most important is getting your thoughts and ideas on paper.

G. In other words, writing well means making needed changes and rewriting.