Today’s travelers may explore faraway cultures and countries by booking a round-the-world (RTW) trip through a global airline alliance (联盟). If you’re planning an extended business trip, a long vacation, or a year off, an RTW airline fare may be just the ticket.

RTW tickets can be purchased in economy, business class, and sometimes first class, depending on the alliance. Ticket prices can range from approximately $2,500 to $23,000, depending on class of service, mileage, routing(路线), and number of stops. They typically average between $3,000 and $5,000, although a simple two-or-three-stop RTW ticket might cost as little as $1, 500. Booking an RTW ticket through a global airline alliance allows you to piece together routes on member airlines to create one continuous trip.

Where to begin? Here are some tips:

●Start planning at least six months in advance to ensure the routes you want are available.

●To save on costs, visit destinations in their off seasons.

●If you fly west to east, your flights will be speedier due to tailwinds.

●If you plan to travel extensively within a continent, you can combine your RTW ticket with an airline alliance’s regional travel passes.

●You can often save a significant amount by originating your RTW trip in a country outside the U.S.

The alliances have various price tiers. The SkyTeam global airline alliance, for example, allows you fly up to 26,000 miles with as many as five stopovers of 24 hours or more. Fly between 29,000 and 38,000 miles, and you can stop over up to 15 times. You can plot your journey with SkyTeam’s “Round the World” planner or call a member airline for assistance.

Sometimes RTW tickets are discounted. SkyTeam, for instance, recently offers 10% off RTW, economy- class ticket. Check SkyTeam’s website for current offerings.

1. What can we know about an RTW trip through a global airline alliance?

A. It is only intended for international trade.

B. Its price is fixed according to class of service.

C. The lowest price of an RTW ticket is $1,500.

D. Customers can choose their routes and stops.

2. Which of the following is NOT a tip recommended by the author?

A. Plan your trip in advance.

B. Never include the U.S. in your trip.

C. Visit destinations in their off seasons.

D. Combine an RTW ticket with regional travel passes.

3. The SkyTeam global airline alliance recently offers customers ________.

A. unlimited-stopover trips       B. only economy-class tickets

C. a discount on certain tickets    D. a new website for assistance

My parents and two older brothers arrived in Queens from Cuba in 1967, squeezing into a one-bedroom apartment that got even more cramped when I showed up two years later. Suspicious of everyone and unable to communicate in English, my parents weren’t about to let their kids hang out in the streets. And since they both worked, we boys spent a lot of time at home.

The main public library on Merrick Boulevard was the first place I was allowed to visit on my own. I started going there when I was eight. Everything I needing was located on what seemed to me an endless single floor. Wandering around that building aimlessly on a Saturday afternoon offered a sense of freedom I’d never experienced before.

Once my father dropped me off, it didn’t really matter what I did so long as I could explore. I find it interesting that people today say that libraries are no longer about books; they weren’t really about books for me back in the 1970s, either. It was more about being around other people who looked like they were being productive-turning pages, making copies, patiently waiting for items. All this was attractive to me.

I felt a certain level of dignity and self-respect at the library. I didn’t borrow books from the library despite spending practically every Saturday of my childhood there. I certainly went over hundreds and hundreds of them during my walks around the building- sports, politics and the solar system were my favorite sections. But I felt no great need to bring books home. We had no room for books in our apartment anyway. I felt like a poor kid when I read books at home. I felt like everyone else when I read books at the library.

4. The underlined word “cramped” in Paragraph I probably means “________”.

A. dangerous    B. shabby    C. messy    D. crowded

5. What did the author appreciate most about the library?

A. The atmosphere it provides.    B. The books he could explore.

C. The productive people in it.    D. The seemingly endless floor.

6. The author didn’t borrow books from the library because ________.

A. he had finished reading all the books he preferred

B. he felt like reading at the library to enjoy freedom

C. he didn’t want to lose his dignity and self-respect

D. he was too poor to afford the cost of borrowing books

7. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. How a Public Library Set Me Free

B. Culture Shock Is Never a Barrier

C. My Aimless and Boring Childhood

D. A Building Shaped a Nation’s Spirit

Music is something that every person has his or her own specific opinion about. Different people have different tastes, and various types of music have many ways of leaving an impact (影响) on someone. It can be relaxing, angering, comforting, energizing, and many more.

There are so many types of music out there today. Rap, pop, rock, country, alternative, hardcore are some of the abundant types in the world. Music sends out either good or bad messages that have big impacts on how people act. People usually become friends with others who have the same taste. People may not want to associate with people who have different tastes in music because they’ll argue about what they think is better but it’s just their own opinions.

Rap and Rock music are two very important types of music in the world. The lyrics (歌词) sung or rapped by the artists can be things going on in their own personal lives. Music can also serve as a motivation for new ideas. When people listen to the new things out there, they learn different things going on in the world and they become more open minded because they’re exposed to different people like the artists.

People can use music to express themselves in ways it can’t be expressed through behavior, or art. You can usually tell how someone feels by the type of music he or she is listening to at the time. It’s a tool used by many. Groups of people around the world can come together and gather at concerts and shows to what their interests and liking are and you see how many people have similar likings as you.

8. What can we know about music according to the first paragraph?

A. All people like listening to music in some way.

B. Preference for music varies from person to person.

C. There are four kinds of impact music can bring about.

D. Different types of music have the same impact on people.

9. People are likely to become friends because of ________.

A. the same taste of music          B. the good impact of music

C. the attraction of different ideas    D. the arguments about music style

10. Music can serve as a motivation for new ideas by ________.

A. giving listeners controversial lyrics

B. setting up role models like the artists

C. opening listeners’ mind to new thoughts

D. impressing listeners with familiar images

11. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A. The music you like shows who you are.

B. Music expresses oneself better than behavior.

C. The music one listens to determines his or her feeling.

D. Music is tool to make different people become friends.

We were told for years that positive thinking was the key to achieving our goals. Now more and more evidence suggests exactly the opposite: that spending a lot of time thinking about your hopes and dreams may make you less likely to put in the work required to actually achieve those dreams. So if positivity is out, what should we replace it with?

New York University psychologist Gabriele Oettingen talked about a four-step plan she’s come up with from her years of research. Oettigen explained the plan as WOOP.

Wish: First, define your goal. “Think about a wish that is dear to you,” Oettingen said. “What is it you really want? This could be running a marathon or losing a certain amount of weight.” Your wish doesn’t have to be huge; it just has to be real, something you truly want.

Outcome: Keeping your goal in mind, ask yourself: If this wish of mine is realized, what is the best possible outcome? “Very often, it is a feeling,” Oettingen said, “You define that outcome, and you imagine that outcome.”

Obstacles (障碍): After you’re let yourself daydream for a little while about what it will feel like when your goal is accomplished, bring your mind back down to reality. “Then you sat, ‘What is it in me that holds me back from experiencing that wish, that outcome?’” Oettinger said. “Very often it’s an emotion, it’s those same old habits. And you imagine that obstacle.”

Plan: “Once you’re imagined that obstacle,” Oettingen said, “you’ll understand what you need to do to overcome it.” If this obstacle pops up, then you’ll do something to get over it and keep going after your goal.

Oettingen’s research has shown that this method has helped people eat more fruits and vegetables; it’s also helped students achieve better grades in school, and it has even helped people act less insecure in their romantic relationships.

12. In the traditional opinion, what is the key to achieving our goals?

A. Positive thinking.       B. Enough evidence.

C. Opposite suggestions.    D. Replacement of positivity.

13. The word “reality” in Paragraph 5 probably refers to the fact that ________.

A. you have imagined more than you can do

B. you are held back by some obstacles to achieve

C. you have never experienced such a wish or outcome

D. your emotion contributes to forming your same old habits

14. The examples in the last paragraph are used to ________.

A. prove WOOP’s effectiveness

B. encourage readers to be positive

C. offer more possible practical outcomes

D. attract more people to apply this method

15. The method WOOP works mainly because you ________.

A. have a strong wish     B. keep a goal in mind

C. come up with a plan    D. overcome an obstacle

We’ve all heard about the power of our attitude, and it’s our attitude that determines how much we succeed in life.

All the things that you have been through, all the people you have met and interacted with can have an impact on your attitude. If you think that all these factors have molded you into a person with a poor attitude towards life, there is no need to worry. ___16___

Identify and understand what you want to change.

The first step towards change is clearly understanding what needs to be changed. ___17___ When it comes to changing your attitude, you need to do an honest and in-depth self-evaluation so you could point out exactly which of your traits need to be improved or totally changed.

___18___

Find someone who has the kind of attitude that you want to have, and let his or her life give you inspiration and encouragement to move beyond your temporary failures in your journey towards becoming a better person.

Choose the right company.

As they say, “Bad company corrupts good character.” You don't expect yourself to be able to change if you go on surrounding yourself with people who possess all the negative traits that you want to change. Consider befriending new people, especially those who are optimistic and have a healthy attitude towards life. ___19___

Believe that you are able to change.

___20___If you don’t believe in yourself or believe that you or your life can change, it just won't happen—you will either never start, or give up quickly that you won't have even given yourself the opportunity to succeed.

A. Look for a role model.

B. There is always an opportunity for change.

C. Setting clear goals is the key to success in any endeavor.

D. Think about how your attitude change will affect your life.

E. The greatest obstacle is our inability to trust in what we can do.

F. Your effort to change will be easier with these people as friends.

G. Fix your mind on the things that would come as a result of your attitude change.