Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.

AVOID BIG EVNENTS big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival(19 Oct.) cost ￡118.15.

If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid—or you're looking for a big event to pass your time­check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.

STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.

Don't be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge's Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was ￡95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its covent Garden hotel was ￡75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just ￡62.95.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative consider checking into a self­catering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O'Neill Flat on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, available for ￡420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.

GET ON A BIKE London's ‘Boris bikes’ have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.

Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around ￡1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or ￡5 per day)．

56．The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may________．

A．help travelers pass time

B．attract lots of travelers to the UK

C．allow travelers to make flexible plans

D．cause travelers to pay more for accommodation

57．“Farringdon” in Paragraph 5 is most probably ________．

A．a hotel away from the train station

B．the tube line to Covent Garden

C．an ideal holiday desinationo

D．the name of a travel agency

58．The passage shows that the O'Neill Flat ________．

A．lies on the ground floor

B．is located in central London

C．provides cooking facilities for tourists

D．costs over ￡100 on average per day in late September

59．Cardiff's program allows a free bike for a maximum period of ________．

A．half an hour　　　　　　　 B．one hour

C．one hour and a half  D．tow  hours

60．The main purpose of the passage is ________．

A．to tell visitors how to book in advance

B．to supply visitors with hotel information

C．to show visitors the importance of self­help

D．to offer visitors some money­saving tips

When kids in parts of the world want to play, they often make soccer balls out of trash tied together with string. “__48__ the areas used for playing fields are often rough and rocky, millions of real balls go flat(变瘪) __49__24 hours，” says Tim Jahnigen, a California businessman. Determined to solve this problen, __50__created an indestructible ball called the One World Futbol.

The ball is made of __51__ special material, ethylene­vinyl acetate foam, It's lightweight. it's flexible, and—__52__ important—it holds its shape.

The One World Futbol needs no pump __53__  won't wear out, even on rough surfaces. When tested, __54__withstood(经受住) being crushed by a car, and even being chewed on by a lion.

Although it costs more to produce __55__a typical soccer ball, Jahnigen estimates the One World Futbol can last 30 years. So far, It's been given to kids in 143 countries.

When I was 8 years old, I once decided to run from home. With my suitcase __36__ and some sandwiches in a bag, I started for the front door and said to Mom,  “ I’m leaving.”

  “if you want to ___37___, that’s all right.” she said. “But you came into this home without anything and you can leave the same way.” I __38___ my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor heavily and started for the door again.

  “ Wait a minute,” Mom said. “ I want your ___39 ___ back. You didn’t wear anything when you arrived.” This really angered me. I tore my clothes off ----shoes, socks, underwear and all---and___40___. “Can I go now?” “Yes,” Mom answered. “but once you close that door, don’t expect to come back.”

  I was so ___41___ that I slammed(砰的关上) the door and stepped out on the front porch. ___42___ I realized that I was outside, with nothing on. Then I noticed that down the street, two neighbor girls were walking toward our house. I ran to __43__ behind a big tree in our yard at once. After a while, I was __44__ the girls had passed by. I dashed to the front door and banged on it loudly. 

  “Who’s there?” I heard.

  “It’s Billy! Let me in!”

  The voice behind the ___45___ answered, “ Billy doesn’t live here anymore, he ran away from home.”  Glancing behind me to see if anyone else was coming. I begged “Aw, o’mon, Mom! I’m ___46___ your son. Let me in!”

  The door inched open and Mom’s smiling face appeared. “ Did you change your __ 47__ about running away?” she asked.

  “ What’s for supper?” I answered.

Not once ________ to Michael that he could one day become a top student in his class.

A．occurred it  B．it did occur

C．it occurred  D．did it occur

—I don't understand why you didn't go to the lecture yesterday aftermoon.

—I'm so sorry, But I ________ my homework.

A．had done  B．was doing

C．would do  D．am doing

The university estimates that living expenses for international students ________ around $8，450 a year, which ________ a burden for some of them.

A．are；is  B．are，are  C．is，are  D．is，is

He ________ sleep, although he tried to when he got on such a hunt for an idea until he had caught it.

A．wouldn't  B．shouldn't  C．couldn't  D．mustn't

________ warm at night, I would fill the woodstove, then set my alarm clock for midnights so I could refill it.

A．Starying  B．Stayed  B．To stay  D．Stay

Every day ________ a proverb aloud several times until you have it memorized.

A．read  B．reading  C．to read  D．reads

You cannot accept an opinion ________to you unless it is based on facts.

A．offering  B．to offer

C．having offered  D．offered