Last year was the year of the travel deal, with resorts and
airlines practically begging for bookings, and many travelers
finding bargain airfares and hotel rooms as a result．Now the
economy looks as if it might be on a slight rebound．So now is
the perfect time to review your booking strategy（策略）．
Here are 4 simple steps you can take to help cut your travel costs in 2010．
1．Find the Cheapest Dates to Fly
ITASoftware．com, which provides the technological backbone for many airfare shopping sites, allows users to scan an entire month's fares for the least expensive rate．（Log in as a "guest" and click on "month-long search．"） In January, the 28th and 30th were the cheapest dates to fly nonstop to London from New York （$536） for a week's vacation, according to a recent search．The next best was Saturday, Jan．23, at $640．To book the ticket, users must go to another site．Kayak．com has a flexible-dates option （registration is required）and a calendar that shows the best fares found by other Kayak users in the last 48 hours．Bing Travel, the Microsoft search engine, offers a similar option, found under "plan trips," about halfway down the page．
2．Consider Nearby Airports
A recent Web search showed nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Miami International from $299 round trip on American in early January．But flying into Fort Lauderdale, roughly 30 miles north of Miami, was $219 on Virgin America, an $80 saving．
3．Go Against the Grain
If possible, avoid popular travel dates like holidays and spring break because airlines have begun to charge anywhere from $10 to $30 extra at those times．Farecompare．com offers a handy breakdown of the new fees by date, airline and amount．Early-morning and late-night flights may also be cheaper depending on the route．
4．Make Yourself at Home
For a 6 to 12 percent booking fee, AirBnB/com connects budget travelers with locals who are offering a place to bed down．The Times's Frugal Traveler, Matt Gross, described it as "a cross between CouchSurfing．com and the vacation rentals section of Craigslist．" There were more than 2,000 listings in a recent search for New York including a futon （床垫） in a one-bedroom near Gramercy Park （$65） and a bedroom with private bath and separate entrance in Hell's Kitchen （$150）．
65．According to the first paragraph, ____．
A．the economy in 2010 is surely getting better
B．2009 saw a sharp decrease in travel fees
C．the booking strategies can be put away in 2010
D．in 2009, airlines begged the travelers to buy more travel guides
66．If you want to book a ticket, you may log on to _____．
A．ITASoftware．com                B．CouchSurfing．com
C．AirBnB．com         D．Kayak．com
67．What does "Go Against the Grain" probably mean in the passage?
A．Going travelling in the off-season．
B．Going travelling without taking any grain．
C．Going travelling during holidays and spring break．
D．Going travelling without meals served on early-morning and late-night flights．
68．The passage is most probably taken from ____．
A．a book review         B．a magazine 
C．a website            D．a story book

       Last year was the year of the travel deal, with resorts and

airlines practically begging for bookings, and many travelers

finding bargain airfares and hotel rooms as a result．Now the

economy looks as if it might be on a slight rebound．So now is

the perfect time to review your booking strategy（策略）．

Here are 4 simple steps you can take to help cut your travel costs in 2010．

1．Find the Cheapest Dates to Fly

ITASoftware．com, which provides the technological backbone for many airfare shopping sites, allows users to scan an entire month's fares for the least expensive rate．（Log in as a "guest" and click on "month-long search．"） In January, the 28th and 30th were the cheapest dates to fly nonstop to London from New York （$536） for a week's vacation, according to a recent search．The next best was Saturday, Jan．23, at $640．To book the ticket, users must go to another site．Kayak．com has a flexible-dates option （registration is required）and a calendar that shows the best fares found by other Kayak users in the last 48 hours．Bing Travel, the Microsoft search engine, offers a similar option, found under "plan trips," about halfway down the page．

2．Consider Nearby Airports

A recent Web search showed nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Miami International from $299 round trip on American in early January．But flying into Fort Lauderdale, roughly 30 miles north of Miami, was $219 on Virgin America, an $80 saving．

3．Go Against the Grain

If possible, avoid popular travel dates like holidays and spring break because airlines have begun to charge anywhere from $10 to $30 extra at those times．Farecompare．com offers a handy breakdown of the new fees by date, airline and amount．Early-morning and late-night flights may also be cheaper depending on the route．

4．Make Yourself at Home

For a 6 to 12 percent booking fee, AirBnB/com connects budget travelers with locals who are offering a place to bed down．The Times's Frugal Traveler, Matt Gross, described it as "a cross between CouchSurfing．com and the vacation rentals section of Craigslist．" There were more than 2,000 listings in a recent search for New York including a futon （床垫） in a one-bedroom near Gramercy Park （$65） and a bedroom with private bath and separate entrance in Hell's Kitchen （$150）．

65．According to the first paragraph, ____．

       A．the economy in 2010 is surely getting better

       B．2009 saw a sharp decrease in travel fees

       C．the booking strategies can be put away in 2010

       D．in 2009, airlines begged the travelers to buy more travel guides

66．If you want to book a ticket, you may log on to _____．

       A．ITASoftware．com                B．CouchSurfing．com

       C．AirBnB．com         D．Kayak．com

67．What does "Go Against the Grain" probably mean in the passage?

       A．Going travelling in the off-season．

       B．Going travelling without taking any grain．

       C．Going travelling during holidays and spring break．

       D．Going travelling without meals served on early-morning and late-night flights．

68．The passage is most probably taken from ____．

       A．a book review          B．a magazine 

     C．a website             D．a story book

Last year was the year of the travel deal, with resorts and airlines practically begging for bookings, and many travelers finding bargain airfares and hotel rooms as a result．Now the economy looks as if it might be on a slight rebound．So now is the perfect time to review your booking strategy（策略）．

Here are 4 simple steps you can take to help cut your travel costs in 2010．

1．Find the Cheapest Dates to Fly

ITASoftware．com, which provides the technological backbone for many airfare shopping sites, allows users to scan an entire month's fares for the least expensive rate．（Log in as a "guest" and click on "month-long search．"） In January, the 28th and 30th were the cheapest dates to fly nonstop to London from New York （$536） for a week's vacation, according to a recent search．The next best was Saturday, Jan．23, at $640．To book the ticket, users must go to another site．Kayak．com has a flexible-dates option （registration is required）and a calendar that shows the best fares found by other Kayak users in the last 48 hours．Bing Travel, the Microsoft search engine, offers a similar option, found under "plan trips," about halfway down the page．

2．Consider Nearby Airports

A recent Web search showed nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Miami International from $299 round trip on American in early January．But flying into Fort Lauderdale, roughly 30 miles north of Miami, was $219 on Virgin America, an $80 saving．

3．Go Against the Grain

If possible, avoid popular travel dates like holidays and spring break because airlines have begun to charge anywhere from $10 to $30 extra at those times．Farecompare．com offers a handy breakdown of the new fees by date, airline and amount．Early-morning and late-night flights may also be cheaper depending on the route．

4．Make Yourself at Home

For a 6 to 12 percent booking fee, AirBnB/com connects budget travelers with locals who are offering a place to bed down．The Times's Frugal Traveler, Matt Gross, described it as "a cross between CouchSurfing．com and the vacation rentals section of Craigslist．" There were more than 2,000 listings in a recent search for New York including a futon （床垫） in a one-bedroom near Gramercy Park （$65） and a bedroom with private bath and separate entrance in Hell's Kitchen （$150）．

1．According to the first paragraph, ____．

       A．the economy in 2010 is surely getting better

       B．2009 saw a sharp decrease in travel fees

       C．the booking strategies can be put away in 2010

       D．in 2009, airlines begged the travelers to buy more travel guides

2．If you want to book a ticket, you may log on to _____．

       A．ITASoftware．com                   B．CouchSurfing．com

       C．AirBnB．com                                      D．Kayak．com

3．What does "Go Against the Grain" probably mean in the passage?

       A．Going travelling in the off-season．

       B．Going travelling without taking any grain．

       C．Going travelling during holidays and spring break．

       D．Going travelling without meals served on early-morning and late-night flights．

4．The passage is most probably taken from ____．

       A．a book review                               B．a magazine 

     C．a website                                         D．a story book

The holidays are a time to give. These charities---and many more—are looking for volunteers and donations.

World Wildlife Fund

The World Wildlife Fund is helping to protect endangered species through the Symbolic Species Adoption program. Those who “adopt” an animal will receive an adoption certificate and a photo of their species. Anyone can support endangered species year round by buying WWF apparel(服装). worldwildlife. Org/giving

DoSomething. org

This month, Dosomething. org launched their holiday campaign, “Grandparents Gone Wired”. The goal of the campaign is to make it easier for senior citizens to keep in touch with their loved ones using the Internet. Teens can volunteer to help seniors in their community. Volunteers are able to win prizes and scholarships. dosomething. org/grandparents

Coins for Change

Disney’s Club Penguin, a virtual gaming site for kids, launched its annual Coins for Change campaign this month. From Dec. 15 to Dec. 27, Club Penguin players can donate virtual coins to real-world causes. If players reach the donation goal, Club Penguin will donate $2 million to charity projects. clubpenguin.com.

Toys for Tots

Each year, the U.S. Marine Corps Toys Program collects new, unwrapped toys for the holidays. Communities across the nation host Toys for Tots drives around the holiday season. The toys collected are given as gifts to needy children so they can experience the joy of Christmas. toyfortots.org

American Red Cross

All you need is a pen and a piece of paper. The American Red Cross Holiday Mail Heroes Program is collecting handwritten card to send to members of the U.S. Armed Forces during the holidays. The charity has also set up a Holiday Giving Catalog where you can buy personal gifts, such as babysitting lessons. redcross.org

The Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive

The Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive is a non-profit organization sponsored by ABC’s Good Morning America and Burlington Coat Factory. During the holiday season Burlington stores collect gently worn coats. The donated coats are given to people in need to keep warm during the winter. onewarmcoat.org

1.David, 8, is fond of playing virtual games. Which charity should he attend?

A. Coins for Change.??????????????? B. Toys for Tots.?

C. DoSomething,org.??????????????? D. American Red Cross.

2.Handwritten cards for members of the U.S. Armed Forces are collected by____.

A. Disney’s Club Penguin?????????

B. the Warm Coats& Warm Hearts Drive

C. the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program????

D. the American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes Program

3.From the passage we can learn that______.

A. Club Penguin donates $2 million to charity projects yearly

B. old toys collected are given to needy children as gifts

C. teens can help seniors contact their family members online

D. whoever donates warm coats is likely to win scholarships

The winter holidays are a special time at the White House. Each year, about 44,000 people come to see the holiday decorations or to attend holiday parties at the President’s home in Washington, D.C.

I was able to attend a press preview of the holiday decorations recently, which was hosted by First Lady Laura Bush. This year’s theme for the decorations is “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” The decorations are all made of fresh flowers, garlands(花环), and fruits. The flowers will have to be changed every few days to keep the look fresh.

The main Christmas tree is in the Blue Room. It’s an 18-foot fir tree—tall enough that the chan-delier(吊灯) had to be removed to make room for it. Fresh white lilies(百合), crystal garlands, and white lights decorate the White House Christmas tree. The room smells of pine and lilies.

Mrs. Bush was asked whether she called the tree a holiday tree or a Christmas tree. “We know that Americans celebrate the season in a lot of different ways,” she said. “We’ll have a party and a reception here at the White House later during the month. But I think we’ve always called this the White House Christmas tree.”

Another centerpiece of the decorations each year is the gingerbread house(姜饼屋), made by chief Thaddeus Dubois.“This is his second gingerbread house,” Mrs. Bush said. “And this year Dubois painstakingly(辛苦地，辛勤地) made it special.” The gingerbread house was made with 100 pounds of gingerbread, 150 pounds of white and dark chocolate, and clear, poured sugar windows. A strand of white lights inside the Gingerbread White House made it glow.

40. Mrs. Bush chose “All Things Bright and Beautiful”as the theme for the decorations to ______.              .

A. highlight nature’s beauty           B. show the great wealth of the family

C. express her love of the country     D. differ from other people’s ideas

41. Which of the following can probably be used to describe the White House after the decorations?

 A. New and clean.                B. Elegant(高贵的) and beautiful.

C. Smelly and shaky.               D. Luxurious(豪华的) and serious.

42. The passage is mainly about ______.             .

 A. how Americans observe Christmas       

B. decorating the White House for holidays

C. the differences between a holiday tree and a Christmas tree

D. how to select a present for the White House