Sports account for a growing amount of income made on the sales of commercial time by television companies. Many television companies have used sports to attract viewers from particular sections of the general public, and then they have sold audiences to advertisers.

     An attraction of sport programs for the major U.S. media companies is that events are often held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons—the slowest time periods of the week for general television viewing. Sport events are the most popular weekend programs, especially among male viewers who may not watch much television at other times during the week. This means the television networks are able to sell advertising time at relatively high prices during what normally would be dead time for programming.

    Media corporations also use sports to attract commercial sponsors that might take their advertising dollars elsewhere if television stations did not report certain sports. The people in the advertising departments of major corporations realize that sports attract male viewers. They also realize that most business travelers are men and that many men make family decisions on the purchases of computers, cars and life insurance.

     Golf and tennis are special cases for television programming. These sports attract few viewers, and the ratings are unusually low. However, the audience for these sports is attractive to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, including many lawyers and business managers. This is why television reporting of golf and tennis is sponsored by companies selling high-priced cars, business and personal computer, and holiday trips .This is also why the networks continue to carry these programs regardless of low ratings. Advertisers are willing to pay high fees to reach high-income consumers and those managers who make decisions to buy thousands of “company cars” and computer. With such viewers, these programs don’t need high ratings to stay on the air.

1.Television sport programs on weekend afternoons        .

A. result in more sport events

B. get more viewers to play sports

C. bring more money to the television networks

D. make more people interested in television

2.Why would weekend afternoons become dead time without sport programs?

A. Because there would be few viewers

B. Because the advertisers would be off work

C. Because television programs would go slowly

D. Because viewers would pay less for watching television

3.In many families, men make decisions on         .

A. holiday trips           B. sports viewing

C. television shopping      D. expensive purchases

4.The ratings are not important for golf and tennis programs because          .

A. their advertisers are carmakers

B. their viewers are attracted by sports

C. their advertisers target at rich people

D. their viewers can afford expensive cars

5..What is the passage mainly about?

A. Television ratings are determined by male viewers.

B. Sports are gaining importance in advertising on television.

C. Rich viewers contribute most to television companies.

D. Commercial advertisers are the major sponsors of sport events.

 

The next long vacation might be still months away, but it’s never too early to tailor a good travel plan.

Planning ahead with discount air tickets and hotel booking sites may bring you the prize of an overseas adventure. Here, 21^st Century offers some tips on how to plan a cheap, creative travel route.

Book a budget flight

 1.  Discount airlines tend to increase their fare as the plane fills up and early reservations are usually rewarded with the lowest fares.

Most major domestic airlines offer discount tickets for off-peak travel. China Southern Airlines now provides favorable group purchase ticket deals to attract tourists to cities like Hong Kong and Guilin.   2. 

Another way is to search for a cheap ticket on the websites of low-cost airlines, which offer you very low fares though less comfort.

The budget airline has a long history in the West. It’s also called a no-frills carrier(经济型航班)for doing away with traditional free services, such as food and drinks. They charge you extra for catering on board, or securing a seat.   3. 

Popular airline routes

Air Asia: The Malaysian-based airline flies form seven cities in China including Tianjin, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guilin and Shenzhen in the Chinese mainland, and provides trips to cities such as Paris and London.   4.  Many tickets are priced under 1500 yuan.

Southwest Airlines: If you go traveling in the US you can take this low-cost airline based in Texas.

Find a cheap 5-star service hotel

 5.  It’s a great idea to look for YHA（Youth Hostels Associa-tion）backpackers, or Bed ＆ Breakfast deals online.

A．It can transfer you to most South East Asian countries.

B．So you have to read more discount information before boarding.

C．The key to getting any good-priced plane ticket is to reserve the flight early.

D．So it’s wiser to take hand luggage because many budget airlines put a fee on checked in luggage.

E. Air China and Beijing Capital Airlines offer tickets with as much as 75 to 80 percent discounts.

F. Like airline tickets, the price for a budget hotel depends on when you book it: the earlier, the cheaper.

G. Get your holiday off to a flying start by booking a cheap flight to hundreds of destinations ebookers offers.

 

Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste.” Drink Good Wet Root Beer.” Fill up with Pacific Gas.” Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!"
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless （鲁莽的） or daring, the ride can be as thrilling （惊心动魄的） as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the armrests even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at no more ways to sit.
【小题1】According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?

A．Advertisements on the billboards.	B．Films on television.
C．Buses on the road.	D．Gas stations.

【小题2】What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To explain how bus trips and television shows differ.

B．To persuade you to take a long bus trip.

C．To give the writer’s opinion about long bus trips

D．To describe the billboards along the road.

【小题3】The writer of this passage would probably favor         .

A．bus drivers who aren’t reckless	B．driving alone
C．no billboards along the road	D．a television set on the bus

【小题4】The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because           .

A．they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between

B．the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun

C．the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses

D．both traveling and watching TV are not exciting.

【小题5】The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are .

A．comfortable

B．exciting

C．tiring

D．boring

下面文章中有5处（第61–65题）需要添加小标题。请从以下选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）中选出符合各段意思的小标题，并在答题纸上将相应选项的标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。

（注意：请务必将答案填到答题卷相应位置！）

A. Slow Down Your Life

B. Escape Now and Then

C. Separate Your Actions

D. Allow Yourself to Be Weak

E. Relieve Pressure by Firmly Saying “No”

F. Stop Expecting Everything to Be Perfect

How to Simplify Your Life

Less is more. This is why we say: reduce things by half instead of doubling them, get rid of junk instead of piling it up, relax instead of stressing, slow down instead of speeding up. Apply these principles in your everyday life in a conscious way. You will then find yourself well along on your journey to simplification.

61.__________

When you concentrate on one task, you find you have energy that you didn't even know you had. Just imagine: you are at a fair and you have to carry two heavy pigs over 100 yards. If you keep grabbing one and then the other, it will take forever, because one of them will keep slipping out from under your arm and running off. But if you tie one pig in a place, pick up the other, gather all your strength and make a dash for the finish line, pause for a moment, run back and get the other one, and with great determination, carry the second pig to the finish line, then you can be sure of success.

62._________

The pressure at work is on the increase in all occupations. In the modern nuclear family, the expectations that formerly would have been shared among all the relatives are now concentrated on the individual partner.

If you have the feeling that 24 hours per day are not enough for all the things you need to do, then it's not because the day has too few hours, but because you have too many activities. A simple fact that overloaded people often tend to be forgot. The solution is equally simple: refuse to accept so many work assignments in your private life or your working life.

63.________

“I can handle stress” is regarded as a positive statement in the world of work. People who can handle stress are given more and more to cope with -- until one day they break.

Pay careful attention to the signs that tell you that you are under more stress than you can cope with. These signals can come from various areas of life. You become ill, or your work efficiency decreases.

If you have any of these symptoms, change your life goals and decrease your tolerance of stress. Say quite openly, “I can't manage that.”

64.__________

“If only I were slimmer, more beautiful, richer, cleverer, then I would be happier.” This is a dream that makes a lot of people ill, depressed, and unhappy. Life has its flaws, defects, corners, and edges. Only those who accept this reality can lead a really full life.

Of course there are activities in which errors are dangerous: driving a car; crossing the road. But life doesn’t consist entirely of these things. In/Among them there is a lot of room for small and large mistakes.

65._________

Successful people all have their own places where they can withdraw in order to work. Find out which places improve your creativity. For me it’s the train. When I know that I’m going to be traveling for four hours without phone calls and people knocking on my door, I find my mind is free and I can read or write complex articles. There can be problems working on the train, of course: if the person sitting opposite you keeps talking away, or if train trips make you tired (some people fall asleep after a few miles).

 

Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours (绕行路) in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement (限制) and have strong opinions about everything.

Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They’d get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons (见识).

We eventually arrived at my parents’ doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.

Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey—and the best part of yourself.

1.Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents’ home?

A．It was less tiring.

B．It would be faster and safer.

C．Her kids would feel less confined.

D．She felt better with other drivers nearby.

2.The author stopped regularly on the country roads to _____.

A. relax in the fresh air

B. take a deep breath

C. take care of the lamb

C. let the kids play with Banner.

3.What does the author discover from the trio according to Paragraph 6?

A．Freeways are where beauty hides.

B．Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life.

C．Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one’s health.

D．One should follow side roads to watch wild animals.

4.Why did the author ask the kids to get out of the car on their way back home?

A．To give herself some time to read.

B．To order some food for them.

C．To play a game with them.

D．To let them cool down.

5.What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Charm of the Detour

B．The Road to Bravery

C．Creativity out of Necessity

D．Road Trip and Country Life