Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York，So I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing （揭露） the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A．Their flight had been delayed. |
| B．Their flight had been cancelled. |
| C．They had early bookings |
| D．They took a later flight |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| B．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| C．She is very strict with her children |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A．She's a teacher. | B．She's a media person |
| C．She's a housewife. | D．She's a businesswoman. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to expose bad tricks. | B．How to reserve airline seats. |
| C．How to make a business deal. | D．How to spend money wisely |
Disposing(处理)of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it.As more and more people choose to live close together in cities,the waste-disposal problem becomes Increasingly difficult.
During the eighteenth century,it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dump site.Residents or trash haulers(垃圾拖运者)would transport household rubbish,rotted wood,and old possessions to the site.Periodically(定期的)some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried.The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by.
Factories,mills,and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of.Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water.Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem.
Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society.The first problem is space Dumps,which are now called landfills,are most needed in heavily populated areas.Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose.Property is either too expensive or too close to residential(住宅区的) neighborhoods.Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere,cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent.
Awareness(意识) of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers,ground water,land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste,however,continues to grow.
Recycling efforts have become commonplace,and many towns require their people to take part.Even he most efficient recycling programs,however,can hope to deal with only about 50 Percent of a city’s reusable waste.The most suitable title for this passage would be _______.
| A．Places for Disposing Waste | B．Waste Pollution Dangers |
| C．Ways of Getting Rid of Waste | D．Waste Disposal Problem |
During the 18th century,people disposed their waste in many ways EXCEPT for _______.
| A．burying it | B．recycling it |
| C．burning it | D．throwing it into rivers |
What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph?
| A．Farm areas accept waste from the city in modern society. |
| B．There is cheap land to bury waste in modern society. |
| C．It is difficult to find space to bury waste in modern society. |
| D．Ways to deal with waste in modern society stay the same. |
The main purpose of writing this article is to _______.
| A．draw people’s attention to waste management |
| B．warn people of the pollution dangers we are facing |
| C．call on people to take part in recycling programs |
| D．tell people a better way to get rid of the waste |
It is reported that conservation groups in North America have been arguing about the benefits and dangers of wolves. Some groups believe wolves should be killed. Other people believe wolves must be protected so that they will not disappear from the wilderness (荒野)
For Killing Wolves
In Alaska，the wolf almost disappeared a few years ago，because hunters were killing hundreds of them for sport. However．1aws were established to protect the wolves from sportsmen and people who catch the animals for their fur．So the wolf population has greatly increased. Now there are so many wolves that they are destroying their own food supply．
A wolf naturally eats animals in the deer family. People in the wilderness also hunt deer for food．Many of the animals have been destroyed by the very cold winters recently and by changes in the wilderness plant life．When the deer can’t find enough food，they die．
If the wolves continue to kill large numbers of deer，their prey(猎物)will disappear some day．And the wolves will．too．So we must change the cycle of life in the wilderness to balance the ecology．If we killed more wolves，we would save them and their prey from dying out．We’d also save some farm animals．
In another northern state，wolves attack cows and chickens for food．Farmers want the government to send biologists to study the problem．They believe it necessary to kill wolves in some areas and to protect them in places where there is a small wolf population．
Against Killing Wolves
If you had lived long ago，you would have heard many different stories about the dangerous wolf．According to most stories，hungry wolves often kill people for food．Even today，the stories of the “big bad wolf'＂will not disappear．
But the fact is wolves are afraid of people．and they seldom travel in areas where there is a human smell．When wolves eat other animals，they usually kill the very young．or the sick and injured .The strongest survive .No kind of animal would have survived through the centuries if the weak members had lived．And has always been a law of nature.
Although some people say it is good sense to kill wolves，we say it is nonsense! Researchers have found wolves and their prey living in balance．The wolves keep the deer population from becoming too large, and that keeps a balance in the wilderness plant life．
The real problem is that the areas where wolves can live are being used by people．Even if wilderness land is not used directly for human needs．the wolves can’t always find enough food .So they travel to the nearest source, which is often a farm．Then there is danger．The “big bad wolf” has arrived! And everyone knows what happens next． According to the passage，some people in North America favor killing wolves for all the following reasons EXCET that ．
| A．there are too many wolves |
| B．they kill large numbers deer |
| C．they attack cows and chickens for food |
| D．they destroy the wilderness plant life |
Some people are against killing wolves because ．
| A．wolves help to keep the ecological balance in the wideness |
| B．there is too small a wolf population in the wilderness |
| C．there are too many deer in the wilderness |
| D．wolves are afraid of people and never attack people |
According to those against killing wolves，when wolves eat other animals， ．
| A．they never eat strong and healthy ones |
| B．they always go against the law of nature |
| C．they might help this kind of animals survive in nature |
| D．they disturb the ecological balance in the wilderness |
The last sentence “And everyone knows what happens next” implies that in such cases .
| A．farm animals will be in danger and have to be shipped away |
| B．wolves will kill people and people will in turn kill them |
| C．wolves will find enough food sources on farms |
| D．people will leave the areas where wolves can live |
The past ages of man have all been carefully labeled by anthropologists. Descriptions like ‘ Palaeolithic Man’, ‘Neolithic Man’, etc., neatly sum up whole periods. When the time comes for anthropologists to turn their attention to the twentieth century, they will surely choose the label ‘Legless Man’. Histories of the time will go something like this: ‘in the twentieth century, people forgot how to use their legs. Men and women moved about in cars, buses and trains from a very early age. There were lifts and escalators in all large buildings to prevent people from walking. This situation was forced upon earth dwellers of that time because of miles each day. But the surprising thing is that they didn’t use their legs even when they went on holiday. They built cable railways, ski-lifts and roads to the top of every huge mountain. All the beauty spots on earth were marred by the presence of large car parks. ’
The future history books might also record that we were deprived of the use of our eyes. In our hurry to get from one place to another, we failed to see anything on the way. Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world – or even less if the wing ofthe aircraft happens to get in your way. When you travel by car or train a blurred image of the countryside constantly smears the windows. Car drivers, in particular, are forever obsessed with the urge to go on and on: they never want to stop. Is it the lure of the great motorways, or what? And as for sea travel, it hardly deserves mention. It is perfectly summed up in the words of the old song: ‘I joined the navy to see the world, and what did I see? I saw the sea.’ The typical twentieth-century traveler is the man who always says ‘I’ve been there. ’ You mention the remotest, most evocative place-names in the world like El Dorado, Kabul, Irkutsk and someone is bound to say ‘I’ve been there’ – meaning, ‘I drove through it at 100 miles an hour on the way to somewhere else. ’
When you travel at high speeds, the present means nothing: you live mainly in the future because you spend most of your time looking forward to arriving at some other place. But actual arrival, when it is achieved, is meaningless. You want to move on again. By traveling like this, you suspend all experience; the present ceases to be a reality: you might just as well be dead. The traveler on foot, on the other hand, lives constantly in the present. For him traveling and arriving are one and the same thing: he arrives somewhere with every step he makes. He experiences the present moment with his eyes, his ears and the whole of his body. At the end of his journey he feels a delicious physical weariness. He knows that sound. Satisfying sleep will be his: the just reward of all true travellers. Anthorpologists label nowaday’s men ‘Legless’ because
A people forget how to use his legs.
B people prefer cars, buses and trains.
C lifts and escalators prevent people from walking.
D there are a lot of transportation devices.Travelling at high speed means
A people’s focus on the future.
B a pleasure.
C satisfying drivers’ great thrill.
D a necessity of life.Why does the author say ‘we are deprived of the use of our eyes’ ?
A People won’t use their eyes.
B In traveling at high speed, eyes become useless.
C People can’t see anything on his way of travel.
D People want to sleep during travelling.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A Legs become weaker.
B Modern means of transportation make the world a small place.
C There is no need to use eyes.
D The best way to travel is on foot.What does ‘a bird’s-eye view’ mean?
A See view with bird’s eyes.
B A bird looks at a beautiful view.
C It is a general view from a high position looking down.
D A scenic place.
VOCABULARY
Palaeolithic 旧石器时代的
Neolithic 新石器时代的
escalator 自动电梯，自动扶梯
ski-lift 载送滑雪者上坡的装置
mar 损坏，毁坏
blur 模糊不清，朦胧
smear 涂，弄脏，弄模糊（尤指画面、轮廓等）
evocative 引起回忆的，唤起感情的
El Dorado (由当时西班牙征服者想象中的南美洲)黄金国，宝山，富庶之乡
Kabul 喀布尔（阿富汗首都）
Irkutsk 伊尔库茨克（原苏联亚洲城市）
难句译注与答案详解
The only way to travel is on foot 旅游的唯一方法是走路
难句译注
Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world – or even if the wing of the aircraft happens to get in your way.
【参考译文】飞机旅行，你只可俯视世界――如果机翼碰巧挡住了你的视线，就看得更少了。
When you travel by car or train a blurred image of the country-side constantly smears the windows.
【参考译文】如果乘车或火车旅行，郊外模糊朦胧的景象不断地掠过窗口。
写作方法与文章大意
文章以因果写作方法，写出了由于种种现代化交通设施、人们不需用脚走路，甚至也不需要用眼看景，出门就坐汽车、公交车、地铁、飞机……，车、机速度飞快，外边的景物难以看清，最终导致人们忘记用脚、用眼成为“无脚之人”。一切都经历不到。作者建议最佳的旅游方法是徒步――经历现实。
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of current answers. That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.
Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook(小溪)；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter — a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter —a person who made pots and pans.
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the MacDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
| A．Places where people lived. | B．People’s characters. |
| C．Talents that people possessed. | D．People’s occupations. |
According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.
| A．owned or drove a cart | B．made things with metals |
| C．made kitchen tools or contains | D．built houses and furniture |
Suppose and English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named _______.
| A．Beatrice Smith | B．Leonard Carter |
| C．George Longstreet | D．Donald Greenwood |
The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s _____
| A．later generations | B．friends and relatives |
| C．colleagues and partners | D．later sponsors |
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of current answers. That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.
Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook(小溪)；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter — a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter —a person who made pots and pans.
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the MacDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell. Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
| A．Places where people lived. | B．People’s characters. |
| C．Talents that people possessed. | D．People’s occupations. |
According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.
| A．owned or drove a cart | B．made things with metals |
| C．made kitchen tools or contains | D．built houses and furniture |
Suppose and English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named _______.
| A．Beatrice Smith | B．Leonard Carter |
| C．George Longstreet | D．Donald Greenwood |
The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s _____
| A．later generations | B．friends and relatives |
| C．colleagues and partners | D．later sponsors |
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