Rail passengers are being forced to pay thousands of pounds more in fares as a result of poor advice from the national telephone helpline and individual stations, a consumer organization reveals today. Research by Which found that in some cases passengers are being charged almost double the cheapest price because of errors made by staff.
Which asked 25 questions of both station staff and the National Rail Enquiries(NRES)helpline. Only half of the 50 questions were answered correctly. If customers had followed all the advice given, they would have seen ￡ 1,263,60 worse off.
Bad advice was given for the cheapest fare for a single journey between London and Grantham. For a ticket bought on the day of travel, both NRES and a King's Cross station clerk quoted GNER's ￡ 44.50 fare, ignoring a Hull Trains service which leaves 10 minutes earlier and costs just ￡ 20.
Some of the most costly misinformation was given for journeys where season tickets should have been recommended. Passengers making a return journey between Swindon and Penzance twice in a week could buy a ticket from one company for ￡ 70 which would cover all the travel. But both NIRES and station staff quoted ￡ 67 for each journey, making ￡ 134. However, the NRES website proved to be a much more reliable source of information.
Which also checked “the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket” claims by five companies and found this was not always the case. On some services, prices went up and down at random. Ithiel Mogridge, 52, gave one example of poor advice：“Last Christmas I found my brother a ticket on the thetrainline. com to travel from Blackburn to Yate. While the direct route was ￡ 51, this one involved a change in Newport and cost just ￡ 21. I emailed the details to him and and his partner. They went to Blackburn station, where the clerk insisted the fare was ￡ 51.”Malcolm Coles, editor of which. co. uk, said：“Staff training needs to be improved. In the meantime, we've designed a checklist, available at which. co. uk/railiadvice.”According to the passage “Which” is a________.
| A．national telephone helpline |
| B．department under the British Rail |
| C．consumer organization |
| D．website under the National Rail Enquiries |
When the author said that customers “would have been ￡ 1,263,60 worse off”， he was telling us that customers would have________.
| A．saved ￡ 1,263,60 if they had followed the advice |
| B．spend ￡ 1,263,60 more than the lowest price |
| C．used ￡ 1,263,60 for the survey of 25 questions |
| D．been cheated of ￡ 1,263.60 from the poor advice |
The phrase “at random” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to“________”．
| A．casually |
| B．purposefully |
| C．exactly |
| D．inevitably |
The Jungle Book
Lost in the jungles of India as a child and adopted into a family of wolves, Mowgli is brought up on a diet of Jungle Law, loyalty, and fresh meat from the kill. Regular adventures with his friends and enemies in the jungles improve this child’s strength and cleverness and stir every reader’s imagination.
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ISBN-13: 978-1613820742
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A Stolen Life
The first work of its kind—Jaycee Dugard’s personal life story, her own story of being kidnapped (绑架) in 1991. When Jaycee was eleven years old, she was kidnapped from a school bus stop. She was missing for more than eighteen years, and gave birth to two daughters during her imprisonment (监禁).
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While We’re Far Apart
Five-time Christy Award winner Lynn Austin is called as “one of the style’s best historical fiction novelists”. Set in Brooklyn, New York, during World War Ⅰ，while a motherless girl longs for her daddy and a young lady hopes for a second chance at love, this tale explores the uncertainty that stays in people.
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ISBN-10: 0764204971
Average Customer Review:★★★★☆
The Fashion Police
The Fashion Police was in the second place in the Chapter One Promotions Novel Competition 2010 and nominated (提名) Best Novel with Romantic Elements 2010 by The Romance Reviews. It is a strange comedy-mystery, combining murder and with romance.
Price: $ 12.73
ISBN-13: 978-1451555653
Average Customer Review: ★★★☆☆If you are interested in personal life stories, then you can choose the book _________.
| A．A Stolen Life | B．The Jungle Book |
| C．The Fashion Police | D．While We’re Far Apart |
The ISBN of the book that is most popular among the readers is _______.
| A．ISBN-13: 978-1613820742 | B．ISBN-13: 978-1442344983 |
| C．ISBN-10: 0764204971 | D．ISBN-13: 978-1451555653 |
What makes the book The Fashion Police distinguish itself from others?
| A．It wins the award Christy Award five times. |
| B．It is a great book on violence and family education. |
| C．It is nominated Best Novel with Romantic Elements 2010. |
| D．It has many elements borrowed from stories of true policemen. |
Deciding which English-speaking country to study in wasn’t difficult for Ann; She had always wanted to visit America. “I wanted to study in an English-language country and I always wanted to visit America because it always seemed to me a very beautiful and friendly country.” Ann is more than happy with the quality of the education she is receiving in America, particularly with the subjects and strong academic support.“ I am very happy with the quality of education I am receiving. All my subjects are useful and connected. I am happy with help I receive from the lecturers and tutors.”
Also of particular satisfaction for Ann is the practical element of her American course. “I find it very important and useful. The theory is a good thing to know but nothing gives you more skills and knowledge than practical work.”
Where her future employment is concerned, Ann is very confident her American qualification will be of great help. “I know that getting a degree here is a good thing for my future; it can open many doors in Poland or anywhere else in the world.”
Ann is also really enjoying life in America; She is making friends and taking time out to enjoy herself. “People are very friendly and helpful. University is a good place to find new friends from America and from overseas. It is a friendly environment with lots of things to do, not only studying. And of course there are the beaches, not to mention the beautiful weather.”The purpose of writing this passage is to _________.
| A．tell us Ann’s decision to settle in America |
| B．tell us Ann is accustomed to life in America |
| C．introduce Ann’s happy study and life in America |
| D．introduce more about Ann to help her make friends |
Why did Ann decide to study in America?
| A．Her parents persuaded her to do so. |
| B．She has relatives and best friends here. |
| C．Her boyfriend was studying here too then. |
| D．She has dreamed of studying here for long. |
What makes Ann particularly satisfied in America?
| A．The comfortable climate and easy lifestyle. |
| B．The help from her host families and teachers. |
| C．The American courses have more practical elements. |
| D．The friends here are mostly from English-speaking countries. |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Ann will try all her best to ensure to get a degree. |
| B．Ann’s degree will help her find a job easily at home and abroad. |
| C．Ann will certainly go back to Poland to work after graduation. |
| D．With the degree received in America, Ann will never be out of work. |
We were flying to a meeting. I was in the middle 36 .I found that the young woman sitting next to me was very 37 and deep in thought. Then I asked her where she was from, where she was going and 38 she did.
She was a student and had been attending 39 in Poland-----the homeland of her father. Then she told me sadly that her father had 40 . She had chosen to attend college in Poland 41 her father’s wishes and their relationship had been 42 .They hadn’t forgiven each other 43 he died.
She seemed so sad. I looked at her, trying to 44 some words to say. I asked her if she had forgiven 45 for not realizing her father’s dream. She answered that she couldn’t forgive herself and felt so 46 .Slowly, I began to tell her about forgiveness. I encouraged her to 47 that because I believed her father wanted that too. She should forgive herself 48 how awful she thought she had been.
I told her about 49 I had done as a teenager for which I had felt guilty for many years. How I was 50 with the choice of forgiving myself or to 51 feeling guilty for the rest of my life. I had 52 to forgive myself . The light in her eyes went on. She began to understand that she was 53 forgiven and could forgive herself. She could be 54 and happy.
How about you? Is there anything in your 55 for which you feel guilty?
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Dolphins are interesting animals and researchers find them interesting to watch. They don’t have hands, but can use tools to solve problems, just like us. Scientists have observed a dolphin trying to get a shy eel(鳝鱼) to come out of its hole by poking(捅)it with a dead fish. Many species of dolphin live in large societies. They have many different relationships and need a good communication system; they use a variety of sounds to communicate with each other.
There is currently no evidence that dolphins have a language of their own. But scientists still have a lot to find out about these animals and so there are certain to be a few surprises in the future.
At Kewalo Basin Marine Laboratory in Hawaii, the dolphin team have developed a sign langue to communicate with the dolphins, and the results are amazing. Not only do the dolphins understand the meaning of individual words, they also understand the significance of word order in a sentence. For example, when they were asked to ‘touch the ball with your tail and then jump over it’ they generally responded correctly and straight away, which showed that they understood the langue.
Most mammals seem to enjoy play—but dolphins seems to like making their games as challenging as possible. On a beautiful day in 1997, researchers working at a beach, off the southern coast of Brazil, observed a little dog going into the sea and swimming towards the dolphins. To their surprise, the dolphins approached the dog and then started throwing it into the air. The dog seemed to enjoy the ‘game’ and continued playing with the dolphins for more than an hour. From then on, different dogs were seem trying to interact with the dolphins.
Dolphins live in a very different world to ourselves, but they are very good at our ‘intelligence tests’. For example, they will jump out of the water when they hear a whistle noise. They do this because they will get a fish as a reward. There is still much to learn about these flexible(灵活的)problem-solvers, but from the evidence so far, it would seem as though dolphins are very intelligent.To get a shy eel to come out of its hole , a dolphin would poke it with____.
| A．a tool | B．its tail | C．a dead fish | D．its mouth |
At a laboratory in Hawaii, the dolphin team have developed a ____ to communicate with the dolphins.
| A．variety of sounds | B．sign language |
| C．special word order | D．dolphin’s language |
Dolphins not only understand the meaning of individual words, they also understand the importance of ______ in a sentence.
| A．the subject | B．the verbs | C．the main structure | D．word order |
When they play, dolphins seems to like making their games as ______ as possible.
| A．difficult | B．easy | C．interesting | D．relaxing |
Dolphins will jump out of the water when they hear a whistle noise in order to _______.
| A．watch people | B．breathe fresh air |
| C．enjoy themselves | D．get some food |
The clothes you wear. The food you eat. The color of your bedroom walls. Where you go and how you get there. The people you hang around with. What time you go to bed. What do these things have in common, you’re asking? They’re just a few examples of the many hundreds of things that your parents controlled for you when you were a child.
As a kid, you didn’t have a say in everything; your parents made decisions about everything from the cereal you ate in the morning to the pajamas you wore at night. And it’s a good thing, too—kids need this kind of protection on their own.
But finally, kids grow up and become teens. And part of being a teen is developing your own identity—one that is separate from your parents’. But as you change and grow into this new person who makes his own decisions, your parents have a difficult time adjusting(调整).
In many families, it is this adjustment that can cause a lot of fighting between teens and parents. And issues like the type of friends you have or your attitudes to partying can cause bigger arguments, because your parents still always want to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are.
The good news about fighting with your parents get more comfortable with the idea that their teen has a right to certain opinions. It can take several years for parents and teens to adjust to their new roles, though. In the meantime, focus on communicating with your parents.
Sometimes this can feel impossible—like they just don’t see your point of view and never will. But talking and expressing your opinions can help you gain more respect from your parents.
Keep in mind, too, that your parents were teens once and that in most cases, they can relate to what you’re going through.In the first two paragraphs, the writer________.
| A．complains that parents control kids too much. |
| B．proves that kids have no right to give their opinions. |
| C．describes how carefully parents look after kids |
| D．explains that it is necessary for parents to control kids |
A lot of fighting breaks out between teens and parents because________.
| A．parents aren’t used to losing control of kids |
| B．teens like to have everything decided |
| C．parents blame teens for not respecting them |
| D．teens are eager to develop their own identity |
In the opinions of the writer, parents control teens in order to ________.
| A．prevent them from having their own ideas |
| B．protect them from being hurt |
| C．make them respect parents in family |
| D．make sure that children have a good future. |
The underlined word “this” in paragraph 6 may refer to “________”.
| A．arguing with friends |
| B．fighting with your parents |
| C．communicating with parents |
| D．adjusting to new roles |
What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．What do parents control their children for? |
| B．How parents take are of children? |
| C．How to get rid of your parents’ control? |
| D．Why do I fight with parents so much? |
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