1 . If you read a newspaper or listen to a newscast recently, you may hear or read a strange word, “staycation”. Staycation is     1     new word the American press is using     2     (describe) vacation very close to your own home,     3     simply staying at home during your vacation. It is a combination (合成) of the words “stay” and “vacation”.

According to many news reports, these staycations are very popular among American families this year. Why? The high price of gasoline for cars and airplanes has made it very costly for Americans to travel     4     (compare) to past years. When you combine this with the weak American dollar, it all adds up to people deciding to stay close to home     5     their traditional summer vacations. Without doubt, some places are more     6     (interest) to “stay at home” than others. And if you live in a very small town, well, you may just want to skip your vacation and save your time up to next year.

Everything is increasingly     7     (expense) nowadays, and let’s face it --- a vacation just may not be in your plan this year. You don’t have to give up family fun just because you can’t get away; instead, follow my tips for an     8     (economy) staycation filled with old favorites and new adventures! Staycations have     9    (achieve) high popularity in modern society in which     10     (employ) levels and gas prices are high.