I'm Li Hua，a Chinese student，studying in Ottawa. I'm writing to

Yours，

Li Hua

7 . Planning a visit to the UK? Here are some useful methods to cut down your budget.

AVOID BIG EVENTS

During big sporting games, concerts and exhibitions, the cost of accommodation is more likely to increase. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy(喜剧)Festival (19th Oct.) cost £169.15 at Booking. com while just a week later, the same room cost £118.15. If you want to know which dates to a void-or you've looking for a big event to pass your time-check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.

STAYAWAY FROM THE STATION

If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good hotel close to the station, but you are expected to pay more because of convenience at the start of your holiday. Don't put too much attention on the part of town you stay in. Booking two months ahead of schedule, the cheapest single room at Travelodge's Central Euston in London for Saturday 22th September was £95.95. A room just an underground journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £75.75. While at Farringdon, a double room costs just £62.95.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF

Really central hotels in cities like London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. So it will be a good choice to consider checking into a self-cooking flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city center buildings. An example is the historic O'Neill Flat on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, available for £420 for five days in September, with room for four adults.

TAKE A BIKE

London's "Boris bikes" have aroused the most attention from home and overseas tourists, but other cities also have similar programs that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs. Among the smaller cities with their own programs are Newcastle (approximately £1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes).

One of the most famous places of interest in England is a large clock known as Big Ben. Big Ben is the nickname for the clock inside Elizabeth Tower, and it     1     (locate) at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. The tower was completed in 1858. Several years ago, it celebrated     2     (it) 150th anniversary.Most people recognize Big Ben from movies. In fact, films     3     take place in London usually use a shot of Big Ben at the beginning.     4     this reason, many people are familiar with this     5     (attract), and tourists     6     (see) the sights in Europe often make a special trip there. Interestingly, despite     7     (be) one of     8     most famous tourist destinations in the world, the inside of the tower is not open to visitors from other countries. Only residents of the United Kingdom can schedule     9     (tour), and to do so, they must contact their government. There is no elevator inside the tower, so anyone who     10     (do) visit must be prepared to climb more than 300 stairs to reach the top.