1 . Best Alternatives of Top Travel Booking Sites
After losing two precious years to COVID, everybody is desperate to travel and explore the world. However, planning a dream trip is not easy as it demands carefully spending your money on flights and accommodation. Let’s see what best travel booking sites in the UK has to offer and what alternatives we have:
TravelhouseukIt has been dedicated to serving its important clients for more than two decades now by using the expertise of travel agents. It is an element of human interaction with your travel agent that allows you to discuss your requirements in depth for personalization and look for customer support even after the booking is made.
SkyscannerIt is a user-friendly interface that compares flight prices from all over the globe and brings out the best deals on flights. Not only flights but you can use this metasearch engine for hotels and car rentals too. It is a great tool for everyone, but some alternatives may help you even better in finding the cheapest trip to your destination.
Cheap FlightsWhen Skyscanner considers known carriers to maintain the quality, Cheapflights takes the lead with the cheapest flight options worldwide. The online site serves up the cheapest time to fly, reasonable hotel rates, low-cost car rentals and vacation packages. The aim is to promote and simplify your travel experience by offering it all in one place.
Google FlightsIt is a renowned name that facilitates online sales of air ticket through third-party suppliers. The best feature of using Google Flights is based on no predetermined time limits. You can look for the cheapest flying dates within the next two months of search dates.
1. What makes Travelhouseuk special?A.Its price. | B.Its convenience. |
C.Its booking time. | D.Its personalized service. |
A.Travelhouseuk and Google Flights. | B.Google Flights and Cheap Flights. |
C.Skyscanner and Cheap Flights. | D.Cheap Flights and Travelhouseuk. |
A.Travel. | B.Culture. | C.Lifestyle. | D.Business. |
2 . Imagine this: You walk into a place and the atmosphere is light and airy. The subtle scent of coffee beans fills the air and everyone that approaches you is friendly and welcoming. You’re comfortable and feel like you belong. As in most cities, it’s a place where people meet, discuss ideas, and conduct business. After taking a few sips of that Caramel Macchiato, you immediately get that feeling of energy and optimism. Perhaps it’s partly due to the caffeine and sugar rush, or maybe it’s that the presence of a Starbucks typically indicates a city on the rise.
In December of 2017, Trenton’s first Starbuck’s café was opened to the public at 102 Warren Street. Walking in, people living in Trenton scream at everything about this café, from the diverse but local stuff to the Trenton themed décor (室内装饰) and art. To make things better, this Starbucks also serves as an “opportunity café” which essentially means the young people in our communities are recruited and offered job training and employment. This program not only uplifts our youth, but also increases the amount of minority business in the city.
In the interviews with customers, a trend in responses arose. To many, the Starbucks was a “favorite place to stop in after work” and provided “a very relaxing environment.” The staff were often highly praised, noted as being friendly, helpful, and working in harmony. The interior décor of the café struck a lot of people’s attention, given the familiarity of the atmosphere. Painted on the walls, all around the store, are murals (壁画) with bright, colorful, graffiti-like designs very sui generis in Trenton, showcasing local monuments like the State House and the famous “Trenton Makes” bridge.
This new Starbucks brings a sense of modernity to Downtown Trenton and reminds us that our city is always developing. Open from 6 a. m. until 7 p.m. every day, the building is hardly ever empty. This space is made for everyone in Trenton, even the non-coffee lovers.
1. What is the major function of Paragraph 1 in the passage?A.To present an introduction to the topic. |
B.To set a background for the main theme. |
C.To summarize the main idea of the passage. |
D.To describe a common phenomenon for the readers. |
A.People are amazed at the number of job opportunities provided by the Starbucks. |
B.“Opportunity café” program helps achieve booming economy and bring spiritual benefits. |
C.Most respondents regarded the Starbucks as a harmonious and entertaining workplace. |
D.Numerous people are attracted to stop in after work by the murals with original designs. |
A.Substantial. | B.Delicate. | C.Inspirational. | D.Unique. |
A.Starbucks Is Designed for Everyone |
B.Starbucks Gains Popularity in Trenton |
C.Starbucks Sets an Atmosphere of Progress |
D.Starbucks Creates More Job Opportunities |
A.By car. | B.By subway. | C.By bus. |
A.She has been sick. |
B.She has been on a holiday. |
C.She has been in California for business. |
1. What does Martha think of the beach?
A.It is boring. | B.It is exciting. | C.It is dangerous. |
A.A museum. | B.A lake. | C.A gallery. |
A.Because it is nearby. |
B.Because she has never been there. |
C.Because children could get enough exercise. |
内容包括:1. 活动内容;2. 感想。
注意:1. 写作词数应为80词左右;2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Paul,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Ming
7 . I recently visited California’s most-visited national park—Yosemite. Turns out, there is a lot you can do and see over a couple days. Here’s my suggested route, if you decide to make a quick weekend trip to see Yosemite’s wonders.
Day 1, Saturday
6 a. m. : Hike the Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point. The 9. 6-mile round trip will take six to eight hours with rest stops, so plan accordingly. Leave early to beat the heat and enjoy the sunrise.
Pro tip: Don’t forget to look down-the view of the valley is truly jaw-dropping.
1 p. m. : Hike to Vernal Fall. If you’re looking for lunch, a tasty and efficient spot is Curry Village Pizza Deck. Plus, your next adventure is on the Mist Trail from nearby Happy Isles for a quick 1. 6-mile round-trip visit to Vemal Fall. It’s a nice cool-down hike after your morning workout and offers easy access to year-round falls.
4 p. m. : Learn some history at Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. Every national park visit requires a stop at the visitor center to learn about park’s history and main features. Here, you can check out the Yosemite Village as well, but the real secret is the free bike share program. Download the app and grab a pair of wheels here for your evening exploration.
Day 2, Sunday
6 a. m. : Drive up the picturesque Tioga Road. While your feet are recovering from yesterday’s mileage, take a leisurely drive up Tioga Road. Along the 45 miles to Tenaya Lake, take photos at the many viewpoints, but especially at Olmsted Point, which has a less-visited but very cool perspective on Half Dome. Have breakfast or lunch alongside the blue waters of Yosemite’s largest lake before heading back toward the valley.
3 p. m. : Complete your trip with a visit to Yosemite Climbing Museum in Mariposa. At a last stop, visit the charming historical town of Mariposa to check out the long-overdue Yosemite Climbing Museum opened in 2021. The famous climbing history displayed in the museum gave me a new appreciation for Yosemite, a place I can’t wait to return to.
1. Which of the following does the author suggest visiting in the morning?A.Vernal Fall. | B.Yosemite Village. | C.Tenaya Lake. | D.Climbing Museum. |
A.cycling for evening exploration | B.learning about park’s history |
C.going around the Yosemite Village | D.downloading the free bike share app |
A.Because it’s a less-visited place but with picturesque scenery. |
B.Because it’s a place offering a better view of Half Dome. |
C.Because it’s a rest stop for visitors to have breakfast or lunch. |
D.Because it’s not such a place that is flooded with visitors taking photos. |
8 . The Friend Trip: Fun Without Conflicts
Anyone who said a friend is a friend forever has clearly never experienced a group trip where you will get into trouble arguing over plans and restaurant bills.
Invite with care
“You cannot travel with everybody. All your friends are not travel friends,” says Irvin on her popular TikTok account. She suggests picking travel partners who share similar interests, and deciding ahead of time what kind of trip you will be taking—relaxation, partying or adventure.
Brainstorm as a group
Exchange the captain’s hat
Use a classic teacher’s trick to keep everyone engaged and share the planning burden: schedule a group leader to take ownership of each day’s activities.
Tracking expenses for a whole group can expose a lot of pain points. “I have seen so many friendships break down because dissatisfaction builds when one person suspects other friends are taking advantage of her financially or not pulling their weight,” says friendship coach Jackson.
A.Prepare cash in advance |
B.Automate the money flow |
C.Travelling with your best friends can be a tough job. |
D.There are countless situations where the group need to design travel routes. |
E.Apps can help make complex calculations easy even while the trip is still underway. |
F.Ask your friends where they want to go and what they want to do using Google Forms. |
G.This person will be responsible for making that day’s tour plan or keeping everyone on schedule. |
1. What’s the probable relationship between the speakers?
A.Teacher and student. | B.Husband and wife, | C.Guide and tourist. |
A.Two weeks. | B.One week. | C.Less than a week. |
A.To the airport. | B.To a travel agency. | C.To a bookstore. |
10 . Travel is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get, especially when using a mystery box plane ticket. Earlier this year, mystery box travel purchases increased and became trendy among China’s young people. In normal trips, people often plan their vacations well in advance. After buying a mystery box at a low price — usually 100 or 200 yuan — however, the travelers using this method will select their departure airport and receive several destination options to choose from. After the destination is decided, their trip begins.
Liao Liangyu, 16, has turned his eagerness to go on a mystery box trip into reality. He took a mystery box trip to Changsha with a couple of friends months ago. Right before their departure, a friend told Liao that Changsha was a super hyped-up (被炒作的) Internet sensation (网红). But he still decided to go and see it for himself.
“My biggest discovery is that Changsha is a city full of contrasts,” Liao explained to China Daily. “You can see skyscraper (摩天大楼) and old houses in the same view.”
Since the destination options include many less popular cities, travel mystery boxes also bring energy and economic benefits to these destinations. For example, Dehong city is a beautiful city in Yunnan province, yet has few visitors due to a lack of promotion. Following its inclusion as a mystery box travel destination, however, it has gained a lot of attention and is now thought of as a solid location for tourism.
But even so, a large number of people feel disappointed with travel mystery boxes because they can encounter many problems after purchasing one, such as inappropriate travel time, sudden flight cancellations, or even challenges with refunds. Su Weili from Ctrip suggested in an interview with Haibao News that visitors should choose reliable platforms and sign contracts to guarantee their interests.
1. What is the appeal of mystery box travel?A.Traveling with like-minded strangers. |
B.Unplanned traveling at a low cost. |
C.Fixed routes to choose from. |
D.Popular destinations to visit. |
A.He regretted traveling with his friends. |
B.He felt Changsha didn’t deserve its fame. |
C.He disliked the unpredictability. |
D.He discovered something unexpected. |
A.They help these places better known. |
B.They often cause overcrowding. |
C.They lead to environmental problems. |
D.They enrich local people’s lives. |
A.Reliable platforms to buy travel mystery boxes. |
B.Various mystery box travel options available. |
C.Potential issues related to travel mystery boxes. |
D.Mystery box travel regulations and policies. |