1 . Travel can be a lifesaver. The right vacation at the right time can give new life to your whole year, not to mention your body and mind. But in today's economy, with airlines adding new fees almost daily and ticket prices sharply on the rise, many have canceled travel as it is too expensive.     1    

Early bird gets the deal. Travel experts say that there are certain times of day when more deals are available.     2    Early morning is when the fares tend to be lowest, but it is a good idea to check every five hours to track prices as they change throughout the day. Also, it's a good idea to check again at 5 p.m. when the airlines are trying hardest to fill empty seats.

Avoid the crowds.     3    . The lowest time of the year for travel is in the Fall between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Again, to try and fill more vacant (空着的) seats, the airlines will lower prices and offer better deals to get people to fly during this time of the year.

Right time, “wrong” place? By flying to popular destinations at unpopular times, you can secure the best prices from travel companies and airlines. Here's where flexibility in your planning can pay off. Going to the airline websites and planning your vacation around the best ticket prices offered can result in a fun, cost-effective vacation.     4    

    5     Many times the best deals on airfare can be found as part of a package rate. Most travel sites have package rates available and they are definitely worth a look. Often, the entire package (hotel, airfare, rental car) is cheaper than just the plane ticket on another site.

A．Package Deals.

B．Save Money,and Save Time.

C．Fly to popular places at unpopular times.

D．These deals are especially good on last minute package.

E．Airfares can change three times a day as airlines adjust their prices to fill up flights.

F．And maybe it can widen your horizons to a place you might never have considered.

G．However,with a few tricks,there are still many great deals to be had on air tickets.

2 . The world’s first fully electric plane has flown successfully for almost 15 minutes. The world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft took its first test flight on Tuesday, taking off from the Canadian city of Vancouver and offering hope that airlines may one day end their polluting emissions.

“This proves that commercial airmail in all-electric form can work,” said Roei Ganzarski, CEO of Seattle-based engineering firm MagniX. The company designed the plane’s motor and worked in partnership with Harbour Air, which carries half a million passengers a year between Vancouver, Whistler ski resort and nearby islands and coastal communities. Ganzarski said the technology would mean significant cost savings for airlines—not to mention zero emissions. “This signifies the start of the electric airmail age,” he told reporters.

Civil airmail is one of the fastest growing sources of carbon emissions as people increasingly take to the skies and new technologies have been slow to make remarkable progress. At 285 grammes of CO₂ emitted per kilometre (mile) travelled by each passenger, airline industry emissions far exceed those from all other transport, according to the European Environment Agency.

The e-plane—a 62-year-old, six-passenger DHC –2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane improved on with an electric motor—was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and CEO of Harbour Air. “For me that flight was just like flying a Beaver, but it was a Beaver on electric steroids (电动兴奋剂). I actually had to turn off the power button,” he said. McDougall took the plane in a short circle along the Fraser River near Vancouver International Airport in front of around 100 onlookers soon after sunrise.

1. What can we know from the first fully electric plane’s success?

A．The flying time of e-plane is 15 minutes at most.

B．The fully electric commercial airmail has functioned.

C．Airlines may realize the goal of zero emissions.

D．The fully electric plane never does damage to the environment.

2. What does the underlined word “signifies” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Means.

B．Proves.

C．Changes.

D．Follows.

3. What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A．The pollution caused by passengers.	B．The backward airmail technology.
C．The current situation of civil airmail.	D．The growing sources of carbon emissions.

4. What is Greg McDougall’s attitude towards the successful e-plane?

A．Shocked.

B．Positive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Objective.

3 . To get from New York City (NYC) to Chicago, there are several transportation options. Consider the pros and cons of each option to choose the best one for you.

	Time	Cost	Best for
Train	20 hours	from $70	seeing scenery
Flight	3 hours	from $48, but varies widely	getting there quickly
Bus	19 hours	from $38	travelers on a budget
Car	12 hours	from $60	stopping for attractions

By train

Traveling by train from NYC to Chicago is a relatively long journey. Trains go from Penn Station in Manhattan to Union Station. The route is serviced by Amtrak, via the Lake Shore Limited or Cardinal to Chicago or by changing trains either in Washington, D. C. or Pittsburgh. You can purchase tickets in advance by Amtrak or in person at Penn Station.

By plane

Flying to Chicago is the fastest and most convenient way to travel there from NYC. The major carriers include JetBlue, Delta, United, and American Airlines, as well as budget carriers including Southwest and Spirit Airlines.

By bus

Bus service from NYC to Chicago is a long journey, too. Greyhound is the only company that services this route and buses depart from Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan and arrive at Union Station. These buses offer Wi-Fi service.

By car

You'll drive through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and then along the Michigan and Indiana border until you go around the southern tip of Lake Michigan and back up into Chicago. While this trip is long, the most significant advantage of traveling by car is that there are a few interesting places to stop along the way.

1. How should you go to Chicago from NYC if you want to save money?

A．By train.

B．By plane.

C．By bus.

D．By car.

2. At which place can you buy train tickets to Chicago?

A．Union Station.

B．Penn Station.

C．Delta.

D．Greyhound.

3. What is the advantage of driving to Chicago from NYC?

A．Saving more money.

B．Spending less time.

C．Stopping to enjoy scenery.

D．Staying in NYC for a long time.

4 . Cars could soon be communicating with each other using 5G to make drivers aware of upcoming dangers, scientists claim. The ultra-fast mobile Internet would allow for rapid information transmission and could make drivers aware of black ice, pot holes or other dangers up ahead.

Several car manufacturers are already integrating 5G into their vehicles, including as a tool to welcome the coming of self-driving vehicles. Experts believe the high-speed connection will also improve the reliability and capability of automated vehicles to the point where they will be safer than the manual cars being driven today. They predict the number of road traffic accidents—which according to the World Health Organization (WHO) account for more than 1.3 million deaths and up to 50 million people injured worldwide every year—will drop thoroughly as a result.

Dr Dimitrios Liarokapis, a member of the research group, said: "With the help of 5G, an early warning system that alerts (给……报警）drivers is possible within the next few years. Cars that are close enough to the danger area will send warning messages to other cars around them using short-range communication technologies, but also to cars further away using 5G, fast and reliably. Then those cars will transmit the same information to cars near them and so on, forming a joined-up, multi-vehicle communication chain that stretches far and wide."

Automotive giant Ford is already working on connected cars. Earlier this year it revealed its intention to fit 80 percent of its 2020 vehicles with technology that warns drivers about upcoming road accidents, bad weather and traffic jams. The system pools data from other connected road users, emergency services and the authorities and sends it from the cloud directly to the car. Alerts are shown on the car's dashboard display warning the driver about what lies around the corner.

1. How can 5G help reduce road accidents?

A．By offering the fast mobile Internet.

B．By helping drivers overcome dangers.

C．By offering practical safety programs.

D．By helping WHO calculate traffic accidents.

2. What is the function of the communication chain?

A．To track other drivers.

B．To send warning messages.

C．To collect drivers' information.

D．To send the traffic situation to the police.

3. What can we expect of the cars in the future?

A．They will be safer.

B．They may be bigger.

C．They may replace other vehicles.

D．They will be more personalized.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Cars of Ford are the most intelligent.

B．Warning messages are shown on phones.

C．Ford is the first producer to use 5G.

D．Connected cars are equipped with 5G.

5 . There is a truth generally acknowledged by drivers in India, honk your horn (按喇叭) loud enough and the traffic light will surely change to green. But, fed up with the drivers who have no patience and cause a deafening noise every time they are forced to stop, the police in Mumbai have come up with a new system to punish those people. The new system, said the police, was quite simple: “Honk more, wait more.”

Known as “the punishing signal”, the Mumbai police fixed a new traffic light system to deal with the problem of “reckless honkers”, which resets the red traffic signal every time the sound of car horns goes above 85 decibels. For particularly honk- happy drivers, it could mean a very long wait at the lights.

Mumbai was recently listed as the fourth most congested city in the world, according to the TomTom traffic index, with 65% congestion and drivers spending an average of eight days and 17 hours in traffic each year. Speaking to local media, Mumbai traffic police commissioner Madhukar Pandey said, “Sadly, many Mumbaikars are addicted to reckless honking which not only causes noise pollution, but hurts eardrums, increases heart rates, causes stress and adds to traffic disturbance.”

He added, “All recognize it, but do little to control it. With this, I am sure that our road discipline can become better and the new system ensures honk-less, noise-free and stress free travel on Mumbai roads.”

The idea, which was tested in November and December, 2019, has already gained momentum and there is a plan for rolling it out in other cities in India. Across the country, Indian cities have the worst traffic in the world. Bangalore was recently named as the world’s most congested city, with drivers spending an average of 10 days stuck in traffic, while both Delhi and Pune were also in the top 10.

1. From the passage, we can infer that ________.

A．Mumbai’s traffic jam is very serious

B．overusing horns causes harm to the economy

C．Mumbai drivers doubt the new traffic light system

D．the new traffic light system works as soon as drivers honk

2. What information can you get from Madhukar Pandey’s words?

A．The new traffic light system has many disadvantages.

B．He thinks that the new traffic system is useful.

C．It is too late to carry out the new traffic light system.

D．It’s difficult to deal with overuse of horns in Mumbai.

3. According to the last paragraph, we can know that ________.

A．the new traffic system works well

B．Delhi’s traffic condition is better than that of Pune

C．the new traffic system will be spread around the world

D．people of Bangalore like to honk their horns when driving

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Mumbai Rewarded Patient Drivers

B．Mumbai Warns Honk-happy Drivers by Traffic Lights

C．Honk-happy Drivers Will Have No Way to Drive

D．“Honk More. Wait More”: Mumbai Tests Traffic Lights

6 . Mini Cooper introduced its fastest street legal model yet at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week.

Mini has already decided that the car number 0001 will go to a customer in the United States, but hasn’t decided yet how to choose who will get it. It will not be decided through an auction (拍卖). said Mike Peyton, Mini’s vice president for the Americas.

On this Mini John Cooper Works GP, the fender flares (轮眉) are made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. The material is recycled waste left over from the production of BMW i3 and i8. The rear wing is actually two wings combined and provides downforce at the back of the car to keep it pressed to the ground at high speeds. The turbocharged four-cylinder engine is the most powerful that has ever been used in a Mini. It has 75 horsepower more than the next most-powerful Mini John Cooper Works model.

The John Cooper Works GP has a special eight-speed automatic transmission, according to the company. It also has paddle shifters (换档器) on the steering wheel so the driver can shift modes by hand. To save weight, the car only has front seats which are special light weight sports seats.

There’s no choice of paint color on this Mini Cooper. The cars will be painted in Racing Gray, with the mirrors finished in Melting Silver.

The cars are named for John Cooper, a racing driver and race car designer who worked with the British Motor Corporation to create performance versions of the original Minis in the 1960s. Those cars became extremely popular with car racers.

Details:

Engine power: 301 horsepower

Top speed: 165 miles an hour

Amount: 3000

Time of production: July, 2020

Price: starting about: $45,000

1. What makes this Mini Cooper environment friendly?

A．Parts of it are made from waste.

B．It’s completely powered by electricity.

C．Its fender flares are produced by BMW.

D．Its ownership won’t be decided through an auction.

2. The new Mini Cooper doesn’t provide ________.

A．manual shifters	B．backseats
C．back wings	D．automatic modes

3. We can know from the passage that the new Mini Cooper ________.

A．is designed by John Cooper

B．mainly aims at car racers

C．is not yet on the market

D．will be produced in the British Motor Corporation

7 . Kids Flying Alone Guide

Helpful tips for children traveling alone
Airline	Age	Fee per child (each way).	Notes
Air Tran Airways	6 to 8 years old — non-stop or direct flights only	$ 48 for a non-stop flight	Unaccompanied children.
American	6 to 8 years old — non-stop or direct flights only	$ 110	Flights for unaccompanied children cannot be booked online.
British Airways	7 to 15 years old — can travel alone on connecting flights	$ 60 for flights within UK	Flights for unaccompanied children cannot be booked online.
Frontier Airlines	6 to 15 years old — non-stop or direct flights or connecting flights	$ 60 for non-stop or direct flights $120 for connecting flights	Flights for unaccompanied children cannot be booked online.

Before the flight:

Try to book a morning flight. If it is delayed or canceled, you have the rest of the day to make alternate planes. Make sure your child doesn’t wear any clothing that has his or her name on it, which would make it easier for a stranger to convince a child he can be trusted.

At the airport:

Make sure the flight attendants know that your child is traveling alone. Make sure that he or she will be seated in an area of the aircraft that’s convenient for attendants to keep an eye on — the very front of very back of the aircraft is ideal.

Register your child’s travel plans with the U. S. State Department, which can provide assistance in an emergency. This is a free service.

What to pack:

Cell phone: If your child doesn’t have a cell phone, buy him or her a pay-as-you-go phone at a cell phone retailer (零售店) so he or she has an easy form of communication for emergencies.

Gift cards: Invest in a few pre-paid gift cards worth $ 25 or $ 50, This will reduce the worry of traveling with a large amount of cash.

Family/ friends contact information: Give your child a complete list of names, numbers and addresses of the people who are picking your child up at the airport.

1. How much should you pay if your child aged eleven travels alone on a connecting flight by Frontier Airlines?

A．$ 50.	B．$ 75.
C．$ 120.	D．$ 160.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Juice or water can’t be brought onto the aircraft.

B．Unaccompanied children can’t fly on the last flight of the day.

C．Pay-as-you-go phones are provided for free at the airport for children without cell phones.

D．Parents can register children’s travel plans with the U. S. State Department for free.

3. Which of the following is recommended for unaccompanied children?

A．Booking them morning flights.

B．Giving them a large amount of cash.

C．Making them sit in the middle of the aircraft.

D．Dressing them in clothing with their names on it.

8 . The Indian government may use 3D paintings as virtual speed breakers(减速带) on major highways and roads, in order to check speeding and careless driving, and finally make its deadly roads a little safer. ''We are trying out 3D paintings used as virtual speed breakers to avoid unnecessary requirements of speed breakers, '' India's transport minister Nitin Gadkari wrote.

The optical illusions(视觉错觉) are supposed to encourage drivers to slow down automatically. Earlier, India had ordered the removal of all speed breakers from highways, which are considered to be a safety hazard for high-speed vehicles. India has the highest number of road accident deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organization, over 200,000 people are killed by road accidents.

The use of optical illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in the American city of Philadelphia in 2008, as part of a campaign against speeding motorists. The technique has also been tried out in China to create floating 3D crossings. In India, cities such as Ahmedabad and Chennai have already experimented with 3D zebra crossings in the last one year. In Ahmedabad for instance, a mother and her daughter, both artists, have painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of 2016. The artists say their motto is ''to increase the attention of drivers'', and that the concept has been successfully tested in accident-prone zones on a highway.

However, critics argue that once drivers know that these speed breakers are visual illusions, they may ignore them. Others also point out that India's decision does not consider the safety of a large number of pedestrians. In the end, the new policy may be just one step towards improving road safety.

1. Why are 3D paintings used on main highways and roads?

A．To make the surroundings more beautiful.

B．To attract the attention of tourists.

C．To reduce the rate of traffic accidents.

D．To try out this kind of new painting.

2. The underlined word ''hazard'' in paragraph 2 can be replaced by ''__________''.

A．Threat	B．Reminder
C．Regulation	D．Theory

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 3 and 4?

A．The idea tested in Ahmedabad recently has been a failure.

B．The new policy of 3D zebra crossings must be carried out.

C．Philadelphia is the second place to use virtual speed breakers in the US.

D．The use of optical illusions as speed breakers is debatable in India.

4. What's the author's attitude towards 3D zebra crossings?

A．Indifferent.	B．Objective.
C．Supportive.	D．Critical.

9 . Arriving at London Gatwick

Distance(距离) from central London: 28 miles/45 km
For travel information call: +44 (0)870 000 24 68.

How to get to the city centre

By train

The Gatwick Express goes from Gatwick Airport to London Victoria train and underground station in central London.

Trains go every 15 minutes and the journey to central London takes half an hour.

First Class tickets cost £ 25 (single), £ 48 (return).

Express Class costs £ 17 (single), £ 29 (return).

Southern Trains services run four times an hour to Victoria with a journey time of around 35 minutes.

By taxi

There are taxis outside the airport day and night. The journey to central London takes 55-70 minutes. A London taxi takes up to 5 people.

The average(平均的)cost from the airport to central London is £ 75- £ 100.

By car

Gatwick Airport is 28 miles (45 km) south of London. There are 4 car parks next to the airport and there are car rental (租赁) offices open from 8:00 to 18:00. The journey to London takes 60-75 minutes.

All cars pay a special £ 8 charge(收费) to go into central London.

By bus

National Express and EasyBus have services to central London. EasyBus services go every 20 minutes. The journey takes one hour and costs £ 2.

There is one National Express bus an hour. The journey takes 90 minutes and costs £ 7.60.

1. Someone in a hurry to Victoria station had better travel _____.

A．by train	B．by car
C．by taxi	D．by bus

2. What does traveling by taxi and car have in common?

A．They cost the same.	B．They're available at any time.
C．They require a special E 8 charge.	D．They take a similar period of time.

3. Which of the following goes three times an hour?

A．Gatwick Express.	B．National Express.
C．Easy Bus.	D．Southern Trains.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A short notice.	B．A travel guide.
C．A city introduction.	D．A TV advertisement.

10 . Cycling on Ireland’s West Coast

Don’t worry if you’re not a sporty kind. Our cycling trip is relaxing and easy. The leader drives a car which carries your bags and provides support if needed. But remember you should ride with group members. The group size is usually 9-12.

DAY 1 — The Cliffs of Moher (莫赫悬崖)

Cycling a relaxed 32 km on our first day, we visit Ennistymon, a fine example of an Irish country town with many coloured shop fronts and traditional stone buildings. Then we continue to the seaside towns of Lahinch and Liscannor before we climb to the top of the Cliffs of Moher. These are some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The day ends in Doolin, where three pubs (酒吧) play the best Irish music!

DAY 2 — The Burren National Park

Covering 48 km on our second day, the highlight (最精彩的部分) is a wonderful coastal ride with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the hills of the Burren on the other. On our way we stop at the lovely beach at Fanore. The day ends at Ballyvaughan, a pretty village on the coast, from where we plan to visit the Ceile in Kilfenora — the home of Irish dancing.

1. What should you do if you take part in the activity?

A．Be strong enough.	B．Have a competitive spirit.
C．Cycle with group members.	D．Carry everything on your bike.

2. Where can you find many shops with coloured fronts?

A．Doolin.	B．Lahinch.
C．Liscannor.	D．Ennistymon.

3. What will you do on the second day?

A．Ride more.	B．Play Irish music.
C．Climb the sea cliffs.	D．Have a night at Fanore.