Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.
Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through multiple websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.
“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.
Harriet Levy paid $179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $169 to $360.
There’s no reason for it, Harrison said.
Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $755 to $1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, then fell to $718 on Sunday.
The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press (美國聯(lián)合通訊社)followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.
There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:
● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.
● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are highest eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.
● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive (獨(dú)家) sales to travelers who interact (互動) with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.
● The so-called discount airlines – JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier – adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal.
小題1: What can we infer from the first sentence of the text?
A．Passengers are unable to search for airfares.
B．Airlines often play games with passengers.
C．Airfares are set in different situations.
D．It’s difficult for passengers to get the best price.
小題2:The underlined phrase “pull the trigger” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.   
A．startsearchingB．getthehighestprice
C．makeapurchaseD．getonboardtheplane
小題3:By using a lot of figures, the author intends to _______.
A．show there is standard price for every single airline
B．discover the rules behind airfares
C．guarantee passengers a low price
D．prove airfares can vary widely
小題4:Passengers are advised to book flights _______.
A．in the middle of the week
B．on special websites
C．several months before traveling
D．with airlines which are famous for offering discount prices

小題1:D
小題2:C
小題3:D
小題4:A

試題分析：搜索機(jī)票往往看起來像乘客注定會失敗的游戲。因?yàn)槠眱r在幾個小時內(nèi)就變化了。不過還是有一些辦法的，如不在周末買票，買票不要太早或太晚，利用社會媒體以及用票價比較穩(wěn)定的航線等。
小題1:推理判斷題。文章第一句話的意思是：搜索機(jī)票往往看起來像乘客注定會失敗的游戲。與D（乘客很難得到最好的飛機(jī)票的價格。）。
小題2:詞意猜測題。你不知道什么時候射擊。不像買別的我能想到的東西。 start searching開始搜；get the highest price 得到最高價；make a purchase 購買 ；get on board the plane上飛機(jī)。帶入四個意思可知，只有C更符合語境。
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours.可知，作者通過大量的數(shù)字想證明機(jī)票的價格在幾個小時內(nèi)就變化了。所以選D。
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)作者給的一些建議可知，建議星期二、三、四買，是一周的中間。 所以選A項(xiàng)意思符合。旅行前4到6周，排除C；所謂打折的航線通常是價格比較穩(wěn)定，不一定最低排除D； 沒有專門的網(wǎng)站，所以排除B。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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小題1: This passage is mainly about       .
A．the success of a rock starB．the way rock stars live
C．rich rock starsD．the admirers of rock stars
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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Everyone wants to have a healthy heart. Still, heart diseases affect more than 1 in 3 adults in the United States. The good news is that some simple, everyday habits can make a big difference in your ability to live a healthy lifestyle. Here are some worst habits for your heart, and how to avoid them.
Watching TV
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Leaving hostility and depression unchecked
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Cutting off from the world
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小題4:From the passage we can infer that _____________.
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

There is an old Chinese proverb that states "One Generation plants the trees; another gets the shade," and this is how it should be with mothers and daughters. The relationship between a mother and daughter is sometimes confusing. If close, the relationship can be similar to friendship. However, the mother and daughter relationship has unique characteristics that distinguish it from a friendship. These characteristics include a hierarchy (等級) of responsibility and unconditional love, which preclude mothers and daughters from being best friends. 
Marina, 27 years old, says, "I love spending time with my mom, but I wouldn't consider her my best friend. Best friends don't pay for your wedding. Best friends don't remind you how they carried you in their body and gave you life! Best friends don't tell you how wise they are because they have been alive at least 20 years longer than you.” This doesn't mean that the mother and daughter relationship can't be very close and satisfying.
While some adult relationships are still troubled, many find them to be extremely rewarding.     This generation of mothers and adult daughters has a lot in common which increases the likelihood of shared companionship. Mothers and daughters have always shared the common experience of being homemakers, responsible for maintaining and passing on family values and traditions. Today contemporary mothers and daughters also share the experience of the workforce and technology, which may bring them even closer together.
Best friends may or may not continue to be best friends, but for better or worse, the mother and daughter relationship is permanent, even if for some unfortunate reason they aren't speaking. The mother and child relationship is closer than any other. There is not an equal relationship. Daughters should not feel responsible for their mother's emotional well-being. It isn’t that they don't care deeply about their mothers. It's just that they shouldn't be burdened with their mother's well being.
The mother and daughter relationship is a relationship that is not replaceable by any other. Mothers never stop being mothers, which includes frequently wanting to protect their daughters and often feeling responsible for their happiness. Mother always "trumps" friend.
小題1:The underlined word “preclude” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_________”.
A．differB．preventC．benefitD．change
小題2:Why do many mothers and adult daughters keep a rewarding relationship?
A．Because they have a lot in common.
B．Because they have common family values.
C．Because they have no generation gap.
D．Because they keep a constant relationship.
小題3:What do we know from the passage?
A．The mother and daughter relationship can be replaced by a best friend.
B．A mother’s love brings her and her daughter a close friendship.
C．The mother and daughter relationship goes beyond best friends’ friendship.
D．Marina has a troubled relationship with her mother.
小題4:The author proves his statements mainly by _________.
A．listing dataB．giving explanationsC．quoting sayingsD．making examples
小題5:What is the best title for the passage?
A．How to be a good mother and daughter
B．Who is a mother’s best friend?
C．A friend in need is a friend indeed.
D．Can a mother be a daughter’s best friend?

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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Wethersfield is a typical New England town, a small close community (社區(qū)) where almost everyone knows your name. My friends all go to the same high school and my parents are friendly with my friends’ parents. Most of my friends don’t realize what life is like outside this little town. Maybe every so often a few take a day trip to Manhattan or Boston, but none really knows what it’s like to live in an urban environment.
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When I go to the city I see things I would never see in my hometown. I see poverty and people struggling to make a living. I observe a whole different pace; there, you’re just one guy living with millions of others who will never know your name.
I feel blessed to have experienced the lifestyles of two completely different places. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had. I feel that living in Wethersfield has given me a solid base in forming my character and the ability to deal in a close-knit society. On the other hand, my time spent in New York has exposed me to diverse cultural experiences. I feel that I would be comfortable in any environment and could make the best of any situation.
小題1:According to the author, most of his friends in the town _____.
A．have never experienced city life
B．can only understand the rural life
C．prefer the small close community
D．know little about the real city life
小題2:The underlined word “siblings” in paragraph 3 means _____.
A．schoolmatesB．colleaguesC．relativesD．parents
小題3:The author’s life in New York has brought him _____.
A．his present characterB．the social ability
C．the comfort of city lifeD．diverse cultural experiences
小題4:What could be the best title for the passage?
A．A Small Town and a Big City
B．A Man of Two Different Worlds
C．Experience Various Environments
D．Make the Best of Diverse Cultures

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