Some people will do just about anything to save money.And I am one of them.Take my family's last vacation.It was my six－year－old son's winter break from school，and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip.The flight was overbooked，and Delta，the airline，offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day.I had meetings in New York，so I had to get back.But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay.I took my nine－month－old and took off for home.
The next day，my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight.Yes，I encouraged—okay，ordered—them to wait it out at the airport to “earn” more Delta Dollars.Our total take：$1,600.Not bad，huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either.But as a big－time bargain hunter，I know the value of a dollar.And these days，a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made a living looking for the best deals and exposing(揭露) the worst tricks.I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade.I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade：A Consumer Survival Guide.And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money's worth.I'm also tightfisted when it comes to shoes，clothes for my children，and expensive restaurants.But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut.It keeps its shape longer，and it's the first thing people notice.And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture.Quality lasts.
1.Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
A．They took a later flight.
B．They had early bookings.
C．Their flight had been delayed.
D．Their flight had been cancelled.
2.What can we learn about the author?
A．She rarely misses a good deal.
B．She seldom makes a compromise.
C．She is very strict with her children.
D．She is interested in cheap products.
3.What does the author do?
A．She's a teacher.
B．She's a housewife.
C．She's a media person.
D．She's a businesswoman.
4.What does the author want to tell us?
A．How to expose bad tricks.
B．How to reserve airline seats.
C．How to spend money wisely.
D．How to make a business deal.
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect.But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled－to $1.01 per pack－smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates.They've studied the effect of state tax increases for years，finding that smokers，especially teens，are price sensitive.Nor is it a shock to the industry，which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message.Tobacco taxes improve public health，they raise money and most particularly，they deter people from taking up the habit as teens，which is when nearly all smokers are addicted.Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan，for instance，which has the highest tax in the nation，a pack of Marlboro Light Kings，cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday.In Charleston，S.C.，where the 7 cent a pack tax is the lowest in the nation，the price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York，high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys－13.8%，far below the national average.By comparison,26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky.Other low tax states have similarly depressing teen smoking records.
Hal Rogers，Representative from Kentucky，like those who are against high tobacco taxes，argues that the burden of the tax falls on lowincome Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That's true.But there is more reason in keeping future generations of lowincome workers from getting hooked in the first place.As for today's adults，if the new tax drives them to quit，they will have more to spend on their families，cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
1.The text is mainly about ________.
A．the price of cigarettes
B．the rate of teen smoking
C．the effect of tobacco tax increase
D．the differences in tobacco tax rate
2.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.
B．Lowincome Americans are more likely to fall ill.
C．Future generations will be hooked on smoking.
D．Adults will depend more on their families.
3.Rogers' attitude towards the lowincome smokers might be that of ________.
A．tolerance B．unconcern
C．doubt D．sympathy
4.What does the author think is a surprise?
A．Teen smokers are price sensitive.
B．Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.
C．Tobacco taxes improve public health.
D．Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.
Some years ago, writing in my diary used to be a usual activity.I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day's events, feelings, and impressions in my little blue diary.I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper.After all, isn't accumulating memories a way of preserving the past?
When I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley, well－equipped with pens, a diary, and a camera.During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across.I felt proud to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels.On my last night there, I wandered out of my tent, diary in hand.The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon, and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows.I automatically took out my pen...
At that point, I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley.All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.
Now, I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling.I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books, or observations that are particularly meaningful.I take pictures, but not very often—only of objects I find really beautiful.I'm no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old.I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera, busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future.
I don't want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes.Maybe I won't have as many exact representations of people and places; maybe I'll forget certain facts, but at least the experiences will always remain inside me.I don't live to make memories—I just live, and the memories form themselves.
1.Before the age of thirteen, the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of________.
A．observing her school routine
B．expressing her satisfaction
C．impressing her classmates
D．preserving her history
2.What caused a change in the author's understanding of keeping a diary?
A．A dull night on the journey.
B．The beauty of the great valley.
C．A striking quotation from a book.
D．Her concerns for future generations.
3.What does the author put in her diary now?
A．Notes and beautiful pictures.
B．Special thoughts and feelings.
C．Detailed accounts of daily activities.
D．Descriptions of unforgettable events.
4.The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is________.
A．to experience it
B．to live the present in the future
C．to make memories
D．to give accurate representations of it
You know how wonderful you are，and you know that others know how wonderful you are，but what do you do when admiration crosses over the line into jealousy？For most teens there will come a day when you realize that one of your friends is jealous and that this jealousy is hurting your friendship.When this happens it can seem like there is nothing that you can do，but the good news is that there is.Don't let jealousy spoil your relationships.Tackle it head on and you might be back to normal much sooner than you think.
It can be hard to walk up to a friend and ask them what the problem is，but if you want to save your friendship you'll have to do just that.Don't approach them and ask why they are jealous of you (unless of course you want to appear totally conceited)，just take some time alone with them and let them know that you've been feeling like there's been something coming between you.If they refuse to respond，then use the opportunity to explain how you have been feeling.Chances are that something you say will strike a nerve and your friend will open up as well.
When you figure out what is annoying your friend，ask him or her what (s)he thinks would make the situation better.If，for example，(s)he says that (s)he feels like (s)he doesn't get to spend any time with you because of your being off with your new friends from the swim team then maybe you could invite her along the next time or block off one day a week for just the two of you.Remember，though，that whatever solution you decide on should be a compromise.Don't limit your own talents or opportunities simply because your friend is unhappy.Try instead to include him or her in your new life and see how that works out.
Even the best of friendships can be tinged by jealousy.This destructive emotion is rarely productive and can turn best friends into worst enemies.Before taking extreme action，chat with your jealous friend to see if the two of you can work out a compromise.If you can't，be prepared to know exactly how far you will go to keep your friend and how far you won't.
1.According to the author，the jealousy emotion is ________.
A．normal B．productive
C．destructive D．extreme
2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to confront your friend when jealousy happens?
A．Walking up to him/her and asking him/her why he/she is jealous of you.
B．Walking up to him/her and asking him/her what the problem is.
C．Spending some time with him/her and letting him/her know how you feel.
D．Spending some time with him/her and letting him/her know you think there's something coming between you.
3.The purpose of the passage is ________.
A．to explain what causes jealousy
B．to offer some advice on making friends
C．to introduce the way to cope with a jealous friend
D．to explain how destructive the jealous emotion is
4.What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A．There's always a solution to solve the problem of jealousy.
B．Jealousy can turn best friends into worst enemies.
C．You may lose a friend to keep your own gifts，chances or selfdevelopment.
D．You should go a long way with your friend to work out a solution
Guide to Stockholm University Library
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones
The library is divided into different zones.The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading，and places where you can sit and work with your own computer.The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs.The ground floor is the zone where you can talk.Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the Wi－Fi specially prepared for notebook computers；you can also use library computers，which contain the most commonly used applications，such as Microsoft Office.They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Group－study Places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others，you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor.Some study rooms are for 2－3 people and others can hold up to 6－8 people.All rooms are marked on the library maps.
There are 40 group－study rooms that must be booked via the website.To book，you need an active University account and a valid University card.You can use a room three hours per day，nine hours at most per week.
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature.When you have obtained at least 40 credits(学分)，you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year's rental period.
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library.Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library，but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.
1.The library's upper floor is mainly for students to________.
A．read in a quiet place
B．have group discussions
C．take comfortable seats
D．get their computers fixed
2.What condition should be met to book a group－study room?
A．A group must consist of 8 people.
B．Three－hour use per day is the minimum.
C．One should first register at the university.
D．Applicants must mark the room on the map.
3.A student can rent a locker in the library if he________.
A．can afford the rental fee
B．attends certain courses
C．has nowhere to put his books
D．has earned the required credits
4.What should NOT be brought into the library?
A．Mobile phones. B．Orange juice.
C．Candy. D．Sandwiches.
My mind went blank when I saw the gun pointing against the car window as we pulled out of the garage. This can't be happening to me. Then I felt the gun, cold, against my head, and I heard my friend Jeremy saying，“What do you want? Take my wallet，” but at the time I thought of nothing.
I remember being a little annoyed when the gunman pulled me from the car by the hair. I remember the walk to the house—Jeremy, me, the two men with two guns. I remember the fear and anger in the gunmen's voices because Jeremy was being slow, and I remember wondering why he was being slow. I did not realize that Jeremy had thrown the keys into the bush. But I remember that sound of the gun hitting Jeremy's head and the feeling as the man who had hold of my hair released me. And I remember the split second when I realized he was looking at Jeremy，and I remember wondering how far I could run before he pulled the trigger. But I was already running, and upon reaching the car across the street, I didn't crouch (蹲伏) behind it but screamed instead.
I remember thinking there was something ridiculous and illogical about screaming “Help, help！” at eight o'clock on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea(恳求) to the more specific “Help, let me in, please let me in！” But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy's screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled.
The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the police to come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely，“Please go and eat. We're OK.”
I was happy to see them go. They had been talking of stricter sentences for criminals, of bringing back the death penalty(处罚) and how the President is going to clean up the country. I was thinking, they could be saying all of this over my dead body, and I still feel that stiffer sentences wouldn't change a thing. In a rush all the anger I should have felt for my attackers was directed against these contented people standing in front of their warm, comfortable homes talking about all the guns they were going to buy. What good would guns have been to Jeremy and me?
People all over the neighborhood had called to report our screams, and the police turned out in force twenty minutes later. They were illtempered about what was, to them, much trouble about nothing. After all, Jeremy was hardly hurt, and we were hopeless when it came to describing the gunmen. “Typical，” said one policeman when we couldn't even agree on how tall the men were. Both of us were able to describe the guns in horrifying detail, but the two policemen who stayed to make the report didn't think that would be much help.
The policemen were matteroffact about the whole thing. The thin one said，“That was a stupid thing to do, throwing away the keys. When a man has a gun against your head you do what you're told.” Jeremy looked properly embarrassed.
Then the fat policeman came up and the thin one went to look around the outside of the house. “That was the best thing you could have done, throwing away the keys，” he said. “If you had gone into the house with them...” His voice became weaker. “They would have hurt her” ——he twisted his head toward me——“and killed you both.” Jeremy looked happier. “Look，” said the fat policeman kindly, “ there's no right or wrong in the situation. There's just luck.”
All that sleepless night I replayed the moment those black gloves came up to the car window. How long did the whole thing last? Three minutes, five, eight? No matter how many hours of my life I may spend reliving it, I know there is no way to prepare for the next time—no intelligent response to a gun. The fat cop was right. There's only luck. The next time I might end up dead.
And I’m sure there will be a next time. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone.Security is an illusion(幻觉); there is no safety in locks or in guns. Guns make some people feel safe and some people feel strong, but they're fooling themselves.
1.When the writer saw the gun pointing against the car window，________.
A．she felt very annoyed
B．she lost consciousness
C．she felt very much nervous
D．she lost the power of thinking
2.What most possibly drove the two gunmen away?
A．Jeremy's fighting.
B．The author's screaming.
C．Their neighbour's brave action.
D．The police's arrival.
3.When the author called for help, the neighbors didn't come out immediately because________.
A．they were much too frightened
B．they were busy preparing dinners
C．they needed time to find baseball bats
D．they thought someone was playing a trick
4.What the author wants to tell us is that________.
A．neighbors are not helpful in moments of difficulty
B．the police are not reliable when one is in trouble
C．security is impossible as long as people can have guns
D．preventing robbers entering your house is the best choice
