Traveling can be a way to gain life experiences, especially during Spring Break — a week long school vacation in the United States. But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip? Don’t worry. Here are some useful suggestions.

●Save: This probably is the most important preparation for traveling. Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you’ll have more choices about where to go and how to get there.

●Plan ahead: Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security(安全) and savings.

●Do your homework: No matter where you go, research the places you will visit. Decide what to see. Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.

●Plan sensibly: Write down what you expect to spend for food and hotels. Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.

●Travel in groups: Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places. By traveling with others you can share costs and experiences.

●Work as you go: Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.

●Go off the beaten path: Tourist cities may be expensive. You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser-known area. Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.

●Pack necessary things: The most important things to take are not always clothes: Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant.

●Use the Internet: The Net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www. Travelocity. com, www. bargains-lowest fare. com and www. Economic travel. com.

By planning sensibly, even students can enjoy the travel. Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.

This passage is about _______. 

A. how to plan your travel                  B. how to travel with enough money

C. how to make your travel interesting D. how to get life experiences

Before your trip, the first thing you should do is _______. 

A. to make a plan of the route             B. to get information in the Internet

C. to save money by spending less       D. to buy tickets in advance

The writer advises you _______. 

A. to share costs with any other people       B. not to go to well-known places

C. not to visit dangerous places           D. to buy anything you want to buy

During your trip, _______. 

A. you need more shoes than clothes   

B. you shouldn’t look for work all the way

C. you can gain valuable life experiences

D. you should forget to do your homework

Last year, a report by a committee of education experts said that a lot of American students cannot write well. The report noted the concerns of business leaders and teachers. The experts said that more students should have to pass a writing test before they can finish high school. They pointed out that major college entrance tests are changing now to include a writing part.

  Educators know that teaching students to write well is not easy. One problem is the amount of time needed to read through large amounts of work. So some companies have developed computer programs. These can grade student writing much more quickly than a person can. Writing tests can also cost less to carry out by computer than paper-and-pencil. These computer systems are known as e-readers. They use artificial (人工的) intelligence to think in a way like teachers. In the state of Indiana, computer grading of a statewide writing test began with a test of the system itself. For two years, both a computer and humans graded the student writing. Officials say there was almost no difference between the computer grades and those given by the human readers.

  The entrance test commonly used by business schools, the GMAT, already uses e-readers. The GRE and TOEFL tests might start; officials are deciding. The GRE is the Graduate Record Examination. TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

  Systems are also being used to grade writing in college classes. The computers read a few hundred examples of student writing already graded by humans. Then the systems compare new writings against those already examined.

  How do teachers feel all about this? Many say machines can never do the job as well as people can. A computer can find spelling and grammar mistakes. But these teachers say it can never really understand what a writer is trying to say. Critics say a program cannot follow a thought or judge humor or understand a beautifully expressed idea.

  But inventors of the programs say computer grading guarantees that each piece of writing is graded in the same way. They also say the systems are meant to judge knowledge more than creativity.

What do the teachers think of the computer system?

       A. They think highly of the computer systems.

       B. They think that computers cannot grade writing as well as people.

       C. They believe that computers can understand a writer’s idea well

       D. They are glad computers will spare their effort to correct students’ school work.

From the first paragraph we can conclude that _________.

       A. American students’ writing ability is being improved

       B. American students’ writing ability is not satisfactory

       C. business leaders and teachers are not worried about students’ writing

       D. all college entrance tests will include a writing part

Which of the following is NOT the advantage of e-readers?

       A. Saving much of teachers’ time.     B. Saving a lot of money.

     C. Being fair and objective.   D. Appreciating humor and beauty

The best title of this passage might be _________.

       A. Computer-graded Writing B. Human-graded Writing

       C. How to Improve Students’ Writing   D. Advantages of E-readers

Every year in America, high-school students who want to go to college take a national examination called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT in a shortened way. Their score is an important factor in determining which colleges will admit them or whether any will be admitted at all. The Scholastic Aptitude Test measures one’s mathematical ability and use of the English language. Traditionally, the English portion(部分)involved grammatical questions and paragraphs that test reading comprehension.

    But the SAT folks have added a single question, to be answered in an essay, hand-written on the spot. That’s an interesting way to test writing ability, put content aside, have you ever seen young people’s handwriting lately? Or anyone’s for that matter, in this age of computer keyboards? Students write numbers and sign their names on bank checks. They scribble class notes in what can generously be described as the written word. And they hand-write, or more often print, a word or two of identification on luggage and lunch bags. Otherwise penmanship (书法) — once taught so morally and easefully by second-grade teachers, has gone the way of the dodo bird which has died out.

    Yet today’s kids are asked to write, thoughtfully and legibly (字迹清楚地), for several minutes on this SAT Test. Good luck to the text scorers who must work out difficultly the scrawl of young people who’ve been typing on computers since the age of three! Teachers insist that good handwriting can not only help one’s score on the SAT, but also, later on in life, impress potential employers and earn bigger tax refunds (退税) because the tax inspectors can actually read the computations (计算结果). And don’t forget, we all have to turn to handwriting from time to time, as computers go down when power goes out.

The subjects to be tested in the SAT include ______.

    A. math, English, reading and handwriting

    B. math, grammar, reading and writing

    C. math, foreign language and writing

    D. math, English and handwriting

The author writes this passage to introduce the fact that ______.

    A. writing seems to be very important in the SAT

    B. those who will go to colleges have to take the SAT

    C. students should practice handwriting more often

    D. in the computer age kids know how to write legibly

What does the underlined word “scribble” probably mean?

    A. Write quickly and roughly.               B. Take notes difficultly.

    C. Print penmanship carefully.               D. Describe written word generously.

According to the passage good handwriting can ______.

    A. help students get high scores in tests        B. make a student more popular

    C. measure students’ ability                 D. assist one to get a job

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