The holiday season isn't just about shopping and gifts. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, holiday travel can be more expensive than the gifts. Fortunately, the following tips will help keep your travel spending under control.

● Plan ahead. The earlier you book your travel, from airfare to hotels, the easier it is to find good deals. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Your best prices on airfare come when you book three weeks before the plane leaves for domestic flights. For international flights, consider booking 30 days in advance. Many experts point out that you should book travel between  one month and three months out for high-traffic holidays.

● Book your air travel on cheaper days. Traveling by air on Tuesdays and Wednesdays often costs less than traveling on Fridays and Sundays. During the holidays, it is not just about a specific day of the week. You also need to consider the days surrounding the holiday but days immediately before and after a holiday can be expensive. One of the best ways to save is to plan your air travel on the Day of the holiday. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

● Consider traveling overnight. Red-eye flights and overnight flights often cost less than those at more convenient times. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Traveling overnight can help you avoid a night in the hotel, as well as save your money on travel to your destination.

●{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can't bring liquids with you on the airline, but you can bring sandwiches and other snacks. When you are on the road, you can buy food at local groceries to make your own meals. If you are staying in a hotel long-term, consider cooking your own food, especially if you have access to a microwave.

    Ireland now has one of the best education systems in the world. Class sizes are small, exam results are good and most children are happy to stay at school after the minimum(最低的) leaving age of sixteen. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    For years, Ireland had one of the most complicated(复杂的) education systems in the world. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Classes were large and the teaching was very traditional. As in many countries, teachers used to hit the children if they made mistakes. Fortunately, the punishment was not allowed in 1982.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} As a result, there were schools for the rich and schools for the poor. Boys and girls went to different schools. Nowadays, most schools are free and only about half the schools are either for girls or boys. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Girls do better than boys in their exams; more girls go to university and most teachers are women.

    At the end of secondary school, students take their final exams. Compulsory(必修的)subjects are maths, Irish and English. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some of these, like business organization, help to prepare them for the world of work. This is very different from the past when Latin and Greek used to be the most important subjects.

A. In many ways, education is now a woman's world.

B. Parents used to pay for their children's education.

C. In addition, they must choose two or three extra subjects.

D. Public schools in Ireland are not run by the government.

E. It is easy to forget that the picture used to be very different.

F. Here, children do not learn any subjects but some basic skills.

G. There were many different kinds of school, but most of them had a lot in common.

    Do you know what may make you seem to be not confident enough?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Giving reasons for your actions. Suppose you are having lunch with a group of people, and suddenly you drop your glass of coke on the floor. What will you do? Well, some people will just start to explain why it has happened.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you drop a glass or make a mistake, it won't change who you are. It's your right to make a mistake because you are a human being.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You may have experienced a situation where you told a friend his performance wasn't that good and then he replied back immediately by saying, “No, no, no, it's just because I was tired” or “I was just thinking of something else”. Confident people listen to criticism and see whether it's true or not.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, if they know it's not true, they don't care much about it.

    Becoming a perfectionist. A perfectionist thinks that he lives in a perfect world so he tries to do everything perfectly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Confident people are not perfectionists. If they get a “B”, they may try to get an “A” next time, but if they get 99/100, they won't be unhappy about not getting a full mark because they know they're not perfect.

A. Confident people don't give reasons for their actions.

B. Read the following information and you'll know the answer.

C. Accepting criticism immediately.

D. Replying back immediately to criticism.

E. If the criticism is true and can help them, they accept it.

F. He may become very unhappy if he gets 99/100 in an exam.

G. He may become very unhappy if he can't pass the exam.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But how do you deal with your worries? Whether your worries are big or small, you can take these three steps to deal with your worries:

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Sometimes, you will know what you are worried about. Other times, you might not. Try to find it out first; if you can't, you can ask for help.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    There is always something you can do to help you feel less worried. Sitting there worrying is no fun and it won't solve your problem

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you are worried about grades, ask yourself these questions:

Why are grades important? What do grades mean for me?

    How do I get ready for class? Do I go over my notes even when there isn't a test?

    Do I have a good place to do my homework? Have I tried different ways of studying?

If your worry is about a fight you had with a friend, you might write down all the things you could do—-- write a note to him or her, invite him or her to a basketball game, say sorry to him or her, etc. Once you have a list of things you could do, you can choose the one that gets your friend back.

    ⒊{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    When you are worried, it can help to find someone to talk to. You can ask your parents, friends or teachers for help.

A .Grades at school are often a top worry for kids.

B .Try to find out what you are worried about.

C .How to deal with our worries?

D .Ask for help.

E .Everyone worries.

F .What do grades mean to you?

G .Think of ways to make it better.

    Traveling can be a fun 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? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Save：This probably is the most important preparation for traveling. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Plan ahead：Don't wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    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 how much 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：{#blank#}4{#/blank#} 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 sites may be expensive. You may want to rethink your trip and go to a less﹣known area. Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}：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.travelcity. corn, www.bargainslowestfare.corn and www.economictravelcity.com.

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

A. Take clothes along

B. Pack necessary things

C. Don't worry. Here are some useful suggestions.

D. Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places.

E. Before the trip, the most important thing is to make the route.

F. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security and savings.

G. Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you'll have more choices about where to go and how to get there.

    Today we begin a series of programs about learning disabilities. These are disorders in the ways that people understand or use language. They can affect the ability to listen or think, or to speak or to read and write. They can also affect the ability to do mathematics. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Researchers believe that learning disabilities are caused by differences in the way that the brain works with information. They say children with learning disabilities are not unintelligent or do not want to work.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Researchers say that as many as one out of every five people in the United States has some kind of learning disability. Almost three-million children in the United States receive some kind of help in school for a learning disability.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Experts look for a difference between how well a child does in school and the level of intelligence or ability of the child. But there is no one sign of a disorder. A few signs of learning disability include not connecting letters with their sounds or not understanding what is read. A person with a learning disability may not be able to understand a funny story. They may not follow directions. They may not read numbers correctly or know how to start a task. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}One person may have trouble understanding mathematics. Another may have difficulty understanding what people are saying. Still another may not be able to express ideas in writing. These different kinds of learning disabilities are known by different names. For example, a person who has difficulty reading may have dyslexia (诵读困难症).

    Experts say learning disabilities cannot be cured.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Teachers and parents can help young people with learning disabilities to learn successfully.

A. Different people have different kinds of learning disabilities.

B. Their brains just process information differently than other people.

C. People with learning disabilities have difficulty in communicating with others.

D. But people who have them can be helped.

E. Why does a person have a learning disability?

F. A person with a learning disability has unusual difficulty in developing these skills.

G. How can you tell if someone has a learning disability?