The holiday season isn't about shopping and gifts.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, holiday travel can be more expensive than 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(国内的) 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 on Fridays and Sundays. During the holidays, it's 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're on the road, you can buy food at local groceries to make your own meals, especially if you have access to（可使用） a microwave.

A. Bring your own food.

B. Consider affordable accommodations.

C. Traveling by plane is not the best choice.

D. Plus, booking earlier can save your money.

E. For instance, traveling on Christmas Day might be a great deal.

F. A great deal of travel also takes place during this time of year.

G. Other choices include sleeper trains as well as overnight ferries.

    The ability to move around from one place to the other is the biggest virtue one can ever have. We humans, possess an extraordinary virtue of seeing, experiencing and learning from it, and this is precisely what makes our journeys more satisfying and enriching.

    People travel for various reasons.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Though every person may have his/her own reason to go on a journey, it is essential to note that traveling, in itself, has some inherent advantages. For one, for some days getting away from everyday routine is a pleasant change.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}It makes a person forget his worries, problems, frustrations, and fears, although for some time. It gives him a chance to think wisely and constructively. Traveling also helps to heal; it can mend a broken heart.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Whether a person travels alone or with family and friends, the experience definitely gives him/her nice and exciting stories, which he/she can share with people back home. In fact, traveling away from home and spending time with near and dear one(s) can give the relationship an entirely new perspective and possibly, people may start understanding each other in a better way.

    With people, their culture, thoughts and ideas also travel. When they go from one place to the other, they are bound to meet people and share their thoughts and experiences with them. This is where exchange of ideas takes place, and it definitely broadens a person's outlook{#blank#}4{#/blank#}It is very interesting to discover new and unknown ways and values; they really add spice to life.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It makes us more sensitive and more tolerant towards others. It makes it easier for us to meet and mix with different kinds of people, and also teaches us to live life to the fullest.

A. Traveling also creates lifelong memories

B. Some find traveling an extremely boring activity

C. Humans have been traveling for a variety of reasons

D. It not only refreshes one's body, but also mind and soul

E. It makes him/her think in a different way from a different perspective

F. Above all, traveling enables us to spend some time with our own selves

G. Some travel for work, others for fun, and some for finding mental peace.

How to Build Team Spirit

    An important part of being on a team is team spirit, the sense of oneness and support gained from working together. How can you build team spirit in this everyone-for-himself world and expand the concept to include school loyalty and pride?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}When students and fans see enjoyment and a good attitude, they will be eager to show their team spirit, too.

    Encourage common cooperation among team members even in individual sports such as tennis or gymnastics. Break the team into pairs or small groups. It will help each other during practice. Assign each new player an experienced member of the team to be his mentor(辅导教师).

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Disagreement is unavoidable, but complaints affect team performance.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Don't just suggest, set goals such as mentioning the team to three people a day, covering all books in school colors and logos or inviting five friends to the next game.

    Support a very noticeable non-sports activity such as a blood drive, Toys for Tots, fundraising for new science equipment of whatever the team decides. Wear school colors, logo and name tags when promoting the project.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}On the day, make an effort to find a job or activity for everyone as you encourage students and staff to dress in school colors, make signs (“Jefferson School rocks!”), display notebook stickers and so on. If school rules permit, consider a face-painting booth.

    Put on an assembly（集会） with banners, music, cheerleading, introductions and applause for team members.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}You'll also want to display the statistics of various teams' achievements, whether it be a district prize, a personal best or simply winning their last game.

A．Get disagreements out in the open quickly and mediate （调解）if necessary.

B．Plan a monthly “school spirit” day.

C．There are ways to build team spirits .

D．Begin with energetic promotion.

E．Divide students into small groups.

F．Prove ways to build up the team around school.

G．Teach everyone cheers and the school song there.

    When Ava McCarver was in kindergarten, her class visited a nursing home (疗养院). Ava learned that many of the residents (住户) there receive few visitors. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} “I asked my mom if I could visit them,” she says. Soon, Ava and her mom became volunteers at Birchwood Health Care Center.

    That was six years ago. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} She enjoys hanging out with Mary, Shirley and other residents during her twice-monthly visits. “I paint their nails, and I talk to a lot of them,” she says. Sometimes she helps lead craft (手工艺) projects. Other times they play card games. “It's good for the residents to see little kids,” Ava says. “That makes them really happy.”

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} She has raised money for the nursing home by making refrigerator decorations and selling them at a craft fair. She has also collected used puzzles from garage sales and donated them to Birchwood.

    Ava wrote a book called The Squirrel Family. In the book, two squirrels raise a family and eventually move into a place called Birchwood where they live happily. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ten stores in her city agreed to display the books, along with a can to collect money. Ava's project raised about $750. Birchwood used that money to buy furniture for the residents.

    Ava says she enjoyed the look of “pure joy” on a resident's face after a hug from her. That's why she started visiting Birchwood — to bring happiness to others. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} “It's really fun,” she says. “They have good stories, and I enjoy my time there.”

A. She decided to take action.

B. But she has gained happiness for herself, too.

C. Since then, Ava has made many friends at Birchwood.

D. Ava used her book to raise money for the nursing home.

E. Birchwood needs more volunteers for its craft project.

F. Ava has found some creative ways to help her friends at Birchwood.

G. Ava's book has achieved a great success and earned a large amount of money for her.

    When you think about people who have made the world a better place, you probably think of famous scientists or great leaders. That is not all the truth.  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} An act of kindness can bring a smile to a person's face even if only for a moment.

    Give away your money.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} For example, if you want to help hungry children, you can try to find an international organization that provides food for those in poor areas. Every cent you give away will mean a lot.

    Help a stranger. Your small actions can brighten the day of others. Hold the door for someone whose hands are full. Help the blind cross the street.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The key is expecting nothing in return for your acts of kindness.

    Care about those you know. Show the people close to you how much you care about them. Tell them they mean a lot to you. Make a beautiful gift for a friend. Take your husband to his favorite fun place if he has had a hard week.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Be grateful to others. Have you had good service in a restaurant？Thank the waiter. Do you have a very good neighbour who is always there when you need her？Tell her how much you appreciate her being in your life.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If a friend needs skills in a certain area, offer your advice. Perhaps she is struggling to set up a computer, and you know how to do that. Offer whatever ability you have, but always remember to be polite.

A. Keep walking forward.

B. Share your knowledge.

C. Small steps, not big ones.

D. Give your seat on the bus to an old man.

E. Choose a charity that has meaning for you.

F. Tell your children how much they mean to you.

G. Ordinary people like you and me can also help a lot.

A Housewarming Party

    A housewarming party is a special party to be held when someone buys or moves into a new apartment or house. The person or people who bought the apartment or house or moved are the ones who throw the party.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It also gives people a chance to see what the new home looks like. It is an opportunity to fill the new space with love and hopeful presents.

    It is traditional to bring a gift to a housewarming party{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Some common items(物品) people will put on a gift registry include kitchen tools like knives and items like curtains. Even if there isn't a registry, a good housewarming gift is something to decorate the new house with, like, a piece of art or a plant.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is often appreciated since at a housewarming party there isn't a lot of food served, usually just appetizers or sandwiches.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The host or hostess of the party will, however, probably give all the guests a tour of their new home. Sometimes, because a housewarming party happens shortly after a person moves into a new home, people may be asked to help unpack boxes. This isn't usual though.

    Housewarming parties get their name from the fact that a long time ago people would actually bring firewood to a new home as a gift so that the person could keep the home warm for the winter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You can also bring food or drinks to share.

B. Different activities are held to make guests satisfied

C. There are usually no planned activities at a housewarming party.

D. Now most homes replace fires with central heating to keep warm.

E. Different people hold or attend housewarming parties for various reasons.

F. Some people register a list of things they need for their new home at local stores.

G. The party is an opportunity for friends and family to congratulate the person or people on the new home.