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 _ . 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 fluctuate 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 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 10 weeks and two to three weeks in advance. * Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive sales to travelers who interact 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.... 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
D
Pingyao, located in the center of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage site. It is 90 kilometers south of Taiyuan on the Fen River. People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age. Its long period as a county government seat has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine of _ are under government protection, including Zhengguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Ancient City. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organized commercial groups that did business nationwide. Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their center. In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang (Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank checks rather than in silver or gold coins. It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking. Branch banks were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao. Its lacquer ware became well known as well. In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition. Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi's history and culture, but this large number is valuable for studying its history, customs, ancient buildings and art. Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people. In 1997, Ancient Pingyao City was listed in World Heritage List as "World Culture Heritage Site" . If you want to know about the history of banking in China, which of the following places should you visit? A) Sunrise Prosperity. B) Zhengguo Temple. C) A lacquer ware store. D) A commercial house.
A
Q: I was born and raised in Minnesota, the USA,but as an adult I have mostly lived in Europe and Africa. I teach cross-cultural management at the International Business School near Paris. For the last 15 years, I've studied how people in different parts of the world build trust,communicate, and make decisions especially in the workplace. While traveling in Tokyo recently with Japanese colleague,I gave a short talk to a group of 20 managers. At the end, I asked whether there were any questions or comments.No hands went up,so I went to sit down.My colleague whispered to me,"I think there actually were some comments, Erin.Do you mind if I try?" I agreed, but I guessed it a waste of breath. He asked the group again, "Any comments or questions?" Still, no one raised a hand, but this time he looked very carefully at each person in the silent audience. Gesturing to one of them, he said, "Do you have something to add?" To my amazement,she responded "Yes, thank you." and asked me a very interesting question. My colleague repeated this several times,looking directly at the audience and asking for more questions or comments. After the session, I asked my colleague, "how do you know that those people had questions?" He hesitated, not sure how to explain it, and then said, "It has to do with how bright their eyes are." He continued, "In Japan, we don't make as much direct eye contact as you do in the West. So when you asked if there were any comments, most people were not looking directly at you. But a few people in the group were looking right at you, and their eyes were bright. That indicates that they would be happy to have you call on them." I thought to myself I would never have learned from my upbringing in Minnesota. Since then, I try to focus on understanding behavior in other cultures I encounter, and keep finding the bright eyes in the room. Hearing the colleague whispering, the author _ . A) went back to his seat and got seated. B) knew his colleague had some questions. C) owed a big debt of gratitude to his colleague. D) thought his colleague would get nowhere.
A: D
*Question*
The kite was originally called Zhiyuan in North China, and Yaozi in South China. Early in the Five dynasties, a man named Li Ye used to make and fly a kite in the emperor's court. He once attached a whistle made of bamboo to the kite. Sound was let out when the kite was flying. The kite was named after Zheng, a kind of Chinese music instrument. Then it was named Fengzheng in Chinese. The earliest kite in the world was made by Motse, a famous Chinese philosopher, who lived 2,300 years ago, for military purposes. He spent three years making an eagle and managed to fly it. The eagle was later regarded as the first kite in the world. Kite-flying became a recreation probably from the Tang dynasty when the royal family and people of the highest class were addicted to it. It was said that the Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty once was interested in a kite named Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea flying in the air. Later, the paper-made kite was invented, which cost less and spread quickly among the common people. As time went on, kites flew to various countries in the world. 'The well-known British scientist, Dr. Needham, once described kites as an important scientific invention which spread to Europe from China in his book, A History of China's Science and Technology. The invention of the kite inspired men's dream of flying and led to the invention of the airplane. Which of the following statements might Dr. Needham agree with? A) The Chinese people first tried to invent airplanes. B) The Chinese spread the idea of flying to Europe. C) The invention of kites in China is great. D) The invention of kites achieved the dream to fly.
**Answer**
C