With an improved economy, many travelers have been buying first or business class seats, leaving fewer for upgrades(升级).Here are some strategies for getting a free upgrade.
⒈Fly a lot.
This is the most common way to earn a free upgrade. Most airlines reserve some spaces for travelers who fly at least 5, 000 miles per year. Five years ago, this meant half or more of domestic(国内的)first class travelers sat up front for free. But now, airlines are selling more high-price seats, so on popular routes it is not unusual for more than 20 travelers to compete for one or two upgrades. But on routes with fewer business class travelers, free upgrades remain more plentiful.
⒉Use miles.
If you're not a frequent traveler but still have some miles to fly, you may be able to use them for an upgrade. Be careful, though, as many airlines now ask not just for miles but also a cash co-pay. One example: on flights to Europe, American Airlines charges 5, 000 miles, plus $110, for a one-way upgrade from discounted economy class to business class. For most domestic upgrades, American Airlines wants 15, 000 miles plus $ 75.
⒊Get lucky.
Sometimes airlines overbook coach(经济舱), and a few travelers get no seats. Agents try to ensure the airline's most loyal travelers get the nod(被选中). Agents usually have some flexibility to make sure the plane is full and takes off on time. So it's the easiest way for them to do it-they might upgrade someone else out of order.
⒋Save a life.
Flight attendants don't usually upgrade passengers, even when empty seats remain. Doctors and nurses who answer an emergency call are sometimes an exception. If they comfort a passenger, flight attendants might allow them to sit in business or first class for the rest of the flight.
Mya Le Thai is a scientist studying at the University of California. She recently discovered a process that may result in batteries that last forever. Thai said she had been frustrated that the batteries for her wireless devices degrade(退化). Over time, they fail to charge fully. She decided to do something about that problem.
At first, she and her team thought about inventing a new battery. But as they experimented, Thai discovered something that might permit lithium-ion batteries(锂电池) to last forever. Lithium-ion batteries power most wireless devices. Over time, the batteries lose the ability to hold a charge. One of the reasons lithium-ion batteries degrade is their use of nanowires(纳米线) to carry electricity. Nanowires are extremely thin. Nanowires are extremely efficient carriers of electricity, which makes them useful in batteries. But Thai said their thinness also makes them weak. "Nanowires break over time," she said. "That's why they lose capacity."
But, Thai had a theory: The nanowires might last longer if covered with a gel(凝胶). She and the team tested her theory. The team tried many coverings for the wires. PMMA was one of them. The PMMA coated nanowires showed no evidence of damage. The results suggest that batteries could last forever, without losing charging ability. Thai hopes to continue her research to understand why this gel works so well and to see if any other gel could create better results.
Mya Le Thai told VOA she is enjoying the publicity about her discovery. She said she never expected her research to get media coverage. "It's kind of cool," she said. "I'm really glad people are showing interest in my work and not just in the work itself, but also in technology and energy."
It is easy to understand the difference between some homophones(同音异形异义词). But other homophones are difficult, even for native English speakers. One set of commonly confusing homophones are the words bear and bare.
Of course, as a noun, a bear is a large, heavy animal with thick hair and sharp claws. But the word bear can also be a verb. It can mean "to accept or get through something," usually something difficult. The verb bear is often used with the modal verb can and a negation(否定). Using this structure, "cannot bear" sometimes means "strongly dislike." If you travel to a very cold place in the middle of winter, you might say, "I cannot bear the cold weather." Bear can also mean "to assume or accept something, such as a cost or responsibility." For example, "The man must bear full responsibility for his actions." Bear can also sometimes mean "to carry." For example, Americans often talk about the "right to bear arms" or the right of citizens to possess a gun. Sometimes, people make jokes about this expression. They replace the meaning of bear in this example with its meaning as a noun. The phrase then means that people have a right to possess a bear's arm.
Bare is mostly used as an adjective. It means "not having a covering" or "not covered by clothing, shoes or something else." If you just moved to a new home, the walls could still be bare. And, if you take your shoes and socks off before entering a room, you will have bare feet. As a verb, bare is similar to its adjectival meaning. To bare means "to remove the covering from something." It can also mean "to show or expose." For example, an angry animal might bare its teeth. The past tense of bare is bared.
Benin-born musician Angelique Kidjo has won a major human rights award, along with three African youth activist movements. The groups are Y'en a marre (Fed Up), le Balai Citoyen (The Citizen's Broom), and Lutte pour Changement (LUCHA).
The organization Amnesty International announced the winners on Wednesday. It praised Kidjo and the groups for their work in Africa and around the world. Amnesty says the award honors those who have shown unusual courage in standing up to unfair. It says winners also influence others to act the same.
The Amnesty International honor is called the Ambassador of Conscience Award. Past winners include leaders Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi. Artists who have been honored including U2 band leader Bono and singer Joan Baez.
Angelique Kidjo fled Benin in the 1980s after being pressured to perform for the country's repressive government. She has since gained worldwide fame both for her music and her activism(行动主义). She has worked to support free expression, education for young women and birth certificates for children. She has lived in New York City for many years. She has also won a Grammy award for her music. She said, "Music helps her spread her messages of freedom and human dignity. I can't be in everyone's home physically but my music will be there. And that's the power of an artist, compared to a politician. Because no one can give a speech as brilliant as what we can put on a CD. I have hope that African nations struggling with corruption can solve their problems through democratic(民主的) methods." Kidjo said the honor will help her stay active in human rights issues.
"Suzanne Meyer, the assistant director of the English Language Institute at the University of Tennessee, says that many students need to learn how to collect information, and then evaluate the information and apply it to a new context. Meyer says: " . Question-asking activities help students to become better language learners. Question-asking may help develop critical thinking skills by allowing for more interactions.. When they are confident, they can have more interaction. That extra interaction might lead to critical thinking.”
How can you practice asking questions? There are many strategies to improve question-asking and develop critical thinking skills. .
If students were reading a new text, they would design a series of questions using three different steps. In the first step, students create questions about information in the text that they are reading. In the second step, students create questions about how the information in the text connects to their own life. In the third step, students create questions about abstract ideas – ideas that came up in the questions about themselves..
Practical Tips: Meyer says that when teachers tell students which questions to answer, students are less likely to be creative about the types of questions that they ask. . Try making a list of questions that go from concrete to abstract. Check with your teacher to make sure that your grammar is correct, and try to practice in the classroom.
A. So, practice developing your own questions!
B. People who can ask questions should be very confident.
C. People can ask questions freely when they feel relaxed.
D. If people take some steps, they can find some useful question-asking patterns.
E. There are many benefits to using question-asking activities with English learners.
F. One possible strategy is to use question-asking patterns that start with concrete questions and move to abstract questions.
G. If students follow these three steps, they have not only practiced creative ways to ask questions, they have also started practicing critical thinking.
Soppo was an enormous giant. He1quietly, fearing nothing. However, he didn't have even one single2. What's more, every time he visited a country, there was nothing but3. When he ate many clouds, drought would appear. His stomach4after eating too many clouds, which led to his crying, then everything would get flooded. In the end,5he was spotted, everyone would flee in6.
One night, seeing him7, various stars came down and asked him why he was so sad. On hearing his story they said: "Poor giant. You don't know how to8friends. Yet the Earth is full of all kinds of friends."
"But, where can I find friends? How do I do that? "9the giant.
"By10people a hand or doing something for them." replied the stars, amused.
Over the following11Soppo thought about nothing else but ways to find friends. He12long days observing the people. He discovered why everyone13when seeing him, and he realized he was causing14by eating all the clouds, and that his weeping flooded them out, and he learned a thousand other15that made him pity and joy. That night the giant ran to greet the stars. "Now I know how I'm going to make friends."
And so it was. From that day on, Soppo16the skies, and when the clouds were preparing17storms he would feast himself on some of them. Then, when he spotted someplace where there was a(an)18of water, he would cry above it. Before long, Soppo19from being the worst to being a blessing for everyone, and he was20short of a good friend to play with.
Once upon a time, there was a shepherd bought a flock of sheep, but when he got to know them a little better, he (realize) that these sheep just would not stop talking. All day long they just ignored the shepherd's commands. He used all the means (get) the sheep to listen to him and to his dogs, but it was (hope).
Finally, seeing the sheep wouldn't stop talking, the shepherd decided to at least have some fun it. He bought an enormous ear, and transported it out to his fields on the back of his wagon. (surprise), on seeing the ear, the sheep all stopped talking to each other, and began telling the ear all their puzzles and (trouble). When the shepherd drove his wagon, the sheep would even follow (he) about, just so that they could carry on (talk) to the ear.
So the shepherd understood that even sheep have something to say, just want to be listened to. And thanks to this occurrence, mankind now has the world's only Ear-on-a-Wagon shepherd.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错 
词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last winter Gnara and I headed down to the Arctic Hill. It was covered with ice, what made it very interested to slide down. Gnara do a trick with her tail. I turned around three time before I reached the bottom! Some young boys were watched us slide. They wanted to slide down too. Then I came up a perfect solution. I asked Gnara if she would helping.
We stayed at the bottom of the hill but when the young boys slid down, we flew right into the softly and safe places. In this way everyone had a fun.
1）精通英语和汉语；
2）热情、大方，沟通能力强；
3）自己的看法。
注意：①不要逐句翻译，可适当增加细节以使行文连贯。
②词数：100左右。开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Marry,
I'm very glad and excited to have learned that you will visit our county.
I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.
Yours,
Li Hua
