选择知识点

    --- Sorry, we___________. But we are waiting for some parts from the producer.

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 youˈre a student and donˈt have enough money for a trip? Donˈt worry. Here are some useful suggestions.

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

   ●Plan ahead: Donˈt 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 how much you expect to spend for food and hotels.  Stick to (坚持) 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 cites 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.

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

   ●Use the Intemet: The net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www.

Travelcity. com, www. bargains- lowest fare(票价) . com  and www. economic  travelcity. com.

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

Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. One family between us and the ticket counter made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. Their clothes were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands.
    The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly said, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”
    The ticket lady told him the price. The wife’s head dropped, and the man’s lip began to quiver (抖动). The father asked, “How much did you say?”

The ticket lady told him the price again.

The man didn’t have enough money.
    Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground (We were not wealthy either). My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.”
    The man knew what was going on. He wasn’t begging for money but certainly thanked the help in a difficult, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad’s eyes, took my dad’s hand in both of his, and with a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, “Thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family.”
    My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn’t go to the circus that night, but we didn’t go without.

When it comes to hard, noisy traveling, we’ve found that sometimes we’d rather read about it than actually go. Here are some bestsellers for armchair travelers.

In the US and Britain，the slogan around colleges was “Save water．Shower with a friend．”Now，Wuhan University has invented another system for the campus bathhouse．It charges students for the amount of time in a shower．Before entering the bathhouse，students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card．The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on．It pauses when a button is pressed for soap．An integrated circuit（IC）card reader at each tap shows the time．No money，no water．The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system，which charged 1 yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower．The university used about 320 tones of water daily under the old system，but only 160 tons now．

Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided．Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race．Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower．Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and theyˈre still covered in soap(肥皂)．They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time．

“Itˈs a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card，”said Ren，a freshman in Wuhan University．The university is also considering some studentsˈ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after theyˈve finished the shower．Not surprisingly，some are complaining about losing the hour shower．But many students say the move helps them develop a water－saving sense．

Without the time limits，most students tended to shower for 30 minutes to an hour in the bathhouse．Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes．“In my experience，10－20 minutes is enough．”said Dai Zhihua，a third－year student who usually takes 8 minutes．A similar system has been installed in other universities．Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September．The bathing fee there is 0.2 yuan per minute．One male student responded by setting a record with a 

two－minute shower．

B

    I have had just about enough of being treated like a second-class citizen, simply because I happen to be that put-upon(被欺骗的) member of society ---- a customer. The more I go into shops and hotels, banks and post offices, railway stations, airports and the like, the more I am convinced that things are being run merely to suit the firm, the system, or the union. There seems to be an deceptive(欺骗的) new motto for so-called “service” organizations ---- Staff Before Service.　　

    How often, for example, have you queued for what seems like hours at the Post Office or the supermarket because there were not enough staff on duty to equip all the service grilles(窗口) or checkout counters? Surely in these days of high unemployment it must be possible to hire cashiers and counter staff. Yet supermarkets claim that bringing all their cash registers into operation at any time would increase expenses. And the Post Office says we cannot expect all their service counters to be occupied “at times when demand is low”.　　

It is the same with hotels. Because waiters and kitchen staff must finish when it suits them, dining rooms close earlier or menu choice is cut short. As for us guests, we just have to put up with it. There is also the nonsense of so many friendly hotel night porters having been thrown out of their jobs in the interests of “efficiency” and replaced by coin-eating machines which offer everything from beer to medicine. Not to mention the creeping threat of the tea-making set in your room: a kettle with a mixed collection of tea bags, plastic milk cartons and lump sugar. Who wants to wake up to a raw teabag? I do not, especially when I am paying for “service”.

    Can it be stopped, this worsening service, this growing attitude that the customer is always a nuisance(令人讨厌的事物)? I angrily hope so because it is happening, sadly, in all walks of life.　　

    Our only hope is to hammer home(尽力让人理解) our anger whenever and wherever we can and, if all else fails, bring back into practice the other, older slogan ---- Take Our Custom(买卖) Elsewhere.

D

    To have a second child or not，this is a question．

    A concern about only one child is whether one child necessarily means a lonely child．Many parents of only child feel guilty of their decision to have only one child．There are no other children in the family for the child to associate with，which may lead to the child feeling lonely at times．

    Another common argument against having just one child may be more spoiled than one with siblings．Many people believe that a single child will not have learned to negotiate with others，and respect the give-and-take involved in many relationships．Some think this may leave the child less capable of interacting well with people his or her own age·

   Despite these arguments，the number of parents choosing to have only one child is increasing in the world．For some single—child parents，the pressures of devoting time and energy to a second child can result in them selecting to have no more children．For other parents，the financial burden of having a second child may be the major consideration. Another important consideration is the increasing age at which women give birth to children．

   Advocates of single—child families argue that there are advantages for the child as well as the parents．With just one child．the parents can give，and the child Can receive，more quality time and attention．

    However, there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not to have a second child. The circumstances affecting each set of parents are unique．The important thing，in the end，is to make a decision t11at both the wife and the husband feel confident．