the departure desk told me that my flight was closed. Therefore, I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.

　　The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards, it is still important to have at least a little of the local currency (货币) with you when you arrive in a country. This can be necessary if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. Once I arrived at a place at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi and because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead. "Listen! I only take real money！" the driver said angrily. Luckily I was able to borrow a few dollars from a clerk at the hotel, but it was embarrassing.

　　The third and last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave. I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.

　　【语篇解读】　本文是一篇说明文。作者就外出旅行给读者提了三点建议。第一点是再三确认出发时间；第二点是随身带一些当地的货币；第三点是充分了解当地的天气情况。

　　4．Where is the writer most probably from?

　　A．Italy. B．The USA.

　　C．Britain. D．Greece.

　　答案与解析：C　细节理解题。根据第三段中的"... because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead."可知，作者没有带美元，想用英镑付打车的费用，由此可知，作者可能来自英国，故选C项。

　　5．According to the passage, the driver was angry because ________.

　　A．the author gave him the false (假的) money

　　B．the author did not give him the local money

　　C．the author offered to pay by credit card

　　D．the author had no enough change

答案与解析：B　细节理解题。根据第三段中的"Listen! I