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Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.

AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost £ 169. 15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost £ 118.15.   If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid--- or you're looking for a big event to pass your time--- check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.

STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.   Don't be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge's Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £ 95.95 . A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £ 75.75 . And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £ 62.95 .  

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London. Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As a choice consider checking into a self-catering flat with its own kitchen, where you can cook. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O'Neill Flat on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, available for £ 420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.

GET ON A BIKE London’s “Boris bikes” have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programs that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.   Among the smaller cities with their own programs are Newcastle (casual members pay around £ 1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or £5 per day).

21. "Farringdon" in Paragraph 5 is most probably _____.  

A. a hotel away from the train station     B. the tube line to Covent Garden  

C. an ideal holiday destination          D. the name of a travel agency

22. The passage shows that the O'Neill Flat ____.

A. lies on the ground floor          

B. is located in central London      

C. provides cooking tools for tourists 

D. costs over £100 on average per day in late September

23. The main purpose of the passage is ____. 

A. to tell visitors how to book in advance         B. to supply visitors with hotel information  

C. to show visitors the importance of self-help    D. to offer visitors some money-saving tips