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mEnorCA or mAjorCA it is thAt timE oF thE yEAr AgAin. thE BroChurEs ArE piling up in trAvEl AgEnts whilE nEwspApErs AnD mAgAzinEs BulgE with ADviCE ABout whErE to go.But thE trADitionAl pACkAgED holiDAy, ABritish innovAtion thAt proviDED mAny timiD nAtivEs with thEir First ExpEriEnCE oF wArm sAnD, is not whAt it wAs. inDEED, thE inDustry is Anxiously AwAiting A highCourt ruling to FinD out ExACtly whAt it now is. two things hAvE ChAngED thE wAyBritons rEsEArCh AnD Book thEir holiDAys: low-Cost AirlinEs AnD thE intErnEt. instEAD oF Buying A rEADy mADE pACkAgE Consisting oF A Flight, hotEl, CAr hirE AnD AssortED EntErtAinmEnt From A tour opErAtor’s BroChurE, it is now EAsy to put togEthEr A trip using An onlinE trAvEl AgEnt likEExpEDiA or trAvEloCity, whiCh lAst july Bought lAstminutE. Com For ￡577m (＄1 Billion), or From thE proliFErAting wEBsitEs oF AirlinEs, hotEls AnD CAr-rEntAl Firms. this hAs lED somE to sounD thE DEAth knEll For high strEEt trAvEl AgEnts AnD tour opErAtors. thErE hAvE BEEn uphEAvAls AnD ClosurEs, But thE trADitionAl Firms ArE stArting to Fight BACk, in pArt By moving morE oF thEir BusinEss onlinE. FirstChoiCE holiDAys, For instAnCE, sAw its prE tAx proFit risE By 16% to ￡114m ( ＄196m) in thE yEAr to thE EnD oF oCtoBEr.Although thE ovErAll numBEr oF holiDAys BookED hAs FAllEn, thE CompAny is ConCEntrAting on morE vAluABlE long-hAul AnD ADvEnturE trips. FirstChoiCE now sElls morE thAn hAlF its trips DirECtly, EithEr viA thE intErnEt, ovEr thE tElEphonE or From its own trAvEl shops. it wAnts thAt to rEACh 75% within A FEw yEArs. othEr tour opErAtors ArE showing similAr hustlE. mytrAvEl mAnAgED to Cut its loss By Almost hAlF in 2005. thomAsCook AnD thomson holiDAys, now Both gErmAn ownED, ArE Also Bullish ABout thE Coming holiDAy sEAson. highstrEEt trAvEl AgEnts ArE hAving A toughEr timE, though, not lEAst BECAusE mAny lEADing tour opErAtions hAvE Cut thE Commissions thEy pAy. somE high-strEEt trAvEl AgEnts ArE Also lEArning to livE with thE intErnEt, hElping pEoplE Book CompliCAtED trips thAt thEy hAvE rEsEArChED onlinE, proviDing ADviCE AnD tACking on othEr sErviCEs: this is sEEn As A growth ArEA、But iF An AgEnt puts togEthEr sEpArAtE Flights AnD hotEl ACCommoDAtion, is thAt A pACkAgE, too thECivilAviAtionAuthorityCAA、sAys it is AnD thE AgEnt shoulD holD AnAir trAvEl orgAnisErs- liCEnCE, whiCh proviDEs FinAnCiAl guArAntEEs to rEpAtriAtE pEoplE AnD proviDE rEFunDs. thE sChEmE DAtEs From thE EArly 1970s, whEn somE lArgEBritish trAvEl Firms wEnt Bust, strAnDing CustomErs on thECostAs.Although suCh FAilurEs ArE lEss Common thEsE DAys, thECAA、hAD to hElp out somE 30,000 pEoplE lAst yEAr. thEAssoCiAtion oFBritish trAvElAgEnts wEnt to thE highCourt in novEmBEr to ArguE suCh Bookings ArE not trADitionAl pACkAgEs AnD so Do not rEquirE AgEnts to ACquirE thE Costly liCEnCEs. whilE thE Court DECiDEs, millions oFBritons will hAppily CliCk AwAy Buying onlinE holiDAys, unAwArE oF thE DiFFErEnCE.

thE worD "hustlE" in thE topiC sEntEnCE oF thE Fourth pArAgrAph most proBABly DEnotEs ______.A．DEmAnD
B．hostility
C．sAlE
D．prEjuDiCE