I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes depa
题型：不详难度：来源：
I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham"s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can"t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I"ll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock(货物) and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn"t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds”(clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less
confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn"t believe my eyes; this wasn"t shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn"t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small child
ren to crawl(爬行) through people"s legs and get hold of things they couldn"t get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole
day continued like that, but I kept my temper(脾气)! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realise why, twice a year, Graham"s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.
You won"t believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.
1.What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5% cheaper?
Last summer"s clothes.
B.Clothes not in perfect condition.
C.Clothes bought in specially for the sales.
D.Clothes for winter.
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A.The customers gave up the queuing, for which the English are famous.
B.The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted.
C.Small children enjoyed crawling through people"s legs.
D.The security guards were fearless of the crowd.
3.In the author"s opinion, why were Graham"s happy to make their expensive store into a “battlefield”?
A.There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales.
B.They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business.
C.They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes.
D.They wanted to make more money by having sales.
4.The expression “_________crashed out” means ________.
A.chatted with her friendsB.slept soundlyC.broke downD.dined out
5. What would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Best Bargain B.Hunting for a Job
C.Sale Fever D.A Pleasant Fortnight |
答案
1----5 DADBC |
解析
1.这是一道细节题。第二段中列举了四类降价的衣服及其降价幅度。A选项中的衣服are heavily reduced to clear(清仓) them;C选项中的衣服降价60%；B选项中的衣服are sold very cheaply降幅一定大于5%。答案为D。
2.这是一道细节推断题。根据倒数第三段可判断出如果人多，英国人就会放弃排队。答案为A。
3.这是一道推断题。从整篇短文的内容可以了解到，使人们相信他们所卖的衣服便宜，许多人来到商店竞相购买衣服，使整个商店变成了一个“战场”。他们这样做的目的就是为了赚钱。答案为D。
4.这是一道词义猜测题。根据上下文来判断，上文提到作者上班时遭遇那么多的人竞相抢购，倒数“Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose”，可见劳动强度非常大，所以回到家后作者crashed out，而且作者下文说自己害怕听到提醒自己明天还得继续像这样工作的铃声，还went back to bed，可见crash out应为熟睡。答案为B。
5.这是一道主旨题。作者在这篇短文中描写了人们疯狂购物的场面，所以这篇短文的主题应是“购物热”。答案为C。 |
举一反三
It was 3:21 a.m. when nineyearold Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the cracking(爆裂声) of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the twostorey house at Baldwin, Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smokefilled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, collapsed on the lawn.
The nine-year-old boy raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother"s room. He found it impossible to wake her up. Mrs Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious, and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy remained calm and, as a fireman said later,“acted with all the selfcontrol of a trained adult.”
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smokefilled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string from the garage, Glenn raced back into the
house and dashed upstairs to his mother"s room. Tying one end of the string to her hand he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan:“The string will lead
you to Mother.” Mrs Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1.Why did Glenn run downstairs first?
A. He wanted to find out what was happening.
B. He was worried about his mother"s safety.
C. He wanted to save his sister and his brother.
D. He went to see if his father had come back from work.
2. How did Glenn help the firemen to save his mother?
A. By throwing water all over her and her bed.
B. By carrying her to safety with his brother.
C. By pushing and pulling at her.
D. By tying a string to her hand.
3. Who called the fire brigade and ambulance service?
A. Glenn. B. Glenn"s father. C. Glenn"s sister. D. Glenn"s neighbor.
4.What did Glenn do to protect himself?
A. He put a wet cloth around himself. B. He threw water all over his head.
C. He hid himself in the bathroom. D. He rushed out to the lawn.
5. Glenn saved his family because ________ .
A. his father had taught him to do so on the phone
B. he had learned something about the first aid
C. he had dealt with the emergency calmly and wisely
D. he had followed his mother"s instruction |
Down-to-earth means someone or something that is honest, practical and easy to deal with. It is 1 to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to and 2 other people as equals. A down-to-earth person is just the 3 of someone who acts important and prouD．
Down-to-earth persons 4 be important members of society. 5 they don’t let their importance “go to their heads”. They do not 6 themselves to be better persons than others of less importance. Someone who is filled with his own importance and pride, often without cause, is 7 to have “his nose in the air”. There is 8 way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.
Americans 9 another expression that means almost the same as down-to-earth. The expression is “both-feet-on-the-ground”. Someone with both-feet-on-the-ground is a person with a good 10 of reality. He 11 what is called “common sense”. He may have 12 , but he does not allow them to 13 his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of 14 is one who has hid “head-in-the-clouds”. A man with his head-in-the-clouds is a dreamer whose 15 is not in the real world．
16 , such a dreamer can be brought back to reality. 17 words from a teacher can usually get a day-dreaming student to put both feet back on the grounD．Usually, the person who is down-to-earth is very 18 to have both feet on the ground．19 we have both our feet firmly on the ground, we are down-to-earth, and we act honestly and openly 20 others. Our lives are like the ground below us, said and strong.
1．A．pleasant B．sad C．commonD．surprising
2．A．meets B．welcomes C．receives D．accepts
3．A．case B．kind C．opposite D．example
4．A．must B．may C．should D．will
5．A．But B．So C．For D．And
6．A．wish B．expect C．desire D．consider
7．A．said B．told C．asked D．made
8．A．some B．a C．no D．every
9．A．discover B．find C．make D．use
10．A．understandingB．wish C．reason D．expectation
11．A．demandsB．lacks C．has D．likes
12．A．fortunes B．dreams C．achievements D．disadvantages
13．A．block B．protect C．Own D．gain
14．A．idea B．people C．attitude D．person
15．A．mind B．life C．body D．head
16．A．Always B．Therefore C．HoweverD．Sometimes
17．A．Sharp B．All C．No D．Bad
18．A．possible B．probable C．likely D．able
19．A．Though B．Since C．When D．Unless
20．A．towards B．for C．over D．Onto |
Growing up together in Twin Falls, Idaho, Lisa Fry and Paula Turner never doubted their friendship would last forever. But after Fry married, moved to New York City and had a baby, her letters to Turner suddenly went unanswered. "Do you think I"ve somehow offended her?" Fry asked her husband.
Turner, meanwhile, had thought she was no longer important to Fry. "She"s got a family now," she told herself. "We"re just too different to be close like before."
Finally, Fry picked up the courage to call her old friend. At first, the conversation was awkward, yet soon they both admitted that they missed each other. A month later, they got together, laughing and sharing confidences.
"Thank goodness I finally took action," Fry says. "We both realized we were as important to each other as ever."
There are good reasons to value our friendships. Once a public-opinion research firm, Roper Starch Worldwide, asked 2007 people to identify one or two things that said the most about themselves. Friends far outranked（高于）homes, jobs, clothes and cars.
“A stable friendship carries a long history of experience and interaction and keeps us connected,” says Donald Pannen, executive officer of the Western Psychological Association. "It is what we should protect." However, says Brant R. Burleson, professor of communication at Purdue University, "The better friends you are, the more likely you"ll face conflicts." And even the result can be what you don"t want--an end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended. Here"s what experts suggest:
◆Swallow your pride.
◆Apologize when you"re wrong--even if you"ve also been wronged.
◆See things from your friend"s point of view.
◆Accept that friendships change.
Making friends can sometimes seem easy, says Yager. The hard part is keeping the connections strong and long. Her suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and develop.
71．The first paragraph is written mainly to_______.
A．complain something to her husband
B．show Lisa Fry missed her friend
C．show family is more important than friendship
D．introduce the topic to be discussed
72．The underlined word “awkward” in the third paragraph probably means______.
A．uncomfortable B．uninteresting C．convenient D．relaxed
73．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
A．Once friendship is broken, there is no way to be repaired.
B．People don’t value friendship over other things
C．The more and better friends we make, the happier we are.
D．Lisa Fry and Paula Turner were as important to each other as ever.
74．Experts suggest that_________.
A．Making friends should be no difficult experience.
B．We should consider things for our friends first
C．We should not have to apologize if it is not our fault
D．Friendship should be one-way process and worth our effort.
75．Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A．A Broken Friendship
B．Opinions on Friendship and Friends
C．What Is Good Friendship?
D．How to Mend a Broken Friendship |
Targeting teens
But using the Web also makes teens a target. Posting too much personal information for those millions of cyber eyes to see can cause some big problems and can even invite a threat to your life.
As Mary learned, not everyone on the Internet is who he or she says they are. Adults will sometimes pose as other teens, posting fake photos and nice messages to gain trust. They use their fake identity to access the personal information of others, such as home address, phone number, or school name.
"That"s not the most common scenario", says David Finkelhor, a sociology professor at the University of New Hampshire. "Only 3 percent of teens aged 10 to 18 who use the Internet report being asked to meet offline. But the danger is real.
Safety measures
Mary"s My Space profile is set to "private", which means that only the people she adds under the "friend" category can access her page. She also doesn"t have any pictures of herself on her site. The only self-identifying material she has posted is her name, grade, and a list of hobbies.
"People can only add me if they know my last name or my e-mail, "Mary says. " I don"t want random people to see my profile. I just go online to talk to my friends."
Stay safe and have fun online
Experts say almost 90 percent of U.S. Teens are online. But not everyone knows how to surf the Web in a smart way. With these tips, you can have fun, stay safe, and avoid embarrassment!
Pick a safe password. Make sure your password is something that other people won"t be able to guess. Use numbers in between letters. "spar123ky" is better than "sparky 123."
Pick a safe username. Make sure yours doesn"t say too much about you, "Happygirl13" is better than "AliceWaters13." Don"t include your name, age, or where you are from. Never tell a stranger your name, school, address, age, birthday, phone number, or friends" names.
56．Who is most likely to be a victim online?
A．A liar. B．A teenager. C．A stranger. D．An honest person.
57．In Mary"s opinion, _________.
A．one shouldn"t trust everyone online B．one shouldn"t trust anyone online
C．there are many liars online D．all people online pretend to be others
58．One of the safety measures mentioned in the passage is that _________.
A．one should not chat with strangers
B．one should not post his or her photos online
C．one should tell his parents about strange information
D．one should keep his web as a secret
59．Why are numbers used when we pick a safe password?
A．Numbers are easy to write.
B．Using numbers are cool online.
C．The safe password is more unlikely to be guessed.
D．Numbers are popular online. |
The home of the future won’t be completely different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today. But people will want to shape their homes to match their dreams. No two homes will be the same. People will be able to buy “house kits” containing a basic house structure, with movable walls, doors and windows. They will put together the different parts to create the home they want.
Many jobs that we do today will disappear, others will still exist but will change and new jobs will be created. Skilled workers such as builders, gardeners and electricians won’t disappear because machines can’t replace them. Teachers will still exist because students need human contact. But they will be using modern technology in class more and students will be working more from home. The medical technology revolution and space travel will create new jobs which we can only imagine today.
Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won’t be for everyone because they won’t be cheap. Short space trips will develop first, then space hotels will orbit the earth where it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By the end of the next century, there will be holiday centres on the moon with leisure facilities for families.
Paper won’t exist in the future. Instead, there will be e-paper which people will be able to use over and over again. This will develop in order to save natural resources. E-newspapers and e-magazines will replace traditional newspapers and magazines and we will download information and news articles from the Internet every day onto our reuseable paper.
The laws of physics tell us that the earth is going to disappear some time in the future. This isn’t going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun explodes（爆炸）.We will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it, or we leave and move to another planet. There won’t be any other choice.
60．Homes of the future will ________.
A．be completely different from those of today.
B．be very similar to our homes
C．all be different form one another
D．be movable as you want
61．Space trips and staying in space hotels will _________.
A．become a very common way to spend a holiday
B．be the cheapest holiday option for families
C．attract a lot of people
D．still only be for very rich people
62．E-paper will replace traditional paper because _________.
A．we will use it again B．it won’t waste natural resource
C．it will be cheaper to produce D．it will be convenient to carry
63．We will have move to another planet ________.
A．if we want to save the human race B．when the sun explodes
C．when the earth disappears D．when the earth is too crowded to fill people on |
最新试题
热门考点