Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world. In rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.
The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people's lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品) that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.
It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with case into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.
| 1． |
What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?
|
| 2． |
Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?
|
| 3． |
By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove that
|
| 4． |
What is this passage mainly about?
|
Forests have always been useful and important to man who makes use of them in many ways. Every day trees are serving man everywhere. Trees supply man with fruits and building materials in the form of wood. Without trees it would be impossible to build houses, boats, bridges and so on. Furniture such as desks, chairs and beds is made of wood. Trees can stop man from terrible heat. They're also useful in preventing good and rich top soil from being washed away during heavy rains.
If there were no trees, heavy rains would wash away the rich top soil that is so important to plants. The result is that the land will become a desert. There are plenty of desert areas in the world. A long time ago these desert areas used to be very rich areas, but man in the past had no enough knowledge about science of nature, they cut down too many trees in the area where they lived and never planted new ones. By and by the rich top soil was blown and washed away by strong winds and heavy rains. In the end the rich land changed into useless deserts where nothing could grow.According to the passage, ______.
| A．a long time ago, man didn't know how to make use of wood |
| B．trees are not as useful as they were in the past |
| C．trees were more found in the past than they are today |
| D．people have always found trees useful |
If there were no trees, ______.
| A．the land would become better | B．heavy rains would be very clean |
| C．the rich soil couldn't be kept | D．there wouldn't be any plants |
From the passage, we know that man must ______.
| A．do nothing to keep the balance（平衡）of nature |
| B．take his best to keep the balance of nature |
| C．try his best to keep the balance of nature |
| D．do his best to stop the balance of nature |
Sociologists（社会学家）, working in western countries, have found that a large number of women wished they had been born men. The number is said to be as high as 60％ in Germany.
"Women often wish they had the same chances as men have, and think it is still men's world. " said Dr. James Helen, one of the sociologists who did the study.
Many men say that they have more duties than women. A man has to make money to support his family and to make the important decision, so it is right for men to be paid more. Some are even against their wives working at all. When wives go out to work, they say, the home and children cannot be taken good care of. If women take full-time jobs, they won't be able to do what they are best at doing: making a nice home and bringing up the children.
Some women disagree. They say they want to get out of their homes and to have freedom to choose between work and home life. Women have the right of equal pay and equal chances.
Anne Harper has a very good job. She also believes in "Women's Liberation", "I don't wish I were a man," she says, "and I don't think many women do. But I do wish people would stop treating us like second-class people. At work, for example, we usually do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs only to men—usually they are the best ones. If you are a man, you have a much better chance of living a wonderful life. How many women scientists are there…or engineers?"Many men think ______.
| A．women can't do what men can |
| B．men have to work much harder than women |
| C．men can make money more easily than women |
| D．women's duty is mainly to do housework at home |
Some women have different ideas. They say that ______.
| A．women need chances to go out of the home more often |
| B．women want more freedom in deciding the kind of life they want |
| C．if women are given equal pay, they can do everything instead of men |
| D．women are no longer interested in taking care of their homes |
Anne Harper thought that ______.
| A．women should live a better life than men |
| B．women should be really liberated |
| C．women should be given better jobs than men |
| D．women should live a more wonderful life than men |
Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would like to draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is about drinking. Now, you may not buy alcohol in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you.
Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don't make unnecessary noise, particularly at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly, crossing the road. Be careful. The traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossing and do not take any chances when crossing the road. My next point is about litter（throwing away waste material in a public place）. It is an offence to drop litter in the street.
When you have something to throw away, please put it in your pocket and take it home, or put it in a litter bin. Finally, as regards smoking, it is against the law to buy cigarettes or tobacco if you are under 16 years of age.
I'd like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact your local police station, who will be pleased to help you.
Now, are there any questions?The main purpose of this speech would be to ______.
| A．prepare people for international travel |
| B．declare the laws of different kinds |
| C．give advice to travelers to the country |
| D．inform people of the punishment for breaking laws |
How many laws are there discussed in the speech？
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
From the speech we learn that ______.
| A．in this country, if you are under 18 years of age, you may not buy alcohol, but your friend can buy it for you |
| B．you may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age |
| C．because the traffic moves on the left side of the road, you must use pedestrian crossings when crossing the road |
| D．you can't make noise except at night |
A man named Smith was sitting on his roof during a flood, and the water was up to his feet. Before long a fellow in a canoe passed and shouted, "Can I give you a lift to higher ground?"
"No, thanks," said Smith. "I have faith in God and he will save me."
Soon the water rose to Smith's waist. At this point a motor boat pulled up and someone called out, "Can I give you a lift to higher ground?"
"No, thanks, I have faith in God and he will save me."
Later a helicopter flew by, and Smith was now standing on the roof with water up to his neck. "Grab the rope, "shouted the pilot. "I'll pull you up."
"No, thanks," said Smith. "I have faith in God and he will save me. "But after hours of struggling with water, poor exhausted Smith drowned and went to his reward. As he arrived at the Pearly Gates, Smith met God and complained about this. "Tell me, God, "he said, "I had such faith in you to save me and you let me drown. What happened?"
To which God replied, "What do you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter."
When the pilot asked Smith to grab the rope, ______.
| A．Smith pulled the pilot up | B．Smith did so |
| C．Smith didn't do so | D．Smith didn't hear him |
At last, poor exhausted Smith drowned and ______.
| A．went to his reward | B．passed away |
| C．went to heaven | D．all of the above |
What do we know about Smith? ______.
A. He was a lazy man
B. He was a lucky man who believed in God
C. He was a poor manWhat do you think of this passage? This passage is very ______.
A. moving B. humorous C. depressing D. surprising
D. He was a silly man who believed in God
Any mistake made in the printing of a stamp raises its value to stamp collectors. A mistake on one inexpensive postage stamp has made the stamp worth a million and a half times its original value.
The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the British colony of Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean. In 1847 an order for stamps was sent to a London printer — Mauritius was to become the fourth country in the world to issue stamps.
Before the order was filled and delivered, a ball was planned at Mauritius’ Government House, and stamps were needed to send out the invitations. A local printer was instructed to copy the design for the stamps. He accidentally inscribed the words “Post Office” instead of “Post Paid” on the several hundred stamps that he printed.
Today there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left fourteen One Penny Orange-Reds and twelve Two Penny Blues. Because of the Two Penny Blue’s rareness and age, collectors have paid as much as ＄16 800 for it.Over a century ago, Mauritius _______.
| A．was an independent country |
| B．belonged to India |
| C．was one of the British colonies |
| D．was a small island in the Pacific Ocean |
The mistake on the stamps was made _______.
| A．in Mauritius | B．at Mauritius Government House |
| C．in a post office | D．in London |
Stamp collectors have paid 16 800 for _______.
| A．fourteen One Penny Orange-Reds |
| B．twelve Two Penny Blues |
| C．one One Penny Orange-Red |
| D．one Two Penny Blue |