In Western countries people have been using the installment plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U. S., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is, however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression. This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.
56. Which of the following is NOT true about the installment plan?
A. A lot of British families use the installment plan.
B. More than 10 percent American families buy things on installments.
C. Americans depend more on installment than British people do.
D. Americans spend one tenth of their income on installment buying.
57. Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because ______.
A. the buyer has to pay extra money as interest
B. the delivery of the goods charges extra money
C. the buyer has to pay a down payment
D. the service offered by installment plan charged extra money
58. What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments?
A. He might lose his job.
B. He will stop owning the item he has bought. 
C. He will have to sell what he has bought.
D. He will go into debt.
59. The advantage of installment buying might include all the following EXCEPT that ________.
A. purchasing power is strengthened
B. employment might be increased
C. people develop a good habit of saving money
D. young couples are able to furnish their homes
60. In some countries, the governments control the installment plan to ________.
A. increase employment
B. avoid depressions
C. ensure that businesses make good profits
D. ensure that people can pay for what hey buy
You’re in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their conversation：
“I can’t believe it—a Lorenzo Betrolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn’t it beautiful？And it’s a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome”.
They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater. It’s nice and the price is right. You’ve never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So，you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo Bertolla clothes.
Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool，the product seems cool，too. This is the secret of undercover marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.
Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don’t pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the MTV generation—consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don’t trust ads.
So advertising agencies hire young actors to “perform” in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice misleading, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative.“Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is decreasing”.
However，one might ask what exactly is “real” about the young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater. Advertising executives (主管) would say it’s no less real than flu ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. You don’ t know a conversation you overhear is just a performance.
1. The two attractive young women were talking so that they could _______.
A. get the sweater at a lower price B. be heard by people around
C. be admired by other shoppers D. decide on buying the sweater
2. Lorenzo Bertolla is _______.
A. a very popular male singer B. an advertising agency
C. a clothing company in Rome D. the brand name of a sweater
3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage？
A. The two girls are in fact employed by the Lorenzo Bertolla Company.
B. The MTV generation tends to be more easily influenced by ads.
C. Traditional advertising is becoming less effective because it’s too direct.
D. Undercover marketing will surely be banned soon by the government.
4. Which of the following would be the best title for the text？
A. Two Attractive Shoppers B. Lorenzo Bertolla Sweaters
C. Ways of Advertising D. Undercover Marketing
My House
My mother moved a lot when she was growing up on account of Grandpa being in the army. She hated having to adjust to new schools and make new friends. That’s why I thought she was joking when she put forward the idea of moving. But she was completely serious. “For just the two of us,” my mother said, “an apartment in the city will suit our needs much better.” Personally, I think she’s lost her mind. I guess I can understand why she would want to move, but what about me and what this house means to me?
I suppose if you looked at my house, you might think it was just another country house. But to me it is anything but standard. I moved into this house with my parents ten years ago. I can still remember that first day like it was yesterday. The first thing I noticed was the big front yard. To me it seemed like an ocean of grass—I couldn’t wait to dive in. The backyard was full of gnarled (扭曲的, 粗糙的) and scary trees that talk on windy nights. But I grew to like them and the shadows they cast in my room. My father and I even built a small tree house, where I often go to remember all the wonderful times we had before Father’s death.
This house is special—maybe only to me—but special nevertheless. It’s the little seemingly insignificant things that make this house so special to me: the ice-cold tile floors that make me tremble on midnight snack runs; the smell of my father’s pipe that still exists; the towering bookcases of my mother; the view outside my bedroom window.
This house holds too many memories, memories which would be lost if we gave it up.
1. Why did the author’s mother decide to move?
A. Because she hated the countryside.
B. Because Grandpa was on constant move.
C. Because Dad’s death made her lose her mind.
D. Because she thought a city flat more fit for them.
2. What impressed the author when she first moved into the house?
A. The tree house. B. The big trees. C. The cold floors. D. The green grass.
3. How did the author let us feel that the house was special to her?
A. By arguing whether the house was standard.
B. By explaining why the house suited their needs.
C. By describing the small things related to her house.
D. By comparing the differences between country and city life.
4. My mother moved a lot when she was growing up because of ________.
A. Grandpa being in the army. B.their family’s liking moving
C. the life’s need D. Mother’s work
NOTICE
CLEAN AND GREEN WEEK
The Social Studies Society and Library Club are working together to organize Clean and Green Week activities to encourage recycling.
(A) BEST INVENTION COMPETITION
The competition is divided into two parts: Individual (个人) and Team. Each team should be made up of three members. The inventions must be made out of small or used materials.
PRIZES
| Individual |
Team |
|
| First prize Second prize Third prize |
$ 50 book voucher (代金券) $ 30 book voucher $ 20 book voucher |
$ 180 book voucher $ 120 book voucher $ 90 book voucher |
You can get the application forms (申请表) from the library during opening hours.
Deadline for the submission (提交) of inventions: 31 January 2005.
Please call us at 792-4868 for further information.
(B) ‘RECYCLE TO SAVE OUR EARTH’ EXHIBITION CUM VIDEO SCREENING
An exhibition on recycling is now on in the library.
Videos on the subject will also be screened.
Please refer to the library notice board for the timetable of the screening dates and time.
DO YOUR PART TO SAVE THE EARTH
START RECYCLING TODAY
Organizers:
Library Club & Social Studies Society
1. If you want to know the screening dates, you can _______.
A. fill in the application form B. make a telephone call at 792-4868
C. go to the exhibition hall D. refer to the library notice board
2. What can we get from the notice?
A. The exhibition is organized by Library Club.
B. The exhibition on recycling will be on in the library.
C. The students have to send their inventions before 31 January 2005.
D. The students can make their inventions from all kinds of materials.
3. What is the purpose of the activities?
A. To get more book vouchers. B. To invent more useful things.
C. To encourage students to recycle things. D. To make students’ life more colorful.
4.If you want more information, you can_________.
A. surf the internet. B.telephone the teacher
C. call at 792-4868 D. read the guide book.
第二部分阅读理解（共25小题。每一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑
Mary and Peter were having a picnic with some friends near a river when Mary noticed an object overhead. "Look!" she shouted to her friends. "That's a spaceship up there and it's going to land here."
Frightened by the strange silver-colored spaceship, most of the young people got in their cars and drove away quickly. Peter was fond of Mary and always stayed close to her. They, more curious than frightened, watched the spaceship land and saw a door open. When nobody came out, they went to the spaceship and entered inside. Peter followed Mary into the spaceship and did not hear the door closed behind him. The temperature fell rapidly and the two young people lost consciousness.
When they woke up, they were surprised to see that they were back by the river again. The spaceship had gone. Their car was nearby.
"What happened?" asked Mary.
Peter scratched (抓) his head, saying slowly, "Don't ask me. Perhaps we had a dream. Did you...Did you see a spaceship?"
"Yes," said Mary. "And we both went into it. Then..." she looked at her wrist. "That's funny. My watch has stopped. Oh, well, come on. It's time to go home."
Driving about fifty meters, they found their way blocked by a thick wall made of something like glass. They got out of the car and tried to find their way round the wall but discovered that they were inside a circular wall. It was like a mirror and prevented them from seeing through it.
On the other side of the wall, strange creatures walked past slowly. A few stopped to stare through the wall and read a new notice which, translated into English, said: "New arrivals at the zoo: a pair of Earthlings in their natural surroundings with their mobile house."
1. When the spaceship arrived, why didn't Peter drive away?
A. He did not like leaving Mary.
B. He knew that the spaceship was harmless.
C. He was too frightened to drive.
D. There was a wall blocking the road.
2. Why did Peter enter the spaceship?
A. He saw the food and was hungry.
B. Mary told him to enter it.
C. He just followed Mary.
D. He wanted to study it.
3. Peter scratched his head so we know that _____.
A. he had lost consciousness
B. he was puzzled and did not know what to say to Mary
C. he had lost his memory
D. he was still half asleep
4. What do the words "strange creatures" mean to tell us?
A. They were wild animals in a zoo.
B. They were robbers.
C. They had landed on Earth in a spaceship and lived there.
D. The young couple were on another planet.
The announcements by the NASA, in the form of several Web site postings and a video posted on You Tube, were in response to worries that the world will end on Dec. 21,2012.
The doomsday(末日) rumour reached a high point with the release of the new movie “2012”, directed by Roland Emmerich. In the movie, Yellowstone blows up, showering the continent with black ash. Tidal waves wah over the Himalayas, where the governments of the planet have secretly built a ship which a select 400,000 people can ride out the storm. There are hundreds of books devoted to 2012, and millions of Web sites, depending on what combination of “2012” and “doomsday” you type into Google. All of it, astronomers say, is nonsense. “Most of what’s claimed for 2012 relies on wishful thinking and ignorance of astronomy.” Ed Krupp, an expert on ancient astronomy, wrote in an article in the November issue of Sky & Telescope.
“I get angry at the way people are being influenced and frightened to make money.” Morrison said. “There is no right to frighten children to make a buck.” Suggested David Morrison, an astronomer at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. He said he had been getting about 20 letters and e – mail messages a day from people as far away as India scared out of their wits. Morrison said he did not blame the movie for all this, as much as many other supporters of the Mayan prediction .but then, he said, “my doctorate is in astronomy, not psychology.”
In an e – mail exchange, Krupp said: “We are always uncertain about the future, and we always consume representations of it. We are always attracted by the romance of the ancient past.” A NASA spokesman, Dwayne Brown, said the agency did not comment on movies, leaving that to movie critics. But when it comets to science, brown said, “we felt it was careful to provide a resource.”
If you want to worry, most scientists say, you should think about global climate change or nuclear war. But if ancient prophecies (预言) get you going, here are some things Morrison and the others think you should know.
1Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Dr. Morrison blamed the Movie “2012” for the panic it aroused in the public around the
world.
B．People who watched the movie were scared and firmly believed that the end of the world
was coming.
C．In terms of science it was better to provide evidence and theory at the same time.
D．Dr. Morrison thought it was not right to make money by frightening people.
2It can be inferred from the text that .
A．astronomers think that doomsday is likely to happen in the near future
B．the reason why the NASA posted web site postings was to make people interested in
astronomy
C．scientists think we shouldn’t worry about doomsday but show concern about environment
protection
D．most astronomers agree that the world is not ending – at least anytime soon
3Which of the following would be the best title?
A．A New Movie “2012” B．Is Doomsday Coming?
C．End – of – the – World Stories D．Astronomers Comment on Movies
4What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A．Evidence that the Mayans thought something special would happen in 2012.
B．What will really happen in 2012.
C．The reason why there is no need to worry about doomsday.
D．Ancient stories about the end of the world.