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. Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock 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 especially 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. Lastly, they buy in “seconds” 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.
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, colors and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl 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! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize 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 if 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.
69. What kind of clothes is likely to be sold only a little cheaper according to the passage?
A. Last summer’s clothes. B. Clothes not in perfect condition.
C. Clothes bought in specially for the sales. D. Clothes for winter.
70. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The customers gave up the queuing as soon as the sale began.
B. The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted.
C. Small children were not helpful to their mothers in the sale.
D. The security guards of the clothes department were as confident as usual.
D
At the railway stations all across Britain next week, groups of students will gather with their backpacks to wait for the trains that will carry them home for Christmas. This is a large movement of human beings as before, but with more contradictory traffic flows, so that trains filled with the young pass each other travelling in every direction.
At first, I went home every weekend with my washing, but then those visits became less regular. How did I let my parents know I was coming? They had no phone. Perhaps I wrote to them (“Expect me with dirty shirts this Friday afternoon”), but more likely I didn’t let them know, and just turned up or didn’t turn up, not understanding that my parents’ hopes of seeing me were a greater disappointment of my carelessness than a spoiled tea.
And in all this I suspect I was typical (有代表性的), at least of young men. As for our fathers and mothers, none of them talked of “empty-nest syndrome (综合症)”, even though its possible effect that the main human duty is to protect and feed the young would have suited their generation better than ours. Then, the feeling of loss went without a name. Today, it’s a condition with remedies, which will make parents feel more enjoyable in their life, The Mayo Clinic, for example, suggests you try to maintain regular contact with your children through “visits, phone calls, emails, texts or video chats”. If you feel unhappy, lean on (depend on … for support) loved ones or your mental health providers. Above all, stay positive: “Thinking about the extra time and energy that you might have to devote to your marriage or personal interests after your last child leaves home, it might help you adapt to this major life change.”
What can’t be denied, however, is that children often leave home. In modern societies, this is what they do. Christmas is the very time they can be depended on to return. For the non-religious, that may be this season’s true comfort and significance.The main reason for the busy traffic across Britain next week is that _______.
| A．young students will travel home for Christmas. |
| B．young people will travel in every direction. |
| C．it is a large movement of human beings |
| D．the traffic flows will be more contradictory |
From the second paragraph we can learn that the writer _______.
| A．went home every week to wash dirty clothes |
| B．understood his parents’ desire of seeing him |
| C．didn’t understand his parents’ feelings |
| D．went home to see his parents regularly |
The underlined word “remedies” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _______.
| A．reasons | B．excuses | C．habits | D．solutions |
From the last paragraph we know that _______.
| A．in modern society, children should leave home |
| B．Christmas is likely a time for family reunion |
| C．the significance of Christmas is celebration |
| D．Christmas is not a comfort for the non-religious |
From the passage we can infer that by writing the article the writer is to _______.
| A．persuade the young to show concern for their parents |
| B．ask the young to go home regularly |
| C．make the young understand their parents’ interest |
| D．enable the young to be more independent |
C
All parents know that one of their most important tasks is to prepare their children for an independent life, but any parent can tell you that it’s hard to let go of your children. That balance between keeping your children safe and allowing them to learn from their own mistakes can be heartbreaking. Years of experience means that parents often do know best, but on the other hand the young, being less bound by tradition, are often more creative, more able to find new solutions to old problems. Revolutions are led by the young.
Good teachers make the growth of critical thinking (批判性思维) easier in their students, only to find that this lead to a questioning of the teachers’ basic beliefs. Schools encourage parents to become involved, but are often embarrassed when parents have doubts about some of the educational methods being used. Governments encourage unimportant groups to empower themselves in order to participate fully in the development process. And they are often surprised when the new leaders of these groups turn around and attack the policies or decisions of that same government. However, the rebellious (叛逆的) young and the newly unimportant groups are important in social development. They are not necessarily representatives of those they want to represent in their demands, but their voices must be heard.
Good parents know that just forbidding (禁止) particular behaviors does not prevent their children from finding ways to engage in these forbidden activities. Indeed, sometimes the forbidden fruit is more inviting, just because it is not accepted by authority. Parents must work with their children to educate them on the facts, know as much as possible about the lives of their children, provide a good example, encourage more wholesome activities but also support their children when they don’t follow what is expected of them. But the most important point is that they also need to learn how to let go.By saying “Revolutions are led by the young.”, the author indicates that young people are more _______.
| A．conventional | B．realistic | C．creative | D．heartbreaking |
From the second Paragraph we know ________.
| A．teachers’ basic beliefs should be questioned by students |
| B．schools encourage parents to question their education methods |
| C．government is satisfied with the new leaders’ attack on the policies |
| D．the voice of the rebellious young should be heard by the government |
In order to educate children well, parents should _______.
| A．forbid particular behaviors in their daily life |
| B．know them well and set a good example to them |
| C．educate them with facts and expect much of them |
| D．know as much as possible about their children |
From the passage we can learn that the author prefers _______.
| A．free parenting | B．traditional parenting |
| C．critical parenting | D．smart parenting |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Letting Go – for Children’s Independent Life |
| B．Parents’ Task – in Children’s Development |
| C．Way of Growth – for the Young Groups |
| D．Teaching Methods – for Teachers and Schools |
B
What happens inside the skull of a soccer player when repeatedly heads a soccer ball? That question motivated a challenging new study of the brains of experienced players that has caused discussion and debate among soccer players, and some anxiety among those of us with soccer-playing children.
For the study, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York selected 34 adults, men and women. All of the volunteers had played soccer since childhood and now competed year-round in adult soccer leagues. Each filled out a detailed questionnaire developed especially for this study to determine how many times they had headed a soccer ball in the previous year, as well as whether they had experienced any known concussions (脑震荡) in the past.
Then the players completed computerized tests of their memory and other learning skills and had their brains scanned, using a complicated new M.R.I. technique which can find structural changes in the brain that can’t be seen during most scans.
According to the data they presented at Radiological Society of North America meeting last month, the researchers found that the players who had headed the ball more than about 1,100 times in the previous 12 months showed significant loss of white matter in parts of their brains involved with memory, attention and the processing of visual information, compared with players who had headed the ball fewer times.
This pattern of white matter loss is “similar to those seen in traumatic (外伤的) brain injury”, like that after a serious concussion, the researchers reported, even though only one of these players was reported to have ever experienced a concussion.
The players who had headed the ball about 1,100 times or more in the past year were also generally worse at recalling lists of words read to them, forgetting or fumbling the words far more often than players who had headed the ball less. The passage is most probably a ________.
| A．news report | B．research report |
| C．story for soccer players | D．text for doctors |
In which way can researchers find the structural changes in the brain?
| A．Computerized test | B．Questionnaire |
| C．Scanning | D．M.R.I. technique |
From the passage we can conclude that frequent heading may have ________.
| A．significant effect on brain | B．little effect on one’s brain |
| C．nothing to do with the brain injury | D．one’s memory improved |
What is likely to be the cause of memory loss?
| A．Playing soccer frequently | B．Tests of their memory |
| C．White matter loss | D．Information processing |
The underlined word “fumbling” is closest in meaning to ________?
| A．remembering | B．misunderstanding | C．recalling | D．missing |
A
Once there was a man who liked to eat mangoes. One day he decided to get the sweetest mango from the very top of the tree. Mangoes which are exposed to the sun the most are the sweetest.
So he climbed up to the top, where the branches were thin. He managed to pick up a few sweet reddish fruits, but, in an attempt to climb down, he slipped and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, he caught the branch as he was falling and remained helplessly hanging on the tree. Then he started to call nearby villagers for help. They immediately came with a ladder and sticks, but could do little to help him.
Then after some time one calm and thoughtful person arrived — a well-known sage (a wise person) who lived in a simple hut nearby. People were very curious to see what he would do, as he was famous in solving many people’s problems in the area and sometimes very complicated ones.
He was silent for a minute and then picked up a stone and threw it at the hanging man.
Everybody was surprised. The hanging mango lover started to shout: “What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want me to break my neck?” The sage was silent. Then he took another stone and threw it at the man. The man was very angry: “If I could just come down, I would show you!”
That’s what everybody wanted. Then he was coming down. But how? Now everybody was tense about what would happen next! Some wanted to blame the sage, but they didn’t. The sage picked another stone and threw it again at the man, even more forcefully. Now the man on the tree was even more angry and developed a great determination to come down and take revenge (复仇).
He then used all his skill and strength and somehow reached the branches which were safe to start going down. And he made it! Everybody was amazed.
However, the rescued man found the sage gone. He stood there, realizing that the man really saved him because he induced (引诱) him to try his best and save himself.
“I should be thankful and not angry.”From the story we know that the sweetest mango must be the one ______.
| A．on the very top of a tree | B．hidden in the middle of a tree |
| C．on the tree for the longest time | D．exposed to sunlight less often |
What happened after he had picked a few sweet reddish mangoes?
| A．He slipped and fell to the ground suddenly. |
| B．He was climbing down quickly but carefully. |
| C．He remained hanging helplessly on the tree. |
| D．He shouted loudly for help but no one helped. |
How did the man feel when the sage hit him with a stone?
| A．He was nervous. | B．He kept silent. |
| C．He felt surprised. | D．He was angry. |
What do you think motivated (caused) the man to climb down?
| A．Courage. | B．Revenge. | C．Carefulness. | D．Assistance. |
What does the story imply?
| A．Anger saves one’s life. | B．Wisdom does count (很重要). |
| C．Skill and strength count. | D．Anger is the biggest enemy. |
Faced with a tough job market, fresh graduates are dreaming of running their own businesses instead．But a recent survey has showed that such ambitions lack the required support and remain just that---dreams．
The Shanghai Municipal Employment Promotion Center poll of 1,276 graduates in several universities and colleges in the city, released last Friday, showed 59.78 percent of respondents considered the possibility of setting up a company or at least a small store．“But they just stop at the‘thinking’stage,” it stated．
Respondents put the top reasons for not going it alone down to a shortage of investment and a lack of business opportunity．They also listed lack of business experience and social networks, the need to advanced study and objections from family members as factors that stood in their way．
More than 90 percent of the interviewees said they would rather take up a job after graduating and then consider starting their own business two or three years down the road．
Guo Bing, a senior student in Shanghai International Studies University majoring in English, decided he wanted to be his own boss last year．But he is looking for a job first．“If I fail to find a satisfying job, I would like to establish a company in exhibition services,” Guo said．The Shanghai native has some relatives working in a local printing plant．With their help, Guo hopes to produce exhibition brochures(小册子） at a relatively low price．He is also confident that his English language skills can help him do well in the industry．
“Social networking is an important factor leading to business success,” Guo said．
Guo said that the shortage of graduate jobs is the main reason driving more university students to set up a business right after their graduation．
Jiang Ye, deputy director of Yangpu District Business Guide Center, said the universitysets up a business guide team made of government officials and professionals．They
regularly give training courses to students who show an interest in having their own business．
The parents of university graduates are more willing to help their children start up alone, the survey showed．"Once you win the support of your family, you have won half the battle," Guo added．Which of the following can be the best title?
| A．A Tough Job Market | B．Graduates Dream of Being Boss |
| C．The Ambitious Fresh Graduates | D．The Story of Guo Bing |
In the view of Guo Bing, what is the key factor that makes fresh graduates dream of being boss soon after graduation?
| A．Their family don't support them． | B．Their social networking is not good． |
| C．There are not enough graduate jobs． | D．They want to achieve greater success． |
Who is this article mostly intended for?
| A．The parents whose child goes to university soon. |
| B．Those who will graduate from university． |
| C．Those who want to be bosses． |
| D．The officials who work in the government． |