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.
A press report stating that Microsoft has restarted talks to buy Yahoo's search business for 20 billion U. S. dollars. "It has no basis in fact," the San Francisco Chronicle said on Monday.
The Times of London reported on Sunday that the deal under discussion would put former AOL CEO Jonathan Miller and Ross Levinsohn, a former president of Fox Interactive Media, in charge of Yahoo. The report also said executives (管理人员) at both companies had agreed to the broad terms of a deal.
In fact, there are no current talks between the two companies. The Chronicle quoted an executive at one of the firms who requested his name to be kept secret as saying. Furthermore, the 20-billion-dollar price mentioned in the Times of London article for Yahoo's search business appears questionable given that the market capitalization (资本总额) for all of Yahoo is 16 billion dollars, said The Chronicle.
Yahoo and Microsoft had had on-again, off-again talks over several months earlier this year about a 47. 5-billion-dollar takeover, and later a proposal focused only on Yahoo's search business. Discussions regarding both plans collapsed without an agreement.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said repeatedly that he is no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo, but that he is open to some sort of partnership involving their respective search businesses.
Brad Williams, a Yahoo spokesman, said Sunday "We don't comment on rumors." Frank Shaw, a Microsoft spokesman, declined to comment.
Yahoo's shares have plummeted since Microsoft withdrew its 33-dollar-a-share acquisition offer earlier this year, leaving people to think that discussions would eventually be restarted. Yahoo's shares closed Friday at 11. 51 dollars, nearly one-third of the original offer.
1. From this passage, we can know that ______.
| A．Microsoft has given up buying all of Yahoo but its search business |
| B．Microsoft has already taken over the whole company of Yahoo |
| C．the market capitalization for all of Yahoo is over $ 20 billion |
| D．the market capitalization for all of Microsoft is only $ 6 billion |
2. What is the author trying to convince readers of in the third paragraph?
| A．Yahoo and Microsoft are talking about takeover. |
| B．Microsoft is buying Yahoo’s search businesses for $ 20 billion. |
| C．Yahoo would like to sell its search businesses to another company. |
| D．There are no current talks between Yahoo and Microsoft. |
3. What does the underlined word “plummet” in the passage most probably mean?
| A．develop rapidly | B．increase quickly | C．fall quickly | D．keep balanced |
4. You can find this passage most probably in ______ .
| A．an entertainment website | B．an economical newspaper |
| C．a sports magazine | D．a biological dictionary |
（A）根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Competition is great for kids, but it does have its dark side. 71 When this happens it takes the fun out of the activities they participate in. Kids need to keep a healthy attitude toward competitive activities and as parents it is our responsibility to let them know that it's not all about winning. 72
Kids under the age of ten usually lose interest if an activity is too competitive. A good idea for kids in this age group is to allow them to participate in competitive activities but without keeping score. Emphasize that the importance of the activity I to make new friends, have fun and learn about sportsmanship. 73
When kids enter middle school, competitive activities take on new meaning. Kids like to be recognized for their efforts and winning places them in the spotlight. 74. The unfortunate thing is that kids who lose constantly get discouraged and quit participating. They feel they can't accomplish their goals or meet the expectations of teachers and parents. This can lead to low self-esteem and discourage kids from trying their best. It's best to keep them participating in competitive activities even if they only do so in the backyard with a group of their friends.
As a parent, never put the emphasis on winning. 75. Give kids praise for doing their best whether they win or lose. This sends a positive message about putting forth their best effort.
A．Winning becomes more appealing.
B．Encourage young kids to win when he participates in a competition.
C．Getting angry or depressed when he loses.
D．The importance of participating in competitive activities is to have fun.
E．Some children become over-competitive and focus only on recognition and winning.
F．Rather, encourage kids to always give their best effort.
G．Encourage young kids to give their best effort and gain self-confidence.
For Lee Ann Laraway, polio(脑灰质炎) has made almost everything in life just out of reach. But what her hands can't retrieve, her assistant can. Meet Jeannie, a three-year-old help, has become Lee Ann's arms and legs.
Jeannie understands no fewer than 72 commands. To get a feel for what that means, Lee Ann takes us on a shopping trip in San Jose. First stop: The bank, where she got cash from the teller. From the bank, it's on to the drug store, where Jeannie got a candy bar for Lee Ann. Then Jeannie helped pay the cashier, and got change hack.
"When you have a really good working animal, they come and interact with you all the time," Lee Ann said. While there's no argument that Jeannie is an ordinary animal, she wasn't born that way. She was tutored and trained here at a facility that has become the final legacy of one of the Bay Area's most beloved figures.
Canine Companions for Independence sits on twelve acres of land in Santa Rosa donated by late Peanuts cartoonist Charles Shultz, Here, handlers work with specially selected labs for hours a day— but not every dog will make the cut.
The work is serious Business. In the case of hearing dogs, the animals alert their disabled owners to everything from ringing telephones to doorbells.
Other dogs will work with severely disabled patients like eight-year-old Noah Habib of Mountain View who communicates with a special computer. "I like it when new people come up to ask me about my dog," he says. "People are really interested in the dog and will come over and ask to pet her and ask to play with her, and ask about what she does, and these are people that normally might not approach us and want to talk to Noah," says his Dad.
And back in San Jose Lee Ann is arriving home with Jeannie and her groceries. With just one chore left—opening her own door. "You can train a dog to do a lot of things," said Lee Ann. "You cannot give them the heart to do the job, and that is what a good working dog has."Lee Ann's dog Jeannie cannot ______.
| A．get cash at the bank | B．pay a cashier for her |
| C．take on a telephone for her | D．open the door |
Canine Companions for Independence is a place for ______.
| A．severely disabled children to have practice |
| B．people to donate money or legacy |
| C．ordinary dogs to be coached |
| D．people to learn business |
Which of the following can replace the phrase "make the cut" (Line 3, Para 4)?
| A．become a good working dog | B．hurt the coach |
| C．become a helpful star | D．hurt itself |
According to Lee Ann, you cannot train an ordinary dog ______.
| A．to put things on people's laps | B．to always interact with its owner |
| C．to alert deaf people | D．to love working |
A mobile phone is no longer just a phone -- it is also a music player, video camera and personal organizer. And mobile phones with television programming are just around the corner. But the more functions cell phone manufacturers add, the greater the amount of power the phones use and the less practical running them on lithium (锂) batteries becomes -- so the race to find a viable alternative is on.
Two of the world's biggest electronics makers, Hitachi and Toshiba, are currently competing against each other to come up with an alternative, most likely to be micro fuel cells. The task has been set by Japan's second largest mobile phone provider, KDDI, which wants its customers to soon be able to use special television programming on their handsets, and has asked the two electronics companies to come up with a better power source. Hitomi Murakami, of KDDI, says battery-operated mobile phones cannot keep up with the new applications. "We're looking at various ways to expand content and services that we can provide to the people. And we don't want to have battery issues delaying us from doing that," he says.
Hitachi's Atsushi Morihara says it is a critical race for both of the companies as the resulting product will have a major impact on the mobile market in the future. "We are in competition and it's up to both of us to come up with a good product. A product that will satisfy KDDI's needs. I think I can go as far to say that the winner will take all."
Miniaturized direct methanol (甲醇) fuel cells are different batteries in that they create power instead of simply storing it. That power is made by new technology utilizing cheap methanol. If all gees to plan, come 2007, Japanese phone users will not use an electric charger to power their mobiles, they will instead carry a small bottle of methanol and with just a few squirts, they will have power for their phones. But the method has its downsides, including how passengers will be able to take small mounts of flammable methanol on airliners. Fumio Ueno of Toshiba says that once developed, the uses of miniaturized direct methanol fuel cells have endless possibilities.The lithium batteries are becoming improper for the cell phone because ______.
| A．there is a television in the phone | B．it is inconvenient to use |
| C．it can't provide enough power | D．people have found substitutes |
According to the passage, Toshiba ______.
| A．is in critical competition with KDDI |
| B．will probably beat its rival |
| C．attaches great importance to methanol fuel |
| D．is one of the largest battery provider |
Which of the following is NOT the characteristic of methanol fuel?
| A．Easy to catch fire. | B．Portable. |
| C．Inexpensive. | D．Available everywhere. |
The best title for the passage is ______.
| A．Search for better phone power. |
| B．Development of cell phone battery. |
| C．Competition between two electronic firms. |
| D．Advantage and disadvantage of methanol fuel. |
BEIJING, China (CNN)-- China's economic growth dropped to 9 percent for 2008, according to numbers released by the government Thursday--in line with expectations, but still the slowest rate the nation has seen in seven years.
Economists are concerned about what the slowdown means for investment in the future, whether new projects will be undertaken in manufacturing companies and in factories. If not, it will translate into more job losses and erase any optimism about a rebound (反弹) in 2009.
Since 2001, China has been used to double-digit growth as consumers buy Chinese goods. However, the export sector was hit hard in late 2008, with December exports down 2.8 percent.
Consumer spending has mostly held up in China, as people there do not carry as much debt as their American counterparts and can continue to spend.
Consumer confidence, however, is a problem, said Dong Tao, Asia chief economist for Credit Suisse. Infrastructure (基础设施的建设) is the only thing driving the Chinese economy, Dong said.
Tens of thousands of Chinese factories have closed, millions of people are looking for jobs and an untold number of migrants who can't find work may be leaving cities for good because of the slowdown, which would have been unheard of six months ago.
Fourth quarter numbers showed growth at 6.8 percent. Goldman Sachs predicted 6.5 percent, down from 9 percent in the third quarter.
For all of 2008, Goldman Sachs had predicted 8.8 percent, down from 11.9 percent in 2007.
1. Since 2001, the slowest rate in annual economic growth China has seen is ___.
| A．6.8% | B．8.8% | C．9% | D．11.9% |
2. According to Dong Tao, the only thing driving the Chinese economy is ____.
| A．export | B．infrastructure | C．consumer confidence | D．consumer spending |
3. Which of the following is NOT the difficulty China is facing?
| A．Tens of thousands of factories have closed. |
| B．Millions of people are looking for jobs. |
| C．An uncertain number of migrant workers may be leaving cities forever. |
| D．The terrible situation will erase any optimism about a rebound in 2009. |
4. In which quarter of 2008 did the slowdown of China's economic growth first appear?
| A．1st. | B．2nd. | C．3rd. | D．4th. |
5. The best title of this passage should be _____.
| A．China's Economic Growth Slows. |
| B．Economic Crisis in China. |
| C．Economists Analyze China's Economy. |
| D．Several Factors Determine China's Economy |