In the United States, friendships can be close, constant, intense, generous, and real, yet fade away in a short time if circumstances change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance even years later, they pick up the friendship where it left off and are delighted.
In the States, you can feel free to visit people’s homes, share their holidays, enjoy their children and their lives without fearing that you are taking on a lasting obligation. Do not hesitate to accept hospitality because you cannot give it in return. No one will expect you to do so for they know you are far from home. Americans will enjoy welcoming you and be pleased if you accept their hospitality easily.
Once you arrive there, the welcome will be full and warm and real. Most visitors find themselves readily invited into many homes there. In some countries it is considered inhospitable to entertain at home, offering what is felt as “merely” home cooked food, not " doing something" for your guest. It is felt that restaurant entertaining shows more respect and welcome. Or for various other reasons, such as crowded space, language difficulties, or family customs, outsiders are not invited into homes.
In the United States, both methods are used, but it is often considered more friendly to invite a person to one’s home than to go to a public place, except in purely business relationships. So, if your host or hostess brings you home, do not feel that you are being shown inferior(次等的) treatment.
Don’t feel neglected if you do not find flowers awaiting you in your hotel room either. Flowers are very expensive there, and hotel delivery is uncertain that the arrival times are delayed, changed, or canceled—so flowers are not customarily sent as a welcoming touch. Please do not feel unwanted. Outward signs vary in different lands; the inward welcome is what matters, and this will be real.
46. In the United States, you will find friendships if circumstances change.
A. die suddenly B. pass away
C. disappear gradually D. last forever
47. Americans their foreign friends to make a return for their-hospitality.
A. ask B. wish
C. never allow D. don't expect
48. In some other countries, giving a dinner party at home is considered than in a restaurant.
A. less friendly B. less hospitable
C. more natural D. more popular
49. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Flowers are available at all times.
B.Flowers are expensive.
C.Flowers are signs of outward welcome.
D.Flowers are not necessarily sent to guests.
50. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A. American Hospitality. B. American Friendship.
C. American Invitation. D. American Welcome.
Umbrella is what we easily forget and leave behind in our daily life. When the weather is fine, we certainly don’t think of it; only when it's raining, we’ll carry it purposefully. But as soon as the rain stops, most likely we’ll forget we’ve put it. It has to wait patiently and pitifully for
owner to claim it, otherwise it’ll remain alone as a deserted umbrella.
Once I suddenly found my longtime (use) umbrella “disappeared”. I really got lost and regretted quite some time
my own carelessness.
Several days later, out of my (expect), I saw it quietly stand in a corner of the house where I worked. I was extremely glad to regain it. Looking carefully at it, though it was so familiar
me, I found for the first time its wooden handle
（wear）out as a result of repeated rain-wash for years. I sought for it only when I needed it. It occurred to me that I should have paid
(much) attention to it.
It sets me thinking. Around us there are always people giving us support in silence just likeumbrella that protects us from the rain or any wretched weather. Will gou think of those individuals
have helped you get through difficlty when you are leading a comfortable life?
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。
Reuters－Apple cofounder Steve Jobs，who changed the daily habits of millions by reinventing computing，music and mobile phones，died of pancreatic cancer(胰腺癌)at the age of 56.Jobs was surrounded by his wife and immediate family when he died in Palo Alto，California. Jobs，a Buddhist，was born in San Francisco. He started Apple Computer with Steve Wozniak in his parents' garage in 1976.
World leaders，business rivals and fans lamented his passing and celebrated his achievements. Apple loses a visionary leader who inspired personal computing and world-known products such as the iPod，iPhone and iPad，which made Jobs one of the greatest industry leaders of his generation. Jobs stepped down as CEO in August 2011 and handed the power to operations chief Tim Cook.
“The world has lost a genius. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented，” U．S. President Barack Obama said in a statement. “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him，it's been a great honor，” said Microsoft's Bill Gates，who once defeated Jobs but has seen the leading status replaced by the Apple cofounder in recent years. Fans paid homage to Jobs outside Apple stores around the world，from Los Angeles to Sydney.
A college dropout and the son of adoptive parents，Jobs changed the technology world in the late 1970s，when the Apple Ⅱbecame the first personal computer to gain customers. Apple Wednesday paid homage to its visionary leader by changing its website to a big black-and-white photograph of him with the words “Steve Jobs：1955 －2011”．
Outside Jobs' house in Palo Alto，neighbors and friends left flowers and drew messages with markers on the sidewalk. “Thanks for changing the world，” read one. “He was special for the area，like part of the family，” said Robert Blum，who brought flowers with his eight-year-old son，Daniel.The underlined word “passing” in Paragraph 2 can be best replaced by “________”．
| A．death |
| B．achievements |
| C．suffering |
| D．wisdom |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco. |
| B．Fans remembered Steve Jobs outside Apple stores around the world. |
| C．The iPod，iPhone and iPad are Steve Jobs' creative products. |
| D．Steve Jobs graduated from college with good performance. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Apple and its excellent CEO |
| B．A man who rocked the whole world |
| C．Apple's visionary Steve Jobs died at 56 |
| D．Steve Jobs，a dear family member that never dies |
| Home Laundry Automatic Dryer Product Full Two Year Warranty(保修) Limited Five Year Warranty on Cabinet(机箱) |
|
| Warranty Provides for: FIRST TWO YEARS Amana will repair or replace any faulty part free of charge. THIRD THRU FIFTH YEARS Amana will provide a free replacement part for any cabinet which proves faulty due to rust |
|
| Warranty Limitations: • Warranty begins at date of original purchase. • Applies only to product used within the United States or in Canada if product is approved by Canadian Standards Association when shipped from factory. • Products used on a commercial or rental basis are not covered by this warranty. • Service must be performed by an Amana servicer. • Adjustments covered during first year only. |
Owner’s Responsibilities: • Provide sales receipt. • Normal care and maintenance. • Having the product reasonably accessible for service. • Pay for service calls related to product installation or usage instructions. • Pay for extra service costs, over normal service charges, if servicer is requested to perform service outside servicer’s normal business hours. |
| Warranty Docs Not Cover It If: • Product has damage due to product alteration, connection to an improper electrical supply, shipping and handling, accident, fire, floods, lightning or other conditions beyond the control of Amana. • Product is improperly installed or applied. |
In no event shall Amana be responsible for consequential damages. ★ ★This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have others which vary from state to state. For example, some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so this exclusion may not apply to you. |
According to Warranty Limitations, a product can be under warranty if ______ .
A. shipped from a Canadian factor
B. rented for home use
C. repaired by the user himself
D. used in the U.S.A.According to Owner’s Responsibilities, an owner has to pay for ______ .
| A．the loss of the sales receipt |
| B．a servicer’s overtime work |
| C．the product installation |
| D．a mechanic's transportation |
Which of the following is true according to the warranty?
| A．Consequential damages are excluded across America. |
| B．A product damaged in a natural disaster is covered by the warranty. |
| C．A faulty cabinet due to rust can be replaced free in the second year. |
| D．Free repair is available for a product used improperly in the first year. |
Why does the writer mention Warranty Limitations ?
| A．To arouse the readers’ attention |
| B．Users must know something about the product in case that you are involved in some problems |
| C．Users must know something about the product. |
| D．Know something about the products used on a commercial or rental basis |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．It informs all aspects of the Home Laundry Automatic Dryer Product about the warranty |
| B．Anything wrong about the Home Laundry Automatic Dryer Product can be in warranty. |
| C．Servicer can use the Home Laundry Automatic Dryer Product freely |
| D．Service must be performed by an Amana servicer. |
Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season. “Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money buying at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology.” Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group’s latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products.
“Here in 2012, $252 on average–the technology spend for consumers this year.” From tablet computers to smart phones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. “It’s kind of hard to make a decision.”
Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple’s biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199.
“The hardware inside is more powerful than what’s in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.” Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. “If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don’t really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest group of apps that’s where the iPad and Apple’s ecosystem shines the most.”
Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera. “You can literally take a picture, upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things.”
Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smart phones, laptops and tablets.
With the growing popularity of Internet shopping, many consumers will visit a store first to look at a product, and then go online to find it at a lower price. Stores like Best Buy understand that and they want to stay competitive.
“We have something called the perfect match promise which means if you buy a certain device and you find it cheaper within 30 days we’ll go ahead and price match that for you.” Elman Chacon said.According to Brain Tong, ________.
| A．the Apple’s iPad Mini is more suitable for enthusiastic readers |
| B．the hardware in iPad Mini is more advanced than that in Nexus 7 |
| C．iPad Mini is more eco-friendly |
| D．Nexus 7 has fewer apps than iPad Mini |
If you’ve discovered that a certain device you bought at Best Buy is more expensive than one at another store, ________.
| A．you are sure to get double the amount you paid |
| B．the store will return the price differences |
| C．you can return the device and get your money back |
| D．the store will lower the price within 30 days |
Which of the following would be the best gift for a cab driver?
| A．Smart cameras. | B．Streaming media boxes. |
| C．Tablet computers. | D．Wireless speaker systems. |
What is true about the smart cameras ?
| A．To show the varieties of products |
| B．The smart cameras are more powerful. |
| C．It can make the users upload their photographs easily . |
| D．The smart cameras makes it more convenient to go on Internet . |
From the passage , we can infer _______ .
| A．Electronics have become one of the biggest consumer industries in the US. |
| B．There are many electronics in the United States . |
| C．The US becomes the Number One electronics consumers . |
| D．We can buy much cheaper products in US . |
Alibaba started taking the lead in China, simply enough, by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商)with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to identify: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its marketplaces attract 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year—and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets—not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing almost a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is secondary to consumer buying. Chinese retail（零售）buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping—big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how extensive the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.Alibaba’s advantage mainly lies in ___________.
| A．its big size |
| B．its business-to-business service |
| C．its not charging small sellers |
| D．its low price |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage?
| A．Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites |
| B．Alibaba will continue to develop. |
| C．Alibaba stands out as the best online site. |
| D．Alibaba acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers. |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．a new store | B．Alibaba |
| C．a business | D．a foreign website |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover. |
| B．Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites. |
| C．Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns more money than retail now. |
| D．TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Shopping online is TaoBao. |
| B．The influence of shopping online goes beyond traditional shopping. |
| C．Alibaba greatly influences people’s daily purchase in China. |
| D．How the author purchases online in China. |