For shopoholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing ---- sales! Across the country, prices are reducing sharply on clothing, electronics and home furniture, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains.
The sales start on Boxing Day — 26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors. In Oxford Street queues formed outside shops ahead of before-dawn openings for the start of their sales. At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3.30 am for the ‘Next’ clothing store’s sale which began at 4 am. Some eager individuals even camped outside the shops to be first in the line.
Consumers who hit the shops were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80% as department stores joined the bargain sales. The shops are very crowded as the sales reached the boiling-point, with more than half a million people gathering on London’s West End.
Famous sales include the biggest, most popular shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis. Department stores are always a good bet — you’re likely to find everything you need under one roof, including much-needed food and drinks!
It’s a good time to stock up on cheap small tools, and there’s no better time to invest in some designer clothes.
Some people are taking their partners shopping with them, and buying their Christmas presents in the sale----a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want. For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online sellers are also getting in on the act with January sales of their own.
The most organized of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales! In the sales, people can buy, at a very low price, all of the following except ______.
| A．fashionable clothing | B．bestseller | C．TV sets | D．bookcases |
We can learn from the passage that the sales ______.
| A．actually start before the end of December | B．generally last for two months |
| C．basically benefit none of the people | D．are a time to buy Christmas gifts in a romantic way |
“Hit the shops” in the third paragraph means to ______.
| A．attack the shops | B．arrive at the shops |
| C．affect the shops | D．find the shops |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．January Sales | B．Sales in London at Christmas |
| C．Practical but Unromantic Shopping | D．Shopping under One Roof |
It was in October. I was aimlessly wandering down the street, heading into a most gloriously beautiful sunset. I had an urge to speak to someone on the street to share that beauty, but it seemed everyone was in a hurry.
I took the next-best action. Quickly I ducked into a department store and asked the lady behind the counter if she could come outside for just a minute. She looked at me as though I were from some other planet. She hesitated, and then seemingly against her better judgment, she moved toward the door.
When she got outside I said to her, “Just look at that sunset! Nobody out here was looking at it and I just had to share it with someone.”
For a few seconds we just looked. Then I said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world.” I thanked her for coming out to see it; she went back inside and I left. It felt good to share the beauty.
Four years later my situation changed greatly. I came to the end of a twenty-year marriage. I was alone and on my own for the first time in my life. I lived in a trailer park which, at the time, I considered a real come-down, and I had to do my wash in the community laundry room.
One day, while my clothes were going around, I picked up a magazine and read an article about a woman who had been in similar circumstances. She had come to the end of a marriage, moved to a strange community, and the only job she could find was one she disliked: clothing sales in a department store.
Then something that happened to her changed everything. She said a woman came into her department store and asked her to step outside to look at a sunset. The stranger had said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world,” and she had realized the truth in that statement. From that moment on, she turned her life around.The author asked the woman to go outside to ______.
| A．admire the sunset | B．cheer her up |
| C．offer some help | D．have a chat |
Four years later, the author ______.
| A．found her dream job |
| B．put an end to her marriage |
| C．worked in a laundry room |
| D．lived in the same community |
After reading the article in the magazine, the author was probably______.
| A．disappointed | B．puzzled |
| C．inspired | D．overjoyed |
Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?
a. I shared a few words and beautiful sunset with the woman.
b. The woman I met years ago got into frustration after divorce.
c. I got divorced and felt lost in my life.
d. I came across a beautiful sunset but had no one to share with.
e. The woman felt astonished by the invitation from a stranger.
f. I recognized the woman I met before in the magazine.
| A．b, d, e, f, a, c | B．d, e, a, c, f, b |
| C．d, e, a, f, b, c | D．b, d, e, a, c, f |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Sharing Beauty | B．Never give up |
| C．Beauty of Life | D．An Unforgettable experience |
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or sleep restfully．It is a problem to nearly everyone at some time ．A person may be awake for an hour in the middle of the night and then , next morning, feel that he hardly sleep all night Normally, worry about not getting enough sleep is the worst aspect of most insomnia．If insomnia is recurrent, however, it is important to find its causes and try to correct them, with the help of a doctor if necessary．
Any of a large number of simple factors may take it difficult for someone to fall asleep or remain asleep．His matters may be too soft or too hard．If there are too many blankets on a hot night, he may be too warm; if the bedclothes are too light he may feel cold during the night．If it is not dark enough, or too noisy, this may cause difficulty in sleeping．Eating shortly before going to bed also be responsible for insomnia．Stimulating drinks, such as tea or coffee, can also keep people awake．
Inability to fall asleep is sometimes a symptom of emotional or mental disorders．Insomnia may also be caused by pain and, very rarely, it can be a symptom of a physical disease．
The cause of insomnia may be easy to correct．The sufferer should check the mattress, bedclothes and bedroom temperature, and make any necessary changes．An eye mask keeps out the night and ear-plugs shut out sound．He should relax for an hour or two before bedtime, perhaps by reading a book; watching TV, or taking a warm bath．If he wakes during the night he should try turning on the light and reading for a while．Taking warm milk and a biscuit or two may be helpful．Above all, he should try not to worry about sleeplessness when someone is tired enough he nearly always falls asleep．
If necessary, a doctor may prescribe tranquillizers or sleeping pills．Take only the dosage he prescribes; any more is dangerous．According to the writer, insomnia is ______．
| A．a rare problem | B．a sign of illness |
| C．a common complaint | D．a modern disease |
Which of the following statements is not the cause of insomnia?
| A．too many blankets on a hot night |
| B．drinking juice |
| C．emotional or mental disorders |
| D．physical pain |
Insomnia needn’t be taken seriously because_______．
| A．people can catch on sleep during the day． |
| B．many people sleep far too much． |
| C．it can easily be cured by doctors． |
| D．it is cured naturally by tiredness． |
The main cure for insomnia is_____．
| A．reading a book at night |
| B．having sleeping pills |
| C．watching television before bedtime |
| D．not to get too anxious about sleeping |
Dewey is the true story of an abandoned kitten（小猫） who went on to live an extraordinary life, inspiring a struggling single mother , transforming a sleepy library and the local people of Lowa farm town, and eventually getting hold of the hearts of animal lovers around the world．
Vicki Myron was a single mom ，who , after surviving the loss of her family farm and an alcoholic husband ,went back to school and became a librarian ．As the director of the Spencer Public Library, her biggest challenge was to raise the spirits of the residents of a remote town affected deeply by the farm crisis of the 1980s ．Her solution came when Vicki found a tiny kitten almost frozen to death in the library’s night drop box．Recognizing the extraordinary strength and uniqueness of this kitten , Vivki received approval from the library board to adopt him as Spencer’s resident cat．From that moment on, her life ---and the town of Spencer--- would change forever．
Dewey, as the townspeople named the kitten, grew into a friendly cat whose funny behavior kept people laughing and whose sixth sense about those in need created hundreds of deep and loving friendships．As his fame grew, people drove hundreds of miles to meet Dewey, and he even became a subject of a hit documentary in Japan !Through it all, Dewey remained a loyal companion , a beacon of hope not just for Vicki Myron, but for the entire town of Spencer as it slowly pulled itself up from the worst financial crisis in its long history．
When Dewey died in 2006 at the age of 19, his obituary appeared in over 250 newspapers , including the New York Times and USA Today , and was announced on the national television evening news．Which of the following descriptions of Vicki Myron is Not true?
| A．She worked as a librarian in the Spencer Public Library． |
| B．Her husband was addicted to drinking． |
| C．She kept Dewey, an abandoned cat at home． |
| D．It was she that found Dewey in the library’s night drop box． |
What does the underlined word in the last paragraph “obituary” mean?
| A．featured photos |
| B．reports of one’s life |
| C．the news of one’s death |
| D．comments on ones’ life |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Dewey, an abandoned cat who touched the world． |
| B．Vicki Myron , a small-town librarian who adopted Dewey． |
| C．How a little cat made the Spencer Public Library famous． |
| D．How Vicki Myron made Dewey, an abandoned cat, world-famous． |
In which sections of a magazine will readers find the passage?
| A．Fabric of fashion | B．Reading hour |
| C．Smart and sharp science | D．Health tips |
Parents are a child’s first teachers．But some parents never learned from good examples．In New York City, a nonprofit agency called Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents．
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week．The class is called Mommy and Me．Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother．She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season．
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby．The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding．Delores Clemens says, “that's not true．You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason．If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying．Pick your baby up．Cuddle your baby．Hug him! And she started to do that．They just want a little cuddling and a little love．And it works!”
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered．Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year．
In class, with her baby son is Natasha．She lived on the streets．She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House．As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life．
The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen．That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones．By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two．What is the text mainly about?
| A．Parents who are a child’s first teachers． |
| B．A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered． |
| C．A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life． |
| D．A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers． |
Covenant Houses’ Mommy and Me class is intended to _____．
| A．help homeless young mothers become good parents |
| B．provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter |
| C．help mothers in New York be good parents |
| D．teach some parents how to love their children |
What can we know about Delores Clemens from the text?
| A．She has a mother of five and a grandmother． |
| B．She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged． |
| C．She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers． |
| D．She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House． |
According to the World Health Organization, which country has the highest births for girls age fifteen to nineteen?
| A．Canada | B．the United States of America |
| C．Mexico | D．Britain |
A woman whose sports car was stolen with her dog in it put up notices all over the area that made it clear getting back her pet was more important than her car．
“Whoever did this can keep my car．Please let Benjerman come home,” the notice said．
It is not known whether the thief showed any pity, but almost 30 hours after the 1 pm theft Friday, Atkins and Benjerman，a 12-year-old black retriever（猎犬），were reunited after police located them in Barrington．
“He’s hungry, he’s dirty, but he’s very happy to be home，”Atkins said．
The car was found at about 5 pm Saturday off Route 125 in a swampy area frequented by off-the-road cars and dirt bikes．However, the police couldn’t control Benjerman，and they had to call Atkins to come and get him．
Atkins said the thief cared for Benjerman a little by providing him with some dry cat food．She believed Benjerman ended up drinking some muddy water in the area．
She said they have been together for nearly 11 years after she took him back from a society shelter in Dallas, Texas．
Before Benjelman was found，Atkins and several friends put up notices all over the city and in Somersworth．They also contacted animal shelters，throughout southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts The notice stated there was a reward，and also that the dog needed medication．Any caller could remain anonymous（匿名的）．
Atkins had parked the car outside a hardware store with the keys inside and gone in to rent a carpet cleaner．
¨It was l0 minutes and I came out and my car was gone along with Benjerman in broad daylight，” Atkins said．The car thief threw Atkins’wallet and other personal items out of the car before escaping from the scene．Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened?
a．Notices were put up saying there was a reward．
b．Atkins saw Benjerman again．
c．Police found Atkins’car．
d．Atkins took Benjerman back from a society shelter．
e．Atkins hired a carpet cleaner in a hardware store．
| A．d,e,a, b,c | B．d,e,a,c,b |
| C．e,a,d,b,c | D．e,a,c,d,b |
We can infer from the passage．
| A．the dog was treated extremely badly by the thief |
| B．car stolen accidents happen frequently nowadays |
| C．the dog was found because of the reward |
| D．the thief stole the car easily |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Benjerman was sent back immediately after Atkins put up the notices． |
| B．Atkins and her friends made a great effort to look for Benierman． |
| C．The thief gave the dog back but kept the sports car． |
| D．The dog was back at 1 pm on a Friday． |