Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer （零售商）. It's the world's largest company, which sells in three months what number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year.
Wal-Mart exercises its power for just one purpose: to bring the lowest possible prices to its customers. At Wal-Mart, that goal is never reached. The retailer has a clear policy for suppliers: On basic products that don't change, the price Wal-Mart will pay, and will charge shoppers, must drop year after year. But what almost no one outside the world of Wal-Mart and none of its 21,000 suppliers know is the high cost of those low prices. To survive in the face of its pricing demands, makers of everything from bikes to jeans have had to close US plants in favor of obtaining products from abroad.
Indeed, the real story of Wal-Mart, the story that never gets told, is the story of the pressure the biggest retailer constantly applies to its suppliers in the name of bringing us "every day low prices".
The giant retailer' s low prices often come with a high cost. Wal-Mart' s pressure can crush the companies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line? Of course, US companies have been moving jobs offshore for decades, long before Wal-Mart was a retailing power. But there is no question that the chain is helping accelerate the loss of American jobs to low-wage countries such as Thailand.
People ask, "How can it be bad for things to come into the US cheaply?" Sure, it's great to have bargains. But you can' t buy anything if you' re not employed.
There is no question that Wal-Mart's drive to squeeze out cost has benefited consumers. By now, it is accepted wisdom that Wal-Mart makes the companies it does business with more efficient and focused. Wal-Mart itself is known for continuous improvement in its ability to handle, move, and track goods. It is legendary （传奇） for forcing its suppliers to redesign everything from their packaging to their computer systems. It is also legendary for quite straightforwardly telling them what it will pay for their goods. How do suppliers meet the requirements of Wal-Mart?
| A．To sell even more goods in three months. |
| B．To cut down the employment rate sharply. |
| C．To charge shoppers at a much higher price. |
| D．To run the business in a well-organized way. |
Wal-Mart's low price policy results in ____.
| A．more high-paying jobs |
| B．better designed packages |
| C．bigger profit of its partners |
| D．more jobless American workers |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Still more quality goods will be provided. |
| B．The food you get at Wal-Mart costs least. |
| C．The value of Mal-Mart is over assessed. |
| D．Wal-Mart is a very demanding company. |
What's the best title for the passage?
| A．The Fortune Wal-Mart Makes |
| B．The Wal-Mart you don't Know |
| C．The Biggest Retailer—Wal-Mart |
| D．The Money Saving Tip in Wal-Mart |
●Putting Movies on Mobiles
Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars．But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm —the first mobile film festival.
The first MoFilm competition, received 250 entries from more than 100 countries．Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length－ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones．An independent jury then selected a shortlist of five film-makers．The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones．
●New Platforms
The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry．Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films．They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work．Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works．
It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression seen by a wide audience．Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!
●New Technology Advances
MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood．The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size．However this could be overcome as technology advances．
In the near future, longer films will likely oe seen on the mobile phone．And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality．
Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the qualify of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere．At the first MoFilm, _____．
| A．movies in the theater got their recognition |
| B．more than 100 countries took part in the competition |
| C．ideal films were five minutes or less in length |
| D．the winner was chosen by experts' voting |
"They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work．" The underlined word means "_____"．
| A．discouraged | B．encouraged |
| C．frightened | D．surprised |
Nowadays the majority of films made for mobiles are short in length because of_____．
| A．online services | B．the mobile phone |
| C．technology advances | D．the screen size |
What's certain about the future of MoFilm according to the passage?
| A．The number of mobile phone users may contribute to the popularity of MoFilm． |
| B．Audience is not likely to watch longer films on mobile phones in the near future． |
| C．Some mobile companies are on the way to producing mobile films of higher quality． |
| D．Grassroots filmmakers can achieve their career success more easily starting from MoFlim． |
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 Bertolla! 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 look 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 BertoHa 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 young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Advertising executives would say it's no less real than an ad．The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something．You don't know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance．T'he 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 |
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 |
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． |
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 |
The basic flag of the United States is one of the world's oldest national flags．Only the basic flags of Austria,．Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland are older．
During the discovery and settlement of what is now the United States, the flags of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of possession．Later, in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, flags representing famous persons, places, and events were flown in the American Colonies．
The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14, 1777．It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes? and 13 white stars in a field of blue, representing the 13colonies that had declared their independence in 1776．Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795, to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union, Vermont and Kentucky．
By 1817 there were 20 states in the Union, and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would destroy the shape of the flag．As a result．Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star．In 1921 Preside William H．Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars．He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each．Previously the arrangement of the stars had
been left to the flag- maker's fancy．
The evolution of the stars and stripes reflects the growth of the United States．After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959, the flag was officially changed for the 26th time since its creation．
There are many government flags flown in the United States in addition to the national flag．Among them are the president's and vice-president's flags and those of the federal epartments and some federal agencies．Each state in the Union has an official flag．The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling．The basic flag of the United States is _____．
| A．the oldest national flag in the world |
| B．one of the world's oldest flags |
| C．the most beautiful flag in the West |
| D．as old as the basic flags of some European nations |
Before the War of Independence the flags of various European nations flown over the land were symbols of．
| A．self- rule | B．occupation |
| C．peace and friendship | D．independence |
The first official flag of the United States was adopted _____．
| A．before the Independence War |
| B．right after the Independence War |
| C．when independence was declared in 1776 |
| D．during the War of Independence which ended in 1783 |
The 13 red and white stripes and13 white Stars represent____．
| A．13 independent states |
| B．the colonies that declared independence in 1776． |
| C．the U．S．Congress |
| D．13 famous figures in the American colonies |
“You know, these cups bring to mind a tea quote(说法) I heard.” Mary’s aunt said.
She poured tea. There were four of them and there were four totally different cups on the table.
They took their tea cups.
“What quote?” Mary asked.
“Well, maybe I should rather say it is a story,” aunt said, “I heard that there was a wise teacher who took all his students for tea. They were surprised that all the cups on the table were different. Each of them took a cup and started drinking their tea, each looking at the cups of others. The teacher let them do that for a while and then said,‘ Do you notice your behavior? You are all looking at each other’s tea cup and I can see some of you with the broken ones are even envious(羡慕的) of the finer cups of others. Is this not so?’ ”
The students agreed, amused by their own behavior.
“You may have wondered why you all had different cups, but I put them here on purpose. You see they represent (代表) life itself. Life is like that tea and the cups are like the physical circumstances(状况) of your life. You all got the same thing in your cups — tea. And yet you can not truly enjoy it in your envy of another’s cup. It’s just the same with life. You forget to enjoy your own life when you concentrate on envying the circumstances of someone else’s life.
So now, close your eyes, and taste your own tea. Really taste it. And tell me — did it matter from which cup it came from?”
Aunt finished telling her short tea story and they all sat in silence for a while, tasting their tea. A sleepy fly buzzed(嗡嗡作响) past, a bird sang in the tree. And it really did not matter one bit from which tea cup they drank. When the students found they had different tea cups, they_____________.
| A．were satisfied with their own cup |
| B．were angry about the broken cups they had been given |
| C．asked the teacher to get new cups for them |
| D．were curious about the difference between the cups |
From the text, we know that _____________.
| A．the teacher prepared different tea cups for each student |
| B．the teacher should have given the students the same cups |
| C．the teacher made the tea cups different by mistake. |
| D．each student took their time to choose a cup they liked |
According to the passage, by comparing the cups to the physical circumstances of people’s life, the teacher meant that people_______.
| A．should try different ways of life |
| B．shouldn’t focus on envy others’ physical circumstances |
| C．can never change their physical circumstances |
| D．should work hard for a better life |
In the passage the teacher’s message to the students was that _______.
| A．life is hard and boring for everyone |
| B．it is strange to be envious of the lives of others |
| C．everyone should learn to enjoy his own life |
| D．people act differently in different circumstances |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．More than tea in a cup | B．The value of tea |
| C．Tea vs cup | D．Enjoying tea with a broken cup |
After a busy day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping makes it possible for your body to prepare itself for the next day.
There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your body relaxes little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other.
Although your mind slows down, you will dream from time to time. Scientists who study sleep point out that when you are dreaming, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement.
If you have trouble falling asleep, some people suggest breathing very slowly and very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion that counting sheep will put you to sleep. The text makes us know that not getting enough sleep might make you _________.
| A．suffer form poor health | B．enjoy more |
| C．dream more often | D．breathe quickly |
During REM, _______.
| A．you move restlessly | B．you start dreaming |
| C．your mind stops working | D．your eyeballs move quickly |
The underlined word “drowsy” in the last paragraph probably means______.
| A．lazy | B．sleepy | C．relaxed | D．pleased |
A good title for this text might be_________.
| A．Dreams | B．Sleep | C．Good Health | D．Work and Rest |
One of the ways to fall asleep easily is to _______________.
| A．breathe slowly and deeply | B．drink cold drinks |
| C．get up and run | D．look for some sheep |