In the United States you will find yourself being urged from every page of every newspaper and every television station to buy all kinds of goods.
Not only is there a wide range of prices for goods in America, there is also a wide range in the quality of goods offered for sale. Unlike some countries,
Americans generally pay the price of a product without question, instead of trying to get a lower price by bargaining. However, there are many “sales” in the United States, during which time stores will lower their normal prices. This may all be very confusing to visitors. How are you going to know how to “get your money’s worth” when you shop? Perhaps the best advice is: Don’t hurry. Visit various stores and determine the quality of goods. Read the advertisements so that you can compare prices.
There is a great variety of shops in the United States, ranging from very large stores called “department stores” to very small shops. There are “discount houses” offering goods at low prices, and “dime stores” specializing in a wide range of inexpensive items.
Most department stores in large cities carry better quality products at higher prices. However, they offer the shoppers great convenience since they contain such a wide variety of products.
If convenience isn’t as important to you as price, you may want to shop in discount houses. These stores have nearly as great a variety of goods as department stores, but offer lower prices. They can do so for several reasons. They don’t offer the same services to buyers that department stores do; there may be fewer sales people; and the store probably doesn’t deliver purchases.
Another popular shop is the “dime store”. No longer selling many things for five or ten cents, these stores got their name in the last century when it was decided that a small profit on a great quantity of goods would be better than a large profit on fewer sales. Dime stores specialize in a wide variety of inexpensive items and today, prices range from a quarter or 50 cents up to several dollars.The passage is mainly about______
| A．American hospitality. | B．the life of Americans. |
| C．American stores. | D．the business of Americans. |
Why can discount houses offer goods at lower prices compared with department stores?
a. They have fewer employees.
b. They have larger quantities of goods.
c. They offer fewer services.
d. They don’t provide delivery service.
| A．a b c | B．a b d | C．a c d | D．b c d |
What’s special about dime stores?
| A．They sell lots of goods at a small profit. |
| B．They make big profits by selling some goods. |
| C．They provide goods with a price lower than 50 cents. |
| D．They provide goods ranging from bargains to expensive ones. |
Where can we most probably read this passage?
| A．In a research paper. | B．In a science report. |
| C．In a geography book. | D．In a travel magazine. |
A
Chocoholics everywhere have a duty to help preserve the world’s dwindling supply of cocoa. Leading chocolatiers offer their advice.
We are running out of chocolate, by 2020 as predicted. Sure, some might say this is due to serious economic and geopolitical reasons – climate change, rising demand in Brazil and China, the spectre of Ebola spreading to west African cocoa-growing nations such as Ivory Coast and Ghana.
We know the real reason. It’s the fault of posh（考究的）choc. In the last 10 to 15 years, we have gone from buying a foil-wrapped bar from the newsagents to an unprecedented age of cocoa decadence – demanding a minimum of 70% cocoa solids.
With the shortage, is it time to dial back on this gourmet choc free-for-all, so when the bad times come, there’s enough cocoa left for Cadbury’s to eke out a few Dairy Milks?
We asked chocolatiers to help create a “code of conduct” for responsible chocolate eating in the event of a shortage …So how best should we use what’s left?
Switch to carob (even if it doesn’t taste very nice)
Carob is a chocolate substitute made from the pods of the carob tree – and it’s been languishing（低迷）in a health-food shop near you for years. “Is carob an alternative?” says Young. “If it was used as an ingredient, in a cupcake or chocolate bread, we could accept it”.
Ration（定量）chocolate in cakes and other dishes
Does that triple chocolate cake you’re making need the choc buttercream, the dark chocolate ganache and the white chocolate curls? Certainly when it comes to bought products, Young thinks “there’ll be a change to the amount of chocolate you get in things like cakes and flavoured milks”. “Revere chocolate more. Cut out all the other stuff,” says Coady.
Be prepared to pay more. A lot more
“A Dairy Milk will be a luxury item – we’ll have to save up!” speculates Young. That would be bad news for consumers, but there is an upside to the looming shortage – it could finally spell good news for cocoa growers, many of whom receive a “small amount” for their product, says Harcourt-Cooze: “If a shortage meant cocoa farmers got high prices, it would make me smile.”
Stop abusing chocolate
Yes, we’re looking at you, ChocoChicken – the restaurant that serves chocolate fried chicken with chocolate ketchup and white choc-fried potatoes. Other offenders we have spotted include white chocolate sauces for meat dishes and Scotch eggs with a cacao nib crust.Which of the following explains the underlined word dwindling?
| A．extreme | B．whole |
| C．increasing | D．decreasing |
What is the root cause of chocolate shortage?
| A．Increasing demand | B．Climate change |
| C．Epidemic disease | D．Excessive consumption |
Which option is NOT correct according to the passage?
| A．“Young” is probably a chocolatier. |
| B．Cocoa farmers might benefit from the shortage. |
| C．Carob is much more delicious than cocoa products. |
| D．Carob can be accepted as an ingredient in a cupcake or chocolate bread. |
Choose the action recommended according to the code of conduct for responsible chocolate eating.
| A．Mary tries to reduce the amount of cocoa when baking cookies. |
| B．Jack often treats himself with a chocolate feast after work. |
| C．Dan refuses to eat carob products as a substitute. |
| D．Rachel throws away chocolate bars which she has not finished. |
We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter．We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine．Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack．Sometimes it's an ingredient（配料） in the main course of a meal．Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken．The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices（香料） like chili peppers．
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree．The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say "Ugh!" and run away．Workers must first dry and then roast the beans．This removes the bitter taste．
The word "chocolate" comes from a Mayan word．The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico．They valued the cacao tree．Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink．
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too． Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine．No one had the idea of adding sugar．The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes．Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion．
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao．It quickly became a cheap and popular drink．Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate．Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together． People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better．
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie．Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce．It was _____that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao．
| A．The workers in the chocolate factory |
| B．The Spaniards |
| C．The people in England |
| D．The owner of a chocolate factory |
The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because_____
| A．it was strong and bitter． |
| B．it was good for digestion． |
| C．it cured man's diseases． |
| D．it was a kind of drink for good health． |
Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?
a．Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England．
b．A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate．
c．The Spaniards started drinking cacao．
d．It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao．
e．A factory mixed milk and chocolate together．
| A．a-b-c-d-e | B．c-d-e-b-a |
| C．c-d-a-b-e | D．c-d-b-e-a |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____．
| A．chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or a candy bar |
| B．Mexicans like chocolate very much |
| C．chocolate is a product of the cacao tree |
| D．people liked the taste of chocolate mixed with milk |
Welcome to JobServe
The World's 1st Internet Employment Service
1. Display your grades. Grades are still important to potential employers.
2. Communicate well with others. No matter what career path you choose to follow—from nurse to computer programmer—you should have solid written and oral communication skills to get a job.
3. Have enough computer knowledge. It is the information age; you need to be able to show solid computer knowledge that is related to your field.
4. Put your best resume forward. A resume should be a short and clear, error-free, reader-friendly, one-page document that can be easily looked through.
5. Research. Take the time to learn about the company you are targeting by visiting its website or researching the company at the library.
6. Use examples. Using detailed examples from school and internships(实习) to answer questions about your experiences and to paint a clearer picture of your strengths and skills for the employer.
7. Smile! It is hard to smile when you are on the hot seat —but a smile during an interview shows enthusiasm for the position and the company. Potential employers might think of a non-smiling face as a lack of interest.
8. Show your thanks. A thank-you note following a phone or a face-to-face interview reinforces(增强) your interest in the position and the company.
About JobServe | Tell a Friend About JobServe | Contact JobServe | Advertise Now | News | Events |
Add to Favourites Browser Information | Recruiter DirectoryYou can give the potential employers a good impression if you.
| A．write a face-to-face note |
| B．show enthusiasm |
| C．prepare a long and free resume |
| D．paint your own picture |
What does the underlined words “you are on the hot seat” probably mean ?
| A．The seat is very hot. |
| B．Everybody else is laughing at you. |
| C．Nobody else is helping you. |
| D．You are in a difficult situation. |
We can infer from the passage that _____.
| A．It is unnecessary to visit the website of the company you are interested in. |
| B．You have to be an expert on computer to get a job. |
| C．It is hard to find a job if you can not write well and communicate well. |
| D．A resume can be a several-page document if you have a lot to show to the company. |
Music lessons may improve memory and learning ability in your children by promoting different patterns of brain development, a study shows．
After a year of musical training, children aged between 4 and 6 performed better at a standard memory test than did children who were not taught music．The findings suggest that music could be useful for building the learning capacity of your minds．
Earlier studies have shown that older children given music lessons become better at IQ tests than those who are musically untrained, but this is the first to show such a benefit in children so young．
Professor Laurek Trainor, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, also found clear differences in the ways in which children's brains responded to sound after a year of musical training．'This is the first study to show that brain responses in young, musically trained and untrained children change differently over the course of a year," she said．"These changes are likely to be related to the cognitive（ 认知的 ）benefit that is seen with musical training．"
Professor Trainer's team looked at 12 children, 6 of whom had just started extra-curricular （课程外） music lessons and 6 of whom were not being taught any music except that included as a standard part of their school curriculum （课程标准） ．
During the year all 12 children had their brains examined four times using magneto-encephalography （MEG）, and each child was played two types of sound —white noise and a violin tone．The MEG measurements showed that all children responded more to violin sounds than to white noise, reflecting a preferable for meaningful tones, and their response times fell over the course of the year as their brains matured．This passage is mainly about ____．
| A．why music lessons are good for the memory |
| B．the benefit from extra-curricular training for younger children |
| C．a study on twelve young children's brains |
| D．new technology to examine children's brains |
It can be concluded from the text that ____．
| A．the study is the first one on the effect of musical training on children's brains |
| B．scientists got no valuable results from the earlier studies on the topic |
| C．children musically trained remember things better than those untrained |
| D．older children get more benefit from musical training than younger ones |
What do we know about the twelve children tested in the study?
| A．None of them had been musically trained before． |
| B．Only 6 of them had a knowledge of music before． |
| C．Not all of them had been taught some music in school． |
| D．All of them were required to learn some music in school． |
We know from the MEG measurements that ____．
| A．the older a child is, the more quickly he/she responds to sounds |
| B．human brains prefer musical sounds to white noise |
| C．children of different ages respond to sounds at the same speed |
| D．all the twelve children like to learn to play the violin very much |
BEIJING—Apple Inc is one step closer to beginning sales of iPad2 tablet computers with cellular network compatibility （兼容） for the first time in the Chinese mainland, where the consumer-electronics giant is in the midst of an aggressive expansion．
According to China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China．The device, listed under model number “A1396”, is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple’s local iPhone partner, China Unicom （Hong Kong） Ltd．
China Unicom declined to comment．
Apple already offers the 3G iPad2 in Hong Kong through its partners, but currently only offers Wi-Fi versions of the device in the Chinese mainland．Still, consumers in China, which according to research firm IDC surpassed the US as the world’s largest PC market in the second quarter, have been purchasing 3G tablets through unofficial channels．
Separately, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said on Sept 6 that the company’s first Hong Kong store, set to open this quarter, will be located in the city’s central shopping and business district in the International Finance Center’s upscale （高档的） IFC mall, a commercial center and sightseeing spot along the city’s waterfront．Wu also said that Apple is planning a new store in Shanghai later this quarter, which will be its biggest store in China．She declined to give more details or to comment on the 3G iPad2．
Apple currently has four full-service Apple stores in the mainland, which receive the most traffic of any Apple stores in the world．The company otherwise relies on resellers to get its products into the market．
The new stores reflect Apple’s confidence in rising demand for its products such as smart phones and tablet computers．Sales in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan helped boost （增长） the company’s third-quarter results, newly appointed Chief Executive Tim Cook said in July．China revenue （收益） surged （激增） six-fold to about $3．8 billion during the three months ended June 25．
“This has been a substantial （重大） opportunity for Apple and I firmly believe that we’re just scratching the surface right now,” Cook said at the time, referring to strong sales in China．“I see an incredible opportunity for Apple there．”
From China Daily 2011-09-08According to the news, which of the following statements is true?
| A．WCDMA is not the only 3G standard in the world． |
| B．Apple Inc sells its products in the market of the Chinese mainland all by its own stores． |
| C．The consumers in China can only get iPad2 of Wi-Fi versions． |
| D．Chinese mainland is the second largest PC market in this year’s second quarter． |
Which one of the following phrases can replace the underlined word in paragraph 1?
| A．in the interests of | B．in the front of |
| C．in the process of | D．in the case of |
How many full-service Apple stores are there in China?
A．4． B6． C．8． D．Unknown．By saying “we’re just scratching the surface right now”, Cook means ________．
| A．they don’t know much about China’s market |
| B．they will sell more products and gain more profit in China |
| C．they need to obtain more permission from China’s government |
| D．they ignored the rural market in China |