(Youmayreadthequestionsfirst.)-优题课

Sparrow is a fastfood chain with 200 restaurants.Some years ago，the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company.Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining，the chain was generally in an unhealthy state.With more and more fastfood concepts reaching the market，the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention.And to make matters worse，its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.
Sparrow failed to grow for another two years，until a new CEO，Carl Pearson，decided to build up its market share.He did a survey，which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain，while customers of other fastfood chains were unwilling to turn away from them.Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.
Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand.The chain’s owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy’s restaurants.Pearson resisted，arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun.Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time.Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success，rather than customers’ spending power.Finally，the owner accepted his idea.
The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fastfood industry.The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars.Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product，the intention was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.
Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image.For example，he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover(营业额)．
These efforts paid off，and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fastfood chains in the regions where it operated.
Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?

A．The number of its customers was declining.

B．Its customers found the food unhealthy.

C．It was in need of financial support.

D．Most of its restaurants were closed.

What does the underlined word“them”in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Customers of Sparrow restaurants.

B．Sparrow restaurants.

C．Customers of other fastfood chains.

D．Other fastfood chains.

For what purpose did Pearson start the advertising campaign?

A．To build a good relationship with the public.

B．To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow.

C．To learn about customers’spending power.

D．To meet the challenge from Marcy’s restaurants.

The TV ads of Sparrow ________.

A．changed people’s views on pop stars

B．amused the public with original songs

C．focused on the superiority of its products

D．influenced the eating habits of the audience

What was Pearson’s achievement as a CEO?

A．He managed to pay off Sparrow’s debts.

B．He made Sparrow much more competitive.

C．He helped Sparrow take over a company.

D．He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees.

Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean，an Sshaped body of water covering 33 million square miles.The Atlantic has，in a sense，replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization.Unlike real inland seas，which seem strangely still，the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness.It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”，a short poem written around 700，is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.
As the poem suggests，the Atlantic is never dead and dull.It is an ocean that moves，impressively and endlessly.It makes all kinds of noise—it is forever thundering，boiling，crashing，and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath－perhaps not so noticeably out in midocean，but where it meets land，its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach.It mimics(模仿)nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature.It is filled with symbiotic existences，too：unimaginable quantities of creatures，little and large alike，mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony，giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat，a kind of subocean vitality.And it has a psychology.It has personalities：sometimes peaceful and pleasant，on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.
Unlike real inland seas，the Atlantic Ocean is________.

A．always energetic

B．lacking in liveliness

C．shaped like a square

D．favored by ancient poets

What is the purpose of using the poem “Storm at Sea” in the passage?

A．To describe the movement of the waves.

B．To show the strength of the storm.

C．To represent the power of the ocean.

D．To prove the vastness of the sea.

What does the underlined word “symbiotic” mean?

A．Living together.

B．Growing fast.

C．Moving harmoniously.

D．Breathing peacefully.

In the last paragraph，the Atlantic is compared to________.

A．a beautiful and poetic place

B．a flesh and blood person

C．a wonderful world

D．a lovely animal

We all know that the cost of heating our homes will continue to be a significant burden on the family budget.Now millions of people are saving on their heating bills with the EP portable heater.With over one million satisfied customers around the world，the new EP heats better and faster，saves more on heating bills，and runs almost silent.

The EP has no exposed heating parts that can cause a fire.The outside of the EP only gets warm to the touch so that it will not burn children or pets.
The EP will not reduce oxygen in the room.With other heaters，you’ll notice that you get sleepy when the heat comes on because they are burning up oxygen.
The advanced EP also heats the room evenly，wall to wall and floor to ceiling.It comfortably covers an area up to 350 square feet.Other heaters heat rooms unevenly with most of the heat concentrated to the center of the room.And they only heat an area a few feet around the heater.With the EP，the temperature will not vary in any part of the room.
The EP comes with a 3year warranty (保修) and a 60day，no questions asked，satisfaction guarantee.If you are not totally satisfied，return it at our expense and your money will be given back to you.
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What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 2?

A．The heat of the EP.

B．The safety of the EP.

C．The appearance of the EP.

D．The material of the EP.

From the passage，we can learn that the EP________.

A．doesn’t burn up oxygen

B．runs without any noise

C．makes people get sleepy

D．is unsuitable for children and pets

The underlined word“evenly”in Paragraph 4 probably means________.

A．continuously	B．separately
C．quickly	D．equally

The main purpose of the passage is to________.

A．persuade people to buy the product

B．advise people to save on heating bills

C．report the new development of portable heaters

D．compare the functions of different heater brands

(2013·高考新课标全国卷Ⅱ，C)Given that many people’s moods (情绪)are regulated by the chemical action of chocolate，it was probably only a matter of time before somebody made the chocolate shop similar to a drugstore of Chinese medicine.Looking like a setting from the film Charlie&the Chocolate Factory，Singapore’s Chocolate Research Facility (CRF) has over 100 varieties of chocolates.Its founder is Chris Lee who grew up at his parents’ corner store with one hand almost always in the jar of sweets.
If the CRF seems to be a smart idea，that’s because Lee is not merely a seasoned salesperson but also head of a marketing department that has business relations with big names such as Levi’s and Sony.That idea surely results in the imagination at work when it comes to making different flavored (味道) chocolates.
The CRF’s produce is “green ”，made within the country and divided into 10 lines，with the Alcohol Series being the most popular.The Exotic Series－with Sichuan pepper，red bean (豆)，cheese and other flavors－also does well and is fun to taste.And for chocolate_snobs，who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others，the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa beans from Togo，Cuba，Venezuela，and Ghana，among others.
What is good about chocolate?

A．It serves as a suitable gift.

B．It works as an effective medicine.

C．It helps improve the state of mind.

D．It strengthens business relations.

Why is Chris Lee able to develop his idea of the CRF?

A．He knows the importance of research.

B．He learns from shops of similar types.

C．He has the support of many big names

D．He has a lot of marketing experience.

Which line of the CRF produce sells best?

A．The Connoisseur Series.

B．The Exotic Series.

C．The Alcohol Series.

D．The Sichuan Series.

The words “chocolate snobs” in Paragraph 3 probably refer to people who________.

A．are particular about chocolate

B．know little about cocoa beans

C．look down upon others

D．like to try new flavors

Using too much water or throwingrubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger，but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways.You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water.A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater.Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers.It comes from underground.The more roads and parking lots we pave，the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺)．Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall，but in any case，good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference，too.In the United States，a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live，but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home.To start with，use the same glass for your drinking water all day.Wash it only once a day.Run your dishwasher (洗碗机)only when it is full.Help your parents fix any leaks in your home.You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?

A．Using river water.

B．Throwing batteries away.

C．Paving parking lots.

D．Throwing rubbish into lakes.

What can be inferred from the text?

A．All water shortages are due to human behavior.

B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs.

C．There is much we can do to reduce family size.

D．The average family in America makes proper use of water.

The last paragraph is intended to________.

A．show us how to fix leaks at home

B．tell us how to run a dishwasher

C．prove what drinking glass is best for us

D．suggest what we do to save water at home

The text is mainly about________.

A．Why paving roads reduces our water

B．how much we depend on water to live

C．why droughts occur more in dry climates

D．how human activity affects our water supply

A．Would-be parents.	B．Families with children.
C．Writers of children’s books.	D．Honey lovers.