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 |
Culture means any human behavior that is learned in human society. All of the meaningful parts of a culture are passed on to different generations through tradition or social learning. From this view point, all human groups have a culture. Culture exists in agricultural as well as industrialized societies.
Culture is necessary for the survival and existence of human beings as human beings. Practically everything humans know, think, value, feel, and do is learned through taking part in a socio-cultural system. This statement is well supported by some well-written cases. Here is one of the cases of children growing up apart from human society. In the province of Kidnaper in India, the director of a children’s home was told by local villagers that there were “ghost（鬼）” in the forest. Upon looking into the case, the director found that two children, one about eight years old and the other about six years old, appeared to have been living with a pack of wolves in the forest. These children were the ghosts described by the local people. In his diary, the director describes his first view of Kamala (as the older child was named) and Amala (the name given to the younger child).
Kamala was a terrible-looking being----the head, a big ball of something covering the shoulders. Close at its heels there came another terrible creature exactly like the first, but smaller in size. Their eyes were very bright and sharp, unlike human eyes. They were very fond of raw meat and raw milk. Gradually, as they got stronger, they began going on all fours, and afterwards began to run on all fours like squirrels. Children learn human language in the same way they learn other kinds of human behavior by taking part in a cultural community. They learn a certain human language as well as certain kinds of human behavior through their membership in a certain cultural community.
68. From the passage we can learn that__________.
A. human beings can develop human abilities only if they are raised by their biological parents
B. Amala and Kamala were raised in forest by ghosts
C. human beings will not grow up human unless they are raised by human beings in human culture
D. culture refers only to the high art and classical music of a particular society
69. Who were the “ghosts” of the Kidnapper forest seen by the local villagers?
A. They were two children Amala and Kamala, who ran on fours
B. They were two squirrels, Amala and Kamala, who ran on fours.
C. They were two young wolves, Amala and Kamala, whose eyes were bright and sharp.
D. They were two children, Amala and Kamala, who were growing up in a children’s home.
70. How would you understand the description by the director “they began going on all fours,” in his diary?
A. They began to continue with all their four eyes.
B. They started walking with their four feet.
C. They began going with their four hands.
D. They started walking with both their hands and feet.
71. Which of the following do you think is the best title to this passage?
A. Wolf – children B. Culture and Human Behaviour
C. Culture and Language Learning D. A director’s Diary
Karen, grown up in a very traditional family in the western United States, maintained high moral(道德的)standards throughout her youth. In 1984, at the age of 23, she married Bill. They were blessed with two children, a boy and a girl.
By 1991 their love had deepened, and they were happy. Later that year Bill developed a white spot on his tongue. He visited a doctor.
One day shortly after that, Bill called Karen to sit beside him. He said with tears in his eyes that he loved her and wanted to live forever with her. The doctor suspected that he had been infected with HIV , the virus that leads to AIDS。
The family was tested. Bill and Karen’s results were positive. Bill had become infected before he met Karen; then he passed the virus on to Karen. The children’s results were negative. Within three years, Bill was dead. “I don’t know how to express what it is like to watch a once handsome man you love and intend to live with forever dying slowly. I cried many nights. He died three months short of ten years of our marriage,” says Karen. Though a doctor told Karen that she would soon follow her husband into death, she is still alive. The infection has progressed to the early stages of AIDS.
Karen is but one of about 30 million people now living with HIV/AIDS, a figure larger than the combined populations of Australia, Ireland and Paraguay. According to one UN report, Africa has 21 million of these victims. By the turn of the century that number could reach 40 million and the disease will bring on the greatest disaster in human history. Of the world’s sexually active adults aged 15 to 49, 1 in 100 has already been infected with HIV. Of these, only 1 in 10 realizes that he or she is infected. In some parts of Africa, 25 percent of the adults are infected.
Since the beginning of the spread of AIDS in 1981, about 11.7 million people have died of it. It is roughly calculated that in 1997 alone, about 2.3 million people died of it. Nevertheless, there are fresh reasons for optimism in the battle against AIDS. During the past few years, there has been a drop in new AIDS cases in wealthy nations. In addition, promising drugs hold out hope of better health and longer life.
64. By telling the story of Karen, the author intends to __________________.
A. warn people against high risk behaviours
B. stress the importance of medical test
C. express sympathy for AIDS victims
D. show the consequences of AIDS
65. The underlined part in Paragraph 1 most probably means “__________________”.
A. were lucky in having B. were asked to adopt
C. regretted having D. gave birth to
66. Bill was suspected of being infected with HIV after __________.
A. he got married to Karen
B. the family members were tested
C. Karen persuaded him to see the doctor
D. he found something wrong with his tongue
67.It can be concluded from the passage that _________.
A. promising drugs will soon stop AIDS
B. the spread of AIDS could be controlled
C. it is hopeless to win the battle against AIDS
D. the death rate of AIDS patients has been reduced
(1)
| Opening week specials at Munchies Food Hall At the corner of Green and Brown Streets in the city Monday, 7th of January until Sunday,13th of January, 2008 Feast until you’re full! Come down to Munchies this week to enjoy the special dishes on offer at all of our food outlets. Order from the following: Succulent chicken rice Spicy satay beef Delicious noodle dishes Plump pork chops Seafood specialties Crunchy vegetables Sweet tropical fruit Halal food is available at the stall Malay Food Heaven
Win Prize and Gifts! |
(2)
| Winner to be announced in The Straits Times on the 15th of January. Join in the Fun! Between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm each evening until the 10th of January, your favorite Channel 3 television actors and singers will entertain you: ●May Lee ●Jackie Chen ●KimYap ● Kamal Autograph sessions will follow each performance! And who will be our extra special mystery star? Come down on Saturday at noon to find out. |
60. Munchies Food Hall does NOT sell __________.
A. lamb B. beef C. pork D. chicken
61. The prices at Munchies are ___________.
A. lower than usual B. bargain prices for the opening
C. lower for two people D. lower if you spent $21.00
62. Everyone who eats at Munchies will receive a __________.
A. free raffle ticket B. lucky draw coupon
C. free meal D. balloon and whistle
63. I will find out who has won the trip to Western Australia when I __________.
A watch Channel 3 television
B. come down to Munchies at noon
C. read The Straits Times on the 15th of January
D. attend the lucky draw at Munchies Food Hall
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，共40分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的 A B C D四个选项中选出最佳选项
Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you do and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow yourself to make your life happen.
Successful and happy people have a vision of how their life should be and they set lots of goals to help them reach their vision. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It’s like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind (her goal) which is laid out for her in a map. She can drive there without any waste time or wrong turns. The other driver has no goal or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drives aimlessly around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas and oil. Which driver do you want to be?
Winners in life set goals and follow through on them. Winners decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren’t difficult to set, and they aren’t difficult to reach. It’s up to you to find out what your goals, ideas and vision really are. You are the one who must decide what to pursue and in what direction to aim your life.
Researchers tell us when we write a goal down, we are more likely to achieve it. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget.
Also when you write your goals in a particular fashion, you are able to stimulate yourself to be continuously alert to situations that will further your goals.
56. The example of the two drivers was given to show ___________.
A. the importance of having a map and right direction
B. the foolishness of the second driver
C. the importance of setting goals
D. the foolishness of the first driver
57. According to this passage, the most important thing in realizing one’s ideal is to _________.
A. have a clear understanding of what he or she wants in life
B. let others help him or her to make his or her dream come true
C. try to be realistic about one’s ability
D. let others understand him or her first, then work together with them
58. If people want to reach their goals, they should _________.
A. write down their goals
B. discuss with others and ask for their help
C. face the difficulties in front of them
D. sign a contract with other people
59. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Failure always accompanies the people who give up easily.
B. Whenever you set goals, you will succeed.
C. Winners never stop their efforts for success.
D. Success is possible only when a person has clearly set his or her goal.
Uncertainty spreads through our lives so thoroughly that it dominates our language，Our everyday speech is made up in large part of words like probably, many, soon,great,little.What do these words mean?
Such verbal imprecision is not necessarily to be criticized. Indeed, it has a value Just because it allows uw to express judgments when a precise quantitative statement is out of the question.
We have been trying to pin down by experiments what people meari by these expressions in specific contexts, and how the meanings change with age. For instance,a subject is told "There are many trees in the park" and is asked to say what number the word may mean to him. Or a child is invited to take "some" sweets from a bowl and we then count how many he has taken. We compare the number he takes when he is alone with the number when one or more other children are present and are to take some sweets after him, or with the number he takes when told to give
“some" sweets to another child.
First, we find that the number depends, of course, on the items involved. To most people some friends means about five, while some trees means about twenty. However, unrelated areas sometimes show parallel values. For instance, the language of probability seems to mean about the same thing in predictions about the weather and about politics: the expression is certain to( rain,or be elected)signifies to the average person about a 70 percent chance; is likely to, about a 60 percent chance; probably will, about 55 percent.
Secondly, the size of the population of items influences the value assigned to an expression.Thus, if we tell a subject to take "a few" or“a lot of" glass balls from a box, he will take me if the box contains a large number of glass balls than if it has a small number, But not proportionately more: if we increase the number of glass balls eight times, the subject takes only half as large a percentage of the total.
Thirdly, there is a marked change with age. Among children between six and fourteen years old, the older the child, the fewer glass balls, he will take. But the difference between a lot and a few widens with age. This age effect is so consistent that it might be used as a test of intelligence.
51. What's the right attitude towards the words like probably, any and soon ?
A. They are inaccurate and we should avoid them.
B. They are necessary since we cannot be always precise.
C. They should be criticized because there are too many of them.
D. Their value is not yet clear since we don't know their meaning.
52. Why do we do experiments with the words many and some?
A. To prove that people are insensitive to these words.
B. To prove that the words dominate our everyday speech.
C. To find out how the meanings vary with age and contexts.
D. To find out whether the words can mean a precise quantity.
53. Which of the following expressions means a larger chance in weather broadcast?
A. Possible. B. Probable. C. Be likely to. D. Be certain to.
54. Which of the following is similar to the underlined word signifies in its meaning?
A. makes B. means C. predictsD. indicates
55. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Uncertainty in the Language Use.
B. How to Use Language in an Uncertain Way
C.Uncertain Words and their Use in Specific Contexts
D. Experiments on Relationship between Uncertainty and Language Use