The tough economy is bringing new shoppers to the secondhand market. Plato’s Closet in Chaelotte, NC is a private company, which mainly buys and sells used clothes. While Charlotte has outstanding secondhand stores offering high-end and graceful brands for women, most of their stock applies to adults. Plato’s closet targets teens and those in their 20s. Plato’s Closet , with stores in Matthews and the university area, sells clothes and accessories(装饰品) that are currently popular at about one third the retail prices(零售价).
The two hottest brands, for buying and selling, are Hollister and Abercrombie &Fitch. Even though the offerings tend to be suitable for young people, there are a variety of shoppers at Plato’s Closet of varying ages. Women in their 30s, 40s, and older could easily find a purse, jacket or piece of jewelry they like.
If you are selling
Unlike higher-end resale stores which usually work on consignment(寄售),Plato’s Closet buys on the spot.
Items can be gently used, but must be in very good condition.
Clothes should be less than two years old and styles should be the same as those still being sold at the shopping center.
There is no negotiation; prices are set company-wide. If what you sell amounts to $30 or less, they’ll give you cash. More than that, you’ll get a Visa cash card.
Secondhand success
Don’t get discouraged if you can’t find something on your first trip. Resale shops are always getting new lists of goods and change their styles with each season.
Be sure to check each piece carefully before buying.
Price comparison
Jackets: New York & Company black blazer, $12; retail: $37
Pants: Express Editor-style pants, $12; retail: $69.90.
Shoes: Nine West black peep-toe pumps, $12; retail: $89.
Jewelry: Necklaces, $3-$5; retail: $18-$30.What is the difference between Plato’s Closet and other resale shops?
| A．They offer service for people of different ages. |
| B．The offerings in Plato’s Closet are more expensive. |
| C．Plato’s Closet only offers high-end brands for women. |
| D．Plato’s Closet also sells books to customers. |
Which of the following about Plato’s Closet is NOT true?
| A．Hollister and Abercrombie &Fitch are the two hottest brands in Plato’s Closet. |
| B．Women in their fifties can’t find proper clothes and accessories in Plato’s Closet. |
| C．Goods in Plato’s Closet are sold at 67 percent off retail prices or so. |
| D．Plato’s Closet targets teens and those in their 20s. |
In Plato’s Closet, which of the following is not accepted?
| A．Items you sell must be in very good condition. |
| B．You can negotiate with buyers about prices of goods. |
| C．The clothes you sell should be less than two years old. |
| D．You can sell your goods on the spot instead of on consignment. |
If you buy a pair of Express Editor-style pants in Plato’s Closet, you can save _______.
| A．57.9 dollars | B．15 dollars |
| C．77 dollars | D．25 dollars. |
With help from a Mr.H, you can.
| A．stop using batteries. |
| B．finish your homework on time. |
| C．remember your teacher’s instructions. |
| D．get your room tidied on your way home. |
A PENGO WATCH CONTROL can help you to .
| A．repair your TV | B．organize your homework |
| C．be a James Bond | D．know what the weather is like |
You can get your Mr. H for .
| A．＄499 | B．＄299 | C．＄199 | D．＄99 |
Where would you be most likely to find the two texts?
| A．On a notice board | B．In a company brochure. |
| C．On a teenage website | D．In a college newspaper. |
On March 19, 2013, Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old Pakistani student and women’s-education activist(积极分子)， returned to the classroom for the first time since being attacked by a member of the Taliban on October 9, 2012. Malala was shot on her way home from school in Mingora, Pakistan. The Taliban(塔利班) said that they did the attack. The group said the attack should be a warning to others. Malala was targeted(作为目标) because she expresses her opinion publicly about girls’ rights to education.
After a long period of recovery, Malala is starting as a ninth-year student at Edgbaston High School. It is the oldest independent girl’s school in Birmingham, England. Though she has no specific plans to return to Pakistan, Malala still speaks out as a voice for change in her country, and everywhere. “I’m excited that today I have realized my dream of going back to school. I want all girls in the world to have this kind of chance,” Malala said in a statement .
Malala has been an Internet blogger since she was 11 years old. In 2011 she was awarded Pakistan’s National Peace Award for her bravery in writing about the difficulties of life and education in the shadow of the Taliban. She has spoken publicly about children’s rights and been nominated(提名) for an international children’s peace prize.Why did the Taliban attack Malala?
| A．She is a Pakistani student. |
| B．She was targeted without being planned. |
| C．She didn’t want to be a member of the Taliban. |
| D．She spoke publicly about girls’ rights to education. |
How long did it take Malala to recover from the attack?
| A．Four years. | B．About one year. |
| C．Over five months. | D．About four months. |
We can learn from the passage that Malala______.
| A．is now attending school in Pakistan |
| B．is still under the shadow of the attack |
| C．has made a careful plan for her future |
| D．cares about the situation in her home country |
There was a story many years ago of a school teacher — Mrs. Thompson. She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same. But that was a lie. There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. He didn’t play well with the other children and he always needed a bath. She did not like him.
Then Mrs. Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother. Mrs. Thompson was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too. It was his mother’s perfume(香水).
Teddy said, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to.” After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and math. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid more attention to Teddy. The boy’s mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved. By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.
Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy. He wrote that he had finished high school and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. He went to college. Mrs. Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed: Theodore Stoddard, M.D.（医学博士）.
The story doesn’t end there. On his wedding day, Dr. Stoddard whispered(低声说) in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference.”
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”What did Mrs. Thompson do on the first day of school?
| A．She made Teddy feel very ashamed. |
| B．She asked the children to play with Teddy. |
| C．She changed Teddy’s seat to the front row. |
| D．She told the class something untrue about herself. |
What did Mrs. Thompson find out about Teddy?
| A．He told lies every now and then. |
| B．He was quite good at math, in fact. |
| C．He needed care from mother or someone like that.[ |
| D．He enjoyed playing with others. |
In what way did Mrs. Thompson change after she received the gifts?
| A．She taught fewer school subjects. |
| B．She became stricter with her students. |
| C．She no longer liked her job as a teacher. |
| D．She cared more about educating students. |
Why did Teddy thank Mrs. Thompson at his wedding?
| A．She had kept in touch with him. |
| B．She had given him encouragement. |
| C．She had sent him Christmas presents. |
| D．She had taught him how to judge people. |
The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices, President Obama says. New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico.
In his weekly speech, the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months.
US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel, but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years.
Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr. Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country’s future energy supply.
The President’s proposals (议案) come after Republicans (共和党人) introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production.
The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons, but Mr. Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise.
“I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America — even as we increase safety and environmental standards,” he said.
“As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices.”
Mr. Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035.Which of the following is NOT included in Mr. Obama’s speech?
| A．The reason for the rising oil prices. |
| B．Improving safety standards. |
| C．The dependence on imported oil. |
| D．Expanding oil production. |
Mr. Obama thinks the Republican proposals are ______.
| A．not safe enough | B．not environmentally friendly |
| C．practical | D．clear |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．The US has got most of its electricity from clean energy. |
| B．US oil production is too small to keep the present low fuel prices. |
| C．The US produced the most oil in 2010 in its history. |
| D．The Gulf is still important in energy supply in spite of the oil spill in 2010. |
Which of the following can serve as the title?
| A．Obama: clean, renewable sources of energy are the solution to high gas prices |
| B．Obama: US will import less oil to improve safety and environmental standards |
| C．Obama: the time of high fuel prices will be gone |
| D．Obama: US will seek oil in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico |
(Reuters) — A group of Chinese scientists and explorers are looking for international help to organize a new search for the country’s answer to Bigfoot, known locally as the “Yeren”, or “wild man”.
Over the years, more than 400 people have said they saw the half-man, half-ape (半猿) Yeren in a remote, mountainous area of the central province of Hubei, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday.
Expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s found hair, a footprint, and a sleeping nest suspected of belonging to the Yeren, but there has been no conclusive proof, the report added.
Witnesses describe a creature that walks upright and is more than 2 meters tall with grey, red or black hair all over its body, Xinhua said.
Now the Hubei Wild Man Research Association is looking for volunteers from around the world to join them on another expedition to look for the Yeren.
“We want the team members to be devoted, as there will be a lot of hard work in the process,” Luo Baosheng, vice president of the group, told Xinhua.
But the team will have to come up with about 10 million yuan ($1.50 million) first, and is talking to companies and other bodies to secure the money, so there is no timetable yet for when they may start, the report added.
China is no stranger to cryptozoology. There are many tales about mysterious, monster-like creatures in remote parts of the country. For example, Tibetans have long talked about the existence of the Yeti (喜马拉雅雪人), or “Abominable Snowman”, in the high mountains of their snowy homeland.What the volunteers for this expedition need most is _____.
| A．devotion | B．enthusiasm |
| C．confidence | D．experience |
The timetable for starting the trip depends on _____.
| A．the number of explorers | B．government’s support |
| C．the finance | D．local people’s guiding |
According to the text, the underlined word “cryptozoology” in the last paragraph probably refers to _____.
| A．the study of mysterious animals |
| B．the study of human beings |
| C．dangerous expeditions |
| D．tourism industry |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Volunteers for an expedition needed |
| B．Scientists to look for China’s Bigfoot |
| C．International cooperation in finding wild man |
| D．Yeren appeared in Hubei again |