A bargain is something offered at a low and advantageous price. A more recent definition is: a bargain is a dirty trick to force money out of the pockets of silly and innocent people.
The cost of producing a new - for example - toothpaste would make 80p the proper price for it, so we will market it at £1.20. It is not a bad toothpaste, and as people like to try new things it will sell well to start with; but the attraction of novelty soon fades, so sales will fall. When that happens we will reduce the price to £1.15. And we will turn it into a bargain by printing 5p OFF all over it.
Sometimes it is not 5p OFF but 1p OFF. What breathtaking rudeness to advertise 1p OFF your soap or washing powder or whatever! Even the poorest old-age pensioner ought to regard this as an insult(侮辱), but he doesn’t. A bargain must not be missed. People say one has to have washing powder (or whatever) and one might as well buy it a penny cheaper.
The real danger starts when unnecessary things become ‘bargains’. Many people just cannot resist bargains. Provided they think they are getting a bargain they will buy clothes they will never wear or furniture they have no space for. Once I heard of a man who bought an electric saw as a bargain and cut off two of his fingers the next day. But he had no regrets: the saw had been truly cheap.
Quite a few people actually believe that they make money on such bargains. A lady once told me: “I’ve had a lucky day today. I bought a dress for £120, reduced from £400; and I bought a beautiful Persian carpet for £600, reduced from £900.” It will never occur to her that she has actually wasted £720. She feels as though she had made £580. She also feels, I am sure, that if she had more time for shopping, she could make a living out of it.
Some people buy in large quantities because it is cheaper. Once a couple bought enough sugar for their lifetime and the lifetime of their children and grandchildren. They thought it a bargain not to be missed. When the sugar arrived they didn’t know where to store it – until they realized that their toilet was a very spacious one. So that was where they piled up their sugar. Not only did their guests feel rather strange whenever they were offered sugar to put into their coffee, but the toilet became extremely sticky.
To offer bargains is a commercial trick to make the poor poorer. When greedy fools fall for this trick, it serves them right.
Which word best describes the language style of the passage?
| A．Polite. | B．Foolish. | C．Humorous. | D．Serious. |
What does the underlined word “novelty” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Good quality. | B．Low price. |
| C．Newness. | D．Curiosity. |
How does the author feel about 1p OFF a product?
| A．It’s a gift for poor people. |
| B．It’s an offense to shoppers. |
| C．It’s a bargain worth trying. |
| D．It’s a real reduction in price. |
Which statement will the author probably agree with?
| A．Bargains are things people don’t really need. |
| B．Bargains are often real cheap products. |
| C．Bargains help people make a living. |
| D．Bargains play tricks on people. |
When former American President Bill Clinton traveled to South Korea to visit President Kim Young Sam, he repeatedly referred to the Korean president’s wife as Mrs．Kim．By mistake, President Clinton’s advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese．Clinton had not been told that, in Korea, wives keep their family names．President Kim Young Sam’s wife was named Sohm Myong Suk．Therefore, she should be addressed（称谓）as Mrs．Sohn．
President Clinton arrived in Korea directly after leaving Japan and had not changed his culture gears．His failure to follow Korean customs gave the impression that Korea was not as important to him as Japan．
In addition to Koreans, some Asian husbands and wives do not share the same family names．This practice often puzzles English-speaking teachers when talking with a pupil’s parents．They become puzzled about the student’s correct last name．Placing the family name first is common among a number of Asian cultures．
Mexican naming customs are different as well．When a woman marries, she keeps her family name and adds her husband’s name after the word de （of）．This affects how they fill in forms in the United States．When requested to fill in a middle name, they generally write the father’s family name．But Mexicans are addressed by the family name of the mother．This often causes puzzlement．
Here are a few ways to deal with such difficult situations: don’t always think that a married woman uses her husband’s last name．Remember that in many Asian cultures, the order of first and last names is reversed. Ask which name a person would prefer to use．If the name is difficult to pronounce, admit it, and ask the person to help you say it correctly．
63．The story of Bill Clinton is used to．
A．improve US Kotean relations B．introduce the topic of the text
C．describe his visit to Korea D．tell us how to address a person
64．The word “gears” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to．
A．action plans B．naming customs
C．travel maps D．thinking patterns
65．When a woman marries in Koreas, she．
A．continues to use her family name B．uses her husband’s given name
C．shares her husband’s family name D．adds her husband’s given name to hers
66．To address a married woman properly, you’d better ．
A．use her middle name B．use her husband’s first name
C．ask her which name she likes D．change the order of her names
My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six failing grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.” I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time,” and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
59. By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and_____.
A. preferred to stay alone at home B. lost interest in his studies
C. refused to talk to others D. began to dislike his mother
60. There was silence on the other end of the line because.
A. the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother
B. the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking
C. the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice
D. the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother
61. The sentence “... he even made the honor roll” means that .
A. he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting
B. he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades
C. he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around
D. he was even on the list of the best students at school
62. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.
B. Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life.
C. Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.
D. School education doesn’t work without full support from parents.
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When Janet, a grade two student at a well-known school, was pestered(纠缠) by her classmates to join their group to steal from shops, she was shocked. She was a quiet, well-behaved girl and she did not understand why the girls had approached her.
They showed her some of the things they had stolen and said that shop theft was great fun and very exciting. Then they threatened to beat Janet if she did not join them.
Janet was deeply troubled. She did her best to avoid the group of the girls after classes, but they often waited for her outside the school and tried to persuade her to come with them.
This problem is one which many school students in Hong Kong face. We asked the chairman of the local-fight-crime committee what Janet should do in these cases.
“First of all, she could try to talk the other girls out of the whole thing. Being caught stealing from shops could ruin their futures and it is simply not worth the risk,” he said.
“Young people may think that it is easy to get away with stealing from shops, but more and more stores now have plain clothes detectives who are dressed like customers. I would say shop thieves have a more than ninety percent chance of being caught.”
“If they won’t listen to her, Janet should go to someone in charge in school, who can then decide if the matter can be dealt with by her or whether it is necessary to report the incident to the police.”
56. From the first three paragraphs we can learn that ____________.
A. Janet didn’t know what to do with the case
B. Janet faced the group bravely
C. the group stole a lot of things
D. the group were short of money
57. The underlined part “talk the other girls out of the whole thing” means ____________.
A. discuss the possible result with them
B. tell them about their futures
C. persuade them to stop theft
D. warn them not to disturb her
58. One of the suggestions to Janet is to ____________.
A. report the situation to the police
B. ask the local-fight-crime committee for advice
C. hire a detective to catch them
D. turn to her teacher for help
The first time I decided to leave home was when 1 was in high schoo1．1 was having trouble getting along will my parents．I had about a hundred dollars in my pocket，and so I thought about leaving home, It took me 6my three weeks away from home when I stared to feel homesick. Living on my own is a totally different experience for three main reasons：being more responsible, more decisive and more creative
First of all，I have learned that living on my own requires that I become more responsible．My parents usually tell me to carry out m
y work and duties almost every day．men I fail to do the work，I only get scolded. However now that I am on my own，I get to deal with my duties without being told to．When I fail to do my duties，I must also deal with the result by myself
Another different experience for me while living on my own is that now I have become more decisive. ·I have to be more careful since I am on my own because my parents are not here to give me their advice. I must make my own decisions．For example，I must make the best decisions for myself without hurting anybody’s feelings and without my parents，guidance．
Therefore，I became more creative just by living on my own．I could make my own future plan-l have made rules for myself to follow．This to me is a good experience，because I usually think that being creative is the．nicest thing in the world．However, when 1 was with my parents
l found it hard for me to be creative simply because I always followed their ideas．
In conclusion，these are the things that usually happen when I am with my parents and when I am alone. Besides，I think that it is better for everyone to love their parents and themselyes before they love anyone else．They s
hould leam how to live on their own. but meanwhile learn how to follow every technique that was given to them by their Pa
rents．They can make use of their freedom of choice to lead to wherever they want。According to the text，the author decided to leave home because
| A．he would like to live in the school with fellows |
| B．he found it hard to get on well with his parents |
| C．he had to go on with．his studies in．another city |
| D．he felt he was old enough to live on his own |
What did the author think matters most in the world?
| A．Being independent． | B．Being responsible． |
| C．Being creative． | D．Being more decisive． |
The passage mainly tells us that.
| A．one Can be, free of trouble by living on one’s own |
| B．one can enjoy more freedom by living on one，s own |
| C．living alone can help one keep good relationships with parents |
| D．1iving alone helps one become responsible，decisive and creative |
How is the text developed?
| A．Explanation—Examples—Conclusion |
| B．Explanation—Research—Conclusion |
| C．Argument—Information—Conclusion |
| D．Argument—Reasons—Conclusion |
LAS VEGAS (AFP) — Children may not like it but a British technology firm has invented an electronic babysitter -- a wristwatch-like device that lets parents know where their children are at all times.
The GPS Child Locator, or num8, attaches securely to a child’s wrist and contains a Global Positioning System (GPS), said Matthe
w Salmon, a spokesman for the manufacturer, lok8u.
"It uses GPS and GSM (Global System for Mobiles) technology with an accuracy of 10 feet (three meters)," he said. "It tracks your child."
"It only starts working when the device is
connected to the child’s wrist," Salmon said, and is "very difficult to get off."
"Even if the child managed to get it off it would send an emergency text message through to your mobile phone," he said. "It would give you a Google Maps image with their exact location, the street name and the zip code."
When a child is wearing the device, a parent sends the text message "wru" and the child’s current location is sent back to a mobile phone or computer.
Parents can also log on to the company website to discover their child’s present location.
"You can also set up a perimeter, an invisible fence, and if they wander out of this invisible fence which you put on the Internet it will warn you," Salmon said. "It will text you immediately."
Salmon said the device is waterproof and shockproof and lasts for three days with a full charge.
It will be available in both Britain and the United States this year and retails for 200 dollars with a 10 dollar a month subscription fee.
He said the company had received thousands of inquiries about the device since launching it this week. "Fifty percent are positive, 50 percent are negative, that it’s a bit Big Brotherish," he said. "But it’s really just about letting you have freedom of mind."Only when does the device begin to work.
| A．it uses GPS and GSM technology | B．it is put within about 3 meters |
| C．it’s joined to parents’ computer | D．it is fastened to the child’s wrist |
If a child is wearing the “wristwatch”, parents can track them by .
| A．sending the text message “wru” | B．replying to the text message |
| C．getting a Google Maps picture | D．phoning the local police station |
What Can we conclude from the text?
| A．It won’t be easily found if a child loses t11e device |
| B．The device won’t work while a child is swimming |
| C．Parents can easily track children due to the device |
| D．The new product needs to be fully charged daily |
The purpose of the text is to .
| A．explain how to use the new device |
| B．attract more buyers to the new product |
| C．discuss advantages of a new invention |
| D．introduce a new electronic equipment |