Everyone’s at it , even my neighbors . I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn’t done an eBay deal . So , I decided to try my hand at online auction（网上拍卖）.

Buying for beginners : Sign up on www. ebay .co. uk . Most items（e.g. tables , computers , and books）ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description ; others may be marked with “ Buy It Now ” and have a fixed price . You can buy these right away .

If the item is being auctioned , you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids（出价）for you . The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid , then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again . Auctions last up to 10 days and when they finish you get an email telling you whether you have won the item .

How to pay : Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a cheque or postal orders . The easiest way is through PayPal , an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card（信用卡）.

Selling made simple : If you plan to sell on eBay , it helps to include a picture of the item . I followed my friends’ advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction , starting on a Thursday . This way buyers had two weekends to bid .

The big things in life : It’s easy to post a small item , but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collected or sent by deliverymen . Check the ways of delivery before you bid .

1.What is the passage mainly about ?

A. How to make payment online .                 B. Ways of making delivery online .

C. Advantages of an online-auction system .         D. How to use an online-auction system .

2.After bidding for an item , a buyer       .

A. will get what he wants in ten days               B. should make payment immediately

C. has chances to make higher bids              D. may check its picture and description

3.The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is       .

A. through an online payment system             B. through a local banking system

C. by sending the money to the seller               D. by paying the deliveryman directly

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Having left the town , the girl stopped the car at the landing near the entrance of the bay（海湾）. She stepped into the   1and rowed out silently . The tide was rushing to the entrance and   2to the wild open sea . She had to row across the bay to reach   3side . The waves struck against the side of the boat ,   4and uneven ; it became   5difficult to row . If she   6for a moment , the tide would push the boat back towards the   7.

She wasn’t even halfway ,   8she was already tired and her hands   9from pulling on the rough wooden oars（船桨）. “ I’m never going to   10it ” , she thought . She rested the oars on her knees and   11her head helplessly , then looked up as she   12the boat shift（晃动）against the tide .

The east wind , which had swung（旋转）around from the south-west ,   13her help and pushed the boat towards the mountains . It was going to be   14. Her hands weren’t so painful . Her chest didn’t feel as if it was about to burst   15.

The lights of the town became   16. One of the oars banged against the side of the boat and she   17it with a start . Had she been asleep , or just   18? She looked over her shoulder . She was almost on the beach . The girl gave one last   19on the oars to ground the boat , and then lay back against the seat . She listened to the waves   20and knew she had come home . Far across the moonlit bay the lights were no more than a sparkling chain .

1.A. car                B. boat             C. ship             D. sail

2.A. beside         B. before               C. behind               D. beyond

3.A. another            B. other                C. either               D. the other

4.A. deep           B. calm             C. gentle               D. rough

5.A. more           B. less             C. as               D. least

6.A. slept          B. continued            C. rested               D. rowed

7.A. home           B. mountains            C. south-west           D. entrance

8.A. if             B. so               C. but              D. since

9.A. hurt           B. ruined               C. troubled         D. broke

10.A. get               B. make             C. keep             D. take

11.A. turned            B. dropped          C. cocked               D. raised

12.A. saw           B. made             C. heard                D. felt

13.A. got to            B. came to          C. sent for         D. reached for

14.A. difficult         B. serious          C. all right            D. certain enough

15.A. any more      B. still more           C. no more          D. once more

16.A. brighter          B. bigger               C. closer               D. smaller

17.A. destroyed     B. threw                C. repaired         D. seized

18.A. dreaming      B. guessing         C. inventing            D. expecting

19.A. blow          B. hit              C. pull             D. strike

20.A. anxiously     B. happily          C. sadly                D. carefully

 I prefer a flat in Inverness to       in Perth , because I want to live near my Mom’s .

A. one     B. that         C. it       D. this

【详解】考查代词的用法。one表示泛指，相当于“a(an)+名词”，代替的是同类事物中的“一个”；that表示特指，相当于“the+名词”；it所代替的是前面提到过的同一事物；this表示近指。故选答案A。

 I       have been more than six years old when the accident happened .

A. shouldn’t      B. couldn’t      C. mustn’t    D. needn’t

 Last month , part of Southeast Asia was struck by floods , from       effects the people are still suffering .

A. that         B. whose        C. those       D. what

 I don’t want       like I’m speaking ill of anybody , but the manager’s plan is unfair .

A. to sound   B. to be sounded   C. sounding  D. to have sounded

 By the time Jane gets home , her aunt       for London to attend a meeting .

A. will leave       B. leaves      C. will have left     D. left

 Bill was doing a lot of physical exercise to build up his       .

A. ability          B. force        C. strength      D. mind

 It is what you do rather than what you say       matters .

A. that     B. what     C. which    D. this

 —Julia said she sent you a birthday card yesterday . Have you got it ?

   —Oh , really ! I haven’t       my mailbox yet .

A. examined       B. reviewed       C. tested       D. checked