I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham's for the first fortnight of the January sale．I can't say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I'll never forget．
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales, where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock （货物） and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced．Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn't sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them．Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale．Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds”（clothes not in perfect condition） for the sale and they are sold very cheaply．
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building．This made me very nervous．
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand．The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in．I couldn't believe my eyes; this wasn't shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn't keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind．
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted．Quarrels broke out．Mothers were using their small children to crawl through people's legs and get hold of things they couldn't get near themselves．
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose; each wanting to be the first served．Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper81 was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why twice a year, Graham's were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this．
In the sale fever; people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying．As long as it was a bargain it was OK．You won't believe this．But as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours．Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.
1.What kind of clothes is likely to be s0ld 5% cheaper?
A．Last summer's clothes,
B．Clothes not in perfect condition．
C．Clothes bought in specially for the sales．
D．Clothes for winter．
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A．The customers gave up the queuing, for which the English are famous．
B．The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted．
C．Small children enjoyed crawling though people's legs．
D．The security guards were fearless of the crowd．
3.In the author's opinion, why were Gradhani's happy to make, their expensive store into a "battlefield"?
A．There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales．
B．They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business．
C．They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes．
D．They wanted to make more money by having sales．
4.The expression "crashed out" means _____．
A．chatted with her friends B．slept soundly
C．broke down D．dined out
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A．The Best Bargain． B．Hunting for a Job．
C．Sale Fever． D．A Pleasant Fortnight．
This brief book is aimed at high school students, but speaks to anyone learning at any stage of life.
Its formal, serious style closely matches its content, a school-masterly book on schooling. The author, W. H. Armstrong, starts with the basics: reading and writing. In his opinion, reading doesn’t just mean recognizing each word on the page; it means taking in the information, digesting it and incorporating it into oneself just as one digests a sandwich and makes it a part of himself. The goal is to bring the information back to life, not just to treat it as dead facts on paper from dead trees. Reading and writing cannot be completely separated from each other; in fact, the aim of reading is to express the information you have got from the text. I’ve seen it again and again: someone who can’t express an idea after reading a text is just as ineffective as someone who hasn’t read it at all.
Only a third of the book remains after that discussion, which Armstrong devotes to specific tips for studying languages, math, science and history. He generally handles these topics thoroughly and equally, except for some weakness in the science and math sections and a bit too much passion regarding history. Well, he was a history teacher —if conveyed only a tenth of his passion to his students, that was a hundred times more than my history teachers ever got across.
To my disappointment, in this part of the book he ignores the arts．As a matter of fact, they demand all the concentration, and study that math arid science do, though the study differs slightly in kind．Although it's commonly believed that the arts can only be naturally acquired, actually, learning the arts is no more natural than learning French or mathematics．
My other comment is that tke text aged．The first edition apparently dates to the 1960s—none of the references （参考文献） seem newer than the late 1950s．As a result, the discussion misses the entire computer age．
These are small points, though, and don't affect the main discussion．I recommend it to any student and any teacher, including the self-taught student．
1.According to Armstrong, the goal of reading is to ____ .
A．gain knowledge and expand one's view
B．understand the meaning between the lines
C．express ideas based on what one has read
D．get information and keep it alive in memory
2.The author of the passage insists that learning the arts___ .
A．requires great efforts B．demands real passion
C．is less natural than learning maths D．is as natural as learning a language
3.What is a shortcoming of Armstrong's work．according to- the author?
A．Some ideas are slightly contradictory．
B．There is too much discussion on studying science．
C．The style is too serious．
D．It lacks new information．
4.This passage can be classified as ___．
A．an advertisement B．a book review
C．a feature story D．a news report
Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs.
A second study ,looking at nearly 1000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year –olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood .But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don't ride out that already poorly motivated youngsters（年轻人）may wash lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages5 and 15. These with college degrees had watched拍average of tess than two hours of TV per weeknight during childhood, compared with an average of me than 2 1/2 hours for those who had no education beyond high school
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores , it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn’t have TVs in their bedrooms
1.According to the Califomia study, the low-scoring group might 。
A．have watched a lot of TV
B．not be interested ted in math
C．be unable to go to college
D．have had computers in their bedrooms
2.What is the researchers' understanding of tbe New Zealand study results?
A．Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV.
B．Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest[来
C．TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds.
D．The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain
3.What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
A．More time should be spent on computers.
B．Children should be forbidden from watching TV.
B．TV sets shouldn't be allowed in children's bedrooms
D．Further studies on high-achieving students should be done
4.What would be the best title for this text?
A．Computers or Television
B．Effects of Television on Children
C．Studies on TV and College Education
D．Television and Children's Learning Habits
Holiday News
Vacancies (空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome.
Reduced prices for low season.
The Snowdonia Center
The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a mountain 1068.The beginners’ costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost.
You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.
The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime
Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another.
On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home.
During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play.
You will visit all the places most people only dream about – from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong.
For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.
1.What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?
A．Choose the holiday in Devon.
B．Go to the Snowdonia Centre
C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008
D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii
2.In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?
A．It provides chances of family gatherings.
B．It provides customers with good food.
C．It offers a sport lesson.
D．It offers comfortable room.
3.What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?
A．You can have free meals on deck every day.
B．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.
C．You will have chances to watch and act in a play.
D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking.
4.How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?
A．5. B．6. C．7. D．8.
5.Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the pas sage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
A．f-c-e-a-b-d B．b-e-a-f-c-d C．f-d-e-c-b-a D．b-f-c-d-e-a
6.We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald .
A．had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.
B．was well educated and well off before he served in the army
C．would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down
D．helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital
7.passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about .
A．Zelda’s personal life
B．Zelda’s illness and treatment
C．Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham
D．Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项
For most of the day construction worker Sidney Smith and his brother – in – law Joseph Chambers had been 1along the banks of Lake Waco with little 2. Chambers suggested they go home, but Smith 3that there were still several hours of daylight 4and there was one other place they might try a bit longer before 5.
Smith drove his pickup（小货车）a couple of miles along the 6road to get to the other side of the lake. This road, in the truest sense, was a path wagging in the heavy 7area. Even with the sun still high in the cloudless sky, the 8of trees formed a leafy 9over the road and it suddenly seemed 10in the evening.
“A guy could get lost and nobody would ever find him,” said Chambers.
Smith smiled, “We’re 11there.” He said. A few seconds later, the smile was 12from his face.
“What the hell is that?”
He braked to a stop. Less than twenty feet away was what appeared to be a 13.
For several minutes the two men sat in the pickup 14to decide whether they had happened to 15someone’s bad practical joke or something far more serious. Smith with his brother-in-law got out of the pickup and 16walked towards that thing some distance before them.
It was a young man who was already dead. They had got to tell 17. Back into the pickup, Smith backed the pickup down the road 18he could turn around, then 19back. With the dead young man still on his mind, Smith felt as if he was going to be sick. God, how he 20they had given up fishing and gone home early.
1.A．playing B．boating C．fishing D．walking
2.A．failure B．success C．disappointment D．interest
3.A．quarreled B．argued C．reasoned D．shouted
4.A．remaining B．staying C．keeping D．leaving
5.A．starting off B．running out C．sending away D．giving up
6.A．winding B．widening C．leading D．blocking
7.A．grassed B．wooded C．iced D．snowed
8.A．trunks B．shadow C．shade D．shape
9.A．hat B．umbrella C．sheet D．overcoat
10.A．foggy B．late C．early D．rainy
11.A．almost B．already C．only D．fairly
12.A．escaped B．lost C．gone D．missed
13.A．body B．trap C．pile D．stream
14.A．talking B．hoping C．wanting D．trying
15.A．come across B．turn out C．bring about D．make up
16.A．loudly B．quietly C．quickly D．slowly
17.A．everybody B．somebody C．anybody D．nobody
18.A．until B．before C．after D．when
19.A．turned B．ran C．headed D．walked
20.A．expected B．hoped C．wished D．prayed
--- The weather has been very hot and dry.
--- Yes. If it had rained even a drop, things would be much better now! And my vegetables
then.
A．wouldn’t die B．didn’t die
C．hadn’t died D．wouldn’t have died
