Buster Brown was a thief — and a good one, too, he thought. He’d never been caught by the police because he was always prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.
Confidently, he stood outside the house of his intended victim and read the sign on the front gate of the house. “Don’t worry about the dog –be aware of the owner!” it said. Buster smiled and found his ways in.
The house looked quite normal outside, but inside it was very unusual with fascinating objects on display. As he began putting them into his bag, a dog came into the room. It stopped when it saw Buster, then wagged its tail madly and went over to him, licking his outstretched hand. “Good boy,” Buster whispered. “What a great guard dog you are –trying to lick me to death.”
Satisfied he’d made friends with the dog, Buster began to wander round the house, choosing items to put in his bag. His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques(古董)---a pair of silver candleholders, a silver tea and coffee service, etc. His new friend, the dog, sat and watched, as if wondering what was happening.
“Well, boy,” Buster whispered finally. “That might do any more and I won’t be able to carry it!” He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just then the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He protected his eyes with his hand.
“You’re a very silly person,” the figure in the doorway said, his voice dry as dust. As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn’t quite sure where he had seen him before.
“______________________________ the sign outside,” the man shouted angrily. “I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will be put behind bars. Imagine trying to rob the house of the world’s greatest fortune –teller!”
76. What would the best title of the story be? (Please answer within 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________
77. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
I was given the information about this robbery last week and I know you will be in prison.
___________________________________________________________________
78. Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the
sentence. (Please answer within 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________
79. What do you think of the owner of the house? Give your reasons. (Please answer within 30
words) ________________________________________________
80. Translate the underlined sentence in the third paragraph into Chinese
__________________________________________________________________
阅读表达:阅读短文,回答问题。
You’ll have many things to arrange and think about before you leave your home country for New Zealand. Use our links to find some important information to help you prepare for departure.
Bank accounts and credit cards
Your present bank should be able to help you set up a bank account in New Zealand before you leave, so that you can make credit card and other withdrawals(提款)when you arrive.
Documents, credit references(证明)and driver licences
Your first few days in New Zealand are more likely to be easy and problem-free if you arrive with the following documents:
◎birth certificates
◎marriage certificates
◎academic qualifications
◎references from previous employers
◎curriculum vitae (个人简历)
◎an international driver licence or permit
All documents should be originals (not copies). _________________________ they should be accompanied (附上)by a certified (认可的)translation.
Plan what to wear
The weather is changeable, so bring a range of clothes and do not forget to include a raincoat. Remember, seasons are the reverse(相反的) of those in the northern hemisphere.
Bringing your belongings
The New Zealand Customs Service pamphlet(小册子), Advice on Importing Goods into New Zealand, provides full information about importing goods into New Zealand. The pamphlet is available from New Zealand immigration, diplomatic(外交的) and trade offices or you can E-mail: feedback@customs.govt.nz
Pets
You may need to plan six months ahead if you wish to bring your domestic pets into the country. For full information, contact the Import Management Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). Telephone: +64 4 498 9625, Fax: +64 4 474 4132.
71. What is the proper title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
72. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
When you set off for New Zealand, bring some clothes in case the weather changes
____________________________________________________________________________
73. Please fill in the blank in the fifth paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words) ________________________________
74. Which one of the preparations do you think is the most important for you if you go to New Zealand? Give your reasons?(Please answer within 30 words)
______________________________________________________________________________
75. Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
______________________________________________________________________________
High-quality customer service is preached(宣扬) by many ,but actually keeping customers happy is easier said than done. Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a store, but instead will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers-and anyone who will listen. Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde group and Wharton school.
“Storytelling hurts the boss and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde group.” the store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.” On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four other, and will no longer visit the specific store for every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative reviews. The resulting “snowball effect” can be bad to bosses.
According to the research, shoppers who bought clothing met the most problems. ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers. The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered (塞满了的) shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople. During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided fight between those eyeing the same parking space.
Bosses can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.
Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers. “Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly.” said Professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help.” Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filling complaints to the boss, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. Bosses are hard-pressed to improve when they have no idea what is wrong.
1. Why are store managers often the last to hear complaints?
A. Most customers won’t bother to complain even if they have had unhappy experiences.
B. Customers would rather relate their unhappy experiences to people around them.
C. Few customers believe the service will be improved.
D. Customers have no easy access to store managers.
2. What does Paula Courtney imply by saying “ … the shopper must also find a replacement” (Line 2, Para. 4)?
A. New customers are sure to replace old ones.
B. It is not likely the shopper can find the same products in other stores.
C. Most stores provide the same
D. Not complaining to the manager causes the shopper some trouble too.
3. Shop owners often hire moonlighting police as parking attendants so that shoppers_____
A. can stay longer walking in the store B. won’t have trouble parking their cars
C. won’t have any worries about safety D. can find their cars easily after shopping
4. What contributes most to smoothing over issues with customers?
A .Manners of the salespeople B. Hiring of efficient employees
C. Huge supply of goods for sale D. Design of the store layout.
5. To achieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to _________.
A exert pressure on stores to improve their service
B. settle their problem with stores in a diplomatic(外交)way
C. voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly
D. shop around and make comparisons between stores
When I lived in Spain, some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car. Before they left, they asked me for advice about how to find accommodation (住所). I suggested that they should stay at “bed and breakfast” houses, because this kind of accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family. My friends listened to my advice, but they came back with some funny stories.
“We didn’t stay at bed and breakfast houses,” they said, “because we found that most families were away on holiday.”
I thought this was strange. Finally I understood what had happened. My friends spoke little English, and they thought “VACANCIES” meant “holidays”, because the Spanish word for “holidays” is “vacaciones”. So they did not go to house where the sign outside said ‘VACANCLES’, which in English means there are free rooms. Then my friends went to house where the sign said ‘NO VACANCLES’, because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday. But they found that these houses were all full. As a result, they stayed at hotels!
We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs. In Spanish, the word “DIVERSION” means fun. In English, it means that workmen are repairing the road, and that you must take a different road. When my friends saw the word “DIVERSION” on a road sign, they thought they were going to have fun. Instead, the road ended in a large hold.
English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages. Once in Paris. when someone offered me some more coffee, I said ‘Thank you’ in French. I meant that I would like some more, However , to my surprise the coffee pot was taken away! Later I found out that ‘Thank you’ in French means ‘No, thank you.’
1. My Spanish friends wanted advice about ______.
A. learning English B. finding places to stay in England
C. driving their car on English roads D. going to England by car
2. I suggested that they stay at bed and breakfast houses because ______.
A. they would be able to practise their English
B. it would be much cheaper than staying in hotels
C. it would be convenient for them to have dinner
D. there would be no problem about finding accommodation there
3. “NO VACANCIES” in English means ______.
A. no free rooms B. free rooms C. not away on holiday D. holidays
4. If you see a road sign that says ‘Diversion’, you will ______.
A. fall into a hole
B. have a lot of fun and enjoy yourself
C. find that the road is blocked by crowds of people
D. have to take a different road
5. When someone offered me more coffee and I said “Thank you” in French, I ______.
A didn’t really want any more coffee B. wanted them to take the coffee pot away
C. really wanted some more coffee D. wanted to express my politeness
Lead(铅) deposits, which accumulated(增加) in soil and snow during the 1960's and 70's, were primarily the result of leaded gasoline emissions originating in the United States. In the twenty years that the Clean Air Act has mandated(托管) unleaded gas use in the United States, the lead accumulation world-wide has decreased greatly.
A study published recently in the journal Nature shows that air-borne leaded gas emissions from the United States were the leading contributor to the high concentration of lead in the snow in Greenland. The new study is a result of the continued research led by Dr. Charles Boutron, an expert on the impact of heavy metals on the environment at the National Center for Scientific Research in France. A study by Dr. Boutron published in 1991 showed that lead levels in arctic (北极的) snow were declining(减少).
In his new study, Dr. Boutron found the ratios of the different forms of lead in the leaded gasoline used in the United States were different from the ratios of European, Asian and Canadian gasoline and thus enabled scientists to differentiate (分区) the lead sources. The dominant lead ratio found in Greenland snow matched that found in gasoline from the United States.
In a study published in the journal Ambio, scientists found that lead levels in soil in the North-eastern United States had decreased markedly since the introduction of unleaded gasoline. Many scientists had believed that the lead would stay in soil and snow for a longer period.
The authors of the Ambio study examined samples of the upper layers of soil taken from the same sites of 30 forest floors in New England, New York and Pennsylvania in 1980 and in 1990. The forest environment processed and redistributed (再分配)the lead faster than the scientists had expected. Scientists say both studies show that certain parts of the ecosystem (生态系统 ) respond rapidly to reductions in atmospheric pollution, but that these findings should not be used as a license to pollute.
1. The study published in the journal Nature indicates that ________.
A. the Clean Air Act has not produced the desired results
B. lead deposits in arctic snow are on the increase
C. lead will stay in soil and snow longer than expected
D. the US is the major source of lead pollution in arctic snow
2. Lead accumulation worldwide decreased significantly after the use of unleaded gas in the US ________.
A. was discouraged B. was carried out by law
C. was forbidden by law D. was introduced
3. How did scientists discover the source of lead pollution in Greenland?
A. By analyzing the data published in journals like Nature and Ambio.
B. By observing the lead accumulations in different parts of the arctic area.
C. By studying the chemical elements of soil and snow in Northeastern America.
D. By comparing the chemical compositions of leaded gasoline used in various countries.
4. The authors of the Ambio study have found that ________.
A forests get rid of lead pollution faster than expected
B. lead accumulations in forests are more difficult to deal with
C. lead deposits are widely distributed in the forests of the US
D. the upper layers of soil in forests are easily polluted by lead emissions
5. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that scientists ________.
A. are puzzled by the mystery of forest pollution
B. feel ease by the use of unleaded gasoline
C. still consider lead pollution a problem
D. lack enough means to combat lead pollution
If you want to teach your children how to say sorry, you must be good at saying it yourself, especially to your own children. But how you say it can be quite tricky. If you say to your children "I'm sorry I got angry with you, but …" what follows that "but" can make the apology ineffective: "I had a bad day" or "your noise was giving me a headache " leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.
Another method by which people appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say "I'm sorry you're upset"; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done.
Then there is the general, all covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying "I'm useless as a parent" does not commit a person to any specific improvement.
These pseudo(假的)-apologies are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness. Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not resort to these pseudo-apologies.
But even when presented with examples of contrition(悔悟), children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old boy might need help in understanding that other children feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology. A six-year-old boy might need reminding that spoiling other children's expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that taking the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent's clothes without permission is not.
1. If a mother adds "but" to an apology, _______.
A. she doesn't feel that she should have apologized
B. she does not realize that the child has been hurt
C. the child may find the apology easier to accept
D. the child may feel that he owes her an apology
2. According to the author, saying "I'm sorry you're upset" most probably means "_______".
A. You have good reason to get upset
B. I'm aware you're upset, but I'm not to blame
C. I apologize for hurting your feelings
D. I'm at fault for making you upset
3. It is not advisable to use the general, all-covering apology because _______.
A. it gets one into the habit of making empty promises
B. it may make the other person feel guilty
C. it is vague and ineffective
D. it is hurtful and insulting
4. We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry _______.
A. the complexities involved should be ignored
B. their ages should be taken into thinking
C. parents need to set them a good example
D. parents should be patient and tolerant
5. It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is _______.
A. a social issue calling for immediate attention B. not necessary among family members
C. a sign of social progress D. not as simple as it seems