Every year many students went to the college bookstore to purchase the different textbooks that they need for their classes. Little do these students realize that, in doing so, they are throwing good money away. It may sound unbelievable but textbooks, in some cases, actually cost as much as, if not more than, college fees.
Many people think that college bookstores are the most convenient source for textbooks. Titles are usually kept and students may purchase new textbooks or choose to buy second-hand books and save money. But the money saved by purchasing second-hand textbooks from college bookstores is small compared to the amount they could save by shopping online.
More and more online booksellers have begun selling textbooks at heavily discounted prices. Online second-hand bookstores are another source for college books as they keep a large number of textbooks, which means sizable savings for students. Students should avoid purchasing their textbooks at the first store that they surf online since there are so many ‘unreal’ booksellers on the Net. Price isn't the only factor to consider when making an online purchase. Students should also consider shopping costs and delivery time when making their decision.
Online auctions(拍卖) are another option for students seeking a bargain. This option, however, has its pros and cons. A plus is that students can get incredibly cheap books. One problem is that while online bookstores have a system in place that ensure you receive your order within a reasonable amount of time, with an auction purchase, however, you must depend on the auction seller's timetable.
One way that students can really save is by getting books for free. Project Gutenberg is one resource that English majors will find invaluable. Here students can legally download a huge collection of classic novels. In the past students needing help with their studies would often have to spend a lot of money buying expensive study guides. Today that is no longer the case. Cash-strapped students can now visit the website SparkNotes for free downloadable study guides as well as classics.
1.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．Learning to Save on Textbooks B．Why Buy Textbooks
C．Online Shopping D．Tips for Buying Secondhand Textbooks
2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a source to obtain textbooks ?
A．College bookstores. B．Online used bookstores.
C．Online auctions. D．Second-hand bookstore centres.
3.The underlined expression “pros and cons” (paragraph 4) is closest in meaning to __________.
A．professionals and conservatives B．joy and sadness
C．advantages and disadvantages D．processes and conditions
4.According to the passage, Project Gutenberg is probably __________.
A．a government project aimed at helping English majors
B．a project to help poor students get free learning materials
C．a website for English majors to get the guides from language experts
D．a website for students to get free sources for English learning
5.From the passage, we can learn that__________.
A．the cost of textbooks in college is low compared to the amount spent on tuition
B．online auctions are perfect for students seeking text books
C．students should visit many websites before buying their books
D．students should consider shopping costs and delivery time above all else when making their buying decision
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loves experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out,” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his father’s warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colours, shifting and changing, and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead!” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGE １
VOYAGE ２
Mark’s finger flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED.
START TRANSPORT PROGRAM.
AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED(自动回收程序已启动).”
The screen turn even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled out in terror, reaching for the power switch. A beam(光束) of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow(光芒)，until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed：
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL．
DESTINATION: MARS.
RETRIEVE DATE: 2025
1.Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?
A．He wanted to take a voyage. B．He wanted to practice his skills.
C．He was so much attracted by it. D．He was eager to do an experiment.
2.Where did the boy’s father most likely work?
A．In an electronic factory. B．In a computer company.
C．In a scientific research center. D．In an information processing center.
3.Mark thought “SPACE TRANSPORTER” on the screen was the name of ________.
A．a computer game B．a company website
C．a software producer D．an astronomy program
4.Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
A．He was afraid of being scolded.
B．He didn’t like the loud noise and light.
C．He didn’t want to play games.
D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen.
5.What happened to the boys at the end of the story?
A．They were blown into the air.
B．They were sent to another planet.
C．They were hidden in the strong light.
D．They were carried away to another country.
There are times when people are so tired that they fall asleep almost anywhere. We can see a lot of people sleeping on the bus or train on their way home __1.__ work in the evening. A man will be reading the newspaper, and seconds later it appears as if he is trying to eat it. Or he will fall asleep on the shoulder of the stranger sitting next to him. Another place where __2.__ (plan) short sleep goes on is in the lecture hall __3.__ a student will start snoring so loudly that the professor has to ask __4.__ student to shake the sleeper awake. A more _5.__ (embarrass) situation occurs when a student starts falling into sleep and __6.__ weight of the head pushes the arm off the desk, and the movement carries the rest of the body along. The student wakes up on the floor with no memory of getting there. The __7._ (bad) time to fall asleep is when driving. Police reports are full of accidents that occur when people fall into sleep and go off the road. __8.__ the drivers are lucky, they are not seriously hurt. One woman’s car, for example, went into the river. She woke up in four feet of water and thought that it __9.__ (rain). When people are really tired, __10.__ will stop them from falling asleep — no matter where they are.
A king in Africa had a close friend with whom he had grown up. The friend had a habit of looking at every bad situation that occurred in his life and 1 , “This is good!”
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting 2 . The friend would 3 the guns for the king. But this time he had 4 done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.
Examining the 5 the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” to which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and 6 imprisoned his friend.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area where he should have known not to hunt. Cannibals(食人者) __7 him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, set up a wooden post and 8 him to it. As they came close to set fire to burn the king, they 9 that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So 10 the king, they sent him on his way.
As he returned home, he was 11 of the event that had taken his thumb and felt sorry for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the 12 to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” Then he 13 to tell the friend all that had just happened.
“I feel 14 for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”
“No,” his friend replied, “this is good!”
“What do you mean? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?”
“If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you, and I would have been ___15 !”
1. A．joking B．remarking C．announcing D．whispering
2. A．expectation B．experience C．expedition D．experiment
3. A．prepare B．arrange C．carry D．hold
4. A．deliberately B．apparently C．naturally D．specially
5. A．thumb B．king C．gun D．situation
6. A．angrily B．calmly C．regretfully D．joyfully
7. A．caught B．warned C．robbed D．hunted
8. A．connected B．related C．wrapped D．fastened
9. A．observed B．understood C．noticed D．complained
10. A．untying B．forgiving C．overlooking D．beating
11. A．recalled B．accused C．informed D．reminded
12. A．house B．jail C．village D．kingdom
13. A．stopped B．hesitated C．continued D．refused
14. A．fortunate B．foolish C．guilty D．painful
15. A．burnt B．cooked C．fired D．eaten
Johnson King is a fine musician; it’s a ______ to hear him play.
A．privilege B．consequence C．acquaintance D．convenience
China Mobile has to face the problem that more and more people in China prefer to choose ______ cheaper wireless phone service known as ______ “Little Smart”.
A．a; the B．a; 不填 C．the; 不填 D．the; the
