W: Well, I’d like to think about the chair. But it’s not exactly what I had in mind.
M: I can assure you that you won’t find anything more reasonable or more comfortable. 1.
W: I’m worried about the color. 2.
M: Oh, it washes very easily. A little soap and water will remove any spots.
W: Well …
M: Look, a few weeks ago another customer had his doubts when I suggested that he buy one of these chairs. But do you think he brought it back? No way! In fact, he called me up and ordered another one.
W: It is comfortable.
M: There is no doubt about it. But the decision is up to you. 3. Of course, I can’t guarantee that chairs will still be here.
W: 4.
M: The last one in stock. 5.
Being less than perfectly well-dressed in a business setting can result in a feeling of great discomfort that may well require treatment to eliminate (remove). And the sad truth is that “clothing mismatches” on the job can ruin the day of the person who is wearing the inappropriate attire(着装)—and the people with whom he or she comes in contact.
Offices vary when it comes to dress codes. Some businesses have very high standards for their employees and set strict guidelines for office attire, while others maintain a more relaxed attitude. However, it is always important to remember that no matter what your company’s attitude is regarding what you wear, you are working in a business environment and you should dress properly. Certain items may be more appropriate for evening wear than for a business meeting, just as shorts and a T-shirt are better suited for the beach than for an office environment. Your attire should reflect both your environment and your position. A senior vice president has a different image to maintain than that of a secretary or sales assistant. Like it or not, you will be judged by your personal appearance.
This is never more apparent than on “dress-down days”, when what you wear can say more about you than any business suit ever could. In fact, people will pay more attention to what you wear on dress-down days than on “business professional” days. Thus, when dressing in “business casual” clothes, try to put some good taste into your wardrobe choices, and recognize that the “real” definition of business casual is to dress just one notch(等级) down from what you would normally wear of business-professional attire days.
Remember, there are borders between your career and our social life. You should dress one way for play and another way when you mean business. Always ask yourself where you are going and how other people will be dressed when you get there. Is the final destination the opera, the beach, or the office? Dress properly and you will discover the truth in the principle that clothes make the man—and the woman. Unless you are sure what to wear, it pays to dress slightly traditionally than the situation demands.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A．How to dress properly in a business setting.
B．The relationship between career and social life.
C．The differences between professional and casual dress.
D．Dressing codes vary in different situations.
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A．Every company has strict rules regarding office dress.
B．You can wear whatever you like if your company doesn’t have high standards for it.
C．You should dress according to the business setting even when there are no fixed rules.
D．In companies with relaxed rules on office dress, you can’t spot a manager among others.
3.Which statement best describes “dress-down days”?
A．On dress-down days, you can wear whatever you like.
B．People’s clothes on dress-down days don’t receive much attention.
C．We can’t judge a person’s taste by his clothes on dress-down days.
D．People are usually more careful about what they wear on dress-down days.
4.Which of the following is NOT the rule offered in the passage regarding business dress?
A．Remember to ask others for advice when you don’t know what to dress.
B．Think about how other guests will wear if you are invited to a dinner.
C．For a business meeting and a concert, you should dress differently.
D．Dress a bit traditionally if you are not sure what to wear.
Item 78431 The Video Camera Pen
$129.95; Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484
This is the pen that has a built-in video camera, capturing (拍摄，录制) videos or still images with a click of its button．Ideal for use while secured in a pocket, it can capture up to five hours of video. Its battery provides up to two hours of power before requiring a recharge．
Item 78098 The Wristwatch Camcorder
$149．95; Available for 3-day shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484
This is the men’s watch with an unnoticeable camera located at the two-o’clock position, yet the watch’s hands never make it covered．So you’ll be always ready to capture a famous person or a pet’s ridiculous actions. The camera’s rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of use from a four-hour charge．
Item 77918 The only 55 Inch Widescreen Personal Movie Theater
$249．95; Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484
This is the only personal media viewer that provides a private viewing experience just like watching a widescreen 55 inch television from 10 meters away．It connects to a video iPod, iPhone, portable DVD player with two AA batteries providing up to six hours of continuous operation．
Item 77281 The Digital Phone Album Watch
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This is the watch that vividly displays 120 of your favorite digital photographs．You can download digital photographs to the watch．The watch can be viewed in the Photo Album mode (模式) or digital mode （time and date view）．A six-hour charge provides up to 10 days of use．
1.What’s the purpose of this passage?
A．To advertise some goods． B．To compare some goods．
C．To teach how to operate the items． D．To show how fashionable the items are．
2.What do Item 78431 and Item 78098 have in common according to this passage?
A．They both sell well． B．They both can take photos．
C．They both have unusual appearances． D．They are both cheap．
3.If you’re a movie fan, you probably show strong interest in ________．
A．Item78098 B．Item78431 C．Item77281 D．Item77918
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．In fact, Item 78098 cannot tell time． B．Item 77918 works as a DVD player．
C．In a way, Item 77281 is user-friendly．
D All the items include rechargeable batteries．
When I was a kid, I used to spend hours listening to Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew Pinsky on their Sunday night radio show Loveline. I listened so often that I began to use one of their well-known phrases—“good times”—in my daily conversations. Scientists have a name for this phenomenon: behavioral mimicry.
You’ve probably experienced this before: after spending enough time with another person, you might start to pick up on his or her behavior or speech habits. You might even start to develop your friend’s habits without realizing it. There is a large body of literature concerning this sort of phenomenon, and it regularly happens for everything from body gesture to accents to drink patterns（模式）. For example, one study found that young adults were more likely to drink their drink directly after their same-sex drinking partners, than for the two individuals to drink at their own paces.
And the effect isn’t limited to real-life face-to-face activities. Another study found that the same you-drink-then-I-drink pattern held even when watching a movie! In other words, people were more likely to take a drink of their drinks in a theater after watching the actors on the screen enjoy a drink. At least I don’t feel so strange anymore, having picked up on Adam Carolla’s “good times”.
New research published today in the journal PLOS ONE indicates that the same sort of behavioral mimicry is responsible for social eating, at least among university-age women of normal weight. That’s right: the young women were more likely to adjust their eating according to the eating pace of their same-sex dining companion.
As with most experiments, these results raise a whole new set of questions. However, the finding that behavioral mimicry may at least partly explain eating behavior is important, and has real effects on health. The researchers note that “as long as people don’t fully recognize such important influences on intake (eating), it will be difficult to make healthy food choices and keep a healthy diet, especially when people are exposed to the eating behavior of others”.
1.The author takes his own example of using “good times” to_______.
A．express his love for radio shows
B．prove the popularity of the show
C．show the influence of the hosts’ words
D．introduce the topic of the passage
2.Which of the following is NOT an example of behavioral mimicry?
A．A boy eats his popcorn after watching the actor eat.
B．A boy buys a Nike shirt when he finds his desk-mate has one.
C．A girl unconsciously sits straight just as others do.
D．A girl takes on the Yorkshire accent after a month’s stay.
3.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _______.
A．behavioral mimicry is beneficial to our health
B．behavioral mimicry decides our eating behavior
C．people have realized the effect of behavioral mimicry on our health
D．It’s impossible to keep a healthy diet without knowing behavioral mimicry
4.What is probably the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
A．To draw readers’ attention to popular radio shows.
B．To introduce behavioral mimicry and its influence.
C．To appeal to readers not to fall into others’ habits.
D．To advocate healthy food choices among readers.
The house was quiet at 5 am and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring（轻微颤动声）of the freezer had been the sea.
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches—but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches. She’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight, Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sand hills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched (延伸) across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way...
1.What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?
A．He left the house quietly. B．He had breakfast at home.
C．He left a note on the freezer. D．He put a sweater in his schoolbag.
2.“He settled for some biscuits” means that Tim_______.
A．had to leave the biscuits on the table
B．liked biscuits better than sandwiches
C．had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches
D．could only find some biscuits in the kitchen
3.What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?
A．The height of the first rocks. B．The ups and downs of the waves.
C．The change in the position of the sun. D．The vast stretch of the sunlit beach.
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?
A．The sea looked like a piece of gold.
B．Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived.
C．Tim was the only person on the beach.
D．The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave.
5.In the story, Tim’s mood changed from_______.
A．loneliness to craziness B．anxiousness to excitement
C．helplessness to happiness D．eagerness to nervousness
A firm handshake is the key to interview success. As any serious job-hunter knows, it helps to dress smartly and smile at that all-important interview. But research has showed that a firm handshake is what really matters when it comes to impressing potential employers.
A US research looked at 98 undergraduates taking part in mock（模拟）interviews with businesses. As each undergraduate was graded on their general performance, five “handshake raters（评估人）” also marked them on their grasp, strength, duration, vigor and eye contact.
Professor Greg Stewart, from the University of Iowa, who led the study, said those who scored highly with the handshake raters were also considered to be the most hirable by the interviewers. Students with “wimpy” shakes were judged to be more timid（胆怯的）and less impressive.
The study also found women with a firm handshake were likely to be evaluated more favorably than their male counterparts.
Professor Stewart said: “We’ve always heard that interviewers make up their mind about a person in the first two or three minutes of an interview. But we found that the first impression begins with a handshake that sets the tone for the rest of the interview. We don’t consciously remember a person’s handshake but it is one of the first non-verbal（非语言的）clues we get about the person’s general personality, and that impression is what we remember.”
Women were less likely to have a highly rated handshake, partly because traditionally they shake hands less than men. But when women did possess a firm handshake, they were likely to be evaluated more favorably than their male counterparts.
Body language experts warn, however, that the firmness needs to be just right, —as an overenthusiastic “bone crusher” handshake can indicate self-importance, a controlling personality and a lack of reliability.
The handshake is thought to have originated in medieval Europe as a way for kings and knights to show that they did not intend to harm each other and possessed no hidden weapons.
1.The passage is probably intended for_______.
A．job-hunters B．an undergraduate C．employers D．handshake raters
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A．The firmer your handshake is the better impression you leave.
B．The undergraduates without a firm handshake are less competitive.
C．Generally speaking, women shake hands less with others.
D．The handshake dates back to medieval Europe.
3.What is the main idea of the passage?
A．The handshake determines a person’s personality.
B．A successful job interview starts with a firm handshake.
C．The first few minutes of the interview really counts.
D．Job interview success depends on a number of factors.
