Question

In the United States you will find yourself being urged from every page of every newspaper and every television station to buy all kinds of goods.

Not only is there a wide range of prices for goods in America, there is also a wide range in the quality of goods offered for sale. Unlike some countries, Americans generally pay the price of a product without question, instead of trying to get a lower price by bargaining. However, there are many “sales” in the United States, during which time stores will lower their normal prices. This may all be very confusing to visitors. How are you going to know how to “get your money’s worth” when you shop? Perhaps the best advice is: Don’t hurry. Visit various stores and determine the quality of goods. Read the advertisements so that you can compare prices.

There is a great variety of shops in the United States, ranging from very large stores called “department stores” to very small shops. There are “discount houses” offering goods at low prices, and “dime stores” specializing in a wide range of inexpensive items.

Most department stores in large cities carry better quality products at higher prices. However, they offer the shoppers great convenience since they contain such a wide variety of products.

If convenience isn’t as important to you as price, you may want to shop in discount houses. These stores have nearly as great a variety of goods as department stores, but offer lower prices. They can do so for several reasons. They don’t offer the same services to buyers that department stores do; there may be fewer sales people; and the store probably doesn’t deliver purchases.

Another popular shop is the “dime store”. No longer selling many things for five or ten cents, these stores got their name in the last century when it was decided that a small profit on a great quantity of goods would be better than a large profit on fewer sales. Dime stores specialize in a wide variety of inexpensive items and today, prices range from a quarter or 50 cents up to several dollars.

1.Where can we most probably read this passage?

A. In a research paper.       B. In a science report.

C. In a geography book.      D. In a travel magazine.

2.Why can discount houses offer goods at lower prices compared with department stores?

a. They have fewer employees.

b. They have larger quantities of goods.

c. They offer fewer services.

d. They don’t provide delivery service.

A. a b c    B. a b d   C. a c d    D. b c d

3.What’s special about dime stores?

A. They sell lots of goods at a small profit.

B. They make big profits by selling some goods.

C. They provide goods with a price lower than 50 cents.

D. They provide goods ranging from bargains to expensive ones.

.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文叙述了美国各种类型的商店，在美国，不但所出售的商品的价格大不相同，连商品的质量也是完全不一样。不像在其他一些国家，美国人一般按产品的价格付款时都不争讲价钱，不是通过讨价还价来企图以较低的价格来买到产品。不过，在美国也有很多"促销"活动，在促销期间各类商店都会把他们的正常价格降下来。本文讲述了“特价商品屋”及“10美分店”，有时也称为“5分10分店”。他们大多是薄利多销的为目的。

1.文章出处题。根据短文主要介绍了美国的各种各种各样的商店，这种广告可能出现在旅行杂志上，故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据There are “discount houses” offering goods at low prices, and “dime stores” specializing in a wide range of inexpensive items.可知他们有更少的员工，提供的服务项目少，他们不提供送货上门的服务，故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据a small profit on a great quantity of goods would be better than a large profit on fewer sales. 它们买商品主要是薄利多销，故选A。

考点：日常生活类短文阅读。