Question

“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.

The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告) in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight----like tired guests at a party----waiting for someone to take them home.

Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.

Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.

1.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?

A. Cheap and ugly things.

B. Things people no longer use.

C. Things out of season.

D. Things of great value.

2.A white elephant refers to _________.

A. something that can cause a feeling of pain

B. something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others

C. something sold at the lowest prices

D. a toy shaped like a fish

3.Most people go to yard sales to________.

A. find valuable paintings

B. look for something special

C. find a bargain

D. kill their time

4.We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.

A. people may find something of great value on a yard sale

B. yard sales only attract those who have a low income

C. things on a yard sale can cost people a lot

D. most people don’t want to go to yard sales.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一片记叙文。把自己家里没有用的东西拿到旧货市场去卖，在春、夏、秋三个季节的每个周末，人们在室外的旧货市场待一整天去卖自己的东西。有的人买东西是为了收藏，有的人是为了买是便宜的东西。

1.One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain.

They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale”可知，人们把认为用不上的东西摆在房外出售，故选B。

2.A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. ...To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy”可知，自己认为没有用处的，他人却很喜欢的东西叫作“A white elephant”，故选A。

3.Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little.”可知，大多数人来旧货市场是为了花很少的钱买到满意的东西，即买到便宜货，故选C。

4.They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object.”可排除B项，不是只有低收入者才去庭院旧货市场；根据“They might buy an object simply because it costs so little.”排除C，市场上卖的旧货价格低廉；根据“Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before.”可知，越来越多的人喜欢收藏旧物，说明去庭院市场淘货的人不少，排除D，故选A。

考点：社会类短文阅读