An American shopper, Emma Mumford, who was named “the Coupon(优惠券) Queen” has spent just £350 on a luxury(奢侈) Christmas for her and her family—but got £2,500 worth of food, drink and presents thanks to coupons and offers.
Ms Mumford is a so-called “extreme coupon ” and spends hours hunting out the best deals and bargains. She has been preparing for this Christmas since the end of the last one. Ms Mumford made the huge savings by checking price comparison websites and as a result collected more presents than she needed for Christmas. After sorting out gifts for all of her family, she has even been able to donate £1,000 worth of presents to her local hospital.
“It has been so nice to have Christmas sorted and not having to worry about breaking the bank. I wanted to get high quality presents for my family and show that you can do it without spending a fortune. There is a misunderstanding that everyone who does couponing only gets value products but through my careful shopping I have managed to purchase designer perfumes(香水), a high-end coffee machine .”she explained.
She said “What started as a hobby to help me save money has turned into my life and I am able to run a business helping people save money. I know what it feels like to struggle as my ex-partner had a lot of debt which I took on for him. We were in a poor situation where every penny counted. That’s what really inspired me.”
She has now turned her bargain-hunting addiction into a business where she searches for the best deals and offer tips to the general public through video blogging and her Facebook Page.
“I try and show people that it is just a little bit of work in the beginning but it will eventually pay off. One of the best things to do is just to be a bit forward thinking and save throughout the year.”
1.How did Emma make the huge savings?
A. She compared prices through websites.
B. She hunted out bargains in real shops.
C. She used coupons and offers worth £2,500.
D. She collected more Christmas presents than needed.
2.What does “breaking the bank” in the third paragraph mean?
A. Buying presents of low quality.
B. Spending more money than you have.
C. Breaking into the bank.
D. Taking out money from the bank.
3.What really inspired Emma to help people save money?
A. Her addiction to bargain-hunting.
B. The financial difficulties she shared with her ex-partner.
C. The poor situation people around her were going through.
D. Her experience of running an unsuccessful business.
4.Which of the following can best describe Emma?
A. Ambitious and stubborn.
B. Sensitive and determined.
C. Brave and lucky.
D. Careful and caring.
Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal or at least many parts of it have. In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned. Ideas about social class --- whether a person is “working class” or “middle class” are one area in which changes have been extremely slow.
In the past, the working class tended to be paid less than middle-class people, such as teachers and doctors. As a result of this and also of the fact that workers’ jobs were generally much less secure, evident differences in lifestyles and attitudes came into existence. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her “housekeeping”, would go out and squander (挥霍) the rest on beer and betting.
The stereotype (模式化的思想) of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was --- and still is --- tended to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house as a most important thing , but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important. Both of these provided him and his family with security. Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity ( or the education and training ) to make such long-term plans.
Nowadays, a great deal has changed. In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much, if not more, than their middle-class administrators. Social security and laws have made it less necessary than before to worry about “tomorrow”. Working class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority（自卑） they had in the past. In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position.
The changes in both lifestyles and attitudes are probably most easily seen among younger people. They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes; they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations. Nevertheless, we still have a wide gap between the well-paid (whatever the type of job they may have) and the low-paid. As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will arise, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear, but between different groups.
1.According to the passage, which of the following is not a typical feature of the middle class?
A. Desiring for security.
B. Making long-term plans.
C. Having vision for the future.
D. Saving money.
2.The author seems to suggest that the description of ________________ is closer to truth.
A. middle-class ways of spending money
B. working class ways of spending the weekend
C. working class drinking habits
D. middle-class attitudes
3.Working class people’s sense of security increased as a result of all the following factors except _______________.
A. better social security B. more administration
C. higher self-confidence D. less income inequality
4.Which of the following statements is incorrect?
A. Changes are slowly taking place in all sectors of the British society.
B. The gap between working class and middle class young people is narrowing.
C. Difference in income will remain but those in occupation will disappear.
D. Middle-class people may sometimes feel inferior to working class people.
The old man fished alone in a small rowboat and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy’s patents had told him that the old man was now bad luck, and ordered the boy to join another boat, which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his boat empty and he always went down to help him carry in the fishing lines or take down the old, patched sail.
“Santiago,” the boy said to him as they dragged up the boat to the sand. “I could go with you again. I’ve made some money.” the old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him. “No,” the old man said. “You’re with a lucky boat. Stay with them. You must obey your father.” “We can be lucky again too. Remember when we didn’t catch a fish for 10 days, then caught a big one each day for a month?” said the boy. “Can I offer you a beer on the balcony and then we’ll take the stuff home,” said the boy. “Why not?” the old man said.
“Santiago,” the boy said as they sat on the balcony, “If I cannot fish with you, I would like to serve in some way.” “You bought me a beer,” the old man said, lifting the bottle to his mouth. “Do you remember the first time I took you out to fish?” the old man asked. “I was five. I remember the tail of a huge fish slapping against the boat, the noise of you clubbing him and the sweet blood smell. I remember everything from when we first went together,” the boy said. The old man looked at him with his sun-burned, loving eyes.
“May I get some sardines for tomorrow? Let me get four fresh ones,” said the boy. “One,” the old man said. His hope and his confidence had never gone. But now they were freshening like a sea breeze. “Two,” the boy said. “Thank you,” the old man said. He was too simple to wonder when he had attained modesty. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride. “Tomorrow is going to be a good day with this wind,” he said. “I will row far out before it is light. There will going to be a good day with this wind,” he said. “I will row far out before it is light. There will be a big fish?” asked the boy. “I think so. And I know many tricks.”
1.Why was the boy forced to stop working for the old man?
A. It was too dangerous to continue fishing.
B. It was time for the boy to return to school.
C. The old man was thought to be a poor teacher.
D. The boy couldn’t earn enough money with the old man.
2.In paragraph 2, the boy probably mentioned their past fishing experiences in order to
__________.
A. convince the old man that he should not retire
B. explain why he had to stop working for the old man
C. persuade the old man to let him return as his assistant
D. warn the old man about the danger of fishing in the deep sea
3.Which of the following did the boy NOT do for the old man?
A. Buy him a beer. B. Repair the sail.
C. Drag up the boat. D. Take in the fishing equipment.
4.What can we lean about the old man from the last paragraph?
A. He remained optimistic about catching fish.
B. He was the most skillful fisherman in the village.
C. He would stay out longer than any other fisherman.
D. He would usually go out further than any other boat.
The moment I stepped off the plane after a writer’s conference, my youngest son Jeremy greeted me and cried out, “Poster paper, Mama! I need poster paper. We’re having a at school.” Being a housewife and writer, I felt like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep up with the needs of my . Back at home, Jeremy kept reminding me of the poster paper, but I just couldn’t a minute for it. Gradually though, he began to speak more , almost he were talking to himself. Maybe he’ll just forget it, I thought hopefully. So I put Jeremy’s request at the of my long list of things to do.
My third day home I managed to take fifteen minutes to type an article when a small fell across my paper. I knew who it would be before I . Jeremy stood quietly watching me. Oh, Lord, please don’t let him say it again. I knew what he wanted but I needed to_______.I smiled at Jeremy and kept typing. He for a few more minutes, then turned and walked away. I almost didn’t hear his . “Competition is over tomorrow, anyway.” The small figure walking out of my room, a silent voice spoke urgently to my heart, “Get him that paper—now!”
“Let’s go to get the paper, Jeremy.” He stopped, and looked at me in “You’re going to the store just for me?” I . Suddenly, a look of _____ shot across his face, erasing the disbelief. I don’t think I’ll ever that moment. Later that day, he worked silently on the all afternoon. And a few weeks later, a large yellow envelope came. Inside it was the Certificate of Award. So was I that I didn’t turned away from his to get him some poster paper.
1.A. race B. class C. ceremony D. competition
2.A. colleagues B. family C. neighbors D. relatives
3.A. spare B. pay C. spend D. lose
4.A. slowly B. softly C. confidently D. loudly
5.A. as soon as B. as long as C. as though D. even if
6.A. bottom B. top C. beginning D. corner
7.A. letter B. foot C. image D. shadow
8.A. woke up B. stood up C. got up D. looked up
9.A. rest B. type C. learn D. exercise
10.A. widely B. happily C. weakly D. politely
11.A. watched B. searched C. hesitated D. complained
12.A. comment B. footsteps C. warning D. advice
13.A. fell over B. sat down C. turned aroundD. walked away
14.A. peace B. astonishmentC. relief D. silence
15.A. doubted B. argued C. apologized D. nodded
16.A. surprise B. sadness C. disappointment D. excitement
17.A. enjoy B. remember C. forget D. value
18.A. story B. question C. poster D. composition
19.A. grateful B. generous C. forgetful D. selfless
20.A. opinion B. request C. promise D. gift
——If you make it in the competition, I’ll buy you a drink.
——Ok. ______!
A. That’s a deal B. That’s all right
C. Good luck D. Take care
Many college students are willing to work in Western China after graduation _______, poor and backward as it is, more opportunities of employment are available.
A. which B. when C. that D. where
