Question

In every British town, large and small, you will find shops that sell second-hand goods. Sometimes such shops deal mostly in furniture, sometimes in books, sometimes in ornaments（装饰） and household goods, sometimes even in clothes.

The furniture may often be “antique”, and it may well have changed hands many times. It may also be very valuable, although the most valuable piece will usually go to the London salerooms, where one piece might well be sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. As you look around these shops and see the polished wood of chests and tables, you cannot help thinking of those long-dead hands which polished that wood, of those now-closed eyes which once looked at these pieces with love.

The books, too, may be antique and very precious; some may be rare first printings. Often when someone dies or has to move house, his books may all be sold, so that sometimes you may find whole libraries in one shop. On the border between England and Wales, there is a town which has become a huge bookshop as well. Even the cinema and castle have been taken over, and now books have replaced sheep as the town’s main trade.

There are also much more humble shops, sometimes simply called “junk shops”, where you can buy small household pieces very cheaply. Sometimes the profits（利润）from these shops go to charity. Even these pieces, though, can make you feel sad; you think of those people who once treasured them, but who have moved on to another country or to death.

Although the British do not worship（崇拜）their ancestors, they do treasure the past and the things of the past. This is true of houses as well. These days no one knocks them down; they are rebuilt until they are often better than new. In Britain, people do not buy something just because it is new. Old things are treasured for their proven worth; new things have to prove themselves before they are accepted.

1.Books found in second-hand book shops may         .

A. be copies of the earliest printings    B. be on sale for the first time

C. never be worth very much    D. never be rare

2.What was the small town on the border between England and Wales famous for?

A. Its sheep.    B. Its bookshops.

C. Its cinema.    D. Its castle.

3.The average British person         .

A. does not respect old things because they are not fashionable

B. likes to build new houses simply because it is fashionable to do so

C. likes to buy new things because they are fashionable.

D. does not like to buy things simply because they are fashionable

4.What does the underlined word “them” (Paragraph 4) refer to?

A. junk shops    B. profits from shops

C. old things    D. old houses

Answer

1. A

2. A

3. D

4. C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章通过介绍英国的各种各样的“二手物品”市场，指出了英国人的消费观。

1.细节理解题。答案定位在第三段The books, too, may be antique and very precious; some may be rare first printings.可知在二手书书店发现的书可能是最早印刷的副本，故选A。

2.推理判断题。答案定位在倒数第三段now books have replaced sheep as the town’s main trade.（现在，作为这座城镇的主要贸易，书已经代替了羊），由此推断出英格兰和威尔士边境的这座小城以绵羊出名，故选A。

3.细节理解题。答案定位在最后一段In Britain, people do not buy something just because it is new.可知一般来说，英国人并不喜欢仅仅是因为这个东西很流行，而去买，故选D。

4.推理判断题。上文Even these pieces, though, can make you feel sad说即使是这些东西，也会让你感觉难过，可知you think of those people who once treasured them, but who have moved on to another country or to death.的意思是你会想到曾经很珍爱它们的那些人，但是他们已经搬走了或是死亡了。由此推断出“them”指的是旧东西，故选C。