Everyone's at it, even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn't done an eBay deal. So, I decided to try my hand at online auction（网上拍卖）.
Buying for Beginners
Sign up on www.eBay.co.uk. Most items (e.g. tables, computers and books) ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description; others may be marked with “Buy It Now” and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away.
If the item is being auctioned, you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids（出价）for you. The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid, then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days and when they finish, you get an email telling you whether you have won the item.
How to Pay
Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a check or postal order （邮政汇票）. The easiest way is through PayPal, an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card.
Selling Made Sample
If you plan to sell on eBay, it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my friend’s advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction, starting on a Thursday. This way buyers had two weekends to bid.
The Big Things in Life
It's easy to post a small item, but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collectively sent by deliverymen. Check the ways of delivery before you bid.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to make payment online.
B.Ways of making delivery online.
C.How to use an online auction system.
D.Advantages of an online auction system.
2.You should if the item is being auctioned.
A.make loud noises B.get the others not to bid
C.ask the other people’s price D.offer the highest price you are ready to pay
3.After bidding for an item, a buyer .
A.has chances to make higher bids
B.will get what he wants in ten days
C.should make payment immediately
D.may check its picture and description
4.The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is .
A.through a local banking system
B.by sending the money to the seller
C.through an online payment system
D.by paying the deliveryman directly
Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?”
The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead. The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.” The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless!”
“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.
“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”
1.What puzzled the grandson most was _________.
A.why he forgot what he read soon B.whether it was useful to read books
C.what kind of book he could understand D.how he could read books like his grandpa
2.Why did Grandpa ask his grandson to fetch a basket of water?
A.To get him to realize the use of reading books. B.To punish him for not reading carefully.
C.To clean the dirty basket in the river. D.To train him to run faster.
3.What lesson can we learn from the story?
A.The old are always wiser than the young. B.It is foolish to carry water with a basket.
C.You can’t expect to remember all you read. D.Reading books can change a person gradually.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Grandpa and Grandson B.Carrying Water in a Basket
C.Baskets and Books D.Reading for Total Changing
It was while she was sleeping in her bedroom that a thief ______ the house.
A.broke down B.broke out C.broke into D.broke up
In the last few years, China ___ great achievements in environmental protection.
A.has made B.had made
C.was making D.is making
Jack Smith earns ______his wife Jane while they do the same amount of work, which is unfair.
A.twice as many as B.as twice much as
C.twice more money as D.twice as much as
Young drivers are far more ______ to have accidents than old drivers.
A.likely B.impossible C.probable D.possible
