I have had just about enough of being treated like a second-class citizen, simply because I happen to be that unfairly treated member of society --- a customer. The more I go into shops and hotels, banks and post offices, railway stations, airports and the like, the more I am convinced the things are being run solely to suit the firm, the system, or the union. There seems to be a deceptive (欺骗的) new motto for so-called “service” organizations --- Staff Before Service.

　　 How often, for example, have you queued for what seems like hours at the Post Office or the supermarket because there were not enough staff on duty to man all the service grilles or checkout counters? Surely in these days of high unemployment it must be possible to hire cashiers and counter staff. Yet supermarkets, hinting darkly at higher prices, claim that uncovering all their cash registers at any one time would increase operating costs. And the Post Office says we cannot expect all their service grilles to be occupied “at times when demand is low”.

　　  It is the same with hotels. Because waiters and kitchen staff must finish when it suits them, dining rooms close earlier or menu choice is cut short. As for us guests, we just have to put up with it. There is also the nonsense of so many friendly hotel night porters having been thrown out of their jobs in the interests of “efficiency” and replaced by coin-eating machines which offer everything from lager to laxatives (从贮藏啤酒到通便剂). Not to mention the tea-making kit in your room: a kettle with a mixed collection of tea bags, plastic milk boxes and lump sugar. Who wants to wake up to a raw teabag? I do not, especially when I am paying for “service”.

　　Can it be stopped, this worsening of service, this growing attitude that the customer is always a bore? I angrily hope so because it is happening, sadly, in all walks of life.

　　Our only hope is to hammer home our anger whenever and wherever we can and, if all else fails, bring back into practice that other, older slogan --- Take Our Deal Elsewhere.

 

1.The writer feels that nowadays customers __________.

A. deserve the lowest status in society

B. are unworthy of proper consideration

C. have received high quality service

D. have become victims of modern organizations

2.The writer argues that the quality of service is changing because __________.

A. customers’ demands have greatly changed

B. the staff receive more consideration than customers

C. customers’ needs have become more complex

D. staff members are less considerate than their employers

3. According to the writer, long queues at counters are caused by __________.

A. not having enough male staff on duty

B. difficulties in hiring more efficient staff

C. lack of cooperation between staff members

D. not providing enough staff on purpose to reduce budget

4.The writer suggests that a customer __________.

A. be patient when queuing before checkout counters

B. put up with the rude manners of the staff

C. try to control his temper when ill-treated

D. go to other places where good service is available

 

Once upon a time, there were two very good friends who lived together in the shade of a rock. Strange as it may seem, one was a　    and one was a tiger. They had met when they were too　   to know the difference between lions and tigers. So they did not think their　   was at all unusual. Besides, it was a peaceful part of the mountains, possibly　    the influence of a gentle forest monk who lived nearby. He was a hermit, one who　    　far away from other people.　

For some unknown reason, one day the two friends got into a silly　    . The tiger said, “Everyone knows the cold　    when the moon wanes from full to new! ” The lion said, “Where did you hear such nonsense? Everyone knows the　    comes when the moon waxes from　    to full! ”

The argument got stronger and stronger. Neither could　     the other. They could not　     any conclusion to resolve the growing dispute. They　     started calling each other names! Fearing for their friendship, they decided to go to ask the learned forest　     , who would surely know about such things.　

Visiting the　     hermit, the lion and tiger bowed respectfully and put their question to him. The friendly monk thought for a while and then gave his　     . “It can be cold in any phase of the　     , from new to full and back to new again. It is the wind that brings the cold, 　     from west or north or east. Therefore, in a way, you are both right! And neither of you is　     by the other. The most important thing is to live without conflict, to remain　     . Unity is best by all means. ”

The lion and tiger thanked the wise hermit. They were happy to　     　be friends.　

1.A. fox               B. hen                     C. donkey           D. lion

2.A. weak            B. unforgettable            C. young            D. poor

3.A. friendship       B. difference        C. relationship                 D. connection

4.A. in turn          B. due to                   C. according to      D. as to

5.A. lived             B. survived           C. walked           D. moved

6.A. argument       B. decision                  C. activity           D. conference

7.A. happens        B. bears                    C. comes           D. seems

8.A. clean            B. cold                      C. cool             D. good

9.A. wonderful       B. fresh                    C. delicious         D. new

10.A. solve        B. compete                  C. convince         D. remind

11.A. arrive        B. reach                    C. cause            D. paint

12.A. far          B. ever              C. yet                      D. even

13.A. monk        B. teacher                  C. mother                   D. parent

14.A. kind         B. different          C. peaceful                D. rich

15.A. answer       B. speech                  C. comment                 D. remark

16.A. sun          B. weather                  C. moon            D. day

17.A. whether      B. until                     C. if                 D. when

18.A. rewarded     B. won                     C. defeated         D. awarded

19.A. moved       B. united            C. interested              D. amused

20.A. too          B. quite             C. also             D. still

 

Once upon a time there lived an old man in a nice cottage with a large garden. The old man was seen   16   his flowers all the time. They were so well-tended that every passer-by could not but   17   for a glance.

   One day a young man went by the garden. He gazed at the splendid garden,   18   in admiration at the beauty of these sceneries. Then, suddenly he   19   the old gardener was blind.   20   , the young man asked, “Why are you busy tending these flowers every day which you can’t  21  in fact?” The old man smiled and answered that “ I can tell you 22   reasons. First I was a   23  when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can’t see these flowers, yet I can   24  them. Third，I can smell sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s   25  .

    “Me? But you don’t know me,” responded the young man   26   .

   “Yeah, it’s   27  that I don’t know you. But I know everyone knows flowers and would never   28   them down. I know the beauty of my garden will get many people into a good   29   . In the meantime, it also   30  a chance to me to have a word with you here and to enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”

    The old man’s  31  astonished me. The blind man grows flowers and  32  them as a link of minds so as to make   33   enjoy the sunshine in spring. Isn’t it one kind of happiness？

   I believe every flower has   34 with which they can see the kindness of the man’s heart. The blind man grows flowers in his heart. Though   35  to see the beauty of blossoming（开花）, he surely can hear the voice of it, I suppose.

1. A. loving        B. watering        C. tending      D. planting

2.A. stop     　　 B. stay            C. live         D. run

3.. A. kept          B. dropped        C. fallen        D. lost

4. A. realized       B. noticed         C. felt          D. thought

5. A. Excited       B. Frightened      C. Shocked      D. Satisfied

6.A. feel          B. see            C. hear          D. eat

7.A. one          B. two            C. three         D. four

8.A. gardener      B. teacher         C. farmer        D. painter

9.A. taste          B. plant          C. touch        D. appreciate

10.A. it            B. me            C. them          D. you

11.A. with pleasure   B. in surprise      C. with hope     D. in anger

12.A. true           B. possible       C. a pity         D. a shame

13. A. put            B. turn          C. get           D. knock

14.. A. mind          B. life           C. future         D. mood

15. A. introduces      B. offers         C. stands        D. leaves

16. A. words         B. behavior       C. story        D. attitudes

17. A. treats          B. acts          C. works         D. serves

18. A. anybody       B. somebody      C. everybody    D. nobody

19. A. ears           B. soul          C. eyes          D. heart

20.A. refusing       B. trying         C. pretending     D. failing

 

Birthdays often involve surprises. But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic.
On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake. This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like. "It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one," said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery.
　 The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples. The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the "Flower portrait"— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death. The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture. These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814. Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609.
　"We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840. This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays," Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator (馆长), told the Associated President.
　　The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays. It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
　　"There have always been questions about the painting," said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company. "Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture."
Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation (调查) and the results will come out later this month._________________
【小题1】What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?

A．It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609.

B．The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake.

C．Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one.

D．It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840.

【小题2】Which statement is True according to the passage?

A．Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable.

B．"Flower portrait " was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower.

C．1814 might be when the portrait was drawn.

D．The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play.

【小题3】How many methods were used to test the portrait?

A．Not mentioned.

B．Two

C．Three

D．At least four.

【小题4】The best title for this passage is _________.

A．Birthdays often involve surprises

B．The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare

C．One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake

D．How can we know Shakespeare's appearance?

【小题5】Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?

A．Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable.

B．Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare.

C．If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more.

D．For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery.

 

You’re in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their conversation：

　　“I can’t believe it—a Lorenzo Betrolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn’t it beautiful？And it’s a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome”.

　　They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater. It’s nice and the price is right. You’ve never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So，you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo Bertolla clothes.

　　Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool，the product seems cool，too. This is the secret of undercover marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.

　　Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don’t pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the MTV generation—consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don’t trust ads.

　　So advertising agencies hire young actors to “perform” in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice misleading, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative.“Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is decreasing”.

　　However，one might ask what exactly is “real” about the young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater. Advertising executives (主管) would say it’s no less real than flu ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. You don’ t know a conversation you overhear is just a performance.

1. The two attractive young women were talking so that they could _______.

A. get the sweater at a lower price            B. be heard by people around

C. be admired by other shoppers              D. decide on buying the sweater

2. Lorenzo Bertolla is _______.

A. a very popular male singer                         B. an advertising agency

C. a clothing company in Rome               D. the brand name of a sweater

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage？

A. The two girls are in fact employed by the Lorenzo Bertolla Company.

B. The MTV generation tends to be more easily influenced by ads.

C. Traditional advertising is becoming less effective because it’s too direct.

D. Undercover marketing will surely be banned soon by the government.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the text？

A. Two Attractive Shoppers                     B. Lorenzo Bertolla Sweaters

C. Ways of Advertising                                 D. Undercover Marketing