阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane(棍子) made her way carefully up the steps. She   36   the driver and, using her hands to feel the   37   of the seats, walked down and found the   38   which the driver had told her was empty. Then she settled in.

It had been a year since Susan, 34,   39   a medical misdiagnosis (误诊), was suddenly thrown into a world of   40   . Mark, her husband, was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. He   41   her how to rely on her other  42   specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and   43   to adapt herself to the new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could   44   for her, and save her a seat.

   45  , Susan decided that she was ready to try the   46   on her own. Monday morning, she said good-bye and for the first time, they went their   47   ways.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was   48   the bus, the driver said, “Lady, I   49   envy you.” Susan had no   50   what the driver was talking about, and asked, “What do you   51   ?”

The driver answered, “You know, every morning for the   52   week, a fine-looking gentleman   53   a military uniform has been standing across the corner   54    you as you get off the bus. He   55   you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building. You are one lucky lady.”           

Tears of gratitude poured down Susan’s cheeks.     

1.A. thanked                B. asked                      C. discovered         D. paid

2.A. location                B. shape                      C. size                  D. cost

3.A. ticket                   B. bus                         C. seat                   D. bag

4.A. according to          B. instead of               C. thanks to           D. due to

5.A. anger                   B. darkness                 C. happiness          D. light

6.A. asked                   B. encouraged              C. taught               D. praised

7.A. feelings                B. sights                      C. senses                      D. abilities

8.A. how                     B. when                   C. where                      D. who

9.A. make out               B. watch out            C. find out                    D. work out

10.A. Finally                B. Luckily                C. However           D. Besides

11.A. visit                  B. trip                              C. bus                   D. work

12.A. opposite             B. separate                   C. difficult                   D. usual

13.A. getting on           B. getting in             C. getting off         D. getting up

14.A. must                   B. may                       C. will                         D. do

15.A. idea                           B. opinion                C. way                         D. thought

16.A. want                 B. mean                       C. say                          D. suggest

17.A. next                          B. old                   C. past                  D. following

18.A. by                            B. on                    C. with                 D. in

19.A. searching             B. watching              C. calling              D. noticing

20.A. looks out             B. takes up               C. believes in        D. makes sure

 

Dear Economist,

My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply in love．There is, however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage．I absolutely insist on shopping at Walmart．My wife, meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs．

　　I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good―lower prices mean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade means a tighter-knit(紧密团结的) international community, and efficient operations translate into higher productivity growth for the economy．My wife complains about poor labour policies, the “fact” that Walmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business．

　　Who is right? Will our marriage survive?

Brian Gee

Dear Brian,

I have to agree with you about Walmart．Jason Furman, then an economist at New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in 2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不觉地) a progressive success story．The chain’s prices don’t much affect me (I prefer Whole Foods) but Furman estimated that they benefited low-and-middle-income Americans to the sum of around $250 billion a year．

　　Walmart does not pay much, so it may depress wages．Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to the otherwise-unemployed．Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers far outweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees．And while it is true that Walmart employees tend to be poor, the same is true of Walmart shoppers．

　　Armed with this information you can face your wife with confidence．You are sure to win the conversation．The divorce is likely to be more argued．

Economist

1.What concerns Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?

A．His wife refuses to shop at Walmart．

B．They are faced with a divorce．

C．They can’t afford the costs of shopping at Walmart．

D．They are in conflict about shopping at Walmart．

2.Brian Gee’s wife tends to hold the opinion that _________．

A．it is wrong for Walmart to depress its employees’ wages

B．consumers’ lives have improved thanks to Walmart

C．Walmart’s business operation increases productivity in economy

D．Walmart’s business increases global trade

3.What can be inferred from the reply letter?

A．Some employees accept the low pay to keep the job．

B．Walmart appeals to only poor consumers and poor employees．

C．Employees suffer from Walmart’s low prices more than consumers．

D．Jason Furman, a New York University economist, spoke highly of Walmart．

 

The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod : each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (时尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” — and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer — which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet — adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear — popular in the US and UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper came out last week under the name “i”.

   In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.

   Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it is no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.

   But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i” . Why not use “a”, “b” or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPad, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition ,” he says.

   “However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability (轻便).” adds Thorne.

   Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.

   Along with “Google” and “Twitter”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.

   But as history shows, fads come and go. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably（不可避免地）disappeared.

1.People use iPlayer to ____________.

   A. listen to music       B. make a call   C. watch TV programs online  D. read newspapers

2.We can infer that the Independent’s “ i ” is aimed at _____________.

   A. young readers         B. old readers    C. fashionable women     D. engineers

3. Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products that are ______________.

   A. advanced      B. portable          C. recyclable      D. environmentally friendly

4.The author of the passage would probably agree that _______________.

   A. “i” products are often of high quality      B. all “i” products have something to do with Internet

   C. the popularity of “i” products may not last long   D. iTeddy is a live bear

 

_____his timely help , Kate overcame the hardship at last.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

A．For

B．Thanks to

C．As a result

D．Because

 

It was          John          we won the game.

   A. because; who   B. because of; whom  C. as; that        D. thanks to; that