Everyone is 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 orders. The easiest way is through PayPal, an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card (信用卡).

Selling made simple: If you plan to sell on eBay, it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my friends’ 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 collected or sent by delivery men. Check the ways of delivery before you bid.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to make payment online.

B．Ways of using delivery online.

C．Advantages of an online-auction system.

D．How to use an online-auction system.

2.After bidding for an item, a buyer __________.

A．will get what he wants in ten days

B．should make payment immediately

C．has chances to make higher bids

D．may check its picture and description

3.The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is __________.

A．through an online payment system

B．through a local banking system

C．by sending the money to the seller

D．by paying the deliveryman directly

 

 

第二节  完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

I once heard the story of a grown bear that lived in a cage and traveled with a circus ever since he was young. The bear spent every day of his life   16   back and forth in his cage while lots of   17   looked on. When the keepers weren’t   18  , some visitors would throw pieces of food   19  broken glass into the cage. When the great bear would eat what he thought was a(n)   20   meal, the broken glass   21  cut his throat and stomach.

One day an animal lover visited the circus and saw the   22   , things that the people were doing. He felt so   23   for the animal that he decided to buy the bear. The circus   24   to sell the bear to him and they set up a   25   to send it.

When the day arrived for the bear to be   26   , everyone was waiting to see what would happen. To everyone’s   27  , when the door of the cage was opened for the first time, the bear      28   paced back and forth as usual. The bear didn’t seem to   29   that the cage door was open. Finally the keepers got the bear out of the cage and rolled it   30  . What they saw next shocked everyone. The bear   31   at his new home. Then to everyone’s surprise and   32  , the bear began his pacing again. Back and forth he would go as if he was in a(n)   33   cage. In the end, he had to be put to sleep.

I hope and   34   that you are not living a life like the bear described above. I heard a(n)   35    recently, “Don’t let your past dictate who you are, but do let it influence who you become.”

16. A. bending              B. confusing                        C. removing                        D. pacing

17. A. activists                  B. visitors                         C. keepers                        D. bears

18. A. tidying           B. contacting                      C. looking                           D. existing

19. A. made up             B. kept up                            C. made of                      D. filled with

20. A. wonderful                B. simple                        C. unforgettable                     D. frustrating

21. A. should                 B. will                                  C. may                         D. would

22. A. terrible               B. strange                           C. amusing                      D. endless

23. A. promising            B. silent                         C. pity                                D. fair

24. A. refused                B. thrilled                          C. agreed                        D. inspired

25. A. rule                      B. date                             C. company                     D. calendar

26. A. sold                   B. delivered                       C. presented                     D. shot

27. A. surprise                 B. sadness                     C. comment                        D. entertainment

28. A. originally               B. anxiously            C. simply                           D. enjoyably

29. A. bother                  B. dream                       C. desire                           D. care

30. A. in                         B. up                                    C. out                                         D. away

31. A. traveled around           B. looked into                     C. checked in                     D. looked around

32. A. excitement            B. disappointment            C. eagerness                   D. imagination

33. A. lovely            B. precious                       C. imaginary                      D. similar

34. A. advise                    B. pray                              C. explain                            D. educate

35. A. statement                    B. announcement                    C. method                          D. quote

 

Read the following posters carefully and answer the questions below.

Basketball Match Rockets VS Lakers DATE: July 19, 7 o’clock;  Billy Basketball Club For detailed information, see Paul Burton before Friday lunch time.

Layla’s Disco No-shop light music show 15 Pembroke Road; Weekdays: 7 pm-11 pm;  Sunday closed Over 18s only

Fashion Show At the Daxing Square Date: May the 1st to the 8th From 7:30 to 11:00 pm Booking agent: Peter Smith— 010-8266 1555

KARMA Health Food Restaurant 6 Castle Street Hot and cold vegetable food(素食) Lunch(11:00—14:00) Self-service; Dinner(17:00—21:00) Table-service For bookings, ring 0865-5677665

1. ________ can give you more information about the basketball match.

A．John Smith.

B．Tommy Brown.

C．Paul Burton.

D．Tonny Wang.

2.Who can’t be allowed to go to the Layla’s Disco? 

A．A 30-year-old worker.	B．A 50-year-old doctor.
C．A 22-year-old manager.	D．A 15-year-old student.

3.You must phone ________ if you want to get a ticket for the fashion show.

A．the booking agent	B．the teacher
C．the manager	D．a postman

4.Which of the following food can you have at KARMA?

A．Chicken.

B．Tomato.

C．Fish.

D．Beef.

 

If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削) year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.

Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.

No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes.

When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability(稳定耐用)? That is for you to decide.

1.Designers and big stores always make money _______.

   A. by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

   B. because they are capable of predicting new fashions

   C. by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing

   D. because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothing

2.To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as _______.

   A. a waste of money                          B. a waste of time

   C. an expression of taste                        D. an expression of creativity

3.New fashions in clothing are created for _______.

   A. the commercial exploitation of women     

B. the women's strength of character

   C. basic qualities of inconstancy and instability   

D. an important contribution to society

 

 

 

三、阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

请阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A, B, C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。

When I get off the bus, I’m usually greeted by the sounds of news on CNN. My father welcomes me, and I help him with the usual things—changing the channel and some other tasks. My father has a disease that makes him unable to walk. Despite his disability, my father has always been my role model.

In my first year at middle school, my grades slipped greatly. My father told me I could improve. I currently maintain a B plus average, and he confidently supports me in all my academic efforts. He is against violence to the best of his ability. Love is his most important tool,and he makes sure we know that violence is never the answer.

He urges me not to fear,but to believe in what I think is right.“No matter what anyone tells me,”he says,“I believe what I choose. If someone is discriminating against you for who you are, they don’t deserve your time.”My friends are the most caring people I’ve met, because I realize that they don’t judge me, and they like me as I am.

I’ve always found it strange that people pity me because of my father’s condition. He’s not inferior(次于) to anyone. His disease doesn’t hold him back. He’s normal person.

When I see disabled people out in public, I consider them equal to any other individual. No one is superior to anyone for any physical reason. I’ve known that from that day on, thanks to my dad.

“Anything else?”I’ll ask.

“No, that’s fine.”

As I walk to my room, I think my dad who teaches me the most important things I’ll ever need to know. My father is in no way inferior to anyone else. If anything, he’s even better.

1.

According to the passage,we learn that the author’s father is_________.

  A.kind but sort of strict                    B.disabled but optimistic

  C.independent but violent                  D.full of love but lacks confidence

2.

It can be learned from Paragraph 3 that the author’s father gives him some advice on

   _________.

  A.how to make friends                    B.how to help the disabled

  C.how to learn from failure                D.how to improve his studies

3.

.When the author sees disabled people in public,he feels_________.

  A.embarrassed            B.sorry        C.natural        D.uncomfortable

4.

What can we learn from the passage?

  A.The author is proud of his father.

  B.The author is likely to be taken in by his friends.

  C.The author encourages his father to do things himself.

  D.The author is looked down upon because of him disabled father.