Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品) that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.

What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?

A. The exercise of rights is a luxury.

B. The practice of choice is difficult.

C. The right of choice is given but at a price.

D. Choice and right exist at the same time.

Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?

A. Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product.

B. People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion.

C. Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items.

D. Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the rage of choice.

By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove that _______.

A. advanced products meet the needs of people

B. products of the latest design flood the market

C. competitions are fierce in high-tech industry

D. everyday goods need to be replaced often

What is this passage mainly about?

A. The variety of choices in modern society.

B. The opinions on people’s right in different countries

C. The Problems about the availability of everyday goods.

D. The helplessness in purchasing decisions

【小題1】B

【小題2】C

【小題3】B

【小題4】D


解析:

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eBay Enables Everyone to Buy and Sell

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37.A.beyond                   B.over                       C.a(chǎn)cross                     D.through

38.A.build                      B.paint                      C.rescue                     D.print

39.A.nest                        B.baby                       C.body                      D.egg

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41.A.nice                       B.colorful                  C.shiny                      D.special

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閱讀下面短文, 掌握其大意, 然后從16 ~ 30各題所給的A、B、C和D項(xiàng)中,選出最佳選項(xiàng), 并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
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A short time later, her husband arrived. The woman’s tired face   25  when her husband sat beside her. They laughed, cried and shared their child.
After almost an hour, I called the prisoner in. He seemed like a   26  and humble man. I   27  what he possibly could have done to be held under such conditions. I tried to make him comfortable.
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I’ll never forget the   30   on both their faces as the prisoner gave his wife the beautiful roses.

【小題1】
A.darkenedB.brightenedC.frightenedD.strengthened
【小題2】
A.flowerB.souvenirC.giftD.plant
【小題3】
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【小題4】
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【小題5】
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【小題6】
A.customerB.neighbourC.patientD.visitor
【小題7】
A.schoolB.universityC.townD.prison
【小題8】
A.forcedB.beggedC.remindedD.encouraged
【小題9】
A.earlyB.oftenC.longD.soon
【小題10】
A.lit upB.cheered upC.looked upD.went up
【小題11】
A.rudeB.cruelC.gentleD.selfish
【小題12】
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【小題13】
A.sadB.easyC.a(chǎn)nnoyingD.difficult
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When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family. Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.

But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were visiting her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.

“I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,” she told a wide-eyed Meagan. “I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine, with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you’d ever want to see.”

“She had an elegant, hand-painted face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.”

GG’s voice dropped low, taking on an almost respectful tone. “My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, decorated with fine lace. … Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it. But how happy I was that morning!”

GG’s eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. “I played with my doll all morning long. And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down gently on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.”

“I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. And it was. Her lace skirt had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. She was gone forever.”

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My heart filled with pride as I listened to my sympathetic little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG’s fond memories?

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Finally our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?

On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our happily packed gift to GG, where she sat surrounded by children, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. “It’s for you,” Meagan said, “but first you have to read the story that goes with it.”

GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.

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1.GG moved in with her daughter because____.

A.she wanted to live with a large family

B.she was not able to live on her own due to her weakness

C.her husband passed away

D.she thought it was the children’s obligation to take care of her

2.Why did GG become very emotional on a December afternoon?

A.Because she saw her great granddaughter’s doll.

B.Because she recalled her dead parents.

C.Because she was surrounded by her offspring.

D.Because she felt lonely during the Christmas season.

3.What can we infer from Paragraph 5? 

A.GG’s doll was important and was a symbol of many things.

B.GG showed great respect for his husband’s love.

C.GG missed the great old days she spent with her family.

D.GG was grateful for her long life.

4.What happened to GG’s baby sister?

A.She envied her sister all her life.

B.She felt guilty for breaking GG’s doll and decided to go.

C.She left home at a young age.

D.She died of some disease at a young age.

5.Why did Meagan’s mum feel proud of her daughter?

A.Because she was clever.                  B.Because she was loving.

C.Because she was sensitive.                D.Because she was imaginative.

6.The main idea of the passage is that ____.

A.treating the elderly well is moral

B.it is impossible to copy the exact doll for the elderly

C.love, the permanent rhythm of life, will always remain in the elderly’s heart

D.physical comfort from children rather than psychological care is important

 

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第三部分:閱讀理解(共20小題;每小題2分,滿分40分)

   When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in basic training in New Jersey and not sure if I could make it home for the holidays. Only on the afternoon of December 23 was the list of men who would have three-day passes posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers. It was Christmas Eve when I arrived home, and a light snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see beyond her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood. There were lights, all colors, and ornaments shining against the green of a pine. "Where did it come from?" I asked.

    "I asked the Gates boy to cut it," my mother said. "I wouldn't have had one just for myself, but-such a rush! He just brought it in this afternoon…" The pine reached to the proper height, almost to the ceiling, and the Tree Top Krystal Star was its place. A few green branches reached about a little awkwardly at the side, I thought, and there was a bit of bare trunk showing in the middle. But the, tree filled the room with warm light and the whole house with the pleasant smell of Christmas.  "It's not like the one you used to find." my mother went on. "Yours were always in good shape. I suppose the Gates boy didn't know where to look. But I couldn't be fussy(挑剔的)."

    "Don't worry," I told her. "It's perfect." It wasn't, of course, but at the moment I realized something for the first time: all Christmas trees are perfect.

1. From para. 1, we can infer that        .

   A. the writer spent his first wartime Christmas at home

   B. Not all the soldiers were allowed to go home for Christmas

   C. all the soldiers would have three-day passes for Christmas

   D. the writer could not go home for Christmas

2. When the writer got home,         .

   A. it was December 23

   B. it was snowing heavily

   C. he found a Christmas tree in the living room

   D. the Gates boy was cutting a Christmas tree

3. "All Christmas trees are perfect", because they can remind you of        .

   A. the wartime                    B. the green of a pine

   C. the pleasant moment             D. the sweet home

4. The best title for this passage would be "        ".

   A. How to Choose a Christmas Tree

   B. How Soldiers Spent Christmas

   C. A Perfect Christmas Tree

   D. A Christmas Without a Tree

 

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