Would you like to be a king or queen? To have people waiting on you hand and foot? Many Americans experience this royal treatment every day. How? By being customers. The American idea of customer service is to make each customer the center of attention. Need proof? Just listen to the commercials. Most of them sound like the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you.” Actually, not all stores in America roll out the red carpet for their customers. But wherever you go, good customer service means making customers feel special.

People going shopping in America can expect to be treated with respect from the very beginning. Most places don’t have a “furniture street” or a “computer road” which allow you to compare prices easily. Instead, people often “let their fingers do the walking” through the store hot lines. From the first “hello”, customers receive a satisfying response to their questions. This initial contact can help them decide where to shop.

When customers get to the store, they are treated as honored guests. Customers don’t usually find store clerks sitting around watching TV or playing cards. Instead, the clerks greet them warmly and offer to help them find what they want. In most stores, the clear signs that label each department make shopping a breeze. Customers usually don’t have to ask how much items cost, since prices are clearly marked. And unless they’re at a flea market or a yard sale, they don’t bother trying to bargain.

When customers are ready to check out, they find the nearest and shortest checkout lane. But as Murphy’s Law would have it, whichever lane they get in, all the other lanes will move faster. Good stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes get too long. Some even offer express lanes for customers with 10 items or less. After they pay for their purchases, customers receive a smile and a warm “thank you” from the clerk. Many stores even allow customers to take their shopping carts out to the parking lot. That way, they don’t have to carry heavy bags out to the car.

1.By quoting (引用) the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you”, the author intends to_______.

A. suggest that customers believe what mercials say deeply

B. show readers the American idea on good customer service

C. express all the stores pay much attention to the customers

D. persuade readers to choose the stores with ads correctly

2.In the USA, what may you do at first if you want to do some shopping?

A. To visit a professional street with lots of similar stores.

B. To pare prices in many shops in the same street.

C. To make phone calls and get better shopping choices.

D. To receive other customers’ answers to the questions.

3.Which of the followings shows American stores offer convenience to customers in this passage?

A. The store clerks don’t usually sit around watching TV or playing cards.

B. Some stores offer price bargain to the customers like a yard sale.

C. The clerks give customers a smile and a warm “thank you” after paying.

D. Some stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes are crowded.

4.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A. Customer Service in America

B. Excellent Stores in America

C. Shopping Rules in America

D. Being King or Queen in America

The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?

Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modem females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.

These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):

*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the revenues generated by classic literary fiction).

*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).

* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).

*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).

I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement continue to indulge in the fanciful tales?

I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”

Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers---that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modem feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?

Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious, .

1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?

A. To summarize the whole passage.

B. To prove the author’s argument.

C. To lead in the main topic of the passage.

D. To raise problems that will be solved later.

2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?

A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.

B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.

C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.

D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.

3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?

A. Authority. B. Dignity. C. Liberty. D. Care.

4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?

A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics

B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out

C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality

D. romance novels provide them with an access to society

第一节 任务型读写(共10小题;每小题1分,满分10分)

请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

It doesn’t matter if books are delivered in printed or electronic forms; the main thing is to get lost in reading them. Reading books is vital for human development.

Why should we bother reading a book? People cannot figure out the meaning of reading. In a world of accelerating technology, lacking time and decreasing attention, should they invest precious time sinking into a good book?

The discovery that our brains are physically changed by the experience of reading is something many of us will understand instinctively, as we think back to the way an extraordinary book had a transformative effect on the world view of people. This transformation only takes place when we lose ourselves in a book. That’s why studies have found this kind of deep reading gives us a better understanding of the inner lives of others.

Rationally, we know that reading is the foundation stone of all education, and therefore an important basis of the economic benefits. But perhaps even more significant is its emotional role as the starting point for individual voyages of personal development and emotional pleasure. They can help create and strengthen our sense of self. If reading were to decline significantly, it would change the nature of our species. If we, in the future, are no longer wired for self-reflection and creative thought, we will die out.

Technology let the readers experience more adventures from more books. Publishers need to get better at using the ability of the Internet to inform readers, and potential readers, about all the extraordinary new books that are published every year.

The research shows the benefits of reading clearly. So there can hardly be a better reason for fighting to protect the future of the book.

Reading 

Introduction

Reading books plays a vital role in human development, whether they are 1.or electronic.

Against reading

●People have trouble2. out the meaning of reading.

●Several factors affect reading including reading difficulty, accelerating technology, 3. of time and decreasing attention.

For reading

●A good book will transform our world4. when we get lost in it.

●Deep reading enables us to better5. others’ inner lives.

●All education is6. on reading, which will bring economic benefits indirectly.

●Books can advance personal development and bring us emotional 7. as well.

Role of technology in reading

It 8. readers to more books, so publishers should make better 9. of the Internet to inform readers.

Conclusion

Reading 10.us a lot so it is significant to protect the future of the book

C

People laugh and people cry.But it is thought that emotions such as anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.The shedder of tears (落泪者) is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause.The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears.But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive (适得其反).

Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears.Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that increase survival.

Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help.Vo-cal (出声的) cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention.So, it appears that there must be something special about tears themselves.

Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in easing stress. University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently separated two important chemicals from emotional tears.Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion.Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.

Other researchers are looking into the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs.At Tulane University's Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr.Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of "dry eye" syndrome (综合症)and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.

1.What does the phrase "both those responses" in Paragraph 1 refer to ?

A.Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness.

B.The embarrassment and unpleasant feelings of the observers.

C.Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears.

D.The tear shedder' s apology and the observer' s effort to stop the crying.

2.It is known from the first paragraph that____.

A.shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to Americans

B.crying may often result in tragedy

C.crying usually wins sympathy from other people

D.one who sheds tears in public will be blamed

3.What does the author say about crying?

A.It is a pointless physiological response to the environment.

B.It must have a role to play in man' s survival.

C.It is meant to get attention and assistance.

D.It usually produces the desired effect.

4.From the passage we can infer that____.

A.it is unnatural for people to shed tears

B.we can reduce our stress by shedding tears

C.shedders of tears can' t get help by crying loudly

D.unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival

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