题目内容
B. fold
C. manage
D. vary
提分百分百检测卷单元期末测试卷系列答案Allan goes everywhere with Birgitta Anderson, a 54-year-old secretary. He moves around her office at work and goes shopping with her. ‘Most people don't seem to mind Allan,’ says Birgitta, who thinks he is wonderful. 'He's my fourth child,' she says. She may think of him and treat him that way, buying his food, paying his h
ealth bills and his taxes, but in fact Allan is a dog. Birgitta and Allan live in Sweden, a country where everyone is expected to lead an orderly life according to rules laid down by the government, which also provides （提供）a high level of care for its people. This level of care costs money. People in Sweden pay taxes on everything, so aren't surprised to find that owning a dog means yet more taxes. Some people are paying as much as 500 Swedish kronor in taxes a year for the right to keep their dog, money that is spent by the government on dog hospitals and sometimes medical treatment for a dog that falls ill. However, most such treatment is expensive, so owners often decide to pay health and even life insurance （保险）for their dog. In Sweden dog owners must pay for any damage （损坏）their dog does. A Swedish Kennel Club official explains what this means: if your dog runs out on the road and gets hit by a passing car you, as the owner, have to pay for any damage done to the car, even if your dog has been killed in the accident.
【小题1】 Birgitta pays taxes for Allan because .
| A．he is her dog | B．he is her child | C．he follows her everywhere | D．he often falls ill |
id as dog taxes is used to . | A．keep a high level of care for the people | B．pay for damage done by dogs |
| C．provide medical care for dogs | D．buy insurance for dog owners |
| A．The owner of the car. | B．The owner of the dog. |
| C．The insurance company（公司）. | D．The government. |
| A．dogs are welcome in public places | B．keeping dogs means asking for trouble |
| C．many car accidents are caused by dogs | D．people care much about dogs |
Competition. It’s a simple word, yet a very complex word that covers many angles when it comes to how gasoline prices are determined. It seems so easy to explain, but don’t let that trick you—it’s incredibly difficult to explain and adequately understand.
Say you’re on a Sunday afternoon drive, and notice a gas station near you charging $3.50. Down the road a few miles, that price could easily be 10 or more cents higher or lower. The question is “how” or “why” is that? Think of it this way. Are you more likely to get a better deal on a car if there are two similar car dealers next to each other? Perhaps, because the dealers are too close. Say there is a third similar car dealer miles away. Is he going to be at the same level of competition and sell his cars for the same price as the two dealers next to each other? Likely not. He may charge more or less. Maybe people don't know there are two other dealers down the road. Maybe the dealer is almost outside of the city and the land value isn't as high, so his taxes aren't as high.
These situations do take place at gas stations. And more factors can impact what a station will charge. Timing can greatly impact what price a station charges as well! Many motorists fail to realize that the price a station pays for gasoline changes daily. If one station gets lucky and buys gas on Monday and the cost goes up Tuesday, the station that bought on Monday doesn’t necessarily have to raise prices like the station that bought on Tuesday. Maybe the station that got caught buying for a higher price on Tuesday will pass that higher cost on by raising its gas price.
Perhaps the difference is what brand the station is---branded stations usually pay a slightly higher cost for their gasoline. In return for paying a higher cost, those stations are guaranteed first supply in case of emergency situations. Independent stations don’t pay as much, but aren’t guaranteed supply.
While competition sounds easy to understand, there are always a large number of factors that could influence what one station charges. Keep in mind how many variables there are next time you fill up.
【小题1】What could be the best title for the passage?
| A．How Competition Impacts Gas Prices |
| B．Gas Prices Go Up or Down |
| C．Competition---a Very Complex Word |
| D．We Can’t Stress Enough the Need for Competition |
| A．car prices are determined by car dealers |
| B．location is an important factor in pricing |
| C．the quality of service matters most |
| D．dealing strategy should be flexible |
| A．a gas station always wants to charge more |
| B．the gasoline is in great demand |
| C．the cost of the gas the station buys varies daily |
| D．gas is in greater need on Monday |
| A．spend less money on their gasoline |
| B．have more staff than independent stations |
| C．charge less for high quality oil |
| D．offer a steady oil supply |
