We have heard of counterfeiting before. Usually it refers to people making money by printing it instead of earning it. But counterfeiting also can involve all sorts of consumer goods and manufactured products. From well-known brand names such as Calvin Klein jeans to auto parts,counterfeiters have found ways to produce goods that look authentic. In some instances,counterfeit products look better than the original!

The demand of brand-name products has helped counterfeiting grow into a very profitable business throughout the world and into a serious problem for legal manufacturers and consumers alike. Faulty counterfeit parts have caused more than two dozen crashes. Most counterfeit auto parts do not meet federal safety standards.

Counterfeiting hurts manufacturers in many ways. Analysts estimate that,in the United States alone,annual revenue loss runs from$6 billion to$8 billion. Perhaps even worse,consumers blame the innocent manufacturers when they unknowingly buy a counterfeit product and find it doesn't perform as expected. Sometimes entire economies can suffer. For instance, when farmers in Kenya and Zaire used counterfeit fertilizers, both countries lost most crops.

By copying other firms' products, counterfeiters avoid research and development costs and most marketing costs. High-tech products such as computers and their software products are especially easy to suffer. As long as counterfeiting is profitable,large quantities of products are available to copy,and the laws are difficult to enforce,counterfeiters can be expected to exist for a long time.

(   ) 1. The word "counterfeiting" most probably means        ,

     A.   making things of poor quality for profit

    B.   making things of good quality for profit

    C.   illegally making things by copying

    D.   legally making things by copying

(   ) 2.The quality of most counterfeit products is        .

     A.   not up to the standards of America

    B.   up to the standards of America

    C.   so poor that few people want to buy the products

    D.   so good that most people prefer them to the authentic ones 

(   ) 3. The most appropriate title for the passage would be        .

     A.  The Effects of Counterfeiting

    B. The Problem of Counterfeiting

    C. The Cause of Counterfeiting

    D. The Profit of Counterfeiting

   Mystery, the word excites our curiosity. Mystery novels sell thousands of copies each year and many readers count Agatha Christie among their favorite authors.

  Christie was born in September of 1890 in England. When she was growing up,her mother often told her stories. Christie loved these stories that took her into a world of fantasy. Christie's mother also encouraged her to write from a young age.

  At 16, Christie went to a school in Paris to study piano and singing. She learned to play the piano very well. But she never made music a career because of stage fright(怯场) .At 22,she fell in love with Archie Christie. They got married in 1914 at the beginning of World War I.

  During the war,Christie wrote her first detective story;The Mysterious Affair at Styles. She chose the crime,and then invented a detective named Hercule Poirot to solve it. She sent the book to a publisher, but it was rejected.

  After the war ended, Christie sent her book to more publishers and finally in 1920,one published it. She earned just $25 for it. Over the next few years,Christie wrote more books and short stories,gaining experience as a writer. In spite of her literary success,life was not go?ing well at home. In 1928 ,Archie and Agatha got a divorce. A short time later, while traveling in Baghdad, she met Max Mallowan, a young archaeologist. After getting married in 1930, they began to spend time each year in the Middle East,which provided settings for some of Christie's novels. She often wrote about what she saw and experienced.

  Christie continued writing her entire life. When she died in January 1976, readers around the world mourned her death. But her tales of mystery continue to be loved by new generations of readers. Her books have sold an estimated 2 billion copies!After all,who can resist a good mystery?

(   ) 5. As a whole, this passage          .

     A. explains how Agatha Christie became a writer

    B. thinks well of Agatha Christie's novels

    C. was a mini-biography of Agatha Christie

    D. was a review on Agatha Christie's novels

(   ) 6. According to the passage, Christie's mother          .

     A. gave her a lot of writing inspiration

    B. was very strict with her

    C. received a good education

    D. wrote many fairy tales

(   ) 7. Which of the following shows the right order of what Agatha Christie experienced?

①Christie had her first detective novel published.

②Christie finished The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

③Christie performed well in music study.

④Christie's marriage with Archie ended in divorce.

⑤Christie began her novels set in the Middle East.

A.③②④①⑤    B.③②①④⑤    C.②①③⑤④    D.③①②⑤④

(   ) 8. In the writer's opinion, what makes Christie's novels attractive is that         .

     A. Christie based her novels on her real life

    B. Christie is a mystery author

    C. her novels have enough exciting surprises

    D. her novels are full of murders


  UK Holiday Deals of the Week

  The latest deals,discounts and last-minute offers on cottages,hotels,guest houses and at?tractions in Britain.

  Holiday Lettings (http://www.holidavlettings.co.uk) has 50% discounts on lodging(住宿) in the village of Coldstream on the banks of the River Tweed. Hotels include Hamilton House, which sleeps six and is now going for £650 per week from December 20 to 27,a saving of £650.

  English Heritage (0870 333 1181 ;http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav. 17868) has 20% off selected cottages for last-minute bookings. Hotels include the Bowling Green apartment in a medieval castle on the Isle of Wight, which sleeps two adults and two chil?dren. It now costs £426 (normally £533) for four nights.

  City Inn (http://www.cityinn.com) ,is offering rooms over the holiday period from £59 with bed and breakfast at their hotels in Birmingham,Bristol,Glasgow,Leeds,Manchester and London. Normal room rates are £159. Children under 12 stay for free when accompanied by an adult. Rooms at this rate are available from December 13.

  Blue Chip Vacations (0844 5612001 ;http://www.bluechipvacations.com) is offering a 33% discount on Christmas and New Year breaks at The Old Bakehouse, in the village of Tuck-enhay, in Devon. Sleeping 14, this sits on the River Dart. Seven nights cost £2969. 50 ( saves about £1,500) . Available from 20 December.

  Eeosse Unique (01835 822277 ;http://www.unique-cottages.co.uk) is offering savings of £400 on seven-night holiday breaks in u Lochhead Cottage" ,located on the foreshore of Loch Sunart in Argyll. This stone-built Highland cottage sleeps four and has views across the mountains of Moidart and Sunart. New price is £495 ,a reduction of £400. Start dates Decem?ber 19 and 26.

  Cornish Cottages (01326 240333, http://www.cornishcottagesonline.com) has a saving of 10% on a week's rental―over Christmas with flexible start dates―of Nanteag'ue (sleeps two) . Set above Porthallow Cove on the Lizard Peninsula, with far reaching rural and sea views, this newly rebuilt cottage is ten minutes' walk from the beach and the coastal footpath. All heating costs included. New price £368 (saving £40) . Start date 19, 20,21, 22 or 23 December. 

(   ) 5. Which of the following pictures goes well with English Heritage, according to the passage?

(   ) 6. To book a hotel room at a discount in Glasgow, you would probably visit

   A.http: //www.holidavlettings.co.uk

   B.http://www.cityinn.com

   C.http: //www.bluechipvacation.com

   D.http: //www.cornishcottagesonline.com

(   ) 7. Compared to Ecosse Unique, Blue Chip Vacations        .

   A.offers a smaller discount

   B.has a lower price

   C.offers the discounts earlier

   D.is more attractive to travelers

(   ) 8. What do the discount attractions have in common, according to the passage?

   A.They are very popular with travelers.

   B.They offer free services for children.

   C.They lie in Britain.

   D.They are available in December.

  An important part of children's cognitive(认知) development is created by having them use their imaginations. Before TVs and computers were invented,children had to use their imagina?tions rather than rely on those types of stimulus(剌激) .

  Studies show that children who have imaginary friends are more likely to be more creative and better able to solve problems. Instead of criticizing them for it,encourage it.

  As it turns out,the things that you are able to do for free with your children are also some of the best for them like engaging them in creativity. A box of crayons, some paper,and a little coaching from you will go a long way. Don't judge so quickly. Just like creativity in adults, having a lot of unfiltered ideas is better than holding back on your freedom of expression. Give a kid some art supplies and you will be amazed at what they will come up with. Common house?hold items and things pulled out of the closet can turn into anything your child can dream up in their imagination.

  Fostering(培养) imagination is important because children need to learn how to solve their own problems instead of having their mom or dad always solve them for them. They need to strengthen those problem-solving skills,which will serve them well their whole lives. By letting children solve their own problems, they are less likely to have to depend on others when they grow up. They will be able to solve their own problems. They are less likely to become passive and let others dictate to them. They are better able to think through different scenarios(场景) and outcomes.

  To prepare for life in the real world, children should practice in the imaginary one to better help them cope. Putting them into " what if" situations gives them the tools they will need when

they go into the real world and are faced with real world problems to solve. 

(   ) 5. We learn from the first paragraph that .

   A.children use much of their imagination watching TV and using computers

   B.children who watch TV or use computers have less imagination

   C.children had little imagination before TVs and computers were invented

   D.children can rely on TVs and computers to foster their imagination 

(   ) 6. We can infer from the third paragraph that .

   A.we can use common things to foster children's imagination

   B.art supplies are the best tools to foster children's imagination

   C.we have to choose things carefully to foster children's imagination

   D.we should have freedom of expression to foster children's imagination 

(   ) 7. We should foster children's imagination because         .

   A.it can help them create useful things

   B.it can help them enjoy their lives

   C.it can help them think of different scenarios and outcomes

   D.it can help them solve problems independently

(   ) 8. The underlined "it" in the second paragraph refers to         .

   A.children's ability to solve problems

   B.children's imagination

   C.children's cognitive development

   D.children's having imaginary friends

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