Everybody loves a bargain. One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a For Sale sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.

In some parts of the county, such a sale might be called a garage sale (旧货出售)or a moving sale. Whatever the name, the activity is the same. People sell things they no longer want. The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告)in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. It lists some of the things to be sold. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight-like tired guests at a party-waiting for someone to take them home.

Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called white elephants. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless, to someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy. Usually, the seller puts a price on each object at a yard sale. However, that price can almost always be negotiated(商谈).

Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating over prices, even if they really do not need the object.

1."Bargain"may really mean ________ .

A. useless or ugly things

B. things of great value

C. things bought at a lower price than its real value

D. cutting the price greatly

2. Which of the following isn't necessary to have a yard sale?

A. To put a paid announcement in the newspaper.

B. To put on a For Sale sign.

C. To have certain things old or no longer needed.

D. It must be in the yard.

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The price asked for the old objects isn't fixed.

B. Some people go to yard sales just for fun.

C. Yard sale attracts many people only because things are cheap.

D. A garage sale is the same as the yard sale.

 

Two out of every five species on the planet that have been estimated by scientists face extinction. This figure comes from the latest World Conservation Union Red List of Endangered Species, published this week.

In all, 16,119 animal and plant species are in danger of extinction. “From the poles(地球的两个极点) to the desert, species loss is increasing, not slowing down”, says IUCN director-general Achim Steiner. The main cause, as ever, is people, both directly and indirectly. While hunting and habitat(栖息地) loss continue to have a serious effect on species numbers, global warming is another threat.

In the polar regions (极地),the summer sea ice that polar bears depend on is rapidly disappearing, and the latest estimates suggest that the ice will be reduced at least by fifty percent in area over the next century. Although polar bears are strong swimmers, yet large numbers of them will starve or drown as global warming melts the Arctic’s ice sheets. The world’s deserts may be expanding, but the animals that live in and around them are not faring well. It’s particularly difficult for the endangered species of the extreme habitat to recover their numbers. Meanwhile, our increasing demand for fish and water is placing the species in rivers and oceans in great danger. As shallow-water fish stocks get reduced, fishermen’s dropping nets and lines into deeper waters are taking their toll on species there.

“This trend can’t be stopped. Environmentalists alone can not save the world’s species in danger”, says Steiner, “but conservation (保护) can work. It must become the responsibility of everyone to act”.

1 All the following statements are the causes of animal extinction except ______.

  A. hunting and habitat loss

  B. increasing demand for fish and water

  C. the expanding of world’s deserts

  D. global warming

2. According to the passage, which of following statements is TRUE?

  A. Only the species of the poles and deserts are facing extinction.

  B. As a result of the globe warming, polar bears will get more food.

  C. Fishermen’s fishing in deep oceans increases the toll of species.

  D. It will not take a long time for species of extreme habitat to recover their number.

3. What’s the best title of the passage?

  A. Serious Effects of Global Warming on Species

  B. More and More Animal Species Face Extinction

  C. The Endangered Species

  D. Save the World’s Species in Danger

 

 0  39152  39160  39166  39170  39176  39178  39182  39188  39190  39196  39202  39206  39208  39212  39218  39220  39226  39230  39232  39236  39238  39242  39244  39246  39247  39248  39250  39251  39252  39254  39256  39260  39262  39266  39268  39272  39278  39280  39286  39290  39292  39296  39302  39308  39310  39316  39320  39322  39328  39332  39338  39346  151629 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网