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.

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

2.The example of car dealers is used to show _________.

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

3.The gas prices of a station always change partly because _________.

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

4.According to the passage, branded stations _________.

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

A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? But he discovered that it was a rattrap (捕鼠夹）.

Going back to the farmyard, the rat started to give a warning.

The rat turned to the pig and told him：“There is a rattrap in the house, a rattrap in the house!”

‘Tm sorry，Mr. Rat，” said the pig，“I can only say this is something terrible to you, but it is of no influence to me. I cannot be bothered with it.”

The rat turned to the cow. But the cow said，“Like wow，Mr. Rat? A rattrap? I am in danger, Huh?”

The rat returned to the house, head down and dejected. So the rat had to face the farmer's rattrap alone.

That very night, a sound was heard throughout the house，like the sound of a rattrap catching its prey (猎物）The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness，she did not notice that it was a poisonous snake whose tail had been caught by the trap. The snake bit her.

The farmer rushed her to hospital. She returned home with a fever. Everyone knows that a fever could be treated with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his knife to the farmyard for the soup. However, his wife's sickness continued.

The farmer's friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer killed the pig. But she didn't get well. Finally, she diedand so many people came for the last sight that the farmer had the cow killed to provide meat for all of them.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that the whole farmyard is at risk when there is a rattrap in the house.

1.From the passage we know that______.

A．the pig helped the rat get rid of the trap

B．the cow strongly believed in what the rat said

C．no animals showed concern over the rat's warning

D．the snake was killed immediately after being caught

2.The underlined word ‘‘dejected” is the closest in meaning to______.

A．disappointed       B．surprised          C．determined        D．excited

3.We can learn from the article that_____.

A．the farmer had planned to kill the rat

B．the rat was very wise in avoiding the trap

C．the farmer's wife got good treatment in hospital

D．the rat had expected what would happen to the pig and cow

4.What message does the story intend to pass?

A．We should mind our own business.

B．Everything is related to something else.

C．We'd better treat animals in a friendly way.

D．The farmer couple and their friends are all foolish.

Tom was taken to the police station and put in a room with another thief, an older man.

    The man looked at Tom and said, “Why have they brought you here, boy?” “I stole a small radio one day after lessons,” Tom said. The man laughed rudely at him, “you should steal something which is worth a lot if you want to be a thief. You ought to steal something really expensive, so that your name is put in the newspaper. Go and steal a lot of money from a bank next time!”

Tom thought for a few seconds and then said, “I can’t do that!” “Why can’t you?” said the older man. “Are you afraid?” “No,” said Tom, “I’m not afraid at all, but the banks are all closed at three o’clock, and my lessons don’t finish until four.”

1. Tom was taken to the police station ________.

A. by mistake    B. to see another thief    C. as a thief    D. on business

2.Why did the older thief laugh rudely at Tom ?

A. Because Tom lied to him

B. Because Tom was only a student.

C. Because he didn’t think a small radio was worth stealing

D. Because he thought Tom was too young to be a thief.

3.From what Tom said, we can draw the conclusion(得出结论) that _________.

A. He would go on stealing after he was set free.

B. He must have been taught while stealing

C. He wasn’t planning to steal from a bank

D. He would never be out of prison again

4.Having heard what the older man said, Tom thought carefully about_______.

A. his lessons

B. how to be a famous man

C. stealing something worth a lot

D. the plan to steal from a bank

5.. Tom couldn’t steal from a bank because ______

A. he was afraid of being put into prison

B. he wouldn’t have time to do that though he dared to

C. he wanted to be a good student

D. he did not believe in the older man

阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

I live in a big city. It’s noisy and dirty and I got very  36 .At the weekends I like to leave the city and get some  37  air and a good rest. A few weeks ago I decided to go to see my  38 . I was really looking forward to it.

My parents live a long way  39 .I went to see them with James, a friend, and we drove on Friday night. In the middle of the  40  it began to rain. The road become very  41  and it was difficult to drive. We arrived home just after midnight, feeling very  42 .The next  43  it was still raining. James took his  44  to a garage which was very good.

In the afternoon the  45  improved, we wanted to go for a  46 . My parents lent us their car. That was no good. Their car didn’t  47 .We rang up the garage. “Oh,” They said, “Your car  48  be ready till tomorrow.” So it wasn’t  49  to go for a drive. We decided to play a word game. When we didn’t agree  50  a word we looked for a dictionary. It wasn’t there.  51  my mother remembered, “I lent it to your sister. She took it with her when she left.” The word game wasn’t any good  52  a dictionary.

On Sunday my mother dropped a heavy box on her  53  and we had to hire a  54  to take her to hospital. When James and I drove back we got stuck in a car accident. Next time I want a rest, I’ll stay  55 .

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Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were   1 , the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the passage to greet her.

Seizing the   2  to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and 3__ explored his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE.” When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and 4  that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In __5  , the mother saw her little boy sitting at the key-board, 6__ picking out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

At that moment, the great piano master made his 7 , quickly moved to the piano, and __8  in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

Then 9 over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato (伴奏). Together, the old master and the young novice (beginner) transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully 10 experience. The audience was strongly 11  .

That’s the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly 12 . We try our best, but the 13  aren’t exactly graceful flowing music. But when we trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life’s work 14 can be beautiful.

Next time you set out to 15 great achievements, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

1.                A．seated         B．sat             C．dressed  D．rested

2.                A．fact            B．difficulty        C．opportunity   D．risk

3.                A．actually         B．occasionally     C．fortunately    D．eventually

4.                A．discovered      B．told            C．accepted D．offered

5.                A．joy            B．trust           C．horror   D．pleasure

6.                A．quickly         B．personally       C．generally D．innocently

7.                A．entrance       B．disappearance   C．arrangement   D．opening

8.                A．shouted        B．repeated        C．promised D．whispered

9.                A．turning         B．bending        C．rising D．handing

10.               A．creative        B．effective        C．annoying  D．fearing

11.               A．addicted        B．invited         C．attacked   D．attracted

12.               A．abnormal       B．remarkable      C．unimportant    D．ordinary

13.               A．goals          B．intentions       C．results    D．purposes

14.               A．luckily         B．truly           C．slightly    D．fortunately

15.               A．overcome      B．enjoy          C．accomplish D．become