Remember when a trip to the supermarket was nothing more than a boring thing requiring little or no specialized knowledge? You could send your kids into a cart while you did shopping. You always bought the same brands，usually the brands your mother bought. You didn't know about unit pricing，and furthermore，you didn't care. It never occurred to you to read the labels on anything. After all，you'd bought these things a hundred times.

But now，I really look on those days with a feeling of yearn(怀旧). How innocent we were! How carefree were those trips to the supermarket. No worries. Today a trip to the supermarket is filled with social influence. Every time I buy pork chops I think about the years I'm shaving from my life. I keep a careful eye on the freshness date and examine the tamper-proof packaging. I am victim of that most dangerous social disease：shoppers' panic.

I didn't realize how serious my condition had become until the last time I needed laundry, soap. It seemed simple enough. Just run into the market，grab a box of the old reliable and pay for it. I hadn't planned on discovering Ecover，a new brand of laundry soap. It sat quietly on the shelf right next to my old reliable. “Healthy，gentle but effective. ”My respect for it deepened with each new claim as I read the entire package. Then I looked at the price：$5. 69 for 2 pound. $5. 69! I cast a quick glance at the old reliable，still on sale for$1. 39.

Six bucks for laundry soap! These people must be crazy! Who's going to pay six bucks for laundry soap? It's not as though I can't afford it. See，it's concentrated―use less，get more. BUT SIX BUCKS! And the box is made from recycled materials …This act went on for a solid half hour，after which I left the shelf without any soap at all.

Surely the meat department is most threatening place. Remember what protein was good for you? That's all over.  Every bite you take kills you.  I won't even mention meat's moral influence.

When all is said and done，we still must eat. I gather up my healthy-cooking oil and my recycled paper towels and head to the checkout counter.

57. In the first paragraph，the author mainly wants to tell us that in the past        .

    A. it was convenient to go shopping in the supermarket

    B. shopping in the supermarket was a very boring thing

    C. we never read the labels of commodities in the supermarket

    D. we used to buy the same brands of products in the supermarket

58. Recalling the old days' shopping in the supermarket，the author thinks it was        .

A. pleasant    B. fresh    C. dangerous   D. crazy

59. In the supermarket，the author was attracted by a new brand of laundry soap for its      .  

A. price     B. claim    C. package    D. shape

60. According to the passage，what's the author's problem?

    A. She was too poor to afford the new brands in the supermarket

    B. She could not find the right laundry soap in the supermarket.

    C. She had to use the most healthy things for her poor health.

    D. She was greatly affected by the social influence.

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. The other woman my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That Friday after work, when I arrived at her house, my mother waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined. An attached note said: “I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates—one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: ‘I love YOU’ and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve.

Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till some “other” time.

1. From the passage we can see _________.

A．the mother was happy to have dinner with her son

B．the author doesn’t like his work and his three children

C．the author and his mother went to a high-class restaurant

D．the author saw a movie with his mother after dinner

2. What can we know about the author’s mother according to the passage?

A．She wanted to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

B．She wanted to invite her son to have dinner again.

C．She died of a massive heart attack very suddenly.

D．She wrote a letter to tell her son about her illness.

3. During the dinner, what did they talk about?

A．Extraordinary things.

B．Some national events.

C．Each other’s daily life.

D．Movies and dishes.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that_________.

A．the author regretted for not showing much love to his mother

B．the author was satisfied to do something for his mother

C．the mother felt happy to pay for the bill in advance

D．the mother was sorry for inviting her son to have dinner

5. The author of the passage tends to agree that _________.

A．family should be as important as work

B．work is more important than family

C．we can show our love till some other time

D．we should spend more time with our family

One very cold day，a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood，I quickly set out with my best friend，Bruce，to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along with. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of danger.

When I chose a big tree about 23 meters tall and prepared to cut it down，my best friend suddenly warned me，“Don’t cut down that tree！It’s too close to the power line！﹙电线﹚”I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell，there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right.

The tree caught the power line，bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all，electricity can’t travel through wood，so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree，pain ran up my arm and through my head. I was shocked!

After I returned home and told my mother what had happened，she quickly called the power company. The workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree，and when I told him I had，his face turned pale.

“You should have been killed，” he said.

So why am I still alive？It was my boots that saved my life.

Within two hours，the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.

Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt，my mother was still serious. After all，I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.

Through this experience，I learn it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the “shock” of my life.

1.The underlined word “disregard” in the second paragraph means “________”．

A．pay no attention to             B．take notice of      C．consider              D．follow

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．But for his boots，the author would have died.

B．The author regretted having brushed off his friend’s warning.

C．The author knew nothing about electricity.

D．When the tree was cut down，the author realized his friend was right.

3.The underlined part “the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother” means “________”．

A．my mother was still angry with me for not listening to my friend’s warning

B．my mother was still in fear of the terrible accident

C．my mother was still comforting me

D．my mother was still worried about my safety

4.The author wrote the passage mainly to________.

A．give an account of one of his terrible experiences

B．make us know it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective through his experience

C．tell us not to cut trees down any more

D．remind us to be careful while we are working

One very cold day，a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood，I quickly set out with my best friend，Bruce，to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along with. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of danger.
When I chose a big tree about 23 meters tall and prepared to cut it down，my best friend suddenly warned me，“Don’t cut down that tree！It’s too close to the power line！﹙电线﹚”I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell，there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line，bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all，electricity can’t travel through wood，so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree，pain ran up my arm and through my head. I was shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what had happened，she quickly called the power company. The workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree，and when I told him I had，his face turned pale.
“You should have been killed，” he said.
So why am I still alive？It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours，the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.
Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt，my mother was still serious. After all，I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.
Through this experience，I learn it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the “shock” of my life.

1. 1.

   The underlined word “disregard” in the second paragraph means “_______”．

   1. A.
      pay no attention to
   2. B.
      take notice of
   3. C.
      consider
   4. D.
      follow
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      But for his boots，the author would have died
   2. B.
      The author regretted having brushed off his friend’s warning
   3. C.
      The author knew nothing about electricity
   4. D.
      When the tree was cut down，the author realized his friend was right
3. 3.

   The underlined part “the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother” means “________”．

   1. A.
      my mother was still angry with me for not listening to my friend’s warning
   2. B.
      my mother was still in fear of the terrible accident
   3. C.
      my mother was still comforting me
   4. D.
      my mother was still worried about my safety
4. 4.

   The author wrote the passage mainly to_______.

   1. A.
      give an account of one of his terrible experiences
   2. B.
      make us know it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective through his experience
   3. C.
      tell us not to cut trees down any more
   4. D.
      remind us to be careful while we are working