Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decissions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertisers hoping to sell their products.

　The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people's life. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an ubsuitable item that it is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals,lifestyle instructors,or advisors.

　　It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing: no choice, no anxiety.

60. What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?

A. The exercise of rights is a luxury　

B. The practice of choice is difficult

C. The right of choice is given but at a price　

D. Choice and right exist at the same time

61. Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?

A. Professionals find it hard to decide on s suitable product

B. People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persusion.

C. Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items.

D. Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the range of choice.

62. By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove 　　.

A. advanced products meet the needs of people.

B. products of the latest design flood the market

C. competitions are fierce in high-tech industry

D. everyday goods needs to be replaced often

63. What is the passage mainly about?

A. The variety of choices in modern society　　　　　

B. The opinions on people's right in different countries

C. The problem about the availability of everyday goods

D. The helplessness in purching decisions

It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true ? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.

Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day. They never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.

The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason ? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94.

The main idea of this passage is that _______.

A. large numbers of people do not need sleep

B. a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep

C. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

D. people can live longer by trying not to sleep

The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting to _______.

A. cure him of his sleeplessness　　

B. find that his sleeplessness was not really true

C. find a way to free people from the need of sleeping

D. find out why some old people didn't need any asleep

After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin _______.

A. was too old to need any sleep                 B. often slept in a chair

C. needed no sleep at all                      D. needed some kind of sleep

One reason that might explain Herpin's sleeplessness was _______.

A. that he hadn't got a bed　

B. that he had gradually got tired of the sleeping habit

C. his mother's injury before he was born　　　　

D. his magnificent physical condition

The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects. Consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example, some advertisers have appealed to people’s desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers’ money.

Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago a brand of

bread was offered to dieters (节食者) with the message that there were fewer calories in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic (适合于节食的), but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin, but there were the same number of calories in every loaf.

　　On the positive side, emotional appeals may respond to a consumer’s real concerns. Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile investment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as well as the message in the ads, they will benefit from the advertising.

　　Each consumer must evaluate her or his own situation. Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it? Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers, but it does not force them to buy the product. Consumers still control the final buying decision.

56. Advertising can persuade the consumer to buy worthless products by _________.

　 A. stressing their high quality

　 B. convincing him of their low price

　 C. maintaining a balance between quality and price

　 D. appealing to his buying motives

57. The reason why the bread advertisement is misleading is that ________.

　 A. thin slices of bread could contain more calories

　 B. the loaf was cut into regular slices

　 C. the bread was not genuine bread

　 D. the total number of calories in the loaf remained the same

58. The passage tells us that _______.

　 A. sometimes advertisements really sell what the consumer needs

　 B. advertisements occasionally force consumers into buying things they don’t need

　 C. the buying motives of consumers are controlled by advertisements

　 D. fire insurance is seldom a worthwhile investment

59. It can be inferred from the passage that a smart consumer should ________.

　 A. think carefully about the benefits described in the advertisements

　 B. guard against the deceiving nature of advertisements

　 C. be familiar with various advertising strategies

　 D. avoid buying products that have strong emotional appeal

60. The passage is mainly about ________.

　 A. how to make a wise buying decision

　 B. ways to protect the interests of the consumer

　 C. the positive and negative aspects of advertising

　 D. the function of advertisements in promoting sales

  A fish needs water and without water it will die ______.

　 A. so does a man 　     B. so will a man

　 C. so it is with a man 　 D. so is it with a man

James’s New Bicycle　

James shook his money box again. Nothing! He carefully __1__ the coins that lay on the bed. $24.52 was all that he had. The bicycle he wanted was at least $90! __2__ on earth was he going to get the __3_ of the money?　

He knew that his friends all had bicycles. It was __4__ to hang around with people when you were the only one without wheels. He thought about what he could do. There was no __5__ asking his parents, for he knew they had no money to __6__.　

There was only one way to get money, and that was to __7__ it. He would have to find a job. __8__ who would hire him and what could he do? He decided to ask Mr. Clay for advice, who usually had __9__ on most things.　

“Well, you can start right here,” said Mr. Clay. “My windows need cleaning and my car needs washing.”　

That was the _10__ of James’s odd-job（零工） business. For three months he worked every day after finishing his homework. He was amazed by the __11__ of jobs that people found for him to do. He took dogs and babies for walks, cleared out cupboards, and mended books. He lost count of the __12__ of cars he washed and windows he cleaned, but the __13__ increased and he knew that he would soon have __14__ for the bicycle he longed for.　

The day __15__ came when James counted his money and found $94.32. He __16__ no time and went down to the shop to pick up the bicycle he wanted. He rode __17__ home, looking forward to showing his new bicycle to his friends. It had been hard __18__ for the money, but James knew that he valued his bicycle far more __19__ he had bought it with his own money. He had __20__what he thought was impossible, and that was worth even more than the bicycle.　

难易度：难

1. A. cleaned　　　 B. covered　　 C. counted　　　　 D. checked　

2. A. How　 B. Why　 C. Who　 D. What　

3. A. amount　 B. part　 C. sum　 D. rest　

4. A. brave　 B. hard　 C. smart D. unfair　

5. A. point B. reason　 C. result　 D. right　

6. A. split　 B. spend　 C. spare　 D. save　

7. A. borrow B. earn　 C. raise　 D. collect　

8. A. Or　 B. So　 C. For　 D. But　

9 A. decisions B. experience 　C. opinions D. knowledge　

10. A. beginning B. introduction　 C. requirement　 D. opening　

11. A. similarity B. quality　 C. suitability　 D. variety　

12. A. brand　 B. number C. size　 D. type　

13. A. effort　 B. pressure C. money D. trouble　

14. A. all　 B. enough　 C. much　 D. some　

15. A. finally B. instantly C. normally D. regularly　

16. A. gave　 B. left　 C. took　 D. wasted　

17. A. patiently B. proudly　 C. silently　 D. tiredly　

18. A. applying　 B. asking　 C. looking　 D. working　

19. A. since B. if　 C. than　 D. though　

20. A. deserved B. benefited C. achieved D. learned