It’s a goal for millions and millions of families every year to keep the Christmas spending within a certain amount of money, but you can still afford the gifts because your loved ones will enjoy them. This concern (忧虑) is becoming greater and greater theses days. Even so, there are several things that you can do to help.

Hit the sales. No one wants to get up at four o’clock in the morning and fight to get a good deal (交易) on Black Friday ( the first Friday at Christmas time). It’s surely very difficult to pick up the courage and get out there in the cold for a good deal. But sometimes it can be well worth. Many retailers (零售商) offer specials all through the day. Some even offer online Black Friday specials, so we may still be able to get a great deal on Black Friday.
Read advertisements regularly. Once the Christmas shopping season is coming, retailers will be hungry for business. They will try their best to get us into the store. Please read the weekly advertisements of sales among the major retailers from time to time. We may be lucky enough to find different prices for the same thing in different shops.
Shop online. Some of us don’t like running from store to store to get the best price on the perfect gift. Some of us don’t like to go out in the cold at all, and then, we can do online shopping.
The world of online shopping makes it possible for us to visit all the major retailers and some
specialty stores on the Internet. We can find exactly what we are looking for at the best possible price without even having to leave the house. With traditional Christmas shopping, it will always take us a long time to wait if we want to get the perfect gift.
【小题1】 The underlined word “specials” in Paragraph 2 means______.

It's March, 2050.

Frank and Mary Smith wake up in their comfortable house in the morning and switch on the bedroom computer to get the latest news. They used to read the Times, but changed to electronic newspapers many years ago.
There is the usual news about space: another space flight has returned from Mars and scientists have discovered a new planet. Then they turn to business news: the US dollar has risen greatly in Shanghai, one of the world's leading business centres. Mary tells the computer to buy 5,000 dollars, and there is a quick response that it has been done.
As they watch the screen, Mary orders one of the household robots to make coffee for them.

Frank disappears into the study to join a video conference with his partners around the world. He is a computer engineer, working for several companies. This is his third job: he used to be in marketing and then television.
Mary has a quick look at the shopping channels - the usual selection of electric cars, household robots and cheap travel offers - before picking up the video phone to talk to her assistant. She also has a job and she is doing medical research. Both she and Frank used to have an office desk in London, but in 2014 they decided to move to the seaside and work from home.
Frank and Mary have one daughter, Louise, who also has her own workstation at home. She goes to school only one day a week, mainly to play with other students. Classrooms disappeared in 2030 because there was no longer any need for them: communications systems have made it much easier to learn at home.
Louise, now thirteen, is studying Chinese at present, which has become a world language as important as English. Louise has many Chinese friends. They communicate by computer.
According to the family doctor, Louise will live to at least 130. Her wish is to work for a few decades (十年) and then spend her time on music and painting.
【小题1】Why do Frank and Mary switch on the bedroom computer in the morning?
Because they _________________________________________________
【小题2】Does Mary read space news or business news?
__________________________________________________________
【小题3】Who makes coffee for Mary and Frank?
____________________________________________________________
【小题4】How does Frank work with others from home?
_____________________________________________________________
【小题5】What are the two world languages in 2050?
______________________________________________________________
【小题6】What do you think of Louise's life in 2050?
I think her life in 2050 is ____________ because ________________________

It’s Tuesday afternoon, and I’m in Rheinburg, Germany, visiting the Extra Future Store. The “store of the future” is attracting a lot of attention these days– but not for it’s prices. Instead, people are coming from all over to experience a new way to shop.

   The experience is less like shopping in a supermarket and more like playing some kind of high–tech game. It starts as I enter the store and choose a shopping cart(购物车). First, I swipe my store ID card through a computer on the cart. The computer’s screen comes on, a map of the store shows, and the journey begins.

   As I shop, antennas(天线) around the store send information about different specials to the computer on my cart. Attracted by one of the ads, I choose a box of cheese. I hold up the box to the computer. It displays the price and also suggests that a certain type of bread would be good with it. The map on my chart shows me where to find the bread. It’s like the store is helping me to shop.

   How does the store make this kind of shopping experience possible? The answer is radio frequency identification chip (or RFID射频识别). Each chip has a special number. Using an RFID reader on the computer, we can get information from a chip about the product(产品). RFID will help shoppers find the things in a store more quickly– products that are just right for them. In addition, people won’t have to wait in long lines to pay. The things in your cart will be read by the computer and the money will be paid by your store ID card automatically(自动地). So you can simply walk out of the store with your shopping bags.

  Sounds good, right? Maybe you will experience the new shopping soon in your city.

1.Why are so many people coming to the Extra Future Store?

A. They hope to buy a new kind of computers.

B. They want to play some new high– tech games.

C. They expect to experience a new way of shopping.

D. They plan to learn how to use the FRID readers.

2.What is the right order to shop in this store?

①Look for the things you want to buy and find them.

②Swipe your store ID card through the computer.

③Walk out of the store without waiting in lines.

④The computer shows you a map and some ads.

⑤Hold up the things to the computer to be charged.

A.②①④③⑤   B.①②⑤③④   C.②①⑤③④   D.②④①⑤③ 

3.What are Not so necessary for this kind of new stores?

A. Carts with computers.  B. RFID readers.  

C. Many shop assistants.  D. Good products.

4. Which of the following is the advantage of this new store?

A. The things in the shop are much cheaper.

B. It costs more time to find the things you need.

C. You will buy more things than you really need.

D. It’s more convenient to find the products and to pay.

It’s Sunday today. Mr. Green goes out for a picnic. On the way 1Mount Fang,  he can’t 2the way. So he 3ask an old man near him for help.

“Could you please tell me the way 4 ?”asks Mr. Green.

“Go  5 this road,  cross the Lang Park and turn right at the gate of the park. Go up the street to the end and you’ll see it 6 your left. ” says the old man.

“How long will it take me to 7there?” asks Mr. Green.

The old man says nothing(没什么). Mr. Green feels a little angry(生气的). He goes away. After a while(一会儿),  the old man calls him,  “Young man,  you will get there in about half an hour. ”

“ 8  didn’t you tell me just now（刚才）?” asks Mr. Green.

“I don’t know how fastyou can walk. 9 I have to let you go,  then I can tell you the 10 . ”says the old man.

1.                A．of             B．for            C．to   D．at

2.                A．see            B．look for         C．find  D．look at

3.                A．can            B．have to         C．should   D．has to

4.                A．Mount Fang     B．to Mount Fang    C．for Mount Fang D．in Mount Fang

5.                A．in             B．along           C．long D．across

6.                A．at             B．on             C．in   D．for

7.                A．get            B．get to          C．come D．come to

8.                A．How           B．What           C．Why D．When

9.                A．And           B．But            C．Also D．So

10.               A．clock          B．time           C．watch D．times