If you watch British television on Friday March 15, you might be surprised to see celebrities wearing funny red noses and joking around. But don’t worry, they’re not mad, it’s all part of a biennial fund-raising event called Red Nose Day.

Organized by the charity Comic Relief, founded in 1985 by two British comedians, the aim of the event is to raise money to fight poverty and injustice in the UK and Africa.

Celebrities and public figures support the event by making appearances on comic TV shows broadcast by the BBC. This year, for example, UK Prime Minister David Cameron appeared in a music video by One Direction, which the band produced for the event.

But Britons don’t just raise money for charitable causes on one day a year, they do it all year round. One way of doing so is by shopping in charity shops.

These small, inconspicuous shops sell clothes, books and household goods just like any other shop. But there’s one big difference—it’s all secondhand.

There are nearly 10,000 charity shops in the UK, according to the Charity Retail Association. Their business model is simple: Anybody who has things they don’t want anymore can donate them to a charity shop, where they are checked for damage, cleaned and priced. Most items go back on sale at a small part of their original price and the money that is made by selling them is used for a charitable cause.

The idea of buying used clothes may sound off-putting, but for shoppers who have less spending money, such as the elderly or those in low-paying jobs, it has been a welcome option for years.

Now, “thrifting”—shopping at charity shops— is also becoming popular with young people looking for alternative fashion.

“I love shopping at thrift stores. You can find very unique clothes for a very cheap price. It doesn’t bother me that other people may have worn them, I simply wash them before I wear them,” said Anne Marie, a 19-year-old Internet user from the US, in a comment on a Yahoo forum.

So next time you spot a charity shop, why not go inside? Who knows, you might find a lovely dress for just a few pounds. Even better, you can enjoy wearing it in the knowledge that your money helped a good cause.

1.What do famous people in Britain do in support of the Red Nose Day event?

A．Appear on comic TV shows.

B．Donate large sums of money.

C．Donate expensive clothes to charity shops.

D．Play in a music video with the Prime Minister.

2.What do we learn from the passage about Comic Relief?

A．It was founded in 1985 by two British comedians in Africa.

B．It organizes the Red Nose Day fund-raising event.

C．It runs nearly 10,000 charity shops in the UK.

D．It is financially supported by the UK government.

3.One reason for the popularity of the thrift shops is that __________.

A．they sell a wide variety of goods

B．their business model is simple

C．their goods are carefully checked, cleaned and priced

D．they provide things, sometimes special, at low prices

4.The passage is written mainly to __________.

A．inspire more people to join in charitable causes in the UK

B．introduce the traditions of the Red Nose Day

C．analyze why charity shops are popular in the UK

D．explain how charity shops work in the UK

When I was young, I really doubted whether there was love between my parents．Every day they were busy earning money so that they could   36 the high tuition my brother and I needed．They didn’t   37 in the romantic ways that I read in books or saw on TV．
One day, Mom was sewing a quilt（被子）．I  38 sat down beside her．“Mom, I have a　39 here,” I said after a while．“Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very 　40 voice．
Mom stopped her work and raised her head with   41 in her eyes．She didn’t answer immediately．She bent her head and continued to sew the quilt．I was   42 if I had hurt her．I was in great embarrassment and I was at a loss what to do．But at last she said, very   43  , “Susan, look at this   44 ．Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt．The thread really makes the quilt strong and lasting．If   45 is a quilt, then love should be a thread．It can hardly be seen, but it’s really there． 46 is inside．”
I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until years later．
One day, Dad accidentally got  47 while on duty．Ever since then he could no longer  48
properly．Every morning and dusk Mom would help Dad walk slowly on the country road．Along the country road, there were beautiful flowers, green grass and trees．The leaves were gently glistening   49 the sun shining upon them．All of these made up the most beautiful   50 in the world．
“Dad, how are you feeling now?”” I asked him one day． “Susan, don’t worry shout me,” he said gently． “I just like walking with your mom．I like this kind of life．” Looking into his eyes, I  51 　　what they meant．
The doctor had said Dad would   52  in two months．But that day never came．He   53 away in peace．
54   I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses．But from this   55 , I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life, which makes life strong and warm…

When I was young, I really doubted whether there was love between my parents．Every day they were busy earning money so that they could   36  the high tuition my brother and I needed．They didn’t   37  in the romantic ways that I read in books or saw on TV．

One day, Mom was sewing a quilt（被子）．I  38  sat down beside her．“Mom, I have a　39  here,” I said after a while．“Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very 　40 voice．

Mom stopped her work and raised her head with   41  in her eyes．She didn’t answer immediately．She bent her head and continued to sew the quilt．I was   42  if I had hurt her．I was in great embarrassment and I was at a loss what to do．But at last she said, very   43  , “Susan, look at this   44 ．Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt．The thread really makes the quilt strong and lasting．If   45  is a quilt, then love should be a thread．It can hardly be seen, but it’s really there． 46  is inside．”

    I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until years later．

    One day, Dad accidentally got  47  while on duty．Ever since then he could no longer  48

properly．Every morning and dusk Mom would help Dad walk slowly on the country road．Along the country road, there were beautiful flowers, green grass and trees．The leaves were gently glistening   49  the sun shining upon them．All of these made up the most beautiful   50  in the world．

“Dad, how are you feeling now?”” I asked him one day． “Susan, don’t worry shout me,” he said gently． “I just like walking with your mom．I like this kind of life．” Looking into his eyes, I  51 　　what they meant．

The doctor had said Dad would   52   in two months．But that day never came．He   53 away in peace．

54   I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses．But from this   55 , I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life, which makes life strong and warm…

1.A．afford           B．cost               C．spend            D．offer

2.A．go               B．live               C．act              D．walk

3.A．happily          B．silently           C．secretly        D．nervously

4.A．request          B．problem            C．message          D．question

5.A．loud             B．light                            C．low              D．clear

6.A．surprise         B．anger              C．stress           D．horror

7.A．amazed           B．confused           C．shocked          D．ashamed

8.A．quickly          B．excitedly          C．bitterly         D．gently

9.A．quilt            B．needle             C．thread          D．sewing

10.A．belief          B．work               C．experience                     D．life

11.A．Warmth          B．Thread                           C．Cotton             D．Love

12.A．tired           B．drunk              C．ill                            D．injured

13.A．talk            B．walk               C．work             D．think

14.A．with            B．as                 C．for              D．by

15.A．signs           B．symbols            C．pictures                       D．reflections

16.A．read            B．doubted            C．translated                     D．recognized

17.A．retire          B．recover           C．regain           D．remove

18.A．passed          B．escaped            C．faded            D．turned

19.A．Again           B．Once               C．Then             D．Later

20.A．lesson        B．account              C．experience      D．accident

When I was young, I really doubted whether there was love between my parents． Every day they were busy earning money so that they could   36   the high tuition my brother and I needed． They didn’t   37   in the romantic ways that I read in books or saw on TV．

One day, Mom was sewing a quilt（被子）． I   38 sat down beside her． “Mom, I have a　39   here,” I said after a while． “Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very　40  voice．

Mom stopped her work and raised her head with   41   in her eyes． She didn’t answer immediately． She bent her head and continued to sew the quilt． I was   42   if I had hurt her． I was in great embarrassment and I was at a loss what to do． But at last she said, very   43  , “Susan, look at this   44  ． Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt． The thread really makes the quilt strong and lasting． If    45   is a quilt, then love should be a thread． It can hardly be seen, but it’s really there．   46   is inside．”

I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until years later．

One day, Dad accidentally got　  47  while on duty． Ever since then he could no longer　  48　properly． Every morning and dusk Mom would help Dad walk slowly on the country road． Along the country road, there were beautiful flowers, green grass and trees． The leaves were gently glistening   49   the sun shining upon them． All of these made up the most beautiful   50   in the world．

“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day． “Susan, don’t worry shout me,” he said gently． “I just like walking with your mom． I like this kind of life．” Looking into his eyes, I  51　what they meant．

The doctor had said Dad would   52  in two months． But that day never came． He   53 away in peace．

54  I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses． But from this   55  , I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life, which makes life strong and warm…

The ability to memorize things seems to be a vanishing （消失的） technique．So what can we do to bring out brain cells back into action? A newly published book on memory, Moomvalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by American journalist Joshua Foer, makes a telling point, one that is an analysis of the importance of memorising events and stories in human history; the decline of its role in modem life; and the techniques that we need to adopt to restore the art of remembering．
As For points out, we no longer need to remember telephone numbers．Our mobile phones do that for us．We don't recall addresses either．We send emails from computers that store electronic addresses．Nor do we bother to remember multiplication tables （乘法表） ．Pocket calculators do the job of multiplying quite nicely．Museums, photographs, the digital media and books also act as storehouses for memories that once we had to keep in mind．
As a result, we no longer remember long poems or folk stories by heart, feats （技艺） of memory that were once the cornerstones of most people's lives．Indeed, society has changed so much that we no longer know what techniques we should employ to remember such lengthy works．We are, quite simply, forgetting how to remember．
And let's face it, there is nothing sadder than someone who has lost their mobile phone and who finds they cannot even phone home or call their parents or partners because they cannot remember a single telephone number．That is a sad example of loss of personal independence．So, yes, there is a need for us to he able to remember certain things in life．
Therefore, Foer's book outlines the methods that need to be mastered in order to promote our memories and regain the ability to recall long strings of names, numbers or faces．In the process, he adds, we will become more aware of the world about us．
The trick, Foer says, is to adopt a process known as " elaborative encoding", which involves transforming information, such as a shopping list, into a series of "absorbing visual images"．If you want to remember a list of household objects—potatoes, cottage cheese, sugar and other items, then visualise them in an unforgettable manner, he says．Start by creating an image of a large jar of potatoes standing in the garden．Next to it, imagine a giant tub of cottage cheese—the size of an outdoor pool—and then picture Lady Gaga swimming in it．And so on．Each image should be as fantastic and memorable as possible．
Using methods like this, it becomes possible to achieve great feats of memory quite easily, Foer says．It certainly seems to have worked for him: he won the annual US Memory Championships after learning how to memorize 120 random digits in five minutes; the first and last names of 156 strangers in 15 minutes; and a deck of cards in under two minutes．"What I had really trained my brain to do, as much as to memorise, was to be more mindful and to pay attention to the world around," he says．
These techniques employed by Foer to master his memory were developed by Ed Cooke—a British writer and a world memory championship grandmaster．He acted as Foer's trainer during preparations for the book and helped him achieve his championship performances．" Memory techniques do just one thing: they make information more meaningful to the mind, making the things we try to learn unforgettably bright and amusing," said Cooke．
【小题1】Which of the following is conveyed in this article?