Tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have gone on sale, with fans able to apply on FIFA’s website. FIFA is expecting a similar demand to that in Germany 2006, when there were about seven applicants for every ticket of the 64 matches. And now around 3.3 million tickets will be available for the matches in 2014.

    Tickets will range in price from ￡58 for first-round matches to ￡632 for the final at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian citizens over 60, local students and members of some social programs can purchase tickets for ￡15.

The Price of Football - World Cup 2014

“It’s always difficult to predict,” said FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil. “But I truly believe that it will be more similar to what happened in Germany than in South Africa in 2010.”According to FIFA, the 2006 World Cup was attended by more than 3.3 million fans. Almost two million tickets were sold to the general public in South Africa, although the number of applications during the first ticketing phase was significantly lower.

    All applications made before 10th October 2013 will enter a random selection draw if there are not enough tickets available to fulfill all requests. The sales of the leftover tickets will begin on 5th November on a first-come, first-served basis. Another phase will begin on 8th December after the draw is made. The tournament begins on 12th June, with Brazil playing the opener in Sao Paulo.

    A study on the price of World Cup 2014 looked at the ticket prices and the cost of travelling to Brazil and found that our English fans face hotel costs of between ￡46 and ￡797 a night, while packages range from ￡2,999 to ￡14,999.

1.How much should a Brazilian student pay for the opening match?  

A.￡15         B.￡58        C.￡112        D.￡632

2. From the passage we know that Thierry Weil_______.

A. feels proud of what they achieved in South Africa 2010

B. feels worried about the sales of the tickets for Brazil 2014

C. holds the belief that Brazil 2014 will be the greatest world cup

D. believes that more fans will attend Brazil 2014 than South Africa 2010

3.What will FIFA do if there are not enough tickets available for requests before Oct.10, 2013?

A. They will sell the spare tickets to the applicants.

B. They will sell on a first-come, first-served basis.

C. They will choose the applicants based on a random selection draw.

D. They will sell them the tickets to be sold on Dec.8.

When I was seven, my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices (装置) tell the time — which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists (手腕); sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007. 

But while these wise people have realized that they don’t need them, others — including some distinguished ones of our time — are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to £ 250.000 for a piece.

This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days, all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Yes, you may say expensive watches will come with some extra functions — but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea to test its function of waterproof, or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole by using its compass? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?

If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead, the Swiss re-invented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man —— usually a famous star, wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world. 

Watches are classified as “investment items” (投资项目) now. A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £ 350, 000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from 15, 000 to 30, 000 plus in a year. But, to some wealthy people, a watch is more than an investment. It’s a valuable toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up — they’ve been rising for fifteen years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that £ 350, 000 treasured object will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Times. 

1.The sales of watches to young people have fallen because ______. 

2.It seems ridiculous to the writer that ______. 

3.What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?

4.Which would be the best title for the passage?

Ⅲ  阅读（共两节，满分40分）

.第一节：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

                                 A

    Today I’ll be talking about the invention of the camera and photography. The camera is often thought to be a modern invention, but as early as 1727, a German physicist discovered that light darkens silver salt. Used as a camera, a big box was set up, and a small hole was cut in one side to let the light in; he made temporary pictures on the salt. Silver salt is still the base of the photographic film today. Then a French scientist made the first permanent picture by using a special piece of metal which was covered with silver salt. A photograph he made in 1826 still exists.

    The painter De Gear improved the process by covering the metal also with placing the common salt which we can eat. This was in 1839, the official date of beginning of photographs. But the problem was the printing of the photographs. And it wasn’t until other scientists developed the kind of photographic paper we now use that good prints were possible and photography became truly modern. In the 1870’s, Matthew Bradey was able to take his famous pictures in American Civil War. In the 20’s of this century, Georges Mann of the United States simplified film developing (冲洗), and Dr Edward Lane invented the so—called ‘Instant Camera’ which uses self—developing film. If we say photography came into existence in 1839, it follows that it took more than 100 years for the camera to reach its present condition of technical refinement(密度).

1. What discovery was the basis of photography?

   A. Light darkens silver salt.                     B. Light darkens natural salt.

   C. Light darkens silver.                         D. Light darkens self--developing film

2. How was the first permanent picture made?

   A. By making use of special paper.               B. By adding common salt to silver salt.

   C. By giving a slight colour to the silver salt.       D. By using a special piece of metal.

3. What does the speaker regard as the official date of beginning of photography?

   A. 1727          B. 1826            C. 1839            D. 1870

4. According to the speaker why is Matthew Bradey remembered today?

   A. He was a soldier.                   B. He took war photographs.

   C. He painted portraits.                 D. He designed a portable camera.

5. What did Doctor Edward Lane invent?

   A. A cheap process of developing film at home.

   B. A new kind of film.

   C. An automatic printer.

   D. An ‘instant camera’ that develops its own film.

Before the sales start, I make a list of ______ my kids will need for the coming season.

   A. why     B. what    C. how    D. which