The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit－card (信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal web site（非法网站）.

　 Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care.

　 On－line shoppers who enter their credit－card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number—or sell the information over the Internet. Computers hackers (黑客) have broken down security（安全）systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago, 25,000 customers of CD Universe, an on－line music retailer (零售商) , were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit－card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157,828 to get back the information.?

　 Credit－card firms are now fighting against on－line fraud. MasterCard is working on plans for Web－only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on－line. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated (欺骗).?

　 Ask about your credit－card firm’s on－line rules: Under British law, cardholders have to pay the first US $78 of any fraudulent (欺骗性的) spending.

　 And shop only at secure sites; Send your credit－card information only if the Web site offers advanced secure system.?

　 If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right－hand corner of your screen. The Web site address may also start https: // － the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit－card information over the telephone.

　　Keep your password（密码）safe: Most on－line sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.? 

What is the meaning of “fraud”??

A. Cheating. 　　　B. Sale. 　　　　C. Payment. 　　　D. Safety.? 　

How can the thieves get the information of the credit card??

A. The customers give them the information.?

B. The thieves steal the information from Web sites.?

C. The customers sell the information to them.?

D. The thieves buy the information from credit card firms.? 　　

How many pieces of advice does the passage give to you??

A. Four. 　　　　　B. Three. 　　　　C. Five. 　　　　D. Six.

You are shopping on the site: http: // www. Shopping. com, and you want to buy a TV set, what does this article suggest to do??

A. Order the TV set at once. ?　

B. Do not buy the TV set on this site.?

C. E－mail the site your credit－card information.?

D. Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you.?

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal – or at least many parts of it have.   71  . Ideas about social class – whether a person is “working - class” or “middle - class” – are one area in which changes have been extremely slow.

　　In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her "housekeeping", would go out and squander the rest on beer and betting.

　　The old style of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was-and still is - inclined to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house as a most important thing, but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important.      72    . Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity （or the education and training） to make such long-term plans.

　　   73   . In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much as their middle – class supervisors (管理者). Social security and laws to improve century, have made it less necessary than before to worry about "tomorrow". Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority(自卑感). In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position.

        74    .They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes, they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations.    75   . As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will emerge, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear, but between different groups.

       A．Nowadays, a great deal has changed

       B．Both of these provided him and his family with security

       C．As a result, differences in life – styles and attitudes came into existence

       D．However, we still have a wide gap between the well – paid and the low - paid

       E．In recent years, the working – class people have begun to design long – term plans

       F．In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned

       G．The changes in both life – styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen amongst younger people

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

阅读理解

　　Happy birthday! Do birthdays really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthdays celebrate the day we were born. What's more, that extra candle on the cake represents another year of growth and maturity (成熟)—or so we hope. We all like to imagine that we're getting wiser and not just alder. Most of us enjoy observing the miracle of growth in others as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That's a different story. Growing old is not exactly pleasant for people in youth-oriented American . Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, “You're as young as you feel . ” Older people joke about how many years young they are ,rather than how many years old. People in sane countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americana seem to favor those that are young, or at least “young at heart”. Many older Americans find the“golden years” to be anything but golden. Economically, “senior citizens”often struggle just to get by. Retirement — typically at age 65—brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social Security Benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition(营养) , medical care and housing. Some even experience age discrimination.

　　Ironically, the elderly population in America is expanding fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies ere being born. The middle-aged “baby boomers” are rapidly entering the ranks of the elderly, so America may soon be a place where wrinkles(皱纹) are “in” . Marketing experts are already focusing on this growing group of consumers. And even now the elderly have a great deal of political power.

　　A common stereotype(模式化的形象) of older Americana is that they are usually “put away” in nursing homes and forgotten about. Actually, only about 5 percent live on acme type of institution(慈善机构).

　　More than half of those 65 or older live with or near at least one of their children. The vast majority ad the elderly live alone and take care of themselves.

　　In spite of challenges they face, Americans in their “twilight years (暮年)” generally refuse to we up on life. They find a variety of ways to keep themselves active. To help them stay in shape, they may join mall (商业区) walkers club, fitness programs and even the “Senior Olympics” .They can enjoy hours of entertainment at senior centers and adult amusement parks. Many enroll in continuing education programs to maintain their mental skills. For Americans, if you're going to grow old, you might as well do it gracefully.

1．Older people in America ________.

[　　]

A．think it sad to enter the golden age

B．are not popular in the society

C．are respected by all

D．find it happy to have another year of growth

2．Which of the following is NOT the reason why there are more and more older people in America?

[　　]

A．The birthrate is lower.

B．The older people are taken good care of.

C．There are many more middle-aged people than before.

D．The average life-span becomes longer.

3．The underlined part in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.

[　　]

A．the babies

B．baby-boomers

C．the middle-aged

D．the elderly

4．It can be seen from the passage that older people in America ________ .

[　　]

A．are content with their life now

B．are faced with challenges throughout their life

C．have chances to remain active in the society

D．receive continuing education programs to hunt for life