56. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte ______.

　 A. allowed other companies to develop pineapples

　 B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

　 C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

　 D. planned to help the other companies

E

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55. The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something ______.

　 A. that people enjoy eating　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 B. that is always present

　 CV. that is difficult to get　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 D. that people use as a gift

54. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

　 A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.　 B. It was less sweet and good for health.

　 C. It was developed by Del Monte.　 　　　　　 D. It was used as medicine.

53. We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is ______.

　 A. green outside and sweet inside　 　　　　　　 B. good-looking outside and soft inside

　 C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside　 　　 D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

52. The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret’s parents would _______．

　 A. help care for her children　　　　　　　　　　 B. regret what they had said

C. show sympathy for her　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. feel disappointed in her

D

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1996, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

　　　 The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

　　　 In nutrition(营养) it was all good news too. This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

　　　 Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market.

51. When at work, Margaret feels _______.

A. light-hearted because of her fellow workers

B. happy because the building is fully lit

C. tired because of the heavy workload

D. bored because time passed slowly

50. Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because _______.

A. they never clean their offices　　　　 　　 B. they look down upon cleaners

C. they never do their work carefully　　　 D. they always make a mess in their offices

49. Margaret quit her job as a nurse because _______

　 A. she wanted to earn more money to support her family

B. she had suffered a lot of mental pressure

C. she needed the right time to look after her children

D. she felt tired of taking care of patients

48. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.

A. seek professional help　 　　　　　　　　　　　 B. be left alone

C. stay with her best friend　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. break the silence

C

Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.

She was trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. “I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts(工作班次) are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school.”

So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6 a.m. five nights a week for just ￡90, before tax and insurance. “It’s　 better than it was　 last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra.”

The hours she’ s chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship.

Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either. “I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they’d be a bit more careful.”

The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. “Since I’ve got to be here, I try to enjoy myself--and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags.”

Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living. “They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said Margaret. “I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think that way any more. I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it.”

47. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.

A. call each other regularly　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. have similar personalities

C. enjoy writing to each other　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. dream of meeting each other