Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for shoppers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! Second, never let “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of contents on the back. Third，compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands(品牌)and different sizes of the same brand.

Another suggestion for shoppers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising. However, they are still of high quality. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.

Wise shoppers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials(商业广告)，but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, will-informed shoppers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, shoppers can make a wise choice.

1. The author gives ________ suggestions to the shoppers in the passage.

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

2.We can learn from the passage that ____________________.

A. ordinary items are not so attractive because of the lower prices .

B. we can’t buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural”.

 C. the advertisers are always showing misinformation in the commercial.　

D. the quality of ordinary items can be as good as that of famous brands.

3.The author’s main purpose of writing the passage is to advise shoppers _________________.

    A. to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands

B. how to buy ordinary things in supermarkets

C. how to make a proper decision while shopping

D. not to believe advertisements or commercials

Thank you for sending me letters by Internet.

1. A.
   ordinary letters
2. B.
   E-mails
3. C.
   airmails
4. D.
   post cards

People often complain they face too many problems. Every day and everywhere there are problems. Many times we find it hard to stay happy. When one problem is solved, another one comes up.

People have money problems, work problems, family problems, health problems..... the list goes on. And we usually think that people who are happy and successful are having fewer problems than us. Look at the successful people we often mention. They have money they need, they have jobs they love, they have good friends, they have obedient(孝顺的) kids, they have the successful business, they have loving families etc. Everything goes well with them. That is why they are happy and successful. But in fact, the more successful you are, the more problems you have to face. More success means more challenges they have to face, and more success means more risks they have to take.

Young and old, rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful, educated and uneducated, all have problems. The difference is that their problems are different from each other. Rich and successful have big problems. Poor and unsuccessful have small problems. Still they all have problems which they can face. Successful people are successful just because they are ready to face challenges larger than ordinary people.

Winning the US elections(选举) makes Obama very happy. As a new US president, he has to face bigger challenges. He has to be more careful about his work he does, or he will lose his position(位置). Looking at him, we may say he is lucky, happy and successful. But, I think, as the US president, he has more pressure than an ordinary person.

54. You will be a/an ______ person if you are afraid to face more challenges.

　 A. ordinary　　　 B. successful　　　　 C. famous　　　　 D. educated

55. From this article we know that President Obama ______.

　 A. has fewer problems　　　　　　　　 B. was born in a rich family

　 C. takes more risks　　　　　　　　　 D. is a successful businessman

56. The main idea of this article is _______.

　 A. why poor people are always poor

　 B. how many problems people usually have to face

C. how lucky and happy President Obama is

D. how to deal with problems in life

阅读理解

　　When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying:“We have to go to work now,” you're left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools and that the work“they go off” is to go on the stage in a theater.

　　Stage schools often act as agencies (代理机构) to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with training for the theatre and a general education.

　　A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn't settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

　　Then of course there is time for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year and those over 13 to 40 days.

　　The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don't make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

(1) People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they're talking to ________ .

[　　]

A. attend stage school

B. are going to the theatre

C. have got some work to do

D. love singing and dancing

(2) In the writer's opinion, a good stage school should ________ .

[　　]

A. produce star performers

B. help pupils improve their study skills

C. train pupils in language and performing arts

D. provide a general education and training

(3)“Professional work” used in the text means ________ .

[　　]

A. ordinary school work

B. money-making performances

C. stage training at school

D. acting, singing, or dancing after class

(4) Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

[　　]

A. He thinks highly of that they have to offer.

B. He favors an early start in the training of performing arts.

C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

(5) The word “unthinkable” in the first paragraph means: ________ .

[　　]

A.难以接受的

B. 不可思议的

C. 不假思索

D. 随机应变的