(10·浙江E篇)

I needed to buy a digital camera, one that was simply good at taking good snaps (快照), maybe occasionally for magazines. Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand. So I went on the net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store. There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list. And it was on special offer. Oh joy. I pointed at it and asked an assistant, “Can I have one of those?”  He looked perturbed (不安). “Do you want to try it first?” he said. It didn’t quite sound like a question. “Do I need to?” I replied ,“There is nothing wrong with it？” This made him look a bit insulted and I started to feel bad. “No, no. But you should try it,” he said encouragingly. “Compare it with the others.”

 I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box. With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time. But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model.

But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice. In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen. The assistant seemed a sincere man. So I let him take out of my chosen camera from cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers… and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well.

Why do we think that new options(选择) still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine.

57.The shop assistant insisted that the writer should               

A. try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it.

B. compare the camera he had chosen with the others.

C. get more information about different companies.

D. trust him and stop asking questions.

58. What does the writer mean by “it would be worth half what I paid for it ”(paragraph 2)

A. He should get a 50% discount.

B. The price of the camera was unreasonably high.

C. The quality of the camera was not good.

D. The camera would soon fall in value.

59. The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he                  

A. knew very little about it.

B. didn’t trust the shop assistant.

C. wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best.

D. had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers.

60. I t can be inferred from the passage that in the writer’s opinion,            .

A. people waste too much money on cameras

B. cameras have become an important part of our daily life

C. we don’t actually need so many choices when buying a product

D. famous companies care more about profit than quality

  

Most people who work in London get a break of about an hour for lunch.  36  they mostly live too far from home to go back there  37  lunch, they have to  38  other arrangements for their midday meal.

Many large companies have a canteen (自助食堂) for their employees. In  39  canteens the food served is simple but  40 , and there is some  41  of choice. But the number of dishes  42 usually small. The employees themselves fetch their dishes  43  a counter at which they are  44. There they can find a tray on  45  to carry their knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups, saucers,  46, of course, their food. A meal in a canteen is inexpensive and may  47  of soup, fish and chips or meat and two vegetables,  48  fruit or pudding of some  49  as dessert. Some companies that do not run a canteen  50  their staff with luncheon-vouchers (午餐券), which many restaurants will accept in 51  of money.

As there are so many people  52  work in London, there are numerous cafes and restaurants in every area that is not purely residential. A meal  53  cost anything from a modest sum to quite a few pounds,  54  on the restaurant and the food chosen.  55 , one can generally get a meal, or at least a snack, in a pub. In recent years there has also been a big increase in the number of ‘take-away’ food shops of all kinds.

1.A. Unless            B. As                   C. If               D. Although

2. A. for               B. at                   C.of                D. in

3. A. take                  B. bring             C. make                D. use

4.A. such              B. few              C. so                   D. little

5.A. full                B. limited             C. extra              D. enough

6.A. exchange           B. variety              C. change           D. difference

7. A. are                   B. is                   C. being                D. be

8.A. to                 B. with             C. at                   D. from

9.A. sold               B. served               C. made             D. kept

10.A. which             B. it                   C. except               D. instead

11.A. or                 B. but               C. and               D. except

12.A. consist               B. compose          C. compare          D. insist

13.A. along             B. with             C. about                D. at

14.A. sort              B. pattern              C. category         D.content

15.A. prepare               B. repair               C. afford               D. provide

16. A. space                B. case             C. face             D. place

17.A. at                    B. above            C. over             D. by

18.A. must              B. may              C.should            D. could

19.A. taking                B. turning          C. depending            D. bringing

20. A. Besides          B.However           C. Never                D. More

 

 

Most people who work in London get a break of about an hour for lunch.  1they mostly live too far from home to go back there  2lunch, they have to  3other arrangements for their midday meal.

Many large companies have a canteen (自助食堂) for their employees. In  4canteens the food served is simple but  5, and there is some  6of choice. But the number of dishes  7usually small. The employees themselves fetch their dishes  8a counter at which they are  9. There they can find a tray on  10to carry their knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups, saucers,  11, of course, their food. A meal in a canteen is inexpensive and may  12of soup, fish and chips or meat and two vegetables,  13fruit or pudding of some  14as dessert. Some companies that do not run a canteen  15their staff with luncheon-vouchers (午餐券), which many restaurants will accept in 16of money.

As there are so many people  17work in London, there are numerous cafes and restaurants in every area that is not purely residential. A meal  18cost anything from a modest sum to quite a few pounds,  19on the restaurant and the food chosen.  20, one can generally get a meal, or at least a snack, in a pub. In recent years there has also been a big increase in the number of ‘take-away’ food shops of all kinds.

1.A. Unless            B. As                   C. If               D. Although

2.A. for                B. at                   C.of                D. in

3.A. take              B. bring             C. make                D. use

4.A. such              B. few              C. so                   D. little

5.A. full                B. limited             C. extra              D. enough

6.A. exchange           B. variety              C. change           D. difference

7.A. are                B. is                   C. being                D. be

8.A. to                 B. with             C. at                   D. from

9.A. sold               B. served               C. made             D. kept

10.A. which             B. it                   C. except               D. instead

11.A. or                 B. but               C. and               D. except

12.A. consist               B. compose          C. compare          D. insist

13.A. along             B. with             C. about                D. at

14.A. sort              B. pattern              C. category         D.content

15.A. prepare               B. repair               C. afford               D. provide

16.A. space                 B. case             C. face             D. place

17.A. at                    B. above            C. over             D. by

18.A. must              B. may              C.should            D. could

19.A. taking                B. turning          C. depending            D. bringing

20.A. Besides           B.However           C. Never                D. More

 

The popular college rankings focus primarily on prestige as measured by the SAT scores of incoming students and how many applicants are turned away． An initiative（措施）started last fall by the Obama administration could help families go beyond these limited, and far too easily exploited, indexes to learn quickly and easily how a college is compared with its competitors nationally on important criteria like graduation rates, what a degree actually costs and how much debt a student can expect to run up by graduation day．
If the federal government makes it legally necessary to disclose this information in a clear and consistent（一贯的）way, as it should, families will be better able to make informed college choices． And this will help put pressure on colleges that perform poorly to improve．
Critics may regard this initiative as an example of government overreach． But given that the federal government spends nearly $190 billion a year on higher education aid to students, it has a legitimate interest in making sure that the money flows to the schools that best meet their responsibilities to families and students．
Congress has taken some steps to require greater transparency（透明）from colleges． The 1990 Student Right to Know Act, for example, required colleges and universities that receive federal aid to disclose graduation rates． And the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act required schools to offer a way for consumers to determine actual costs after student aid is taken into account．
But many colleges have done a poor job of obeying federal disclosure rules, and much of the available information is not in one place． The administration’s new efforts would enforce reporting requirements and provide some new tools．
President Obama wants to expand campus-based aid to about $10 billion from the current $2．7 billion． He has proposed moving money away from colleges that fail to control tuition increases or provide good value to others that do a better job． That is a worthy idea in principle, but he will need strong data-based evidence to determine how colleges are doing．
The transparency initiatives are a good place to start and should be embraced by both parties in Congress． If students and families, facing higher tuition and rising debt, are to make sound choices, they need more and better information．
【小题1】Why did the Obama administration start the initiative last fall?

A．To require colleges to make their graduation rates known to the public．

B．To help colleges perform better in the future．

C．To help parents and students make better choices of colleges．

D．To put more pressure on colleges that are not doing well enough．

【小题2】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Critics agree that the government should require colleges to obey the disclosure rules．

B．Congress has approved and made the transparency initiatives a law．

C．SAT scores alone do not determine one’s choice of college．

D．Students and families find it very difficult to choose their ideal colleges now．

【小题3】A most suitable title for the passage could be______．

A．Congress To Require Greater Transparency

B．What College Parents and Students Need to Know

C．What a Good College Is Measured By

D．Parents and Students Need to Make Wise Choices

【小题4】What attitude does the author hold towards the transparency initiative?

A．supportive

B．critical

C．indifferent

D．not stated