Being that I worked in a grocery store for 7 years, I know quite a bit about impulsive purchases. In fact, I helped (sadly to say) push certain products by placing them in a certain fashion. Through said experience, I tend to know some of the best ways to counter the impulsive nature of buying things that are unnecessary.
The following is a 3- point list to counter the need to buy something shoved in your face…
Don't bring the kids.
You wouldn't believe (or maybe you parents would) how much more junk parents buy for their kids that is completely impulsive. Working as a checker at a grocery store, I quickly learned that most of the time kids were with their parents, the parents would buy something else within 10 feet of the check stand.
Bring exact cash.
I like to use my debit card because I am able to track every penny better, but holding and letting go of cash is much tougher for me personally. So, if I am going through a tough time budgeting properly, I will bring the allotted (限定的)amount of cash to the place of business and only allow that to be used.
Ignore salesman.
If you are at a department store and someone asks if you need help, try to ignore their push as much as possible. Sure, if you know nothing about laptops, get their advice, but even then I suggest doing your research pre-shop. Salesman could care less what you want. It's all about what their quota or commission is. Ignore them.
【小题1】Why does the author write the passage?

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。

“You will never walk again．You will have to use a wheelchair．” I heard his   36   fall heavily on my ears, numbing my soul．If I had never felt hopeless before, I felt hopeless then．

The car accident has left me unconscious．When   37   , I found both legs in casts（石膏）．While I had other serious injuries, my    38   were my first concern．Working as a special needs teacher and busy and active by nature, I couldn’t imagine being   39   in a wheelchair．

Lying in my bed, I wondered how I   40   give my ten-year-old son hope that mom would  41  ．He’d been cheerful on every visit, but I saw    42   in his eyes． He needed the ray of hope that I would not be in a wheelchair forever．

Just maybe, I thought, I could use this experience to teach him what to do when misfortune   43  ．

It didn’t take me long to become  44  with my limited movements and even with the pace the doctors were willing to go with me．I was determined to learn everything they showed me．

Every night in my private room, as soon as I knew I wouldn’t be   45  or discovered, I would move myself from the bed to the floor,  46   on to the bed rail（床栏杆） for dear life, and slowly putting my weight   47   my feet．After several weeks of such difficult   48  , my strength and confidence continued to    49   ．

It came the time to share my accomplishments with the person most    50    to me．One night, when I heard my son greet the nurses at the station, I    51   myself up．As he opened the door, I took a few small steps．   52   , he could only watch as I turned and started back to bed．All of the pain, the fear, and the struggle   53  as I heard the words I had longed to hear, “Mommy, you can walk!”

I am now able to walk alone, sometimes using a stick．I am able to take public transportation to shop and visit friends．My life has been blessed with many   54  of which I am proud．But none has ever brought me the satisfaction and joy   55   by those four little words of my son．

1.A．words              B．report           C．explanations     D．decision

2.A．hit                B．awakened         C．asked            D．discovered

3.A．legs               B．parents          C．activities       D．surroundings

4.A．placed             B．caught           C．carried          D．stuck

5.A．might              B．should           C．could            D．must

6.A．change             B．recover          C．adjust           D．succeed

7.A．curiosity          B．surprise         C．fear             D．puzzle

8.A．strikes            B．passes           C．continues        D．remains

9.A．familiar           B．strict           C．discouraged      D．impatient

10.A．punished          B．interrupted      C．accepted         D．protected

11.A．falling           B．setting          C．holding          D．ping

12.A．through           B．in               C．at               D．on

13.A．efforts           B．lessons          C．acts             D．curs

14.A．appear            B．survive          C．build            D．add

15.A．useful            B．important        C．popular          D．pleasant

16.A．opened            B．dressed          C．woke             D．dragged

17.A．Disappointed      B．Embarrassed      C．Frightened       D．Shocked

18.A．faded             B．spread           C．backed           D．sank

19.A．expectations      B．challenges       C．achievements     D．supports

20.A．proved            B．offered          C．taught           D．suggested

Even when I am able to get in touch with the manager and tell him your request, I cannot __ he will reply.

A. stress              B. appeal            C. inform            D. guarantee

E
“You will remember this night forever,” he told me. My friend was taking me dumpster(垃圾桶)diving for the first time. We both needed costumes for a party so he decided to show me around a few of the city’s finest waste baskets. After finding costume materials in the thrift store(旧货店)dumpsters, we stopped at a grocery store. There we found a dumpster half filled with potatoes and bread. We collected bags of potatoes to share with friends and to use for cooking with Food Not Bombs(a group that shares free vegetarian food and speaks against war and poverty). I was later told that using the dumpsters could earn me the title of an urban pirate(海盗)-what a great honour!  
My first dumpster dive opened new doors for me. I had struggled with spending money. Now I think it will prove difficult to buy anything after seeing what people throw away. Something about all those wasted resources is not right. It seems we are constantly buying more and more and throwing away perfectly usable items, while many cannot meet their basic needs.
People who have never done their shopping in a dumpster believe it is dirty, dangerous, and humiliating. In reality, a diver with an old pair of jeans, a flashlight and a little common sense (wear boots and gloves to guard against sharp objects)should not have any trouble staying safe and can feel good about being a resourceful and responsible consumer. Dumpstering is a good way to save money, labour, and lessen our environmental impact.
From that dumpster tour, I had a new opinion on garbage. I found I can do something in this wasteful society. By living simply and taking what little I need from others’ unwanted goods, I am able to begin to break the habits of wastefulness. The influence of that first urban pirate adventure created a continuing impact on my life.
72. What is the attitude of the author to the title of an urban pirate?
A. Tolerant          B. Proud         C. Respectful        D. Humiliating
73. “My first dumpster dive opened new doors for me.” means          .
A. it has led to a better life for me and made me wealthier
B. it has made me buy nothing later and break the habits of wastefulness
C. it has changed my views and attitudes to consumers and living
D. it has brought me good senses to be a responsible and a resourceful consumer
74. The main idea of the third paragraph is             .
A. only the poor goes in for dumpstering
B. how to keep safe while dumpstering
C. the benefit and value of dumpstering  
D. how to save money and lessen environmental impace
75. In the writer’s opinion,          .
A. there are many objects to be recycled in the dumpster
B. there are too many people looking down upon the divers
C. the little of an urban pirate is a prejudice
D. the influence of the first urban pirate adventure had an ill effect on his life  

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。
“You will never walk again．You will have to use a wheelchair．” I heard his   36  fall heavily on my ears, numbing my soul．If I had never felt hopeless before, I felt hopeless then．
The car accident has left me unconscious．When   37  , I found both legs in casts（石膏）．While I had other serious injuries, my    38  were my first concern．Working as a special needs teacher and busy and active by nature, I couldn’t imagine being   39  in a wheelchair．
Lying in my bed, I wondered how I   40  give my ten-year-old son hope that mom would  41 ．He’d been cheerful on every visit, but I saw    42  in his eyes． He needed the ray of hope that I would not be in a wheelchair forever．
Just maybe, I thought, I could use this experience to teach him what to do when misfortune   43 ．
It didn’t take me long to become  44 with my limited movements and even with the pace the doctors were willing to go with me．I was determined to learn everything they showed me．
Every night in my private room, as soon as I knew I wouldn’t be   45 or discovered, I would move myself from the bed to the floor,  46  on to the bed rail（床栏杆） for dear life, and slowly putting my weight   47  my feet．After several weeks of such difficult   48 , my strength and confidence continued to    49  ．
It came the time to share my accomplishments with the person most    50   to me．One night, when I heard my son greet the nurses at the station, I    51  myself up．As he opened the door, I took a few small steps．   52  , he could only watch as I turned and started back to bed．All of the pain, the fear, and the struggle   53 as I heard the words I had longed to hear, “Mommy, you can walk!”
I am now able to walk alone, sometimes using a stick．I am able to take public transportation to shop and visit friends．My life has been blessed with many   54 of which I am proud．But none has ever brought me the satisfaction and joy   55  by those four little words of my son．