题型:任务型阅读 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
北京市海淀区2016-2017学年高一上学期英语期末考试试卷
A Small-Town Christmas
I worked lots of extra hours in my first Christmas season as a clerk for Dancer's, the department store in my small hometown of Wayland, Michigan.
I'd started the job, which paid 85 cents an hour, that summer of 1966 after getting a work permit at age 15. Our neighbor Arnie Wilde was the manager, and I soon learned how to fit shoes, measure and cut cloth, and keep the shelves of shirts and underwear nice and neat.
We closed at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and at 5:55 a local farmer came in to find gifts for his wife. Arnie told me this was a holiday habit of Mr. Johnson's, and that we'd do our best to take care of him.
I knew Mr. Johnson, whose daughter was in my class and in the band, so I went to help him. We wandered through the sweaters, dresses and skirts, the pretty towels and practical flannel ( 法 兰绒) nightgowns. We talked about size and color and what I thought Mrs. Johnson would like.
After nearly half an hour of mulling, Mr. Johnson decided on a flannel nightgown with pretty pink slippers to match and a piece of jewelry that I'd pointed out to him. I wrapped his gifts and completed the sale, and Arnie and I walked home for dinner.
The next Christmas Eve, like clockwork, Mr. Johnson came in at 5:55. We went through the same process, taking lots of time again to choose and wrap gifts. Tired but happy, Arnie and I headed for home.
By my third Christmas at Dancer's, I was an experienced salesclerk. Mrs. Johnson had come into the store in late summer to buy school clothes for the kids, and we chatted while I helped her shop. As she commented on pretty colors and the lovely way a dress was made, I made mental notes.
When Mr. Johnson made his last-minute appearance on Christmas Eve, I was ready. I told him, “Mrs. Johnson was in not too long ago, and I noticed how much she liked this royal blue sweater and the plaid skirt that goes with it so beautifully.” She'd also told me that she really needed new boots, confiding that she was ashamed to walk into church with her old ones.
I'd found some perfect boots in her size and had put them aside for Christmas Eve. Well, Mr. Johnson was impressed, and I think more than a little relieved. We had him out the door by 6:10 with everything wrapped in paper and ribbons!
I worked for Arnie three more holiday seasons and was always there just before closing on Christmas Eve, when Mr. Johnson knew I had the answers he needed. The big stores in Grand Rapids had more merchandise and lovely Christmas fantasies in their windows, but it's only in a small town that neighbors take care of neighbors.
⑴Questions①to⑤. Judge if the following statements agree with the information given in the passage. Choose A for TRUE if the statements agree with it; choose B for FALSE if the statements don't agree with it; choose C for NOT GIVEN if the information the statements carry is not mentioned anywhere in the passage.
⑵Questions⑥to⑨. Match the following words with their meanings in the passage. Note that there are four choices more than you need.
A spending time thinking B. goods C saying honestly D. pleased E. arguing f. brands G. disappointing H. worried |
⑶Question⑩. Choose the best answer from A, B, C or D.
②Mr. Johnson's daughter was the best player in the school band.
③I carefully took notes of customers' needs and preferences.
④I suggested the blue sweater according to Mrs. Johnson's preference.
⑤Mr. Johnson came to my store to take care of neighbors.
⑦confiding
⑧relieved
⑨merchandise
Your mobile is now much more than just a communication device - more like a remote control for your life. You still call it a "mobile" from habit, but it is an organizer, entertainment device, payment device and security(安全) center, all developed and manufactured by engineers.
What we do need is better mobiles and more intelligence. Because it knows your travel timetable it can check for problems on the roads or with the trains, giving you the best route into work. It can control your home, reprogramming the central heating if you need to get up earlier and keeping an eye on your home by connecting your mobile with the home security system. It is your payment system—you can pay for tickets for journeys or buy items in shops by placing the phone near a sensor(感应器). With an understanding of location, the mobile can also provide directions, or even tell you if your friends or family are nearby.
Usually it will start work even before you wake. It will work with your home entertainment system while you sleep to find programmes that will interest you and download them as a podcast to watch on the train or in other spare moments. It will intelligently work out what to do with incoming phone calls and messages. Because it knows your diary it will also know, for example, to direct voice calls to voicemail when you are in a meeting, perhaps providing a discrete text summary of the caller and the nature of their call.
With its understanding of almost all aspects of your life; many new services become possible. For example, a “Good Food” meal planning service could send daily suggestions for your evening meal based on learned preferences, previous selections made and the likely contents of your refrigerator.
Ten years ago the mobile was purely a device for making voice calls. Now it is a camera, MP3 player, and texting device. This is only the start of an evolution that will turn it into our trusted and indispensable companion in life.
Mobile phones | ||
Your mobile phone is not only a phone but also a remote control for your {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. | ||
Functions of your mobile phone | Organizer | * {#blank#}2{#/blank#}for problems on the roads or with the trains and find the best {#blank#}3{#/blank#}into work for you. *Control your home's central {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. *Deal with your phone calls and messages and {#blank#}5{#/blank#}voice calls to voicemail when you are in a meeting. *Send daily {#blank#}6{#/blank#}for your meals through a “Good Food” meal planning service. |
{#blank#}7{#/blank#} device | *Find and {#blank#}8{#/blank#}programmes for you to watch. | |
Payment device | *Pay for tickets for journeys or {#blank#}9{#/blank#} items in shops. | |
Security center | *You can look after your home by {#blank#}10{#/blank#}your mobile phone with the home security system. | |
Conclusion | Mobile phones will be our trusted and necessary helpers in life. |
Put a group of strangers in a room together, and they'll probably start a conversation. "Hot today, isn't it?" one might say. "You said it." another replies.
Why do we talk so much about the weather? When we meet new people, we don't begin by telling them our life story. We start with small talk, a polite conversation about something like traffic or weather.
Research suggests that small talk can build new friendships. When we begin conversations with new people, we want to feel comfortable, and so do they. We use small talk to find common interests. Once we have a common interest, a friendship can begin.
Small talk even helps people get hired. In order to impress at a job interview, you need to bond with the interviewer right away. Proper small talk can make that first impression get you the job.
So, how can you make small talk lead to a new friendship or job? First off, find common ground. Select something around you that you share with the other person.
Next, keep the conversation going. Compliment (赞美) the other person to make him or her feel comfortable, and ask questions to show interest.
Third, keep eye contact (接触). When you look people in the eye, they feel you appreciate what they are saying. It makes you appear honest and builds trust.
Naturally, shy people might not have enough confidence to start up conversations with strangers. Talking to someone you don't know is not the easiest thing to do! Some experts say with more practice, small talk does get easier.
Some people avoid small talk because they dislike discussing things like traffic or weather. For them, they are just too small. However, when you think about it, small talk is anything but small. In fact, it is actually a very big deal!
Title | Small Talk: A Big {#blank#}1{#/blank#} |
Introduction | We are likely to make small talk when we {#blank#}2{#/blank#} meet people. |
{#blank#}3{#/blank#} | ❖ Small talk can help people form {#blank#}4{#/blank#} friendships. |
❖Small talk can also help people get a {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. | |
Advice | ❖Find some topics {#blank#}6{#/blank#} with the other person. |
❖Keep the talk going by making compliments and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} questions. ❖Keep eye contact in conversation to build {#blank#}8{#/blank#}. | |
❖{#blank#}9{#/blank#} more in order to make small talk easier. | |
Conclusion | Small talk really {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a lot to us. |
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