One way to sell stuff is to make things that people want to buy. Another way is to offer “free trials” and then hit customers with bills. This brings us to PDC Education Ltd, run by Rebecca Jordan and Kirsty Weir of Leeds, whose website teaching-resources-uk.com offers teaching plans for teachers.
Rosemarie Brady, finance manager of Rutlish School in Merton, southwest London, tells us that one teacher called Amanda Seyfried downloaded the “free” resources. “Unfortunately in very small print, they state that unless the free trial is cancelled, then you will be charged,” she says.
A year has gone by and now they’ve been sent a second bill for 500 pounds, just because they forgot to cancel the “free trial”.
Merton Council—and it’s not the only one—has sent a warning to all its schools saying: “ Only in the very (easily missed) small print of the terms and conditions is it explained that, after the 14-day trial, schools will be automatically signed for a two-year contact with the company.”
“This will only be stopped if the teacher who requested the trial writes directly to PDC to cancel before the 14 days have expired(期滿). The fee can be as much as hundreds of pounds, with the threat of debt recovery if they are not paid.”
Among the online complaints is this one from a teacher. “How disappointed I am that they will not even consider seriously re-negotiating the invoice(清單).”
Rebecca Jordan of PDC Education said, “ The whole purpose behind the free trial is that we have confidence in our business. This free trial period gives teachers the chance to see what is on offer without having to commit to a payment.”
Only a “very small number” of teachers have complained when they receive an invoice, she added. “ Their only complaint is that they have not checked what they are signing up to but that is not our fault, the position is totally clear. The prices and the trial terms are clear to see on the online sign up page.”
It’s true the terms and conditions are on their website. But perhaps it’s unhelpful that they run to almost 3000 words.
【小題1】We know from the passage that____________.
| A．Merton Council suggests that PDC Education Ltd should be closed down |
| B．the website teaching-resources-uk.com uses tricks to cheat people out of money |
| C．the users complained that they had not been informed of writing to PDC earlier |
| D．the education website promises to enlarge their warning print and cut down the term |
| A．Critical | B．Reserved | C．Doubtful | D．Positive |
| A．An education website | B．A lesson in “free” trials |
| C．A mysterious invoice | D．Traps on the web |
【小題1】B
【小題2】A
【小題3】B
解析試題分析：這篇文章講的是一個網(wǎng)站利用免費(fèi)試用課程，先是讓人們試用，但是如果不及時的取消定制，就會有大筆的費(fèi)用從而騙人們的錢。
【小題1】細(xì)節(jié)題：從第三段的句子：A year has gone by and now they’ve been sent a second bill for 500 pounds, just because they forgot to cancel the “free trial”. 可知teaching-resources-uk.com 使用詭計(jì)騙人們的錢，選B
【小題2】作者態(tài)度題：從最后一段的句子：It’s true the terms and conditions are on their website. But perhaps it’s unhelpful that they run to almost 3000 words.可知作者對PDC的態(tài)度是批評的，選A
【小題3】標(biāo)題確定題：這篇文章講的是一個網(wǎng)站利用免費(fèi)試用課程騙人們的錢，用A lesson in “free” trials
做為標(biāo)題，有雙關(guān)的意思：一是表面的含義；還可以理解成免費(fèi)試用的教訓(xùn)，選B
考點(diǎn)：考查社會生活類短文
| 年級 | 高中課程 | 年級 | 初中課程 |
| 高一 | 高一免費(fèi)課程推薦！ | 初一 | 初一免費(fèi)課程推薦！ |
| 高二 | 高二免費(fèi)課程推薦！ | 初二 | 初二免費(fèi)課程推薦！ |
| 高三 | 高三免費(fèi)課程推薦！ | 初三 | 初三免費(fèi)課程推薦！ |
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all, whether rich or poor, clever or stupid, one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough: we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degrees than there are jobs for them to fill. Because of their degree, they refuse to do what they think “l(fā)ow” work; and in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we would get terrible diseases in our towns.
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we are educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability, and secondly, that we realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that it is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
【小題1】The writer of this passage thinks that ________.
| A．free education can solve all of the world’s problems |
| B．free education for all probably leads to a perfect world |
| C．free education won’t help to solve social problems at all |
| D．not all the social problems can be solved by free education |
| A．our society needs all kinds of jobs |
| B．our society needs free education for all |
| C．a(chǎn) farmer is more important than a professor |
| D．people with university degrees earn more money |
| A．work with hands is dirty and shameful |
| B．work with hands is low work |
| C．work with hands is the most important |
| D．we can’t regard work with hands as low work |
| A．to choose a system of education |
| B．to let everyone receive education |
| C．to prepare children for their future life |
| D．to prepare children for well-paid jobs |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy, but this one is clean and cool. Fox Point is a very new 47-unit living building in South Bronx, one of the city’s poorest areas. Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government. The rest are low-income families. The boiler room has special equipment, which produces energy for electricity and heat. It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air, reducing carbon emissions while also cutting costs. 
Fox Point is operated by Palladia, a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy people. Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers.
ECP has created national standards for healthy, environmentally clever and affordable homes which are called the Green Communities Standards. These standards include water keeping, energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%, which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs. Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy.
Michael Bloomberg, New York’s mayor, plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for 500,000 New Yorkers. Almost 80% of New York City’s greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings, and 40% of those are caused by housing. So he recently announced that the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD) , whose duty is to develop and keep the city’s supply of affordable housing, will require all its new projects to follow ECP’s green standards.
Similar measures have been taken by other cities, such as Cleveland and Denver, but New York’s DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.
【小題1】What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph?
| A．To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people. |
| B．To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas. |
| C．To show how the environment-friendly building works. |
| D．To compare old and new boiler rooms. |
| A．Lower running costs. |
| B．Costing less in construction. |
| C．Less air to be lost in hot days. |
| D．Better prices for homeless people. |
| A．New York City is seriously polluted |
| B．people’s daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City |
| C．a(chǎn) great number of people in New York City don’t have houses to live in |
| D．some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City |
| A．To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems. |
| B．To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing. |
| C．To ask society to help homeless people and low-income families. |
| D．To introduce healthy, environmentally clever and affordable housing. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Thousands of years ago, birthdays were considered special days. On birthdays, the bad spirits were able to harm you and change your life. It was believed that the only way to solve the problem was to have your friends and family around you, so that good wishes and presents would keep the bad spirits away. Also, noisemakers were thought to be used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits.
The custom of lighting candles was created by people believing that the gods lived in the sky. By lighting candles and torches, they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods, so they could be answered. Blowing out the candles and making a wish were thought to be another way of sending a signal or a message.
This is how the way we celebrate our birthdays came about. But different cultures celebrate in different ways.
The birthday story in the Bible（圣經(jīng)） that we know best is about the birth of the Christ in Bethlehem（地名：伯利恒）. For nearly 2000 years since that day, the Christian world has been honoring this birth. The day many Englishmen celebrate is, of course, Christmas. There are other references to birthday parties. King Pharaoh celebrated his birthday by making a feast for his court followers. That was over 4000 years ago. The story of King Herod tells that on his birthday he made a supper for his lords, high captains and other special friends in Galilee (地名：加利利).
【小題1】According to the passage, good wishes and presents given by one’s friends and family on his birthday can _____________________.
| A．cheer him up |
| B．push bad spirits away |
| C．bring him a big fortune |
| D．prove that he’s a popular person |
| A．People send messages to the gods by lighting or blowing out the candles. |
| B．The gods celebrate their birthdays by lighting candles. |
| C．The custom of lighting candles originated with the gods. |
| D．The gods will help people realize their dreams on their birthdays. |
| A．how great the two kings were |
| B．that their court followers were awarded the special honors |
| C．the two kings’ excellent cooking skills |
| D．how different cultures celebrate in different ways |
| A．the functions of the noises made on birthdays. |
| B．how to scare away the bad spirits on birthdays |
| C．how birthdays came about |
| D．the origin of a famous day Christmas |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
When Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it was a revolution in communication. For the first time, people could talk to each other over great distances almost as clearly as if they were in the same room. Nowadays, though, we increasingly use Bell’s invention for taking photographs, accessing the internet, or watching video clips, rather than talking. Over the last two decades a new means of spoken communication has appeared: the mobile phone.
The first real mobile telephone call was made in 1973 by Dr Martin Cooper, the scientist who invented the modem mobile handset（手機(jī)）. Within a decade, mobile phones became available to the public. The streets of modem cities began to feature sharp-suited characters shouting into giant plastic bricks. In Britain the mobile phone quickly became the same with the “yuppie”, the new type of young urban professionals who carried the expensive handsets as status symbols. Around this time many of us said that we would never own a mobile phone.
But in the mid-90s, something happened. Cheaper handsets and cheaper calling rates meant that, almost overnight, it seemed that everyone had a mobile phone. And the giant plastic bricks of the 80s had changed into smooth little objects that fitted nicely into pockets and bags.
Moreover, people’s timekeeping changed. Younger readers will be amazed to know that, not long ago, people made spoken arrangements to meet at a certain place at a certain time. But later Meeting time became approximate under the new order of communication: the Short Message Service （SMS） or text message. Going to be late? Send a text message! It takes much less effort than arriving on time, and it’s much less awkward than explaining your lateness face to face and the text message has changed the way we write in English. Traditional rules of grammar and spelling are much less important when you’re sitting on the bus, hurriedly typing “Will B 15mm late - C U @ the bar. Sorry! -).”
Alexander Graham Bell would be amazed if he could see how far the science of telephony has progressed in less than 150 years. If he were around today, he might say “That’s gr8! But I’m v busy rite now. Will call U 2nite.”
【小題1】What does the underlined part in Para.2 refer to?
| A．Houses of modern cities. | B．Sharp-suited characters. |
| C．New type of professionals. | D．Mobile phones. |
| A．People were more likely to be late for their meeting. |
| B．SMS made it easier to inform each other. |
| C．Young people don’t like unchanging things. |
| D．Traditional customs were dying out. |
| A．Call U@ SKUg8 2nite. | B．IM2BZ2CU 2nite. |
| C．CU@ the bar g8 2nite. | D．W84U@ SKUg8 2nite. |
| A．Alexander Graham’s invention. |
| B．SMS as a new way of communication. |
| C．New functions of the mobile telephone. |
| D．The development of the mobile phone. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Friends play a very important part in everyone’s life. Friendship usually develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long. Friends influence your development, maturity (成熟) and sense of responsibility. A familiar expression is “you can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his friends are.” Friendship is based on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends are likely to be athletic. If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends do the same.
Some people call you their friends for the wrong reason. These people are not really friends. They are only “friends” on the outside, not the inside where it counts. They only want to be your friends if it is to their advantage. True friends are there whether you are rich or poor. It is easy to have many so-called “friends” if you are rich. By this time you should be able to separate your friends into the real or the “false”.
True friends are most special. They are also difficult to find. You can consider yourself very lucky if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. He or she knows you would do the same for them. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. You and your true friend have good understanding of each other. True friends support you, take your side, and build up your confidence.
【小題1】 “So-called” friends refer to .
| A．fair-weather friends |
| B．those who want to benefit from you |
| C．the friends who are on the surface only |
| D．a(chǎn)ll of the above |
| A．You should tell true friends from false ones. |
| B．True friendship is too difficult to find. |
| C．You can share your joys and sorrows with a true friend. |
| D．A true friend will stand by you whatever happens. |
| A．Friendliness | B．What friends like |
| C．True Friends | D．So-called Friends |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Doctors in Britain are warning of an obesity time bomb, when children who are already overweight grow up. So, what should we do? Exercise more? Eat less? Or both? The government feels it has to take responsibility for this expanding problem.
The cheerful Mr. Pickwick, the hero of the novel by Charles Dickens, is seen in illustrations as someone who is plump and happy. In 18th century paintings, beauty is equated （使…等同） with rounded bodies and soft curves. But nowadays being overweight is seen as indicating neither a cheerful character nor beauty but an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
So what do you do? Diet? Not according to England's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson. He says that physical activity is the key for reducing the risks of obesity, cancer and heart disease. And the Health Secretary John Reid even said that being inactive is as serious a risk factor in heart disease as smoking.
So, having bought some cross trainers, how much exercise should you do? According to Sir Liam Donaldson, at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week. Is going to the gym the answer? Luckily for those who think that running machines are boring, the Health Development Agency believes that physical activity that fits into people's lives may be more effective. They suggest taking the stairs rather than the lift, walking up escalators, playing active games with your children, dancing or gardening. And according to a sports psychologist, Professor Biddle, gyms "are not making the nation fit", and may even cause harm.
There's new scientific evidence that too much exercise may actually be bad for you. Scientists at the University of Ulster have found that unsuitable exercise releases dangerous free radicals that can adversely （oppositely） affect normal function in unfit people. The only people who should push their bodies to that level of exercise on a regular basis are trained athletes.
So, should we forget about gyms and follow some expert's advice to reduce sedentary （久坐不動的） activities and increase exercise in our daily life? After all, getting off the bus a stop early and walking the rest of the way can't do any harm! One final thought. How come past generations lacked gym facilities but were leaner and fitter than people today?
【小題1】Mr.Pickwick and the paintings of the 18m century are used as examples to show that_____.
| A．beauty should be overweight |
| B．a(chǎn) fat man is usually a cheerful character |
| C．fatness was considered something good at one time |
| D．fatness leads to an increased risk of disease |
| A．go on a diet | B．do regular physical activity |
| C．give up smoking | D．go to the gym |
| A．people who help you do exercise | B．places where you can do exercise |
| C．a(chǎn) kind of shoes | D．a(chǎn) form of vehicles |
| A．a(chǎn)n increased risk of diseases | B．a(chǎn) happier life |
| C．a(chǎn) cheerful character | D．a(chǎn) beauty |
| A．how to keep fit and avoid fatness. | B．increased risks for overweight people. |
| C．the dangers of exercise in the gym. | D．the benefit of a balanced diet. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
I was appreciating my family photos on my computer, admiring my two beautiful babies, when I found a disturbing trend: my laptop was in almost all the pictures. There was my daughter, 8 months old, playing at my feet while I was typing away on the couch. There was me and my son, with the laptop at my side as I held him in my arms.
I’d heard about the Internet addiction before, but always assumed I was something limited to socially challenged guys who played too much World of Warcraft (a computer game). Now it seemed my Internet “habit” is slowly but surely crossing the line. Sometimes I find myself up at midnight, surfing the Web while my family are sleeping. I read news, keep up with friends and write my blog … just for something to do.
It turns out that I’m not the only mama who is addicted to the computer. These moms are contributing to a growing global addiction. There’s a movement among psychiatrists (doctors who specialize in mental diseases) to recognize the Internet addiction as an official mental disorder. And a recent Stanford University national survey found that 14 percent of Internet users find it hard to stay away from it for several days at a time; 9 percent try to hide their “unnecessary Internet use” from their loved ones; 8 percent admit they use the Web as a way to escape problems.
You’re likely not the kind of addict who doesn’t bathe and abuses drugs to help her stay “up” for more online time. You may have noticed, though, that going online has become a necessary part of your life, which, at least, means a load of clothes go unwashed.
It may also mean you’re missing much time with you baby – something you probably do care about.
【小題1】From Paragraph 1, we can conclude that _______.
| A．the author was busy taking care of her babies |
| B．the author’s job had something to do with computers |
| C．the author was not good at taking photos of her babies |
| D．the author looked after her babies while using the computer. |
| A．using the web at midnight | B．keeping up with friends online |
| C．spending too much time online | D．being addicted to computer games |
| A．a(chǎn) personal life habit | B．a(chǎn) way to escape problems |
| C．a(chǎn)n official mental disorder | D．the unnecessary use of the Internet |
| A．Many women still can control their online time. |
| B．The Internet addiction influences housewives’ lives a lot. |
| C．Going online has become a necessary part of women’s lives. |
| D．Many people don’t realize that they are addicted to the Internet. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
You're rushing to get out of the door for a meeting, but you just can't seem to find your car keys. Or you've got tickets booked for a Caribbean cruise(坐船旅行) , but your passport disappeared. Or maybe you've just come back from a grocery store tour and realized…Hey, did I leave my baby in the checkout line?
Ok, you've probably never gone to the extremes of our last example (we hope), but most of us experience slip - ups like these on a daily basis. No matter how smart you may be, it doesn't mean your brain won't turn to Swiss cheese every so often, and no amount of e-mail reminders can help you remember where you left your TV remote or lucky penny.
But now, there is a new pair of eyeglasses that can help to find all those little things you know must be around somewhere : Let's call it Vision 2.0.
The new glasses, which are being developed in a Japanese lab under the code name Smart Goggles,are similar to a Google search engine for your eyes. The high - tech glasses come with a camera that records everything you see on a daily basis, and boast built - in object recognition software that allows them to keep track of whatever comes across their field of vision. If you've got a collection of art sculptures that the camera can't recognize immediately, no problem : Just say the name of each item, and the glasses will memorize them right away.
The Smart Goggles' superb tracking abilities mean that whenever you're looking for your keys, your overdue library book, or yes, even your baby, all you have to do is to say the word and the Goggles' camera will show you the last time your desired object appeared on screen, telling exactly where you'll be able to find it.
Though the glasses are still too big for general use, the research team in Japan believes that they'll be able to make the modem glasses smaller to the size of normal glasses in the near future, making them the perfect new accessory for yourself or any other absent - minded Professor you know.
With these intelligent designs, you'll never lose anything again. Except maybe your glasses.
【小題1】The best title for the passage should be _______.
| A．A Habit of Forgetting Small Things |
| B．Usage of New High - Tech Glasses |
| C．How to Find Little Things Easily |
| D．Glasses Will Help Find Your Things |
| A．You can't find your watch before going to work. |
| B．You can't work out a math problem in given time. |
| C．You don't know how to deal with a naughty boy. |
| D．You don't know how to get to a hospital. |
| A．They're a search engine used on the Internet. |
| B．They're a camera with recognition software. |
| C．They're software used in computers. |
| D．They're sunglasses protecting our eyes. |
| A．In China. | B．In America. | C．In Japan. | D．In France. |
查看答案和解析>>
湖北省互聯(lián)網(wǎng)違法和不良信息舉報(bào)平臺 | 網(wǎng)上有害信息舉報(bào)專區(qū) | 電信詐騙舉報(bào)專區(qū) | 涉歷史虛無主義有害信息舉報(bào)專區(qū) | 涉企侵權(quán)舉報(bào)專區(qū)
違法和不良信息舉報(bào)電話：027-86699610 舉報(bào)郵箱：58377363@163.com