I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham's for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I'll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock(貨物) and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn't sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds”(clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less
confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn't believe my eyes; this wasn't shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn't keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small child
ren to crawl(爬行) through people's legs and get hold of things they couldn't get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole
day continued like that, but I kept my temper(脾氣)! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realise why, twice a year, ?Graham's? were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.
You won't believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.
1.What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5% cheaper?  
Last summer's clothes.
B.Clothes not in perfect condition.
C.Clothes bought in specially for the sales.     
D.Clothes for winter. 
2.Which of the following statements is true?        
A.The customers gave up the queuing, for which the English are famous.        
B.The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted.        
C.Small children enjoyed crawling through people's legs.        
D.The security guards were fearless of the crowd. 
3.In the author's opinion, why were Graham's happy to make their expensive store into a “battlefield”?
A.There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales.
B.They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business.        
C.They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes.        
D.They wanted to make more money by having sales. 
4.The expression “_________crashed out” means ________.
A.chatted with her friendsB.slept soundlyC.broke downD.dined out 
5.  What would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Best Bargain                B.Hunting for a Job
C.Sale Fever                     D.A Pleasant Fortnight 

1----5  DADBC     

1.這是一道細節(jié)題。第二段中列舉了四類降價的衣服及其降價幅度。A選項中的衣服are heavily reduced to clear(清倉) them;C選項中的衣服降價60%；B選項中的衣服are sold very cheaply降幅一定大于5%。答案為D。 
2.這是一道細節(jié)推斷題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第三段可判斷出如果人多，英國人就會放棄排隊。答案為A。 
3.這是一道推斷題。從整篇短文的內(nèi)容可以了解到，使人們相信他們所賣的衣服便宜，許多人來到商店競相購買衣服，使整個商店變成了一個“戰(zhàn)場”。他們這樣做的目的就是為了賺錢。答案為D。
4.這是一道詞義猜測題。根據(jù)上下文來判斷，上文提到作者上班時遭遇那么多的人競相搶購，倒數(shù)“Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose”，可見勞動強度非常大，所以回到家后作者crashed out，而且作者下文說自己害怕聽到提醒自己明天還得繼續(xù)像這樣工作的鈴聲，還went back to bed，可見crash out應為熟睡。答案為B。 
5.這是一道主旨題。作者在這篇短文中描寫了人們瘋狂購物的場面，所以這篇短文的主題應是“購物熱”。答案為C。 
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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51. How is the passage mainly developed?
A．By inferring．             B．By comparing．
C．By listing examples．        D．By giving facts．
52. The text is written mainly            
A．to explain the origin of the expression “first things first”
B．to call on us to use our time in a smart manner   
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