A bargain is something offered at a low and advantageous price. A more recent definition is: a bargain is a dirty trick to force money out of the pockets of silly and innocent people.

The cost of producing a new - for example - toothpaste would make 80p the proper price for it, so we will market it at £1.20. It is not a bad toothpaste, and as people like to try new things it will sell well to start with; but the attraction of novelty soon fades, so sales will fall. When that happens we will reduce the price to £1.15. And we will turn it into a bargain by printing 5p OFF all over it.

Sometimes it is not 5p OFF but 1p OFF. What breathtaking rudeness to advertise 1p OFF your soap or washing powder or whatever! Even the poorest old-age pensioner ought to regard this as an insult(侮辱), but he doesn’t. A bargain must not be missed. People say one has to have washing powder (or whatever) and one might as well buy it a penny cheaper.

The real danger starts when unnecessary things become ‘bargains’. Many people just cannot resist bargains. Provided they think they are getting a bargain they will buy clothes they will never wear or furniture they have no space for. Once I heard of a man who bought an electric saw as a bargain and cut off two of his fingers the next day. But he had no regrets: the saw had been truly cheap.

Quite a few people actually believe that they make money on such bargains. A lady once told me: “I’ve had a lucky day today. I bought a dress for £120, reduced from £400; and I bought a beautiful Persian carpet for £600, reduced from £900.” It will never occur to her that she has actually wasted £720. She feels as though she had made £580. She also feels, I am sure, that if she had more time for shopping, she could make a living out of it.

Some people buy in large quantities because it is cheaper. Once a couple bought enough sugar for their lifetime and the lifetime of their children and grandchildren. They thought it a bargain not to be missed. When the sugar arrived they didn’t know where to store it – until they realized that their toilet was a very spacious one. So that was where they piled up their sugar. Not only did their guests feel rather strange whenever they were offered sugar to put into their coffee, but the toilet became extremely sticky.

To offer bargains is a commercial trick to make the poor poorer. When greedy fools fall for this trick, it serves them right.

1.Which word best describes the language style of the passage?

A. Polite. B. Foolish. C. Humorous. D. Serious.

2.What does the underlined word “novelty” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Good quality. B. Low price.

C. Newness. D. Curiosity.

3.How does the author feel about 1p OFF a product?

A. It’s a gift for poor people.

B. It’s an offense to shoppers.

C. It’s a bargain worth trying.

D. It’s a real reduction in price.

4.Which statement will the author probably agree with?

A. Bargains are things people don’t really need.

B. Bargains are often real cheap products.

C. Bargains help people make a living.

D. Bargains play tricks on people.

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆遼寧省大連市高三10月月考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

For years, I thought that my mother would become a centenarian（百歲老人）, but after 98 years and eight months, she recently died of old age. As it was with my father, her funeral took place in the most peaceful setting of the countryside of rural Washington County. Even after my father died, we continued to think of our parents as one. They were a team in the traditional sense. Church and family were their lifeline. They worked hard, never complaining. They expected to earn their daily bread by the sweat of their forehead.

Once during a conversation with Tom Brokaw, who wrote the bestselling book The Greatest Generation, I told him, “You left out my parents.” They didn’t go off to war, but they belonged to the Greatest Generation. They, too, were part of the foundation that made American truly great. They kept the home fires burning.

Our mother gloried in being a housewife and mother. Having been a teacher in her early adult years, when education was more than important than anything else, she gave up her job to raise a family. She was an excellent cook, but she had to cook on a wood stove（火爐）. There was no refrigerator, nothing electric. But nobody was ever better at making do（湊合著用）. In addition to all the housework, she went to the fields every day to help produce a crop to pay the rent to provide for the family. She and my dad worked hard to save every penny possible.

They saved every penny to buy a farm late in life. They also saved enough money to live out their respective lives with home care without taking up residency in a nursing home. They were very independent. If you had suggested they accept a government transfer payment, they would have spit in your eye.

1.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Mother played a great part in the family.

B. Mother died at the age of 98 years old.

C. Mother was buried by the side of father.

D. Mother survived father by many years.

2.The underlined word “one” in the passage means ________.

A. parent B. Centenarian C. hero D. entirety

3.What do we know about Tom Brokaw?

A. He is one of the author’s parents’ friends.

B. He likes talking with the author’s parents.

C. He takes up a position as a writer.

D. He is good at managing a home.

4.How does the author find his parents?

A. Brave and hardworking

B. Modest and warmhearted

C. Economical and independent

D. Respective and satisfied

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年廣東清遠(yuǎn)第一中學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)學(xué)校高二10月月考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Computer programmer David Jones earns $35,000 a year designing new computer games. Yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card(信用卡)．Instead he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18.The 16-year-old works for a small firm in Liverpool where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. David’s firm releases(推出)two new games for the fast growing computer market each month.

But David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot，he cannot drive a car，take out a mortgage(抵押貸款)，or get credit cards. David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago，a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop.“I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs”，he said. David spends some of his money on records and clothes and gives his mother 50 pounds a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.

“Unfortunately，computing was not part of our studies at school”，he said，“But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young，anyway”．David added，“I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”

1.In what way is David different from people of his age?

A．He often goes out with friends.

B．He lives with his mother.

C．He has a handsome income.

D．He graduated with six O-levels.

2.What is one of the problems that David is facing now?

A．He is too young to get a credit card.

B．He has no time to learn driving.

C．He has very little spare time.

D．He will soon lose his job.

3.David was able to get the job in the company because _____.

A．He had done well in all his exams.

B．He had written some computer programs.

C．He was good at playing computer games.

D．He had learnt to use computers at school.

4.Why did David decide to leave school and start working?

A．He received lots of job offers.

B．He was eager to help his mother.

C．He lost interest in school studies.

D．He wanted to earn his own living.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年廣東茂名市高三第二次模擬考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

Asia has long tradition of tea-drinking. And China is no exception.

However, lately more and more Chinese people are turning to a different . Coffee has become a/an popular choice of Chinese people living abroad and in the country's cities. In big cities such as Beijing, coffee shops seem to be on nearly every major street corner. These are not just selling drinks from Starbucks, the world-famous coffee company. Coffee businesses from South Korea and Britain are also in China.

Many young Chinese people drink coffee -- when meeting with friends. Yang Lin lives in the U.S. but comes from an area in China for growing tea. She used to drink tea while in China. But now, she says, she drinks both and for different reasons.

Yang Lin says she was a tea drinker when she was back in China. But she likes coffee and tea now. Drinking coffee for her is a social event. She and her co-workers like to sit in a café and talk over a cup of coffee. Tea, she says, is more about family . She grew up in Fujian province -- an area known for its tea. Ms. Yang says that as a child, her family would together in the evening and talk about the day's events over a steaming pot of tea. So now, the smell of Fujian tea brings back these family memories.

On average a person in China drinks about five cups of coffee a year. This information comes from the China Coffee Association Beijing. That is far below the world average of 240 cups a year. But the association says the amount of coffee that Chinese drink is by about 15 percent every year.

1.A.business B. drink C. attitude D. custom

2.A. abnormally B. necessarily C. thoroughly D. increasingly

3.A. huge B. ancient C. remote D. conservative

4.A. cities B. companies C. shops D. foreigners

5.A. producing B. earning C. operating D. struggling

6.A. passively B. deliberately C. elegantly D. socially

7.A. famous B. appropriate C. anxious D. beneficial

8.A. seldom B. only C. unwillingly D. never

9.A. completely B. gradually C. equally D. eventually

10.A. memories B.values C. possessions D. traditions

11.A. work B. gather C. cook D. pull

12.A. even B. still C. somehow D. hardly

13.A. rare B. tough C. lonely D. warm

14.A. information B. cost C. amount D. production

15.A. decreasing B. growing C. dividing D. profiting

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年北京市西城區(qū)高三一模考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

All you have is what you bring with you

I've always felt a need to be prepared for whatever situation I've found myself in．

My mother once took me to a store when I was seven years old．She and I got to the checkout counter, and she realized she had forgotten a couple of things on her shopping list．She left me with the cart and ran off to get what she needed．

"I'll be right back．" she said．

She was gone just a few minutes, but in that time, I had loaded all the things on the belt and everything was rung up．I was left staring at the cashier, who was staling at me．"Do you have money for me, son?" she said．"I'll need to be paid．" -

I didn't realize she was just trying to amuse herself．So I stood there, ashamed and embarrassed．

By the time my mom returned, I was angry．"You left me here with no money! This lady asked me for the money, and I had nothing to give her I"

Now that I'm an adult, you'll never catch me with less than $200 in my wallet．I want to be prepared in case I need it．

I've always admired people who are over-prepared．In college, I had a classmate named Norman．One day he was giving a presentation on an overhead projector and in the middle of his talk, the light bulb （燈泡） on the projector blew out．We would have to wait ten minutes until someone found a new' projector．

"It's Okay．" he announced．"There's nothing to worry about．"

We watched him walk over to his bag and pull something out．He had brought along a spare bulb for the Overhead projector．Who could even think of that?

I often told my students, " When you go into the wilderness, the only thing you can depend on is what you take with you．" And essentially, the wilderness is anywhere but your home or office．So take money．Pack a light bulb．Be prepared．

1.Why did the cashier ask a seven-year-old boy to pay for the purchases'?

A．The boy was shopping by himself．

B．The boy's mother asked her to do so．

C．The cashier was playing a joke on him．

D．The boy's mother was away for something else．

2.Why was the boy angry with his mother?

A．His mother left him alone．

B．He lost face in front of the cashier．

C．His mother forgot to buy something．

D．He had just quarreled with the cashier．

3.Why did Norman bring a spare bulb with him?

A．He was always well-prepared．

B．His presentation was about bulbs．

C．He knew the classroom equipment was of poor quality．

D．He predicted the bulb on the projector would blow out．

4.What do the two stories tell us?

A．Accidents happen almost every day．

B．Money is the key that opens all doors.

C．In fair weather, prepare for a rainy day．

D．Chances favor those who are well-prepared．

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年北京市西城區(qū)高三二模英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

That restaurant is extremely popular, ______ you may have to wait to get a seat.

A. for B. so C. or D. yet

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年北京市海淀區(qū)高三上學(xué)期期末考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

I watch documentaries, not movies．I read history books, not fiction．I use every free moment to accomplish one of the tasks on my never-ending checklist, and I am completely filled with thoughts of productivity．An hour sleeping is an hour wasted．And like the rest of 21st century America, I like it．But this fixation on productivity is increasingly destroying character and transforming men into robots.

New York Times columnist David Brooks warned American University students of this cultural decline in a speech．“We cut off all things spiritual and emotional in a competitive urge to stand out”, he said, “The pressure to succeed professionally, to acquire skills, to do the things you need to do to succeed in an information age economy really became the overwhelming（難以應(yīng)付的） pressures, and it sort of eclipses the thinking about character and morality.”

Many students happily go to college, viewing it as a next step on their rise to professional achievement．Forcing as many success-building activities into their schedules as they can, they enjoy keeping busy with little sleep．“Today’s outstanding kids are likely to spend their afternoons and weekends shuttling from one skill-improving activity to the next,” Brooks wrote in an article, “We fear failure more than we desire success.”

A century ago, college was about character building．Today, our characters are in decline．We are experts on economics, material things and professional skills．We fail to discuss and understand relationships, emotions and all things spiritual．

Philosopher Karl Popper divided the world into two categories: Clocks and Clouds．Clock problems are those that can be taken apart, examined and solved through deductive reasoning（演繹推理）．Clouds cannot be taken apart．Cloud problems represent whole systems that need to be understood in a different way.

“When we have a Cloud problem, we try to turn it into a Clock problem,” Brooks said．And in a reason-centered culture, adding titles to one’s resume becomes a trend．At American University, 85 percent of seniors (and 89 percent of business majors) graduate with at least one practical experience which is often helpful to a student’s future career, but can sometimes draw focus away from academics.

To prevent the death of man’s character, Brooks urges rediscovering our human natures through falling in love．And by love he means love for a task, job, or another person．“Synchronicity is key to happiness,” he said．Rather than crazily increasing our long lists of accomplishments, we need to lose ourselves in what we do, and success will come on its own.

1.From Paragraph 1, we can learn that people __________.

A．a(chǎn)re controlled by time

B．a(chǎn)re keen on reading books

C．a(chǎn)re changing their characters

D．a(chǎn)re eager to achieve more

2.In Paragraph 2, the underlined word “eclipses” means _________.

A．deletes B．weakens

C．worsens D．emphasizes

3.The last paragraph mainly tells us that __________．

A．love is more important than focus

B．the focus on human natures counts

C．more work contributes to happiness

D．success comes from devotion to work

4.The purpose of this passage is to __________.

A．bring awareness to character building

B．stress the importance of productivity

C．warn about the pressure to seek success

D．criticize students’ desire for achievements

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆湖北襄陽(yáng)老河口高級(jí)中學(xué)高二下期末英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Sometimes your biggest weakness can become your biggest strength. Take, for example, the story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move.“Sensei,” the boy finally said, “shouldn't I be learning more moves?”“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know,” the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy skillfully used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.

“No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.” Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. “Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?” “You won for two reasons,” the sensei answered. “First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

1.we can infer from Paragraph 2 that the teacher__________.

A. was unwilling to teach the boy

B. regarded mastering one move as extremely important.

C. worried about the boys ability

D. trained the boy to win judo tournaments

2.After the boy came in the finals, __________.

A. he feared to get hurt.

B. the teacher felt satisfied

C. he thought of giving up.

D. the judge stopped the game.

3.The underlined expression “be overmatched” in Paragraph 3 is closed in meaning to__________.

A. lose heart

B. lose patience

C. be defeated

D. be monitored

4.How did the boy’s teacher explain his success of the tournament?

A. His opponent was too confident and careless.

B. The boy was experienced in playing the games.

C. His opponent didn't notice the boys left hand.

D. The boy made use of his judo skill and weakness.

5.What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To suggest we turn weakness into strength.

B. To encourage us to insist in a match.

C. To show us how to win a match luckily.

D. To tell us to choose an experienced teacher.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年北京市東城區(qū)普通校高三11月聯(lián)考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

_____ with so much trouble，we failed to complete the task on time．

A．Faced B．Face

C．Facing D．To face

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案