I needed to get some money during my winter holidays.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! Later,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,colors and styles they wanted.Quarrels broke out.Mothers were using their small children to crawl 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 realize 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?

A.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.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

Chinese and Western eating habits are different. In China, the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. It is always polite to let guests or elderly people at the table taste every dish first. But in the West, everyone has his or her own plate of food.
Although there are no strict rules on how to set chopsticks and spoons, there are some things you should never do during a Chinese banquet (筵席).
　Firstly and most importantly, don’t put your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when people die, family members give them a bowl full of rice with a pair of chopsticks sticking out upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it appears that you want someone at the table to die.
Make sure the spout(容器嘴) of the teapot is not facing anyone, as this is impolite. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.
Don’t tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, when the food is coming too slow in a restaurant, you should not tap on your bowl. If you are in someone’s home, it is like insulting the cook.
【小題1】What is the difference between Chinese and Western eating habits according to Paragraph 1?

任務(wù)型閱讀 （共10小題，每小題1分，滿分10分）

認(rèn)真閱讀下列短文，并根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文章后表格中的橫線上填入最恰當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~。 

注意：每空只填一個單詞。

Maybe you are an average student. You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessary so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here is how.　　

1). Plan your time carefully. When you plan your week, you should make a list of things that you can have to do. After making the list, you should make a schedule of your time. First time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying. Don’t forget to set aside enough time fro entertainment. A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.　　

2). Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room. Free from everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject. 　　

3). Make good use of your time in class. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teachers say. Really listening in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what your teachers say.　　

4). Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes. Review the important points that your teachers mentioned in class. If you want to know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read the material in advance. This will help you understand the next class. If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you will remember it longer.　　

5). Develop a good attitude about tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test, so don’t be overly worried.　

There are other methods that might help you with your studying. You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.　　

How to Become a Better Student?

As you know, Mark Twain was a famous American author and James Whistler was a famous American painter. Twain liked Whistler’s works very much, and there’s a story about the day he visited Whistler in his studio. Whistler was a rather serious person, but Twain enjoyed a joke.

Twain walked round the studio looking at Whistler’s wonderful paintings.

“I like this picture of the sea, ”Twain said.

“Yes, I painted it some time ago. It’s called Angry Sea. ”

“The colours are beautiful, ” Twain said. Then he pointed at another picture. “I like the way the woman is standing in the picture. I like the way she’s looking out of the window. Yes. This picture is quite wonderful. ”

“Thank you, ”Whistler said.

“What are you painting at the moment? ” Twain asked.

“This, ”Whistler said and he showed Twain an unfinished picture. “This is going to be the best picture I have ever painted. ”

“Yes, it is. ”Twain said. “It’s so beautiful. I must touch it. ”

Twain put out his hand to touch the picture and Whistler got very angry.

“Don’t touch it, ”he cried. “The paint isn’t dry yet. ”

“I know, ”Twain said, “but it’s quite all right. I’ve got my gloves on. ”

1. The subject talked about in this text is _______.

A. Mark Twain was a famous American author

B. James Whistler was a famous American painter

C. Mark Twain’s visit to James Whistler

D. where Mark Twain visited James Whistler

2. Angry Sea___________.

A. was a name of a sea

B. was a place of interest

C. was painted by Mark Twain

D. was a wonderful painting painted by James Whistler

3. Which of the statements is TRUE according to the text?

A. Mark Twain visited James Whistler at James’ studio.

B. Mark Twain was rather serious.

C. James Whistler was very happy when Twain touched the painting.

D. Mark Twain touched the painting with his bare hands.

A thousand years ago Hong Kong was covered by a thick forest like the forests we now find in Malaysia and Thailand. As more and more ___36___ came to live in Hong Kong, these trees were cut down and burnt. Now there is no forest left, ___37__ there are still some areas covered with trees. We call these __38__.
Elephants, tigers, monkeys and many other animals used to live in the __39__ forests of Hong Kong, and there were even crocodiles in the ___40__ and along the coast. When people came to live in Hong Kong, the animals began to __41___ out. Early farmers grew rice and kept pigs and chickens in the valleys.
They ___42___ the trees and burnt them. They needed fires to keep themselves ___43___ in the winter, to cook their food, and to keep away from dangerous animals. Elephants quickly disappeared because there was not enough ___44___ for them. So did most of the wolves, and tigers. Monkeys, squirrels and many other animals soon died out in the same __45____.
You might think that there are ___46___ any animals in Hong Kong, except in the __47_____. You might think there can’t be any wild animals in such a __48___ place with so many cars and buildings. But there is __49_____ a good deal of countryside in Hong Kong and New Territories, and there are still about thirty-six different kinds of animals living there.
One of the most interesting of Hong Kong’s ____50___ is the barking deer. They are beautiful little creatures with rich, brown coat and a white patch under the tail. They look like deer but they are much ___51___. They are less than two feet high. The male barking deer has two small horns but the female has none. They make a __52____ rather like a dog barking.
Barking deer live in thick shrub（灌木） country and are very good at __53___. They eat grass and shrubs, mainly in the very early morning and late afternoon and evening. This is when you are most likely to see one but you will need to be very quiet and to have very ___54___eyes. In Hong Kong the barking deer has only one ___55_____ ---- man. Although it is illegal, people hunt and trap these harmless little animals. As a result there are now not many left. There are a few on Hong Kong Island but none in the New Territories.